Helen Close Charitable Foundation
The Helen Close Charitable Foundation is a private foundation based in Reno, Nevada. Its 2025 grants supported organizations and projects including youth outdoor education, city equipment replacement, public broadcasting, scholarships, animal care, emergency services, food assistance, and family support.
Helen Close Charitable Foundation at a glance
In short: Helen Close Charitable Foundation gave $412K across 23 grants in 2025 (avg $18K), mostly in Nevada. 22% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $412,215
- +43.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 23
- +15.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $17,922
- +24.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $5,630,091
- +0.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 22% first-time grantees (5 of 23, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Nevada (96% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Helen Close Charitable Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The 2024 filing names Kenneth E. Stieha Jr., President, as the contact. It says to submit a summary of need and amount before the prescribed form is made available. The filing states that the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations.
- Review Cycle
- None stated.
- Deadline
- None stated.
- Contact
Application contact: Kenneth E Stieha Jr President
Mailing address: 100 W Liberty Street Suite 1100, Reno, NV 89501
Phone: (775) 786-6141
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Helen Close Charitable Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Sierra Nevada Journeys ($83K). Together the top 10 received $315K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($7,500), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
112 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 107 grants of 112 (96%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2024 filing says grants are made primarily in Nevada and adjacent California counties. In 2025, 96% of grant dollars went to recipients in Nevada, 3% to California, and 1% to South Dakota.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 23 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Helen Close Charitable Foundation open to new grantees?
22%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 23 grantees (22%) were first-time recipients. With only 23 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $19K; repeat grants $18K. How we count
Medians: $15K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 48% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 52% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 130% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $187K (2019) to $412K (2025). In 2025 it made 23 grants totaling $412K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Sierra Nevada Journeys Reno, NV | Summer Camp for Intercity Youth and Capital Improvements | $82,715 |
| City of Sparks Sparks, NV | Equipment Replacement | $55,000 |
| Channel 5 Public Broadcasting Reno, NV | PBS Reno Curiosity Classroom | $40,000 |
| University of Nevada-Reno Foundation Reno, NV | Scholarships | $40,000 |
| Canine Rehabilitation Center and Cat Sanctuary Carson City, NV | Equipment and Furnishings | $20,000 |
| American Red Cross of Northern Nevada Reno, NV | Smoke Alarm Provision | $17,000 |
| Assistance League of Reno-Sparks Reno, NV | Food Pantry Program | $15,000 |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern Nevada Reno, NV | Office Furnishings | $15,000 |
| Northern Nevada Rave Sparks, NV | Respite Care Scholarships | $15,000 |
| The Childrens Cabinet Reno, NV | Client Emergency Needs Fund | $15,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Helen Close Charitable Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $5,630,091 | $538,296 | $523,649 | $412,215 | 23 | $443,514 | $464,619 | $341,350 |
| 2024 | $5,613,706 | $404,339 | $396,094 | $288,322 | 20 | $318,715 | $331,568 | $330,899 |
| 2023 | $5,605,371 | $354,322 | $405,276 | $307,885 | 22 | $335,966 | $289,032 | $305,956 |
| 2022 | $5,656,487 | $398,696 | $371,070 | $270,960 | 20 | $297,907 | $330,122 | $325,822 |
| 2021 | $5,628,699 | $467,639 | $426,955 | $321,634 | 27 | — | $396,042 | $367,666 |
| 2020 | $5,589,883 | $376,456 | $435,282 | $341,600 | 20 | — | $312,482 | $321,910 |
| 2019 | $5,646,841 | $188,564 | $284,438 | $186,757 | 17 | — | $118,303 | $313,338 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Helen Close Charitable Foundation reported a distributable amount of $341K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations working in areas such as youth education, scholarships, animal welfare, children’s and family services, medical resources, food assistance, and emergency services.
Among its grantees, an individual recipient Journeys describes its mission as delivering outdoor, science-based education for youth to develop critical-thinking skills and inspire natural-resource stewardship. The Children’s Cabinet describes its work as keeping children safe and families together by providing services and resources for unmet needs. Care Chest of an individual recipient says it provides medical resources free of charge to people in need. Other 2025 recipients included organizations whose stated work includes animal sheltering and education, disability recreation programs, and guidance and coping tools for youth.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 23 grants totaling $412,215. Grants ranged from $2,500 to $82,715, with a median grant of $10,000. The largest awards included $82,715 to an individual recipient Journeys for summer camp for intercity youth and capital improvements; $55,000 to the City of Sparks for equipment replacement; and $40,000 each to Channel 5 Public Broadcasting for PBS Reno’s Curiosity Classroom and the University of Nevada–Reno Foundation for scholarships.
Other 2025 awards included $20,000 to the Canine Rehabilitation Center and Cat Sanctuary for equipment and furnishings; $17,000 to the American Red Cross of an individual recipient for smoke alarm provision; and $15,000 each to Assistance League of Reno-Sparks, Big Brothers Big Sisters of two individual recipients RAVE, and The Children’s Cabinet for their respective food pantry, office furnishings, respite care scholarship, and client emergency needs programs.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Kenneth E. Stieha Jr. as President/Trustee, Carole Mathisen as Secretary/Trustee, Betty Vogler as Treasurer/Trustee, and David M. Quinn as Vice President/Trustee.
Helen Close Charitable Foundation is led by David M. Quinn, V President & Trustee on every filing since 2019; all 4 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
David M. Quinn
V President & Trustee
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
$11K (2019) → $13K (2025)
Kenneth E. Stieha Jr.
President & Trustee
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
$14K (2019) → $16K (2025)
Betty Vogler
Treasurer & Trustee
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
$11K (2019) → $13K (2025)
Carole Mathisen
Secretary & Trustee
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
$11K (2019) → $13K (2025)
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $16K, to Kenneth E Stieha Jr (President/Trustee). 4 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Helen Close Charitable Foundation
How much does Helen Close Charitable Foundation give each year?
Helen Close Charitable Foundation gave $412K across 23 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $288K across 20 grants.
What is Helen Close Charitable Foundation's typical grant size?
Helen Close Charitable Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $17,922, across 23 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Helen Close Charitable Foundation that year got $19K on average.
Where does Helen Close Charitable Foundation give grants?
Helen Close Charitable Foundation gives mostly in Nevada: 96% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Reno, NV (16 grants) and Sparks, NV (2 grants).
Does Helen Close Charitable Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 23 grants with a stated purpose on Helen Close Charitable Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Scholarships" (4 grants).
Who are Helen Close Charitable Foundation's largest grantees?
Helen Close Charitable Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Sierra Nevada Journeys ($82,715), City of Sparks ($55,000) and Channel 5 Public Broadcasting ($40,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($7,500), which are not listed by name. Together they received 43% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Helen Close Charitable Foundation?
Helen Close Charitable Foundation reported $5.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $444K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $341K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Helen Close Charitable Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations working in areas such as youth education, scholarships, animal welfare, children’s and family services, medical resources, food assistance, and emergency services. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Helen Close Charitable Foundation?
The 2024 filing names Kenneth E. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Helen Close Charitable Foundation's EIN?
Helen Close Charitable Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 88-0214245. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 23, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 2, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Helen Close Charitable Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Helen Close Charitable Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/helen-close-charitable-foundation-morg_520bf60319674d67bf4ebcd7c92cb012
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_880214245_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Helen Close Charitable Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/helen-close-charitable-foundation-morg_520bf60319674d67bf4ebcd7c92cb012},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Helen Close Charitable Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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