Jeffris Family Foundation Ltd logo

Jeffris Family Foundation Ltd

JANESVILLE, WI EIN: 39-1281879 Website

The Jeffris Family Foundation is a private family foundation based in Janesville, Wisconsin, dedicated to historic preservation in the Midwest. Established in 1977, the foundation has become a significant funder of restoration projects for historic structures in small towns and cities across the region.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

Annual Giving

$1.5M

+80.1% YoY

Grant Count

12

+20.0% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$126K

+50.1% YoY

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

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation's primary mission is to:

  • Support the preservation of history and culture and the unique sense of place in small towns and cities
  • Develop significant historic sites in eight Midwestern states
  • Assure sustainability and quality restoration through good research and planning
  • Inspire and motivate community leaders and local families to support historic preservation in their towns

Projects funded must be individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places or be eligible for listing.

Grantmaking

Grant Types

& Amounts:**

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation funds historic preservation projects in eight Midwestern states:

  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Missouri
  • Ohio
  • Wisconsin

Grant Distribution by State

9states
+1 more states

Cities

ANGOLAANNAARROW ROCKBELLEFONTAINECOLDWATERCOLUMBUSDEKALBDUBUQUEEDGERTONELKHARTEVANSVILLEFREMONTGREENFIELDINDIANAPOLISJANESVILLEKEOKUKKEWASKUMLITHOPOLISMADISONMARSHALL

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

  • Total Assets: $14,156,192
  • Total Giving: $144,315 (based on most recent filing)
  • Staff: 3 employees
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$0.275$0.55$0.8250000000000001$1.1201920202021202220232024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
Distributable Amount

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$377K$755K$1M$2M9 grants201911 grants202011 grants202113 grants202210 grants202312 grants2024

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

LICKING COUNTY FOUNDATIO…$1.1MLOGAN COUNTY LANDMARK PR…$220KCITY OF DUBUQUE IOWA$50KFRIENDS OF THE STINSON M…$34KCLINTON COUNTY HISTORICA…$24KCOMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF …$20KEASTEND STUDIO AND GALLERY$13KFRIENDS OF PBS WISCONSIN…$1KGREATER GREENFIELD COMMU…$1KROCK COUNTY HISTORICAL S…$1K

Grant Size Distribution

57 grants across all recorded years

46<$50K1$50–100K2$100–250K6$250–500K1$500K–1M1$1–5M$5M+

Open Grants

1 open opportunity from Jeffris Family Foundation Ltd

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

No grants recorded for .

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

Tom Jeffris - Founder and President of the Jeffris Family Foundation

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

THOMAS M JEFFRISPRESIDENT/TREASURER/DIRECTOR$145KROYCE YEATERDIRECTOR/FIELD REPRESENTATIVE$58KNANCY FINEGOODDIRECTOR/FIELD REPRESENTATIVE$53K

From 2024 filing

NameTitleHoursCompensation
THOMAS M JEFFRISPRESIDENT/TREASURER/DIRECTOR40$145,000
PEGGY J SHERIDANVICE PRES/SECRETARY/ASST TREASURER8
ROYCE YEATERDIRECTOR/FIELD REPRESENTATIVE21$58,050
NANCY FINEGOODDIRECTOR/FIELD REPRESENTATIVE20$53,000

Recent News & Activity

Recent developments and announcements

The foundation has continued active grantmaking in recent years, including:

Awards to the History Center of Olmsted County for a Challenge Grant

A piece of living history.'' Elkhorn awarded $300,000 Jeffris grant to

Grant to the History Center in Ohio for the Heartland Fund

A piece of living history.'' Elkhorn awarded $300,000 Jeffris grant to

Grant to Stinson Library for a Historic Structure Report

Jeffris Family Foundation awards Stinson Library Historic Structure Report

Ongoing support for restoration projects across the Midwest, with nearly 100 projects funded over the foundation's history

The foundation has been recognized by the National Trust for Historic Preservation for its significant commitment to preservation efforts and its strategy of using challenge grants to inspire broader community support for restoration projects.

Jeffris Family Foundation awards Stinson Library Historic Structure Report

Subject Areas

Focus areas based on grantmaking activity

Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.

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