John and Denise Graves Foundation
The John and Denise Graves Foundation is a private foundation based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It works toward a future in which children and youth in its community can achieve thriving adult lives, supporting education, community-building, housing, and youth development in and around Minneapolis.
John and Denise Graves Foundation at a glance
In short: John and Denise Graves Foundation gave $2.8M across 85 grants in 2024 (avg $33K), mostly in Minnesota. 47% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $2,801,285
- -2.4% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 85
- -11.5% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $32,956
- +10.3% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $30,000
- Total assets
- $47,635,557
- +2.1% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 47% first-time grantees (32 of 68, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Minnesota (92% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to John and Denise Graves Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- Yes
- How to Apply
-
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests. Prospective applicants can begin by completing its alignment form; if staff see potential alignment, they follow up to begin a conversation. The 2024 filing also says letters of intent are accepted by email and that unsolicited letters of interest submitted according to the foundation’s guidelines are read as staff capacity allows. Staff-selected proposals are reviewed at subsequent board meetings. Initial grants are typically for one year; after the first year, one-, two-, or three-year grants may be considered depending on alignment and relationship. Funding is typically issued twice a year following board meetings.
- Review Cycle
- None; the application process is open.
- Deadline
- None; the application process is open.
- Contact
Application contact: Letter Of Intent Accepted By E-Mail
Mailing address: 2929 Chicago Avenue South Suite 100, Minneapolis, MN 55407
Phone: (612) 389-9820
Email: info@jdgravesfoundation.org
Website: https://jdgravesfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from John and Denise Graves Foundation
Who John and Denise Graves Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Youthprise ($410K across 5 grants). Together the top 10 received $1.4M.
Grant Size Distribution
398 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 305 grants of 398 (77%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation focuses on Minneapolis and Hennepin County, and describes its work as centered in and around Minneapolis. In 2024, 92% of grant dollars went to recipients in Minnesota; the remaining reported shares went to New York (2%), California (2%), Louisiana (1%), and Alabama (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 85 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is John and Denise Graves Foundation open to new grantees?
47%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 32 of 68 grantees (47%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $37K; repeat grants $45K. How we count
Medians: $33K first-time, $38K repeat.
- 40% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+7%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 198% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $2.6M (2021) to $3.0M (2020). In 2024 it made 85 grants totaling $2.8M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Youthprise Minneapolis, MN | Youth Development | $250,000 |
| YMCA of the North Minneapolis, MN | Housing | $190,000 |
| Venn Foundation Saint Paul, MN | Discretionary | $150,000 |
| Achieve Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN | Discretionary | $83,316 |
| Great MN Schools Minneapolis, MN | Education | $75,000 |
| Peris Foundation Minneapolis, MN | Housing | $65,000 |
| Youthprise Minneapolis, MN | Youth Development | $60,000 |
| Catholic Charities Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN | Youth Development | $50,000 |
| Ed Allies Minneapolis, MN | Education | $50,000 |
| Education Evolving Minneapolis, MN | Education | $50,000 |
Ready to take the next step with John and Denise Graves 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $47,635,557 | $1,372,189 | $4,705,135 | $2,801,285 | 85 | $4,263,682 | $671,669 | $2,157,751 |
| 2023 | $46,651,122 | $555,958 | $4,362,111 | $2,869,198 | 96 | $5,359,163 | $715,381 | $2,070,931 |
| 2022 | $44,447,544 | $1,336,665 | $4,382,966 | $2,896,226 | 78 | $4,132,714 | $1,268,782 | $2,335,237 |
| 2021 | $57,663,471 | $2,398,253 | $3,944,490 | $2,617,600 | 70 | $3,701,082 | $2,736,127 | $2,657,464 |
| 2020 | $54,924,760 | $867,412 | $4,323,867 | $3,029,939 | 69 | — | $1,086,401 | $2,470,615 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, John and Denise Graves Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.2M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is to close equity gaps and improve the lives of youth. Its priority areas are education, housing, youth development, and community-building. Its published education priorities include stable, rigorous, welcoming school communities; its housing work addresses stable housing and upstream responses to the housing crisis. In youth development, it highlights youth perspectives on thriving, young people impacted by foster care, and institutional reform.
The foundation partners with nonprofits, organizers, researchers, policymakers, and institutional and grassroots community leaders. Examples of 2024 grantees illustrate this range: Youthprise says it works to advance equity with and for Indigenous, low-income, and racially diverse youth; Great MN Schools says it works toward access to schools that serve every child; and the Peris Foundation says it develops and maintains supportive housing for youth aging out of foster care. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own work.
Grantmaking
The foundation reported 85 grants totaling $2,801,285 in 2024. Individual grants ranged from $516 to $250,000, with a median grant of $30,000.
Among the largest 2024 grants were $250,000 to Youthprise for youth development, $190,000 to YMCA of the North for housing, $150,000 to Venn Foundation for discretionary support, $83,316 to Achieve Twin Cities for discretionary support, and $75,000 to Great MN Schools for education. Other notable awards included $65,000 to the Peris Foundation for housing and $50,000 each to Catholic Charities Twin Cities for youth development, Ed Allies for education, Education Evolving for education, Educators 4 Excellence for education, and Foster Advocates for youth development.
The filing describes eligible funding categories as education focused on K–12 organizations, schools, and school systems; youth power building for underserved youth transitioning from K–12 and efforts to improve youth-involved systems and entitlements; and community organizations maintaining the cultural vibrance and diversity of East Lake Street. The foundation does not fund individuals; sacramental or theological functions of religious organizations; annual fundraising events; endowments; or specified political, legislative, voter-registration, campaign, and litigation activities.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists William G. Graves as trustee and president, and John E. Graves and Denise A. Graves as trustees. The foundation’s history says John and Denise Graves asked their son, Bill Graves, to launch and manage the foundation.
John and Denise Graves Foundation is led by William G. Graves, Trustee & President on every filing since 2020; 1 of 3 officers listed in 2024 is compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
William G. Graves
Trustee & President
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$164K (2020) → $156K (2024)
Denise A. Graves
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John E. Graves
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $156K, to William G Graves (Trustee/President).
Frequently asked questions about John and Denise Graves Foundation
How much does John and Denise Graves Foundation give each year?
John and Denise Graves Foundation gave $2.8M across 85 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $2.9M across 96 grants.
What is John and Denise Graves Foundation's typical grant size?
John and Denise Graves Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $30,000, and its average grant was $32,956, across 85 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from John and Denise Graves Foundation that year got $37K on average.
Where does John and Denise Graves Foundation give grants?
John and Denise Graves Foundation gives mostly in Minnesota: 92% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Minneapolis, MN (53 grants), Saint Paul, MN (11 grants), Brooklyn Center, MN (3 grants) and New York, NY (2 grants).
Does John and Denise Graves Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 85 grants with a stated purpose on John and Denise Graves Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Discretionary" (33 grants), "Education" (24 grants) and "Youth Development" (23 grants).
Who are John and Denise Graves Foundation's largest grantees?
John and Denise Graves Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Youthprise ($410,000 across 5 grants), YMCA of the North ($190,000) and Venn Foundation ($150,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 27% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is John and Denise Graves Foundation?
John and Denise Graves Foundation reported $47.6M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $4.3M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $2.2M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does John and Denise Graves Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to close equity gaps and improve the lives of youth. Its priority areas are education, housing, youth development, and community-building. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from John and Denise Graves Foundation?
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is John and Denise Graves Foundation's EIN?
John and Denise Graves Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-1300668. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does John and Denise Graves Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
Yes, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS October 27, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS October 30, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 12, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS October 21, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in John and Denise Graves Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). John and Denise Graves Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 8, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/john-and-denise-graves-foundation-morg_1a8615bb842044ada6dda2e7419de093
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_471300668_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{John and Denise Graves Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/john-and-denise-graves-foundation-morg_1a8615bb842044ada6dda2e7419de093},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-08. 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 John and Denise Graves 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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