John W Thompson and Jane a Bartell Charitable Foun
The John W Thompson and Jane A Bartell Charitable Foun is a private foundation based in Madison, Wisconsin. It supports organizations exempt from income tax under section 501(c)(3), including through grants.
John W Thompson and Jane a Bartell Charitable Foun at a glance
In short: John W Thompson and Jane a Bartell Charitable Foun gave $135K across 36 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), mostly in Wisconsin. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $134,975
- -63.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 36
- +33.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,749
- -72.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,500
- Total assets
- $1,101,202
- -1.8% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Wisconsin (85% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to John W Thompson and Jane a Bartell Charitable Foun
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 5206 Harbor Court, Madison, WI 53705
Phone: (608) 279-0276
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who John W Thompson and Jane a Bartell Charitable Foun funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Uw Foundation ($18K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $90K.
Grant Size Distribution
135 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 131 grants of 135 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 85% of grant dollars went to recipients in Wisconsin. The remaining shares were Iowa (7%), Washington, DC (4%), New York (3%), and Florida (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 36 itemized grants.
Cities
How John W Thompson and Jane a Bartell Charitable Foun gives
- 63% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 24% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 189% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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 $45K (2019) to $3.1M (2021). In 2025 it made 36 grants totaling $135K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin Historical Society Madison, WI | General Support | $17,275 |
| Uw Foundation Milwaukee, WI | 10000 Fund XXX-XX-XXXX 2000 Odessey PR0JECT | $12,000 |
| Madison Public Schools Foundation Madison, WI | Campaign for High School Athletics Academics | $10,000 |
| Vesterheim Decorah, IA | General Support | $10,000 |
| Childrens Theatre of Madison Madison, WI | General Support | $10,000 |
| Uw Foundation Milwaukee, WI | 3000 Norwegian Language 2500 Award in the Arts | $5,500 |
| Nagc Washington, DC | General Support | $5,000 |
| Wisconsin Public Radio Madison, WI | General Support | $5,000 |
| Holy Wisdom Monestary Middleton, WI | General Support | $5,000 |
| Overture Center for the Arts Madison, WI | General Support | $5,000 |
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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 | $1,101,202 | $81,917 | $138,381 | $134,975 | 36 | $139,579 | $81,917 | $73,670 |
| 2024 | $1,121,245 | $633,257 | $372,793 | $368,150 | 27 | $382,497 | $633,257 | $46,565 |
| 2023 | $478,085 | $72,322 | $55,914 | $60,500 | 25 | $64,306 | $72,162 | $44,454 |
| 2022 | $471,677 | $51,410 | $241,906 | $177,751 | 21 | $181,127 | $50,870 | $47,310 |
| 2021 | $546,556 | $2,875,651 | $3,121,950 | $3,117,200 | 26 | $3,121,400 | $2,366,925 | $34,176 |
| 2020 | $2,315,215 | $1,052,032 | $88,278 | $85,000 | 5 | — | $43,054 | $104,750 |
| 2019 | $1,350,961 | $946,646 | $70,009 | $44,956 | 24 | — | $54,118 | $64,537 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, John W Thompson and Jane a Bartell Charitable Foun reported a distributable amount of $74K 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 separate mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants support organizations working in areas including education, arts and culture, environmental stewardship, community services, and health.
Examples include Madison Public Schools Foundation, whose mission is to support children’s education through fundraising, grants, partnerships, and advocacy; Clean Lakes Alliance, which says it champions lakes and watershed stewardship; and Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, which says it strengthens communities through artistic experiences. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 36 grants totaling $134,975. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $17,275, with a median of $2,500.
The largest reported grants included $17,275 to Wisconsin Historical Society for general support; $12,000 to UW Foundation; $10,000 each to Madison Public Schools Foundation, Vesterheim, and Children’s Theatre of Madison; and $5,000 each to NAGC, Wisconsin Public Radio, Holy Wisdom Monastery, Overture Center for the Arts, and PBS Wisconsin.
Other 2025 grantees included Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin ($3,000), Midwest Environmental Advocates ($2,500), WayForward Resources ($2,000), Operation Fresh Start ($2,000), and Aldo Leopold Nature Center ($1,500).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists John W Thompson as president, Jane A Bartell as vice president and treasurer, and Martha Vukelich-Austin as secretary.
John W Thompson and Jane a Bartell Charitable Foun is led by John W. Thompson, President on every filing since 2019; 1 of 3 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
John W. Thompson
President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Martha Vukelich-Austin
Secretary
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$2K (2019) → $2K (2025)
Jane A. Bartell
Vice Presidenttreasurer
Vice President & Treasurer → Vice Presidenttreasurer, 2024
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
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 $2K, to Martha Vukelich-Austin (Secretary).
Frequently asked questions about John W Thompson and Jane a Bartell Charitable Foun
How much does John W Thompson and Jane a Bartell Charitable Foun give each year?
John W Thompson and Jane a Bartell Charitable Foun gave $135K across 36 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $368K across 27 grants.
What is John W Thompson and Jane a Bartell Charitable Foun's typical grant size?
John W Thompson and Jane a Bartell Charitable Foun's median grant in 2025 was $2,500, and its average grant was $3,749, across 36 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does John W Thompson and Jane a Bartell Charitable Foun give grants?
John W Thompson and Jane a Bartell Charitable Foun gives mostly in Wisconsin: 85% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Iowa (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Madison, WI (20 grants), Milwaukee, WI (3 grants), Middleton, WI (3 grants) and East Hampton, NY (3 grants).
Does John W Thompson and Jane a Bartell Charitable Foun give general operating support?
Yes: 92% of John W Thompson and Jane a Bartell Charitable Foun's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (33 of 36) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are John W Thompson and Jane a Bartell Charitable Foun's largest grantees?
John W Thompson and Jane a Bartell Charitable Foun's largest 2025 grantees include Uw Foundation ($17,500 across 2 grants), Wisconsin Historical Society ($17,275) and Madison Public Schools Foundation ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 33% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is John W Thompson and Jane a Bartell Charitable Foun?
John W Thompson and Jane a Bartell Charitable Foun reported $1.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $140K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $74K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does John W Thompson and Jane a Bartell Charitable Foun fund?
No separate mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants support organizations working in areas including education, arts and culture, environmental stewardship, community services, and health. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from John W Thompson and Jane a Bartell Charitable Foun?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is John W Thompson and Jane a Bartell Charitable Foun's EIN?
John W Thompson and Jane a Bartell Charitable Foun's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 82-0650341. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does John W Thompson and Jane a Bartell Charitable Foun accept unsolicited proposals?
No, 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
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS April 9, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 6, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). John W Thompson and Jane a Bartell Charitable Foun funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/john-w-thompson-and-jane-a-bartell-charitable-foun-morg_d488c6a644a242db8208279e673cd2df
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_820650341_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{John W Thompson and Jane a Bartell Charitable Foun funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/john-w-thompson-and-jane-a-bartell-charitable-foun-morg_d488c6a644a242db8208279e673cd2df},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 W Thompson and Jane a Bartell Charitable Foun'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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