Nita Thiessen Foundation
The Nita Thiessen Foundation is a private foundation based in Paris, Texas. Its 2024 filing says it has set out to give charitably as financial need arises and does not limit giving to preselected organizations.
Nita Thiessen Foundation at a glance
In short: Nita Thiessen Foundation gave $1.7M across 36 grants in 2024 (avg $46K), mostly in Texas. 23% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,650,500
- +97.2% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 36
- +12.5% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $45,847
- +75.3% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $12,500
- Total assets
- $3,861,888
- +144.4% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 23% first-time grantees (8 of 35, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Texas (80% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Nita Thiessen Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The filing says requests may be made by direct email to the foundation contact. It lists no required form or materials and states that restrictions on awards are not applicable.
- Review Cycle
- Not applicable.
- Deadline
- Not applicable.
- Contact
Application contact: Dylan H Spencer
Mailing address: PO Box 1083, Paris, TX 75461
Phone: (430) 900-1083
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Nita Thiessen Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Impact Church ($300K). Together the top 10 received $1.3M.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($500), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
94 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 83 grants of 94 (88%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2024 grant list shows substantial support for Texas organizations: 80% of grant dollars went to recipients in Texas. The filing also reports grants to recipients in Oklahoma, Colorado, and New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 36 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Nita Thiessen Foundation open to new grantees?
23%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 8 of 35 grantees (23%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $46K; repeat grants $48K. How we count
Medians: $18K first-time, $15K repeat.
- 77% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2022–2024). 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
From 2022 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $238K (2022) to $1.7M (2024). In 2024 it made 36 grants totaling $1.7M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Impact Church Paris, TX | Donation foroperations. | $300,000 |
| Roots & Wings Inc Honey Grove, TX | Youth & familyliving support | $225,000 |
| Tigertown Mennonite Evangelical Church Honey Grove, TX | Donation for operations. | $200,000 |
| Centro de Rehabilitacion Luz en mi Camino AC | Donation for operations. | $200,000 |
| Lighthouse Mission Church Honey Grove, TX | Donation for operations. | $160,000 |
| Vida 180 El Paso, TX | Donation foroperations. | $100,000 |
| Victory Life Church Durant, OK | Donation foroperations. | $60,000 |
| Adult Teen Chalenge of Texas Deport, TX | Donation foroperations. | $40,000 |
| His Little Feet Windsor, CO | Religiousministory need | $25,000 |
| Depot Christian School Greenville, TX | Donation foroperations. | $25,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $3,861,888 | $3,932,272 | $1,650,732 | $1,650,500 | 36 | $1,650,712 | $86,606 |
| 2023 | $1,580,348 | $37,467 | $838,236 | $836,795 | 32 | — | $37,467 |
| 2022 | $2,381,117 | $1,200,017 | $318,900 | $238,300 | 26 | $318,300 | $17 |
| 2021 | $1,500,000 | $1,500,000 | — | — | — | — | — |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s filing does not state a separate mission. Its 2024 grants include support for organizations with varied purposes. For example, His Little Feet says it works with orphaned and vulnerable children worldwide, while Red River Valley Down Syndrome Society says it works to improve the lives of people with Down syndrome and other disabilities through support, education, awareness, and advocacy. Brookston VFD says it provides fire protection for the unincorporated community of Brookston, Texas.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 36 grants totaling $1,650,500. Grants ranged from $500 to $300,000, with a median grant of $12,500.
Among the largest 2024 grants were $300,000 to Impact Church for operations; $225,000 to Roots & Wings Inc for youth and family living support; $200,000 each to Tigertown Mennonite Evangelical Church and Centro de Rehabilitacion Luz en mi Camino AC for operations; and $160,000 to Lighthouse Mission Church for operations. Other notable grants included $100,000 to Vida 180, $60,000 to Victory Life Church, and $40,000 to Adult Teen Chalenge of Texas.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Anna Thiessen as president, Kevin Hiebert as treasurer, and Dylan Spencer as secretary.
Nita Thiessen Foundation is led by Anna Thiessen, President on every filing since 2021; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Anna Thiessen
President
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Dylan Spencer
Secretary
On filings since 2021
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kevin Hiebert
Treasurer
On filings since 2021
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2024. "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 Nita Thiessen Foundation
How much does Nita Thiessen Foundation give each year?
Nita Thiessen Foundation gave $1.7M across 36 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $837K across 32 grants.
What is Nita Thiessen Foundation's typical grant size?
Nita Thiessen Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $12,500, and its average grant was $45,847, across 36 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Nita Thiessen Foundation that year got $46K on average.
Where does Nita Thiessen Foundation give grants?
Nita Thiessen Foundation gives mostly in Texas: 80% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Paris, TX (13 grants), Honey Grove, TX (3 grants), Sumner, TX (3 grants) and Greenville, TX (2 grants).
Does Nita Thiessen Foundation give general operating support?
Occasionally: 6% of Nita Thiessen Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (2 of 36) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Fire emergencies" (9 grants), "Donation foroperations." (9 grants) and "Donation for operations." (4 grants).
Who are Nita Thiessen Foundation's largest grantees?
Nita Thiessen Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Impact Church ($300,000), Roots & Wings Inc ($225,000) and Tigertown Mennonite Evangelical Church ($200,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($500), which are not listed by name. Together they received 44% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Nita Thiessen Foundation?
Nita Thiessen Foundation reported $3.9M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $3.9M.
What does Nita Thiessen Foundation fund?
The foundation’s filing does not state a separate mission. Its 2024 grants include support for organizations with varied purposes. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Nita Thiessen Foundation?
The filing says requests may be made by direct email to the foundation contact. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Nita Thiessen Foundation's EIN?
Nita Thiessen Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 87-3917175. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2024.
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
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2024
Live grants for the work Nita Thiessen Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Browse active grant opportunities in Nita Thiessen Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Nita Thiessen Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/nita-thiessen-foundation-morg_a4b354e9fa1e44e7830fc7b4a6b120ca
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_873917175_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Nita Thiessen Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/nita-thiessen-foundation-morg_a4b354e9fa1e44e7830fc7b4a6b120ca},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 Nita Thiessen 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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