Mark & Kathy Larson Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker West Des Moines, IA EIN: 26-1613615

The Mark & Kathy Larson Foundation is a private foundation based in West Des Moines, Iowa. Its 2024 filing reports 30 grants totaling $51,650 to charitable recipients, mostly in Iowa.

Mark & Kathy Larson Foundation at a glance

In short: Mark & Kathy Larson Foundation gave $52K across 30 grants in 2024 (avg $2K), mostly in Iowa. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2024)
$51,650
+72.5% vs 2023
Grants made (2024)
30
+172.7% vs 2023
Average grant
$1,722
-36.7% vs 2023
Median grant
$500
Total assets
$457,320
-5.9% vs 2023
Primary geography
Iowa (94% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026.

How to apply to Mark & Kathy Larson Foundation

How to Apply

The 2024 filing lists Mark Larson as the contact and says applications may be submitted in any form. Awards are restricted to qualified institutions under Section 170 of the Internal Revenue Code.

Review Cycle
None listed.
Deadline
None listed.
Contact

Application contact: Mark Larson
Mailing address: 800 Se Browns Wood Drive, West Des Moines, IA 50265
Phone: (515) 491-3109

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Mark & Kathy Larson Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

St Tim's Church: $21K across 4 grantsSt Tim's Church$21K · 4 grantsIowa Natural Heritage Foundation: $6K across 2 grantsIowa Natural HeritageFoundation$6K · 2 grantsYMCA: $5KYMCA$5KDmarc: $5KDmarc$5KMarshalltown Art and Civic Center and Fisher Art Museum: $5KMarshalltown Art and CivicCenter and Fisher Art Museum$5KGreat Outdoors Foundation: $3KGreat Outdoors Foundation$3KChapel By the Sea Church: $2K across 5 grantsChapel By the Sea Church$2K · 5 grantsRandon Acts of Flowers Tampa Bay: $500Randon Acts of Flowers TampaBay$500Veteran Adminstration: $500Veteran Adminstration$500Food Bank of Iowa: $500Food Bank of Iowa$500

The largest 2024 recipient was St Tim's Church ($21K across 4 grants). Together the top 10 received $47K.

Grant Size Distribution

67 grants across all recorded years

67<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 67 grants of 67 (100%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2024, 94% of grant dollars went to recipients in Iowa. The remaining shares went to Florida (4%), Minnesota (1%), and Colorado (1%).

Grant Distribution by State

4states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 30 itemized grants.

Cities

Des MoinesWest Des MoinesClearwater BeachMarshalltownSt. PaulClearwaterCoralvilleAnkenyDenverDunedinFloissantHighlands RanchLittletonMarshaltownNowlkRochesterSaint PeterSpirit LakeWinterset

How Mark & Kathy Larson Foundation gives

  • 9% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
  • Giving grew 643% from 2021 to 2024. Method
  • In 2024 it paid out 183% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2024). 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

$0$20K$40K$60K6 grants2020 5 grants2021 15 grants2022 11 grants2023 30 grants2024

From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $7K (2021) to $52K (2024). In 2024 it made 30 grants totaling $52K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
St Tim's Church West Des Moines, IAContributions$10,000
St Tim's Church West Des Moines, IAContributions$10,000
YMCA Des Moines, IAContributions$5,050
Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation Des Moines, IAContributions$5,000
Dmarc Des Moines, IAContributions$5,000
Marshalltown Art and Civic Center and Fisher Art Museum Marshalltown, IAContributions$5,000
Great Outdoors Foundation West Des Moines, IAContributions$3,000
St Tim's Church West Des Moines, IAContributions$600
Randon Acts of Flowers Tampa Bay Dunedin, FLContributions$500
Chapel By the Sea Church Clearwater Beach, FLContributions$500
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2024$457,320$27,706$56,135$51,65030$53,718$22,905$29,312
2023$485,749$65,782$31,117$29,94011$29,940$25,145$25,146
2022$451,084$22,716$35,545$31,43315$31,433$21,004$24,571
2021$463,913$120,917$10,319$6,9505$6,950$15,693$19,493
2020$356,014$17,245$20,305$18,5506—$15,930$17,937

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Mark & Kathy Larson Foundation reported a distributable amount of $29K for 2024 — 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 mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants went to organizations working in areas including conservation, outdoor education, food assistance, addiction treatment, and golf. For example, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation describes its work as protecting and restoring Iowa’s land, water, and wildlife; Great Outdoors Foundation says it advances conservation through innovation, collaboration, and stewardship. Food Bank of Iowa says it distributes food to member agencies serving people in need, while Bridges of Iowa describes treatment, education, and counseling for people with addictions.

Grantmaking

In 2024, the foundation made 30 grants totaling $51,650. Grants ranged from $100 to $10,000, with a median of $500. Notable grants included two grants of $10,000 each to St Tim’s Church in West Des Moines; $5,050 to YMCA in Des Moines; $5,000 each to Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, DMARC, and Marshalltown Art and Civic Center and Fisher Art Museum; and $3,000 to Great Outdoors Foundation. Other reported grants included $500 each to Bridges of Iowa, Food Bank of Iowa, and Colorado Outdoor Education Center.

Leadership & Key People

Officers and directors from IRS filings

Mark & Kathy Larson Foundation is led by Kathy Larson, President & Treasurer on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • Kathy Larson

    President & Treasurer

    On filings since 2020

    No compensation reported

  • Mark Larson

    Vice President & Secretary

    On filings since 2020

    No compensation reported

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Mark & Kathy Larson Foundation

How much does Mark & Kathy Larson Foundation give each year?

Mark & Kathy Larson Foundation gave $52K across 30 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $30K across 11 grants.

What is Mark & Kathy Larson Foundation's typical grant size?

Mark & Kathy Larson Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $500, and its average grant was $1,722, across 30 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Where does Mark & Kathy Larson Foundation give grants?

Mark & Kathy Larson Foundation gives mostly in Iowa: 94% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Des Moines, IA (10 grants), West Des Moines, IA (5 grants), Clearwater Beach, FL (5 grants) and St. Paul, MN (2 grants).

Does Mark & Kathy Larson Foundation give general operating support?

Not in 2024: none of the 30 grants with a stated purpose on Mark & Kathy Larson Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Contributions" (30 grants).

Who are Mark & Kathy Larson Foundation's largest grantees?

Mark & Kathy Larson Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include St Tim's Church ($20,700 across 4 grants), Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation ($5,500 across 2 grants) and YMCA ($5,050), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 61% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.

How large is Mark & Kathy Larson Foundation?

Mark & Kathy Larson Foundation reported $457K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $54K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $29K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Mark & Kathy Larson Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants went to organizations working in areas including conservation, outdoor education, food assistance, addiction treatment, and golf. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Mark & Kathy Larson Foundation?

The 2024 filing lists Mark Larson as the contact and says applications may be submitted in any form. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is Mark & Kathy Larson Foundation's EIN?

Mark & Kathy Larson Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-1613615. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

Data update history

(1)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Mark & Kathy Larson Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/mark-and-kathy-larson-foundation-morg_d7e6a596c91745478466dee6239c6ec3

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_261613615_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Mark \& Kathy Larson Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/mark-and-kathy-larson-foundation-morg_d7e6a596c91745478466dee6239c6ec3},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-22. 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 Mark & Kathy 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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