Mary Helen Roberts Trust
The Mary Helen Roberts Trust is a private foundation based in Watseka, Illinois. It makes grants for charitable, religious, educational, or scientific purposes to qualifying tax-exempt organizations and to units of local government in Iroquois County, Illinois.
Mary Helen Roberts Trust at a glance
In short: Mary Helen Roberts Trust gave $209K across 44 grants in 2025 (avg $5K), mostly in Illinois. 23% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $208,514
- +5.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 44
- +18.9% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $4,739
- -11.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,000
- Total assets
- $3,760,530
- -1.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 23% first-time grantees (10 of 44, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Mary Helen Roberts Trust
- How to Apply
-
The filing says grant application forms are available from First Trust Savings Bank, the trustee, upon request. Applicants that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) should include a copy of their IRS determination notice with the application. Grants are limited to charitable, religious, educational, or scientific purposes and are awarded to Section 501(c)(3) organizations or units of local government located in Iroquois County, Illinois.
- Review Cycle
- May 15.
- Deadline
- May 15.
- Contact
Application contact: First Trust Savings Bank
Mailing address: 120 E Walnut, Watseka, IL 60970
Phone: (815) 432-2494
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Mary Helen Roberts Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Iroquois West School District 10 ($40K). Together the top 10 received $124K.
Grant Size Distribution
182 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 177 grants of 182 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The filing’s eligibility terms specify that local government applicants must be located in Iroquois County, Illinois. The trust’s 2025 grant list includes many Illinois recipients, including organizations in Watseka and Gilman, as well as listed recipients in other states.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 44 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Mary Helen Roberts Trust open to new grantees?
23%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 10 of 44 grantees (23%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $5K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $3K repeat.
- 68% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−12%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 97% 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 $197K (2024) to $238K (2022). In 2025 it made 44 grants totaling $209K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Iroquois West School District 10 Gilman, IL | Educational Purposes | $40,000 |
| Iroquois Memorial Hospital Watseka, IL | Stryker Surgical Suction Device | $20,000 |
| Gilman Cemetery District Gilman, IL | Restore Mausoleum | $14,050 |
| Iroquois Mental Health Center Watseka, IL | Psychiatric Services | $10,000 |
| Douglas Township Park District Gilman, IL | Rehab Parking Lot | $9,478 |
| Gilman Comm Fire Protection Distric Gilman, IL | Radio System | $7,500 |
| Unit 9 Academic Foundation Watseka, IL | Ipads/Cases/Cart | $7,500 |
| First United Methodist Church Food Watseka, IL | Food from Foodbank | $5,000 |
| Gods Food Pantry Gilman, IL | Fresh Food for Clients | $5,000 |
| Martinton Comm Food Pantry Martinton, IL | Food for Families | $5,000 |
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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 | $3,760,530 | $206,432 | $266,957 | $208,514 | 44 | $208,514 | $178,177 | $215,594 |
| 2024 | $3,821,055 | $214,932 | $251,305 | $197,086 | 37 | $197,086 | $173,928 | $208,514 |
| 2023 | $3,857,428 | $75,846 | $251,848 | $206,245 | 32 | $206,245 | $104,185 | $197,086 |
| 2022 | $4,033,430 | $139,613 | $289,026 | $237,648 | 36 | $237,648 | $114,648 | $206,245 |
| 2021 | $4,182,843 | $285,187 | $277,076 | $220,194 | 33 | $220,194 | $238,311 | $237,648 |
| 2020 | $4,190,610 | $276,928 | $279,767 | $220,281 | 31 | — | $216,434 | $220,194 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Mary Helen Roberts Trust reported a distributable amount of $216K 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
No mission statement for the trust is provided. Its filing describes the purposes for which it awards grants as charitable, religious, educational, or scientific.
Grantees’ own descriptions illustrate some of the work supported. Iroquois Memorial Hospital says it provides regional healthcare services in a convenient, caring environment. Iroquois Mental Health Center describes helping people address life challenges, including situational, vocational, psychological, and substance-related factors. Other 2025 recipients include organizations whose stated missions involve independent living for people with disabilities, providing beds to children in need, and delivering meals to people facing a health crisis.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the trust made 44 grants totaling $208,514. Grant amounts ranged from $218 to $40,000, with a median of $3,000. Notable grants included $40,000 to Iroquois West School District 10 for educational purposes, $20,000 to Iroquois Memorial Hospital for a surgical suction device, and $14,050 to Gilman Cemetery District to restore a mausoleum. Iroquois Mental Health Center received $10,000 for psychiatric services.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
First Trust Savings Bank is listed as trustee.
Mary Helen Roberts Trust's only listed officer is First Trust Savings Bank, Trustee on every filing since 2020 (compensated).
Officers on the 2025 filing
First Trust Savings Bank
Trustee
On filings since 2020
$27K (2020) → $34K (2025)
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $34K, to First Trust Savings Bank (Trustee).
Frequently asked questions about Mary Helen Roberts Trust
How much does Mary Helen Roberts Trust give each year?
Mary Helen Roberts Trust gave $209K across 44 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $197K across 37 grants.
What is Mary Helen Roberts Trust's typical grant size?
Mary Helen Roberts Trust's median grant in 2025 was $3,000, and its average grant was $4,739, across 44 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Mary Helen Roberts Trust that year got $3K on average.
Where does Mary Helen Roberts Trust give grants?
Mary Helen Roberts Trust gives mostly in Illinois: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Gilman, IL (13 grants), Watseka, IL (13 grants), Onarga, IL (3 grants) and Danforth, IL (2 grants).
Does Mary Helen Roberts Trust give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 44 grants with a stated purpose on Mary Helen Roberts Trust's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Mary Helen Roberts Trust's largest grantees?
Mary Helen Roberts Trust's largest 2025 grantees include Iroquois West School District 10 ($40,000), Iroquois Memorial Hospital ($20,000) and Gilman Cemetery District ($14,050), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 36% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Mary Helen Roberts Trust?
Mary Helen Roberts Trust reported $3.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $209K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $216K (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 Mary Helen Roberts Trust fund?
No mission statement for the trust is provided. Its filing describes the purposes for which it awards grants as charitable, religious, educational, or scientific. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Mary Helen Roberts Trust?
The filing says grant application forms are available from First Trust Savings Bank, the trustee, upon request. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Mary Helen Roberts Trust's EIN?
Mary Helen Roberts Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 46-6985483. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 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 April 27, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 20, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 27, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 30, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 15, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 22, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Mary Helen Roberts Trust's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Mary Helen Roberts Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/mary-helen-roberts-trust-morg_d8b3a7e254ef4e1ab6c857794161ea59
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_466985483_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Mary Helen Roberts Trust funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/mary-helen-roberts-trust-morg_d8b3a7e254ef4e1ab6c857794161ea59},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Mary Helen Roberts Trust'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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