John H & Ann GHRIST Family Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Des Moines, IA EIN: 39-1892120

The John H & Ann GHRIST Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Des Moines, Iowa. In 2024, it made 13 grants totaling $28,000, with awards recorded for operations at organizations including nonprofits, educational institutions, cultural organizations, and public media.

Key facts about John H & Ann GHRIST Family Foundation

In short: John H & Ann GHRIST Family Foundation gave $28K across 13 grants in 2024 (avg $2K), mostly in Iowa. 46% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
39-1892120
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2024
Annual giving (2024)
$28,000
Grants made (2024)
13
Average grant
$2,154
Median grant
$2,000
New grantees (estimate)
46% first-time grantees (6 of 13, 2024; small sample)
Total assets
$623,256
Primary geography
Iowa (96% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
How to apply
The foundation’s filing says to contact JOHN H ANN GHRIST FAMILY FOUNDATION. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$623K

+0.9% YoY

Annual Giving

$28K

-9.7% YoY

Grant Count

13

+0.0% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$2K

-9.7% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, John H & Ann GHRIST Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $32K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Is John H & Ann GHRIST Family Foundation open to new grantees?

46%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 6 of 13 grantees (46%) were first-time recipients. With only 13 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $2K. How we count

Medians: $1K first-time, $2K repeat.

  • 54% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
  • Giving fell 30% from 2021 to 2024. Method
  • In 2024 it paid out 86% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.

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

Mission & Focus Areas

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants went to organizations whose work includes food distribution, land and wildlife conservation, library services, botanical education, public radio, historic preservation, and other activities.

For example, Food Bank of Iowa describes its mission as receiving and distributing food to nonprofit member agencies serving people in need. Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation says it protects and restores Iowa’s land, water, and wildlife. The Des Moines Public Library Foundation raises funds and advocates for the public library system; Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden focuses on exploring and celebrating the world of plants; Iowa Public Radio connects listeners with news, music, information, and ideas; and Salisbury House Foundation preserves and shares Salisbury House and its collections for public education and cultural benefit.

Grantmaking

In 2024, the foundation made 13 grants totaling $28,000. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $5,000, with a median award of $2,000. The largest listed awards were $5,000 each to Visiting Nurse Services of Iowa DBA EveryStep and Iowa State University Foundation, followed by $3,000 to Food Bank of Iowa. Other listed awards included $2,000 each to Des Moines Public Library Foundation, Edmundson Art Foundation Inc. (Des Moines Art Center), Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, and Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation.

How to Apply

The foundation’s filing says to contact JOHN H ANN GHRIST FAMILY FOUNDATION. Applications should include all necessary information about the purpose of the grant or loan and where the applicant can be contacted. Awards are restricted to 501(c)(3) organizations that are not private foundations. The filing lists no deadline.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2024, 96% of grant dollars went to recipients in Iowa and 4% to recipients in Illinois.

Grant Distribution by State

3states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.

Cities

Des MoinesWest Des MoinesAmesJohnstonNew YorkUrbandaleDarien

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$10K$20K$30K$40K14 grants2019 5 grants2020 14 grants2021 14 grants2022 13 grants2023 13 grants2024

From 2019 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $28K (2024) to $40K (2021). In 2024 it made 13 grants totaling $28K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Visiting Nurse Services of Iowa DBA Everystep: $5KVisiting Nurse Services ofIowa DBA Everystep$5KIowa State University Foundation: $5KIowa State UniversityFoundation$5KFood Bank of Iowa: $3KFood Bank of Iowa$3KDes Moines Public Library Foundation: $2KDes Moines Public LibraryFoundation$2KEdmundson Art Foundation Inc (Des Moines Art Center): $2KEdmundson Art Foundation Inc(Des Moines Art Center)$2KGreater Des Moines Botanical Garden: $2KGreater Des Moines BotanicalGarden$2KIowa Natural Heritage Foundation: $2KIowa Natural HeritageFoundation$2KIowa Public Radio Inc: $2KIowa Public Radio Inc$2KIowa Public Television Foundation: $2KIowa Public TelevisionFoundation$2KCass Resources for Enrichment (Care): $1KCass Resources for Enrichment(Care)$1K

The largest 2024 recipient was Visiting Nurse Services of Iowa DBA Everystep ($5K). Together the top 10 received $25K.

Grant Size Distribution

59 grants across all recorded years

59<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 59 grants of 59 (100%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Visiting Nurse Services of Iowa DBA Everystep Des Moines, IAOperations$5,000
Iowa State University Foundation Ames, IAOperations$5,000
Food Bank of Iowa Des Moines, IAOperations$3,000
Des Moines Public Library Foundation Des Moines, IAOperations$2,000
Edmundson Art Foundation Inc (Des Moines Art Center) Des Moines, IAOperations$2,000
Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden Des Moines, IAOperations$2,000
Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation Des Moines, IAOperations$2,000
Iowa Public Radio Inc Des Moines, IAOperations$1,500
Iowa Public Television Foundation Johnston, IAOperations$1,500
Cass Resources for Enrichment (Care) Darien, ILOperations$1,000

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Grant total Number of grants
2024 $28,000 13
2023 $31,000 13
2022 $39,000 14
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$50K$100K$150K2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets$623,256$617,985$623,668
Revenue$37,413$29,457$13,071
Expenses$32,142$35,140$44,326
Qualifying Distributions$27,775$31,916$39,714
Net Investment Income$31,179$25,140$7,916
Distributable Amount$32,144$30,842$33,804

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 23, 2020)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS August 16, 2021)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 1, 2022)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS July 5, 2023)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 8, 2024)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS July 8, 2025)
  7. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2024 filing lists John H Ghrist, Ann Ghrist, Meredith Ghrist, William Ghrist, and Emily Ghrist as directors.

John H & Ann GHRIST Family Foundation's 2024 filing lists 5 officers; none of the 5 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • Ann Ghrist

    Director

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • John H. Ghrist

    Director

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Emily Ghrist

    Director

    New on the 2024 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Meredith Ghrist

    Director

    New on the 2024 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • William Ghrist

    Director

    New on the 2024 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.

Contact

Application contact: John H Ann Ghrist Family Foundation
Mailing address: 5801 Woodland Road, Des Moines, IA 50312
Phone: (515) 279-5262

Frequently asked questions about John H & Ann GHRIST Family Foundation

How much does John H & Ann GHRIST Family Foundation give each year?

John H & Ann GHRIST Family Foundation gave $28K across 13 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $31K across 13 grants.

What is John H & Ann GHRIST Family Foundation's typical grant size?

John H & Ann GHRIST Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $2,000, and its average grant was $2,154, across 13 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from John H & Ann GHRIST Family Foundation that year got $2K on average.

Where does John H & Ann GHRIST Family Foundation give grants?

John H & Ann GHRIST Family Foundation gives mostly in Iowa: 96% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Des Moines, IA (9 grants).

Does John H & Ann GHRIST Family Foundation give general operating support?

Not in 2024: none of the 13 grants with a stated purpose on John H & Ann GHRIST Family Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Operations" (13 grants).

Who are John H & Ann GHRIST Family Foundation's largest grantees?

John H & Ann GHRIST Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Visiting Nurse Services of Iowa DBA Everystep ($5,000), Iowa State University Foundation ($5,000) and Food Bank of Iowa ($3,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 46% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.

How large is John H & Ann GHRIST Family Foundation?

John H & Ann GHRIST Family Foundation reported $623K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $28K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $32K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.

What does John H & Ann GHRIST Family Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants went to organizations whose work includes food distribution, land and wildlife conservation, library services, botanical education, public radio, historic preservation, and other activities. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from John H & Ann GHRIST Family Foundation?

The foundation’s filing says to contact JOHN H ANN GHRIST FAMILY FOUNDATION. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is John H & Ann GHRIST Family Foundation's EIN?

John H & Ann GHRIST Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 39-1892120. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2024.

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

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