Lau & Bea Christensen Charitable Foundat

MADISON, WI EIN: 20-8837127

The Lau & Bea Christensen Charitable Foundation is a private foundation based in Madison, Wisconsin (723 Wilder Drive, Madison, WI 53704). Established in 2007, the foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) organization with a focus on philanthropic grantmaking to support charitable causes.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$481K

-95.1% YoY

Annual Giving

$19.5M

+2327.7% YoY

Grant Count

+14.9% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$362K

+2013.0% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Lau & Bea Christensen Charitable Foundat reported a distributable amount of $786K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

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

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation's primary funding focus areas include:

Education
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking
Human Services
Higher Education
Science and STEM Education

Grantmaking

Typical awards range from $22 to $16,311,109, though the majority of grants are significantly smaller than the largest donations.

Grant Range

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation primarily funds organizations in Wisconsin and Tennessee.

Grant Distribution by State

Wisconsin $6.2M (97%)

New York $95K (1%)

Tennessee $50K (1%)

District of Columbia $15K (0%)

Colorado $600 (0%)

States

Colorado District of Columbia New York Tennessee Wisconsin

Cities

BarabooBoulderDodgevilleFitchburgMadisonMilwaukeeNew YorkRhinelanderSewaneeWashington

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

As of December 2024:

Total assets: $480,752
Total revenues: $3,442,183
Total expenses: $19,620,381
Investment income and dividends: $616,572
Number of employees: 0

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$480,752	$9,896,069	$9,679,895
Revenue	$3,442,183	$1,258,903	$770,578
Expenses	$19,620,381	$830,030	$801,668
Qualifying Distributions	$19,540,359	$804,900	$782,000
Net Investment Income	$3,362,186	$1,233,798	$501,172
Distributable Amount	$785,710	$781,017	$802,914

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Grant Size Distribution

229 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Madison Community Foundation ($2,000,000), Madison Public Library ($100,000), United Way of Dane County ($61,350).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
NATURAL RESOURCES FOUNDATION MADISON, WI	DONATION	$20,000
CHILDREN'S THEATER OF MADISON MADISON, WI	DONATION	$10,000
OPERA FOR THE YOUNG MADISON, WI	DONATION	$15,000
PORCHLIGHT MADISON, WI	DONATION	$20,000
YWCA OF MADISON MADISON, WI	DONATION	$10,000
DRIFTLESS AREA LAND CONSERVATION DODGEVILLE, WI	DONATION	$10,000
MADISON COLLEGE FOUNDATION MADISON, WI	DONATION	$30,000
NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION WASHINGTON, DC	DONATION	$2,000
UNITED WAY OF DANE COUNTY MADISON, WI	DONATION	$61,350
WAVE EDUCATION FUND MILWAUKEE, WI	DONATION	$5,000

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

Laurits R Christensen (Trustee)
Scott Christensen (Trustee)
Christopher Bugg (Trustee)
Lau & Bea Christensen (Advisors, as referenced in Madison Community Foundation webinar materials)

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
LAURITS R CHRISTENSEN	Director	—	—
SCOTT CHRISTENSEN	Director	—	—
CHRISTOPHER BUGG	Director	—	—

Recent News & Activity

Recent developments and announcements

2025

Lau & Bea Christensen were featured as panelists in the Madison Community Foundation's October 2, 2025 webinar titled "Guiding Clients Through Private Foundation Succession, Transition and Sunset," where they shared insights on succession planning options for private foundations.

Subject Areas

Focus areas based on grantmaking activity

Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Lau & Bea Christensen Charitable Foundat fund?

The foundation's primary funding focus areas include: • Education • Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking • Human Services • Higher Education • Science and STEM Education

How do I apply for a grant from Lau & Bea Christensen Charitable Foundat?

**Grant Activity:** • Made 38 grants in 2024 • Total giving in 2024: $486,051 (based on one reporting source) to $19,620,381 (based on another reporting source) • Historical total giving: $19,540,359 **Notable Recent Grants (2024):** • Madison Community Foundation: $16,311,109 • Madison Community Foundation: $2,000,000 • United Way of Dane County: $61,350 **Grant Range:** Typical awards range from $22 to $16,311,109, though the majority of grants are significantly smaller than the largest donat…

Where does Lau & Bea Christensen Charitable Foundat make grants?

The foundation primarily funds organizations in Wisconsin and Tennessee.

What size grants does Lau & Bea Christensen Charitable Foundat award?

In 2024, Lau & Bea Christensen Charitable Foundat awarded 54 grants totaling $19.5M — an average of about $362K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is Lau & Bea Christensen Charitable Foundat required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Lau & Bea Christensen Charitable Foundat reported a distributable amount of $786K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

What is Lau & Bea Christensen Charitable Foundat's EIN?

Lau & Bea Christensen Charitable Foundat's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-8837127. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.