Hiawatha Education Foundation

WINONA, MN EIN: 36-3537959 Website

The Hiawatha Education Foundation is a private 501(c)(3) family foundation established in December 1987 and located in Winona, Minnesota. The foundation focuses on supporting educational initiatives, particularly in the pre-school and Montessori education space.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$61.2M

+6.1% YoY

Annual Giving

$3.0M

+30.9% YoY

Grant Count

+6.3% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$87K

+23.2% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Hiawatha Education Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.7M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation's primary purpose is giving to public and private tax-exempt Minnesota schools that are considering new or expanded pre-school Montessori programs, particularly for at-risk children. The foundation also supports educational programs more broadly across its grantmaking portfolio.

Grantmaking

Grant Range

s & Activity:**

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation primarily funds in Minnesota, with a stated geographic focus on the state. However, grantmaking has also extended to Texas and Tennessee.

Grant Distribution by State

Minnesota $11.8M (96%)

Texas $220K (2%)

Tennessee $160K (1%)

Washington $60K (0%)

States

Minnesota Tennessee Texas Washington

Cities

Apple ValleyAustinBellevueBrownsvilleChaskaColumbia HeightsDuluthLa CrescentLong LakeMinneapolisMontevideoNashvilleNorth MinneapolisPlymouthRed WingRosevilleShoreviewSt PaulWabashaWaseca

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Metric	Amount	Year
Total Assets	$61,177,084	2024
Total Revenues	$9,177,849	2024
Total Expenses	$3,162,027	2024
Total Giving	$2,951,350	2024
Total Assets	$57.6M	2023
Total Liabilities	$2,090	2023

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$61,177,084	$57,639,478	$48,726,859
Revenue	$9,177,849	$2,880,042	$3,773,465
Expenses	$3,162,027	$2,452,736	$2,859,548
Qualifying Distributions	$2,951,350	$2,254,250	$2,595,989
Net Investment Income	$4,901,971	$2,681,556	$3,509,906
Distributable Amount	$2,701,416	$2,467,954	$2,729,412

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Grant Size Distribution

159 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Cotter Schools ($1,350,000), Cornerstone Montessori School ($119,000), Siembra Montessori ($115,500).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
ACACIA MONTESSORI APPLE VALLEY, MN	EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS	$99,550
BLUFFVIEW MONTESSORI SCHOOL WINONA, MN	EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS	$4,500
CHILDREN'S WORKSHOP MONTESSORI LONG LAKE, MN	EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS	$25,800
COMMON ROOTS MONTESSORI ST PAUL, MN	EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS	$19,400
CORNERSTONE MONTESSORI SCHOOL ST PAUL, MN	EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS	$119,000
COSMOS MONTESSORI MINNEAPOLIS, MN	EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS	$48,600
COTTER SCHOOLS WINONA, MN	EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS	$1,350,000
CREEKSIDE MONTESSORI SCHOOL MINNEAPOLIS, MN	EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS	$86,100
HOPE LUTHERAN HIGH SCHOOL WINONA, MN	EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS	$50,000
TRINITY EPISCOPAL SCHOOL AUSTIN, TX	EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS	$50,000

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

Robert Kierlin - Listed as a primary contact and supporter of the foundation
Monique Duncan - Secretary and Executive Director (as of 2023)
Phillip B Duncan - Treasurer (as of 2024)

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
ROBERT KIERLIN DEC'D 21025	PRESIDENT	3	—
LARA KIERLIN	VICE PRESIDENT	0.5	—
MONIQUE DUNCAN	SECRETARY/EXECUTIVE DIRECT	30	$40,000
PHILLIP B DUNCAN	TREASURER/CFO	30	$40,000
TODD WERNER	DIRECTOR	0.5	—

Contact Information

Address: 225 Main Street, Winona, MN 55987-3502

Phone: 507-205-2611

Email: dwittwer84@gmail.com (Dianna Wittwer)

EIN: 36-3537959

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Hiawatha Education Foundation fund?

How do I apply for a grant from Hiawatha Education Foundation?

**Grant Sizes & Activity:** • Typical grant awards range from $650 to $1,350,000 • In 2024, the foundation made 27 grants totaling $2,951,350 • Recent notable grants include: • Cotter Schools: $1,350,000 (2024) • Cornerstone Montessori Elementary School: $119,000 (2024) • St Elizabeth's Community Development Foundation: $100,000 (2024) **Financial Capacity:** • Total assets: $61,177,084 (2024) • Total revenues: $9,177,849 (2024) • Total expenses: $3,162,027 (2024)

Where does Hiawatha Education Foundation make grants?

The foundation primarily funds in Minnesota, with a stated geographic focus on the state. However, grantmaking has also extended to Texas and Tennessee.

What size grants does Hiawatha Education Foundation award?

In 2024, Hiawatha Education Foundation awarded 34 grants totaling $3.0M — an average of about $87K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is Hiawatha Education Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Hiawatha Education Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.7M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.