Larson Foundation
The Larson Foundation is a private foundation based in Sioux Falls, an individual recipient Its stated purpose is to help improve quality of life for South Dakotans, and its grantmaking is primarily in an individual recipient
Larson Foundation at a glance
In short: Larson Foundation gave $1.4M across 29 grants in 2025 (avg $49K), mostly in South Dakota. 21% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,427,500
- -38.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 29
- -14.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $49,224
- -28.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $30,000
- Total assets
- $23,075,315
- +1.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 21% first-time grantees (6 of 29, 2025)
- Primary geography
- South Dakota (99% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Larson Foundation
- How to Apply
-
Applicants must complete a grant request form. The foundation makes grants to eligible charitable and government organizations. It does not consider requests for general fundraising, deficit financing, loans, or grants or scholarships to individuals. It also does not fund research projects or conferences, seminars, media events, or workshops unless they are integral to a broader program. The foundation does not provide funding for operating or administrative expenses. It may make multi-year grants, though commitments are generally made year to year; it generally does not provide additional funding until the previous funding cycle is complete.
- Review Cycle
- March 1 and September 1, subject to change.
- Deadline
- March 1 and September 1, subject to change.
- Contact
Application contact: Maree Larson
Mailing address: 222 South Main Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD 57104
Phone: (605) 692-6115
Website: https://larsonfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Larson Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Brookings Area Habitat for Humanity ($260K). Together the top 10 received $993K.
Grant Size Distribution
158 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 103 grants of 158 (65%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation states that its giving is primarily in an individual recipient Its 2025 filing reports that 99% of grant dollars went to recipients in an individual recipient, with 1% each reported for recipients in Washington, DC, and Missouri.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 29 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Larson Foundation open to new grantees?
21%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 29 grantees (21%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $29K; repeat grants $54K. How we count
Medians: $28K first-time, $30K repeat.
- 52% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 90% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 130% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.4M (2025) to $14.1M (2022). In 2025 it made 29 grants totaling $1.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Brookings Area Habitat for Humanity Brookings, SD | Program Expenses | $260,000 |
| Boys & Girls Club of the Northern Plains Brookings, SD | Program Expenses | $180,000 |
| Teach for America - South Dakota Mission, SD | Program Expenses | $100,000 |
| South Dakota Network Against Family Violence & Sexual Assault Sioux Falls, SD | Program Expenses | $90,000 |
| One Spirit Rapid City, SD | Program Expenses | $78,000 |
| Oneheart Rapid City, SD | Program Expenses | $75,000 |
| Working Against Violence Inc Rapid City, SD | Program Expenses | $60,000 |
| Dakotabilities Sioux Falls, SD | Program Expenses | $60,000 |
| South Dakota Humanities Council Brookings, SD | Program Expenses | $50,000 |
| Native American Community Board Lake Andes, SD | Program Expenses | $40,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Larson 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $23,075,315 | $2,051,830 | $1,665,785 | $1,427,500 | 29 | $1,487,576 | $2,535,578 | $1,145,429 |
| 2024 | $22,689,270 | $3,538,485 | $2,522,545 | $2,328,400 | 34 | $2,388,053 | $2,433,140 | $1,041,071 |
| 2023 | $21,673,330 | $744,562 | $2,330,444 | $2,076,579 | 30 | $2,158,628 | $1,789,847 | $1,028,317 |
| 2022 | $23,259,212 | $-633,184 | $14,281,757 | $14,144,520 | 22 | $14,154,698 | $2,734,166 | $1,386,028 |
| 2021 | $38,174,153 | $14,542,713 | $2,021,805 | $1,896,748 | 43 | — | $1,540,854 | $1,565,849 |
| 2020 | $25,653,245 | $424,271 | $1,817,550 | $1,712,114 | 37 | — | $1,331,812 | $1,295,186 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Larson Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.1M 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
The foundation’s stated aim is to help South Dakotans achieve a better quality of life. It supports tax-exempt organizations classified as 501(c)(3), including educational institutions, and qualified government units.
Its 2025 grantees illustrate a range of community work. Brookings Area Habitat for Humanity describes its mission as bringing people together to build homes, communities, and hope. ONE SPIRIT says it assists the Lakota people with cultural preservation and revitalization while helping meet families’ basic needs. Working Against Violence describes its work as creating a community free of domestic abuse and sexual assault through advocacy, education, and support services. These are grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
The foundation awarded 29 grants totaling $1,427,500 in 2025. Grant amounts ranged from $4,500 to $260,000, with a median of $30,000. In prior filing years, it awarded 34 grants totaling $2,328,400 in 2024 and 30 grants totaling $2,076,579 in 2023.
The largest 2025 awards included $260,000 to Brookings Area Habitat for Humanity, $180,000 to Boys & Girls Club of the Northern Plains, $100,000 to Teach for America – an individual recipient, and $90,000 to an individual recipient Network Against Family Violence & Sexual Assault. Other notable awards were $78,000 to ONE SPIRIT, $75,000 to ONEHEART, and $60,000 each to Working Against Violence and DakotAbilities. The listed purposes for these grants were program expenses.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists O. Dale Larson as president, Maree Larson as vice president, and Carmelle Jackson as secretary. The foundation’s website lists a five-member board that also includes Bridget Larson Ennevor and Robert Jostad.
Larson Foundation is led by O. Dale Larson, President on every filing since 2020; 1 of 3 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
O. Dale Larson
President
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Maree Larson
Vice President
On filings since 2020
20 hrs/week
$80K (2023) → $60K (2025)
Carmelle Jackson
Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 $60K, to Maree Larson (Vice President).
Frequently asked questions about Larson Foundation
How much does Larson Foundation give each year?
Larson Foundation gave $1.4M across 29 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $2.3M across 34 grants.
What is Larson Foundation's typical grant size?
Larson Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $30,000, and its average grant was $49,224, across 29 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Larson Foundation that year got $29K on average.
Where does Larson Foundation give grants?
Larson Foundation gives mostly in South Dakota: 99% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Sioux Falls, SD (8 grants), Rapid City, SD (7 grants) and Brookings, SD (6 grants).
Does Larson Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 29 grants with a stated purpose on Larson Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Program Expenses" (29 grants).
Who are Larson Foundation's largest grantees?
Larson Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Brookings Area Habitat for Humanity ($260,000), Boys & Girls Club of the Northern Plains ($180,000) and Teach for America - South Dakota ($100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 38% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Larson Foundation?
Larson Foundation reported $23.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.5M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.1M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Larson Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated aim is to help South Dakotans achieve a better quality of life. It supports tax-exempt organizations classified as 501(c)(3), including educational institutions, and qualified government units. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Larson Foundation?
Applicants must complete a grant request form. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Larson Foundation's EIN?
Larson Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 46-0412311. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS July 15, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 11, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 14, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 11, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 13, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Explore Open Grants
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Larson Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/larson-foundation-morg_6367e1c5d6834ac6819c91924c2e0e0b
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_460412311_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Larson Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/larson-foundation-morg_6367e1c5d6834ac6819c91924c2e0e0b},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. 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 Larson 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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