Operation Blessing of Southwest
To spread the word of God and to demonstrate the Gospel in action by giving food, household goods, clothes, and counsel to the hungry and needy.
Operation Blessing of Southwest at a glance
In short: Operation Blessing of Southwest gave $35K across 3 grants in 2025 (avg $12K), mostly in Illinois. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $35,354
- +91.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 3
- +50.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $11,785
- +28.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $12,982
- Total assets
- $443,395
- -17.3% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Illinois (80% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
Who Operation Blessing of Southwest funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 3 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Our Lady of the Ridge ($15K). Together the top 3 received $35K.
Grant Size Distribution
21 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 17 grants of 21 (81%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 3 itemized grants.
Cities
How Operation Blessing of Southwest gives
- Giving fell 71% from 2022 to 2025. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990 filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $18K (2024) to $1.3M (2019). In 2025 it made 3 grants totaling $35K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Our Lady of the Ridge Chicago Ridge, IL | Feed the Poor | $15,408 |
| St Paul Lutheran Church Matteson, IL | Feed the poor | $12,982 |
| Pro Labore Dei Inc Madison, WI | Feed the Poor | $6,964 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $443,395 | $1,447,866 | $1,522,953 | $35,354 | 3 | $3,298 |
| 2024 | $536,120 | $1,992,011 | $2,024,840 | $18,420 | 2 | $1,572 |
| 2022 | $625,525 | $1,353,626 | $1,340,862 | $121,164 | 5 | — |
| 2021 | $438,096 | $1,529,719 | $1,510,825 | $80,508 | 5 | — |
| 2020 | $427,412 | $2,902,816 | $2,898,785 | $805,095 | 6 | — |
| 2019 | $451,986 | $3,170,361 | $3,186,941 | $1,275,480 | 7 | — |
About Operation Blessing of Southwest
Based on IRS filings
Operation Blessing of Southwest is a public charity focused on Food, Agriculture & Nutrition, based in Alsip, IL. IRS filing data is available from 2019 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $443K in total assets. In 2025, it awarded 3 grants totaling $35K. Net investment income was $3K.
Focus Areas
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Operation Blessing of Southwest's 2025 filing lists 4 officers; 1 of 4 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Donald Cyze
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Brian Cottrell
COO
Director → COO, 2021
On filings since 2019
31 hrs/week
$31K (2024) → $32K (2025)
Marsha Jakobi
Vice President
Treasurer → Vice President, 2024
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Will
Secretary
On filings since 2021
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (6)
- Former: Terence Wuethrich (2019–2024) — President & CEO
- Former: Barry Zalane (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Hank Frickenstein (2022) — Director
- Former: Henry Frickenstein (2019–2021) — Vice President
- Former: Steven Bailey (2019–2021) — COO
- Former: Lynn Whittal (2019–2020) — 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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $32K, to Brian Cottrell (COO).
Frequently asked questions about Operation Blessing of Southwest
How much does Operation Blessing of Southwest give each year?
Operation Blessing of Southwest gave $35K across 3 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $18K across 2 grants.
What is Operation Blessing of Southwest's typical grant size?
Operation Blessing of Southwest's median grant in 2025 was $12,982, and its average grant was $11,785, across 3 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does Operation Blessing of Southwest give grants?
Operation Blessing of Southwest gives mostly in Illinois: 80% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest state was Wisconsin (20%).
Does Operation Blessing of Southwest give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 3 grants with a stated purpose on Operation Blessing of Southwest's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Feed the Poor" (3 grants).
How large is Operation Blessing of Southwest?
Operation Blessing of Southwest reported $443K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $1.4M.
What is Operation Blessing of Southwest?
Operation Blessing of Southwest is a public charity focused on Food, Agriculture & Nutrition, based in Alsip, IL. It holds $443K in total assets as of 2025.
What is Operation Blessing of Southwest's EIN?
Operation Blessing of Southwest's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-3247132. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 15, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 17, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 15, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
Live grants for the work Operation Blessing of Southwest funds
Food, Agriculture & Nutrition Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Browse active grant opportunities in Operation Blessing of Southwest's focus areas in our free grants database
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