Marshall H and Nellie Alworth Memorial Fund
The Marshall H and Nellie Alworth Memorial Fund is a private foundation based in Duluth, Minnesota. It supports scholarships for students pursuing approved mathematics and science fields, including awards for eligible high school seniors and community-college transfer students.
Key facts about Marshall H and Nellie Alworth Memorial Fund
In short: Marshall H and Nellie Alworth Memorial Fund gave $1.5M across 566 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in Minnesota. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 41-0797340
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,512,000
- Grants made (2025)
- 566
- Average grant
- $2,671
- Median grant
- $2,500
- Total assets
- $18,429,030
- Primary geography
- Minnesota (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- How to apply
- The fund uses an application form available on its website and distributed to high school counselors in northern Minnesota. Full details ↓
- Deadline
- The 2025–2026 high-school-senior application deadline is January 15, 2026.
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$18.4M
+10.4% YoY
Annual Giving
$1.5M
+25.0% YoY
Grant Count
566
+16.9% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$3K
+6.9% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Marshall H and Nellie Alworth Memorial Fund reported a distributable amount of $744K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
How Marshall H and Nellie Alworth Memorial Fund gives
- Giving grew 31% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 236% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
The fund’s 2024 filing describes its direct charitable activity as a scholarship program for students with outstanding scholastic ability and potential for achievement in the sciences. Its website describes eligible fields spanning mathematics, science, engineering, and medical study, with requirements varying by scholarship pathway.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the fund reported 566 grants totaling $1,512,000. The median grant was $2,500; individual grants ranged from $2,500 to $3,000. The listed 2025 grants were scholarships to individuals, and all grant dollars went to recipients in Minnesota. The largest listed awards were $3,000 each, including scholarships to Ashley M Splett, Arthur L Calinao, Faye S Calvert, Molly A Carlson, Molly M Cartwright, Madison D Clavette, Samuel J Connelly, Sage Cornell (FKA Paul Cornell), Carley S Cronquist, Evan M Deboer, Kalina P Dimitrova, and Raymond S Dressely, all of Duluth.
Review Cycle
The 2025–2026 high-school-senior application deadline is January 15, 2026. The 2024 filing states that applications are due January 15 each calendar year.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The high-school-senior scholarship is for students graduating from schools or approved home-school curricula in Aitkin, Beltrami, Carlton, Cass, Cook, Crow Wing, Lake, Itasca, Koochiching, or St. Louis County, Minnesota. The 2024 filing describes awards as limited to students from northern Minnesota. All reported 2025 grant dollars went to Minnesota recipients.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 566 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.1M (2023) to $1.5M (2025). In 2025 it made 566 grants totaling $1.5M.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 2 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Sage Cornell (FKA Paul Cornell) ($6K across 2 grants). Together the top 2 received $12K.
Organizations only. It also paid 562 individual scholarships ($1,500,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
1,753 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 1,753 grants of 1,753 (100%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 49 individual scholarships Recipients not named | — | $147,000 |
| Sage Cornell (FKA Paul Cornell) Duluth, MN | Educational Scholarship | $3,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Grant total | Number of grants |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,512,000 | 566 |
| 2024 | $1,210,000 | 484 |
| 2023 | $1,097,500 | 224 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $18,429,030 | $16,689,998 | $14,139,224 |
| Revenue | $3,276,321 | $2,793,992 | $3,078,472 |
| Expenses | $1,964,136 | $1,590,500 | $1,429,385 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $1,760,296 | $1,402,976 | $1,271,180 |
| Net Investment Income | $1,090,457 | $919,887 | $1,010,676 |
| Distributable Amount | $744,410 | $640,352 | $537,774 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 11, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 8, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS October 25, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS December 15, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Patty Salo Downs as executive director; Marieta Johnson as president; Maggie Skelton as vice president; Eric Albrecht as treasurer; Nick Alworth as co-trustee; and Patty Phillips, Kurt Brooks, Charles Black Lance, Michelle Arnhold Davies, and Dr. Heidi Hahn as directors. The fund’s website identifies Breanne Tepler as executive director.
Marshall H and Nellie Alworth Memorial Fund is led by Marieta Johnson, President since 2024 (on filings since 2022); 9 of 10 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Marieta Johnson
President
Director → President, 2024
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
$600 (2022) → $600 (2025)
Kurt Brooks
Director
Treasurer → Director, 2024
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
$1K (2021) → $600 (2025)
Patty Phillips
Director
Vice President → President, 2022
President → Director, 2024
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
$1K (2021) → $600 (2025)
Charles Black Lance
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
$600 (2024) → $600 (2025)
Michelle Arnhold Davies
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
$400 (2024) → $600 (2025)
Heidi Hahn
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
$400 (2025)
Nick Alworth
Co-Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Patty Salo Downs
Exec.direc & S
Executive Di → Exec.direc & S, 2025
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$68K (2021) → $59K (2025)
Maggie Skelton
Vice President
Director → Vice President, 2024
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
$600 (2022) → $400 (2025)
Eric Albrecht
Treasurer
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
$600 (2024) → $400 (2025)
Former officers (8)
- Former: Lonnie Swartz (2021–2024) — Director
- Former: Pam Thomsen (2021–2024) — Director
- Former: Jeffrey Wig (2022–2024) — Director
- Former: Jim Spreitzer (2022–2024) — Director
- Former: Eric Norberg (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Pat Altrichter (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Tom Renier (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Amy Trast (2021) — President
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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 $59K, to Patty Salo Downs (Exec.direc/S). 9 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Contact
Application contact: Patty Salo Downs
Mailing address: 306 W Superior St Suite 402, Duluth, MN 55802
Phone: (218) 722-9366
Website: https://alworthscholarship.org
Frequently asked questions about Marshall H and Nellie Alworth Memorial Fund
How much does Marshall H and Nellie Alworth Memorial Fund give each year?
Marshall H and Nellie Alworth Memorial Fund gave $1.5M across 566 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.2M across 484 grants.
What is Marshall H and Nellie Alworth Memorial Fund's typical grant size?
Marshall H and Nellie Alworth Memorial Fund's median grant in 2025 was $2,500, and its average grant was $2,671, across 566 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Marshall H and Nellie Alworth Memorial Fund give grants?
Marshall H and Nellie Alworth Memorial Fund gives mostly in Minnesota: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Duluth, MN (4 grants).
Does Marshall H and Nellie Alworth Memorial Fund give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 566 grants with a stated purpose on Marshall H and Nellie Alworth Memorial Fund's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Educational Scholarship" (566 grants).
How large is Marshall H and Nellie Alworth Memorial Fund?
Marshall H and Nellie Alworth Memorial Fund reported $18.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.8M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $744K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Marshall H and Nellie Alworth Memorial Fund fund?
The fund’s 2024 filing describes its direct charitable activity as a scholarship program for students with outstanding scholastic ability and potential for achievement in the sciences. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Marshall H and Nellie Alworth Memorial Fund?
The fund uses an application form available on its website and distributed to high school counselors in northern Minnesota. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Marshall H and Nellie Alworth Memorial Fund's EIN?
Marshall H and Nellie Alworth Memorial Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 41-0797340. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
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