Olsson Family Foundation
The Olsson Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Lincoln, Nebraska. Its 2025 filing reports 16 grants totaling $80,600, all to recipients in Nebraska; the listed recipients are in Lincoln.
Olsson Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Olsson Family Foundation gave $81K across 16 grants in 2025 (avg $5K), mostly in Nebraska. 38% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $80,600
- +11.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 16
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $5,038
- +11.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $4,800
- Total assets
- $1,654,227
- +0.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 38% first-time grantees (6 of 16, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Nebraska (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 Olsson Family Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The 2024 filing names John S. Olsson as the contact and requests a letter from a 501(c)(3) organization, a detailed project description and budget, and the IRS exemption letter.
- Review Cycle
- November 15, as stated on the 2024 filing; this is a past deadline.
- Deadline
- November 15, as stated on the 2024 filing; this is a past deadline.
- Contact
Application contact: John S Olsson
Mailing address: 3630 Potomac Ln, Lincoln, NE 68516
Phone: (402) 421-7241
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Olsson Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Family Service Lincoln ($20K). Together the top 10 received $66K.
Grant Size Distribution
72 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 71 grants of 72 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2024 filing states that awards are restricted to organizations in Nebraska with a primary focus on Lincoln (Lancaster County). The 2025 grant data reports that all grant dollars went to Nebraska recipients.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Olsson Family Foundation open to new grantees?
38%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 16 grantees (38%) were first-time recipients. With only 16 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $6K. How we count
Medians: $4K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 44% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−2%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 95% 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 $72K (2024) to $82K (2022). In 2025 it made 16 grants totaling $81K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Family Service Lincoln Lincoln, NE | General | $20,000 |
| Tabitha Foundation Lincoln, NE | General | $7,500 |
| Lighthouse Lincoln, NE | General | $5,000 |
| Make-A-Wish Lincoln Lincoln, NE | General | $5,000 |
| YMCA of Lincoln Lincoln, NE | General | $5,000 |
| Junior Achievement of Lincoln Inc Lincoln, NE | General | $5,000 |
| Ive Got A Name Lincoln, NE | General | $5,000 |
| Malone Community Center Lincoln, NE | General | $5,000 |
| Foundation for LPS Lincoln, NE | General | $4,600 |
| Bright Lights Lincoln, NE | General | $4,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Olsson Family Foundation?
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 | $1,654,227 | $103,645 | $92,096 | $80,600 | 16 | $82,963 | $94,140 | $86,973 |
| 2024 | $1,642,678 | $71,948 | $80,168 | $72,100 | 16 | $73,595 | $65,375 | $82,333 |
| 2023 | $1,650,898 | $-10,071 | $83,960 | $75,500 | 15 | $77,470 | $28,851 | $74,894 |
| 2022 | $1,744,929 | $67,847 | $103,889 | $82,000 | 6 | $84,557 | $60,264 | $76,856 |
| 2021 | $1,780,971 | $442,284 | $84,514 | $75,840 | 19 | $77,475 | $433,714 | $83,699 |
| 2020 | $1,423,201 | $-72,224 | $85,420 | $74,500 | 15 | — | $20,754 | $78,422 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Olsson Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $87K 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 whose stated missions include youth development and education, literacy, community support, and services for people experiencing poverty or homelessness. For example, Lighthouse says it promotes adolescents’ well-being through an after-school program, while Lincoln Literacy Council says it teaches English and literacy skills to people of all cultures. These are the grantees’ missions, not a stated mission of the foundation.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave 16 grants totaling $80,600. Awards ranged from $2,000 to $20,000, with a median grant of $4,800. Larger grants included $20,000 to Family Service Lincoln, $7,500 to Tabitha Foundation, and $5,000 each to Lighthouse, Make-A-Wish Lincoln, YMCA of Lincoln, Junior Achievement of Lincoln Inc, Ive Got A Name, and Malone Community Center. Other reported awards included $4,600 to Foundation for LPS, $4,000 to Bright Lights, $3,000 to Lincoln Literacy Council, and $2,500 to Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach. The listed grants were for general purposes.
The foundation’s 2024 filing says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. It instructs applicants to submit a letter from a 501(c)(3) organization with a detailed project description and budget, and to include the IRS exemption letter. The stated restriction is organizations in Nebraska with a primary focus on Lincoln (Lancaster County).
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Olsson Family Foundation is led by John S. Olsson, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
John S. Olsson
President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jack A. Olsson
Trustee
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Matthew J. Olsson
Trustee
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Lewis
Secretary & Treasurer
Trustee → Secretary & Treasurer, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Elizabeth Olsson
Vice President
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Liz Olsson (2020–2023) — Secretary & Treasurer
- Former: Matt Olsson (2020–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Donald W. Olsson (2020–2021) — Vice President
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.
Frequently asked questions about Olsson Family Foundation
How much does Olsson Family Foundation give each year?
Olsson Family Foundation gave $81K across 16 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $72K across 16 grants.
What is Olsson Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Olsson Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $4,800, and its average grant was $5,038, across 16 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Olsson Family Foundation that year got $4K on average.
Where does Olsson Family Foundation give grants?
Olsson Family Foundation gives mostly in Nebraska: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Lincoln, NE (16 grants).
Does Olsson Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Olsson Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (16 of 16) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Olsson Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Olsson Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Family Service Lincoln ($20,000), Tabitha Foundation ($7,500) and Lighthouse ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 40% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Olsson Family Foundation?
Olsson Family Foundation reported $1.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $83K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $87K (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 Olsson Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations whose stated missions include youth development and education, literacy, community support, and services for people experiencing poverty or homelessness. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Olsson Family Foundation?
The 2024 filing names John S. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Olsson Family Foundation's EIN?
Olsson Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-3652262. 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 29, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 26, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 25, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 18, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 6, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 2, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Olsson Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/olsson-family-foundation-morg_76c4998600644dad8158c910292e66ad
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_363652262_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Olsson Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/olsson-family-foundation-morg_76c4998600644dad8158c910292e66ad},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-04. 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 Olsson Family 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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