Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc
Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In filing year 2025, it awarded $57,000 through 20 grants to organizations including Milwaukee-area arts, cultural, and community organizations, as well as a school in South Dakota.
Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc gave $57K across 20 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in Wisconsin. 5% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $57,000
- -12.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 20
- -13.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,850
- +0.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,000
- Total assets
- $266,409
- -10.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 5% first-time grantees (1 of 20, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Wisconsin (75% 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 Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states in its 2024 IRS filing that it does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1840 North Prospect Ave 21D, Milwaukee, WI 53202
Phone: (414) 351-2337
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Red Cloud Indian Schoool ($10K). Together the top 10 received $46K.
Grant Size Distribution
205 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 204 grants of 205 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 75% of grant dollars went to recipients in Wisconsin, 18% to recipients in South Dakota, and 7% to recipients in Illinois.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 20 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
5%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 20 grantees (5%) were first-time recipients. With only 20 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 90% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 44% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 302% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $57K (2025) to $387K (2023). In 2025 it made 20 grants totaling $57K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Red Cloud Indian Schoool Pine Ridge, SD | Bill Pauly, Capital Campaign | $10,000 |
| Three Holy Women Parish Milwaukee, WI | General Support | $8,000 |
| Milwaukee Art Museum Milwaukee, WI | Promote Art | $5,000 |
| Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Milwaukee, WI | Support the Performing Arts | $5,000 |
| St John's Community Foundation Milwaukee, WI | General Support | $5,000 |
| Jesuits USA Midwest Province Carol Stream, IL | Religous Retreat | $4,000 |
| United Way Milwaukee, WI | General Support | $3,000 |
| Kinship Community Food Center Milwaukee, WI | General Support | $2,000 |
| Milwaukee Repertory Theatre Milwaukee, WI | Development Department | $2,000 |
| Sojourner Family Peace Center Milwaukee, WI | Support Those Affected by Relationship Abuse. | $2,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Mary Pauly Lacy 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 | $266,409 | $32,513 | $64,014 | $57,000 | 20 | $59,396 | $29,353 | $19,661 |
| 2024 | $297,910 | $54,518 | $70,043 | $65,000 | 23 | $66,918 | $51,393 | $20,654 |
| 2023 | $313,435 | $101,339 | $392,682 | $386,500 | 29 | $388,681 | $92,508 | $29,775 |
| 2022 | $604,778 | $42,316 | $112,010 | $101,200 | 69 | $106,904 | $33,317 | $37,693 |
| 2021 | $674,472 | $81,512 | $74,558 | $68,700 | 64 | $69,618 | $73,511 | $45,836 |
| 2020 | $667,518 | $-13,994 | $63,778 | $58,420 | 52 | — | $8,223 | $38,438 |
| 2019 | $745,290 | $38,897 | $196,458 | $189,700 | 45 | — | $29,108 | $40,509 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $20K 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 foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations working in areas including the arts, music education, community services, and support for people affected by domestic violence. For example, the Milwaukee Art Museum describes its mission as collecting, preserving, and presenting art, while the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra says it reaches diverse audiences through performances and education and outreach programs. Sojourner Family Peace Center describes its mission as transforming lives impacted by domestic violence, and the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music describes its mission as providing exceptional music education accessible to all.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation awarded $57,000 in 20 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $10,000, with a median of $2,000.
Among its 2025 grants, the foundation awarded $10,000 to Red Cloud Indian School for the Bill Pauly capital campaign; $8,000 to Three Holy Women Parish for general support; $5,000 each to the Milwaukee Art Museum to promote art, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra to support the performing arts, and St. John’s Community Foundation for general support. It also awarded $4,000 to Jesuits USA Midwest Province for a religious retreat and $3,000 to United Way for general support. Other 2025 recipients included Kinship Community Food Center ($2,000), Milwaukee Repertory Theatre ($2,000), Sojourner Family Peace Center ($2,000), Wisconsin Conservatory of Music ($2,000), and Milwaukee Public Museum ($1,000).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Mary E Lacy as president and director; Sara Kate Knight and Margaret Lacy Meyer as vice presidents and directors; Thomas Lacy as secretary and director; and David Lacy as treasurer and director.
Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc is led by Mary E. Lacy, President & Director on every filing since 2019; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Mary E. Lacy
President & Director
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David Lacy
Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Thomas Lacy
Secretary & Director
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Margaret Lacy Meyer
Vice President & Director
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sara Kate Knight
Vice President & Director
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Margaret Lacy (2019) — Vice President & Director
- Former: Sara Kate Lacy (2019) — Vice President & Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc
How much does Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc give each year?
Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc gave $57K across 20 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $65K across 23 grants.
What is Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $2,850, across 20 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc that year got $2K on average.
Where does Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc give grants?
Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc gives mostly in Wisconsin: 75% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were South Dakota (18%) and Illinois (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Milwaukee, WI (16 grants).
Does Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 35% of Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (7 of 20) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Red Cloud Indian Schoool ($10,000), Three Holy Women Parish ($8,000) and Milwaukee Art Museum ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 40% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc?
Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc reported $266K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $59K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $20K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations working in areas including the arts, music education, community services, and support for people affected by domestic violence. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc?
The foundation states in its 2024 IRS filing that it does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc's EIN?
Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 39-1744801. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 20, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 22, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 11, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS July 18, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 19, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 20, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 21, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Live grants for the work Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc funds
Education Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
- Creative Impact Grants $500 - $2,500 · Due October 19, 2026
- Community and School Grants $28,000 total pool; 10-15 grants expected · Due October 19, 2026
- Mary Pinola/Crescenta Valley Chamber Education Fund $500 - $5,000 for ongoing programs; up to $15,000 for Strategic Initiative Grants · Due October 19, 2026
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/mary-pauly-lacy-foundation-inc-morg_2694dd96c5ac4752836f96da0feb74ad
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_391744801_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Mary Pauly Lacy Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/mary-pauly-lacy-foundation-inc-morg_2694dd96c5ac4752836f96da0feb74ad},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-19. 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 Pauly Lacy 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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