Leslie Tassell Foundation
The Leslie Tassell Foundation, also known as the Tassell-Wisner-Bottrall Foundation, is a private foundation established in 1994 and based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to philanthropic grantmaking.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
—
Annual Giving
$444K
-23.3% YoY
Grant Count
75
+1.4% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$6K
-24.3% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation's primary giving focuses on:
- Higher education, including scholarships to individuals
- Health care
- Animal welfare
- Children and youth services
Grantmaking
The foundation is open to applications from nonprofit organizations.
Grant Range
$5,000
How to Apply
**
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation primarily supports nonprofit organizations in:
- Michigan (primary focus)
- Indiana
- Florida
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets & Giving (2024):
- Total assets: $8,032,221
- Total giving: $444,133
- Giving rate: approximately 5.9% of assets
Previous Year Data (2023):
- Total assets: $8.0 million
- Total revenue: $381,200
- Total giving: $471,000
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | — | — | — |
| Revenue | — | — | — |
| Expenses | — | — | — |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | — | — | — |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
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
250 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Key Leadership:
- Joyce Tassell Wisner – President of the Tassell-Wisner-Bottrall Foundation and Treasurer of L.E.T. Inc.
- Thomas A. Wisner – President of L.E.T. Inc. (Land Acquisition and Development)
The foundation's legacy traces to Leslie E. Tassell, who founded Lescoa, a successful automotive parts company in Grand Rapids. The Tassell family has maintained a multi-generational commitment to philanthropy, particularly supporting higher education institutions including Grand Valley State University's engineering and health programs.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| DAVID BOTTRALL | DIRECTOR | 1 | $6,000 |
| LESLIE WISNER | DIRECTOR | 1 | $7,500 |
| HILARY SNELL | DIRECTOR | 1 | $7,500 |
| MICHAEL R JULIEN | DIRECTOR | 2 | $8,750 |
| DONALD WISNER | DIRECTOR | 1 | $7,500 |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
The foundation has supported educational initiatives, including the creation of scholarships at Grand Valley State University. In 2007, the Wisners created an engineering scholarship for first-generation and non-traditional students in product design. In 2003, they established a scholarship for doctoral physical therapy students at the Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences.
Leslie A. Mikesell scholarship supports nursing students | The Plumas SunThe foundation's connection to workforce development is reflected in the naming of the Leslie E. Tassell MTEC (Workforce Training Center) at Grand Rapids Community College, which serves as the home base for the School of Workforce Training.
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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