Nicholas Family Foundation Trust
The Nicholas Family Foundation Trust is a private foundation based in Mequon, Wisconsin. Its 2025 filing lists grants to organizations supporting areas including health care and research, community services, arts education, animal welfare, and museums.
Nicholas Family Foundation Trust at a glance
In short: Nicholas Family Foundation Trust gave $3.9M across 51 grants in 2025 (avg $76K), mostly in Wisconsin. 16% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $3,880,000
- +15.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 51
- +4.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $76,078
- +11.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $50,000
- Total assets
- $51,656,462
- +1.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 16% first-time grantees (8 of 51, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Wisconsin (73% 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 Nicholas Family Foundation Trust
- How to Apply
-
The foundation says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Its filing requests a typewritten letter describing the organization’s history and purpose. Awards are restricted to 501(c)(3) exempt organizations.
- Contact
Application contact: Lynn Nicholas Nicholas Family Found
Mailing address: 10309 North River Road, Mequon, WI 53092
Phone: (262) 242-3040
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Nicholas Family Foundation Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Rockford Park District Foundation ($500K). Together the top 10 received $2.3M.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($25,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
259 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 144 grants of 259 (56%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, reported grant dollars went primarily to Wisconsin recipients (73%) and Illinois recipients (22%). California accounted for 5%, Oregon 1%, and Tennessee 0% as reported in the filing.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 51 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Nicholas Family Foundation Trust open to new grantees?
16%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 8 of 51 grantees (16%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $143K; repeat grants $64K. How we count
Medians: $75K first-time, $40K repeat.
- 84% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+15%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 100% 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 $2.7M (2019) to $3.9M (2025). In 2025 it made 51 grants totaling $3.9M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Rockford Park District Foundation Rockford, IL | Annual campaign. Supports enhancements and programming at the nicholas conservatory and gardens. | $500,000 |
| Children's WI Foundation Milwaukee, WI | Annual campaign. To advance the work of pediatric patient care, research and teaching by children's hospital. | $400,000 |
| Williams Heart Foundation Northfield, IL | Annual campaign. Dedicated research to help fight heart disease. | $350,000 |
| United Way of Greater Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI | Annual campaign. Serves the community by developing and maximizing resources to enable positive change in the lives of people in milwaukee. | $325,000 |
| Historic Haymarket Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI | Capital campaign. Supports permanent or special exhibit habitats, educational programs, or names for a curatorial chair for the milwaukee public museum. | $200,000 |
| Church of the Atonement Fish Creek, WI | Capital Campaign. | $150,000 |
| Peninsula School of Art & Gallery Fish Creek, WI | Capital campaign. To provide enriching art educational experiences for participants of all ages and abilities to inspire creativity and build community. | $100,000 |
| Prevent Blindness Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI | Annual Campaign. Promote Health Vision and Eye Safety. | $100,000 |
| The Samaritan Family Wellness Foundation Inc Madison, WI | Annual campaign. To support program for psycho therapy at uw madison. Committed to serving individuals, families and organizations through whole person wellness services including coaching, consultation and psycho therapy. | $100,000 |
| Uw Foundation - Guarding Against Cancer Madison, WI | Guarding against cancer event. Dedicated to cancer elimination through research, education, advocacy and service. | $100,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Nicholas Family Foundation Trust?
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 | $51,656,462 | $4,912,553 | $4,101,298 | $3,880,000 | 51 | $3,970,426 | $5,132,580 | $3,963,891 |
| 2024 | $50,860,597 | $4,058,375 | $3,535,164 | $3,352,000 | 49 | $3,442,426 | $3,976,441 | $3,966,625 |
| 2023 | $50,337,386 | $3,188,940 | $3,527,873 | $3,371,167 | 50 | $3,461,593 | $3,037,021 | $3,470,058 |
| 2022 | $50,676,320 | $2,591,763 | $3,643,486 | $3,372,167 | 49 | $3,462,593 | $2,378,512 | $3,433,487 |
| 2021 | $51,918,535 | $7,153,106 | $3,097,629 | $2,954,467 | 60 | $2,980,303 | $7,041,740 | $3,563,616 |
| 2020 | $47,878,448 | $498,223 | $3,164,786 | $2,970,333 | 57 | — | $618,424 | $2,879,654 |
| 2019 | $50,545,011 | $4,278,523 | $2,896,541 | $2,700,333 | 56 | — | $4,304,453 | $2,936,400 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Nicholas Family Foundation Trust reported a distributable amount of $4.0M 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 include support for pediatric care, research and teaching at Children’s WI Foundation; heart-disease research at Williams Heart Foundation; and community services through United Way of Greater Milwaukee. Other grantees include organizations supporting visual-arts education, animal welfare, and museum development.
The grantees describe their work in their own terms. Peninsula School of Art says it provides enriching educational experiences for participants of all ages and abilities and fosters a community dedicated to the transformative power of the visual arts. Wisconsin Humane Society says its mission is to make a difference for animals and the people who love them. Historic Haymarket Milwaukee says it exists to develop and construct a permanent museum building.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 51 grants totaling $3,880,000. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $500,000, with a median of $50,000.
Among the largest 2025 grants were $500,000 to Rockford Park District Foundation for its annual campaign, including enhancements and programming at Nicholas Conservatory and Gardens; $400,000 to Children’s WI Foundation for pediatric patient care, research, and teaching; $350,000 to Williams Heart Foundation for heart-disease research; and $325,000 to United Way of Greater Milwaukee for community work in Milwaukee. Historic Haymarket Milwaukee received $200,000 for a capital campaign. Other listed awards included $150,000 to Church of the Atonement and $100,000 each to Peninsula School of Art & Gallery, Prevent Blindness Wisconsin, The Samaritan Family Wellness Foundation, and UW Foundation–Guarding Against Cancer.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Lynn S. Nicholas as president and trustee, and Nancy J. Nicholas, Susan N. Fasciano, and David O. Nicholas as trustees.
Nicholas Family Foundation Trust is led by Lynn S. Nicholas, President - Trustee on every filing since 2019; 1 of 4 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Lynn S. Nicholas
President - Trustee
On filings since 2019
25 hrs/week
$120K (2019) → $120K (2025)
David O. Nicholas
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Nancy J. Nicholas
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Susan N. Fasciano
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $120K, to Lynn S Nicholas (President - Trustee).
Frequently asked questions about Nicholas Family Foundation Trust
How much does Nicholas Family Foundation Trust give each year?
Nicholas Family Foundation Trust gave $3.9M across 51 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $3.4M across 49 grants.
What is Nicholas Family Foundation Trust's typical grant size?
Nicholas Family Foundation Trust's median grant in 2025 was $50,000, and its average grant was $76,078, across 51 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Nicholas Family Foundation Trust that year got $143K on average.
Where does Nicholas Family Foundation Trust give grants?
Nicholas Family Foundation Trust gives mostly in Wisconsin: 73% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Illinois (22%). The most frequent recipient cities were Milwaukee, WI (20 grants), Madison, WI (4 grants), Fish Creek, WI (3 grants) and Los Angeles, CA (3 grants).
Does Nicholas Family Foundation Trust give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 51 grants with a stated purpose on Nicholas Family Foundation Trust's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Nicholas Family Foundation Trust's largest grantees?
Nicholas Family Foundation Trust's largest 2025 grantees include Rockford Park District Foundation ($500,000), Children's WI Foundation ($400,000) and Williams Heart Foundation ($350,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($25,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 32% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Nicholas Family Foundation Trust?
Nicholas Family Foundation Trust reported $51.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $4.0M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $4.0M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Nicholas Family Foundation Trust fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for pediatric care, research and teaching at Children’s WI Foundation; heart-disease research at Williams Heart Foundation; and community services through United Way of Greater Milwaukee. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Nicholas Family Foundation Trust?
The foundation says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Nicholas Family Foundation Trust's EIN?
Nicholas Family Foundation Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 39-6589261. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
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 June 10, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 17, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 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 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 13, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Nicholas Family Foundation Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/nicholas-family-foundation-trust-morg_70076d9b42234e949c467a797cc446bc
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_396589261_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Nicholas Family Foundation Trust funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/nicholas-family-foundation-trust-morg_70076d9b42234e949c467a797cc446bc},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-20. 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 Nicholas Family Foundation 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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