Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc
Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It supports community-based nonprofits in the greater Milwaukee area whose missions align with the foundation’s stated pillars of economic and community vitality, health and human services, and education and conservation.
Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc gave $149K across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $9K), mostly in Wisconsin. 65% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $149,100
- -85.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- -43.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $8,771
- -74.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $4,511,067
- +20.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 65% first-time grantees (11 of 17, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Wisconsin (66% 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 Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc
- How to Apply
-
The foundation’s filing states that applicants should submit a written request including the organization’s name and address, objectives, and reason for the request. It reports no restrictions on awards. The foundation’s website says requests are reviewed annually in December, with approval notifications by February 28, and to allow up to 60 days for payment processing and transmittal. It also states that there is a three-year hiatus after completion of a multi-year pledge before the same organization may be considered for another multi-year contribution.
- Review Cycle
- The filing states there are no deadlines; the foundation’s website says requests are reviewed annually in December.
- Deadline
- The filing states there are no deadlines; the foundation’s website says requests are reviewed annually in December.
- Contact
Application contact: Marcus Corporation Foundation
Mailing address: 111 E Kilbourn Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202
Phone: (414) 905-1000
Website: https://marcuscorp.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Barnard College ($50K). Together the top 10 received $143K.
Grant Size Distribution
136 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 111 grants of 136 (82%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation says it focuses on community-based nonprofits in the greater Milwaukee area. In 2025, 66% of grant dollars went to recipients in Wisconsin and 34% to recipients in New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
65%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 11 of 17 grantees (65%) were first-time recipients. With only 17 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $8K; repeat grants $9K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $8K repeat.
- 29% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 84% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 53% 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 (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 $149K (2025) to $1.4M (2020). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $149K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Barnard College New York, NY | Education | $50,000 |
| Marcus Center for the Performing Arts Inc Milwaukee, WI | Art/Culture | $20,000 |
| Milwaukee Repertory Theater Inc Milwaukee, WI | Art/Culture | $20,000 |
| Museum of Wisconsin Art Inc West Bend, WI | Art/Culture | $10,100 |
| Donald Driver Foundation Milwaukee, WI | Development | $10,000 |
| Junior Achievement of Wisconsin Inc Milwaukee, WI | Education | $10,000 |
| Milwaukee County Historical Society Milwaukee, WI | Conservation | $10,000 |
| Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design Inc Milwaukee, WI | Art/Culture | $5,000 |
| Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation Inc Brookfield, WI | HEALTH | $5,000 |
| Fellowship Open Inc Thiensville, WI | Development | $2,500 |
Ready to take the next step with Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc?
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 | $4,511,067 | $956,886 | $196,883 | $149,100 | 17 | $149,100 | $326,057 | $280,566 |
| 2024 | $3,751,064 | $1,224,937 | $1,074,616 | $1,039,750 | 30 | $1,339,750 | $552,733 | $265,906 |
| 2023 | $3,600,743 | $611,043 | $1,042,597 | $1,006,936 | 40 | $1,056,936 | $191,638 | $270,057 |
| 2022 | $4,032,297 | $205,618 | $967,262 | $931,000 | 26 | $931,000 | $173,099 | $296,691 |
| 2021 | $4,793,941 | $620,209 | $1,127,265 | $1,088,100 | 23 | $1,091,036 | $579,975 | $372,618 |
| 2020 | $5,300,996 | $2,011,562 | $1,476,965 | $1,409,500 | 36 | — | $451,104 | $350,154 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $281K 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 describes its focus as community-based nonprofits in the greater Milwaukee area working in economic and community vitality, health and human services, and education and conservation.
Its 2025 grants included support for education, arts and culture, development, conservation, and health. Among the recipients, Barnard College says it provides a liberal arts education to promising and high-achieving young women. Milwaukee Repertory Theater says it creates theater experiences intended to contribute to Milwaukee’s cultural, social, and economic vitality. The Museum of Wisconsin Art says it celebrates Wisconsin visual arts and artists through activities including collecting, conserving, exhibiting, and promoting the arts.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 17 grants totaling $149,100. Individual grants ranged from $200 to $50,000, with a median of $5,000. Notable grants included $50,000 to Barnard College for education; $20,000 each to Marcus Center for the Performing Arts and Milwaukee Repertory Theater for arts and culture; and $10,100 to the Museum of Wisconsin Art for arts and culture. Other grants included $10,000 each to the Donald Driver Foundation for development, Junior Achievement of Wisconsin for education, and Milwaukee County Historical Society for conservation.
The Donald Driver Foundation describes its work as serving underprivileged children and families through health, wellness, safety, education, and career development. Junior Achievement of Wisconsin says it provides experience-based economic education to young people and the changing workforce. The Milwaukee County Historical Society says it collects, preserves, and makes available materials relating to Milwaukee community history.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists David J. Marcus as chairman and director, Stephen H. Marcus as president and director, Gregory S. Marcus as vice president and director, and Thomas F. Kissinger as secretary.
Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc is led by Stephen H. Marcus, President & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Stephen H. Marcus
President & Director
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David J. Marcus
Chairman & Director
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Gregory S. Marcus
Vice President & Director
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Thomas F. Kissinger
Secretary
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Douglas A. Neis (2020–2021) — Treasurer
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.
Frequently asked questions about Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc
How much does Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc give each year?
Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc gave $149K across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.0M across 30 grants.
What is Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $8,771, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc that year got $8K on average.
Where does Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc give grants?
Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc gives mostly in Wisconsin: 66% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (34%). The most frequent recipient cities were Milwaukee, WI (11 grants).
Does Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 17 grants with a stated purpose on Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Education" (4 grants), "Development" (4 grants) and "Art/Culture" (4 grants).
Who are Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Barnard College ($50,000), Marcus Center for the Performing Arts Inc ($20,000) and Milwaukee Repertory Theater Inc ($20,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 60% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc?
Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc reported $4.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $149K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $281K (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 Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc fund?
The foundation describes its focus as community-based nonprofits in the greater Milwaukee area working in economic and community vitality, health and human services, and education and conservation. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc?
The foundation’s filing states that applicants should submit a written request including the organization’s name and address, objectives, and reason for the request. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc's EIN?
Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 39-6046268. 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 October 3, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 21, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 14, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 8, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/marcus-corporation-foundation-inc-morg_51690795562640e4bcaac3b95642ef9d
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_396046268_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/marcus-corporation-foundation-inc-morg_51690795562640e4bcaac3b95642ef9d},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 Marcus Corporation Foundation Inc'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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