Penner Family Foundation Inc
Penner Family Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Bentonville, Arkansas. Its 2025 filing reports 81 grants totaling $25,331,409, including support for universities, education organizations, and organizations working in areas such as mental health, employment, and health care.
Penner Family Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Penner Family Foundation Inc gave $25.3M across 81 grants in 2025 (avg $313K), top state California. 16% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $25,331,409
- -19.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 81
- -1.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $312,733
- -18.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $85,479,533
- -12.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 16% first-time grantees (11 of 69, 2025)
- Primary geography
- California (46% 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 Penner Family Foundation Inc
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 1860, Bentonville, AR 72712
Phone: (479) 464-1570
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Penner Family Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Brown University ($8.1M across 3 grants). Together the top 10 received $21.9M.
Grant Size Distribution
394 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 255 grants of 394 (65%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, the largest reported shares of grant dollars went to recipients in California (46%) and Rhode Island (32%), followed by Colorado (7%), the District of Columbia (5%), and New Jersey (4%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 81 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Penner Family Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
16%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 11 of 69 grantees (16%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $149K; repeat grants $409K. How we count
Medians: $50K first-time, $13K repeat.
- 81% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 62% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 437% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $15.6M (2022) to $31.3M (2024). In 2025 it made 81 grants totaling $25.3M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Brown University Providence, RI | To build, equip, and maintain the turf field house | $8,000,000 |
| KIPP Foundation San Francisco, CA | to support KIPP Foundation's 2025 Campaign and Leadership Priorities | $5,000,000 |
| The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University Stanford, CA | The department of athletics, physical education, and recreation pledge | $4,000,000 |
| The Aspen Institute Inc Washington, DC | To support Aspen Institute's initiatives | $1,000,000 |
| The Kennedy Forum Island Heights, NJ | to accelerate parity, access, and equity in mental health and substance use disorder systems | $900,000 |
| Redf San Francisco, CA | to support the strategic growth campaign of REDF | $600,000 |
| Rock Health Foundation San Francisco, CA | General Operating Support | $600,000 |
| Aspen Education Foundation Aspen, CO | to establish an endowment for the Outdoor/Experiential Education Program. | $500,000 |
| One Mind Rutherford, CA | to support the Cohort of the One Mind Accelerator | $500,000 |
| Teach for All Inc New York, NY | General Operating Support | $500,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Penner Family Foundation Inc?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The foundation files Form 990-PF.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $85,479,533 | $14,300,000 | $26,098,976 | $25,331,409 | 81 | $25,526,223 | $13,727,247 | $5,841,794 |
| 2024 | $97,278,509 | $10,886,348 | $32,329,858 | $31,313,738 | 82 | $31,657,575 | $10,214,119 | $6,505,918 |
| 2023 | $118,722,019 | $3,892,554 | $29,966,934 | $28,861,200 | 77 | $29,005,368 | $3,956,177 | $7,344,840 |
| 2022 | $144,796,399 | $15,459,133 | $16,770,556 | $15,608,500 | 76 | $15,702,720 | $14,515,842 | $7,302,246 |
| 2021 | $146,107,822 | $15,983,833 | $19,347,122 | $17,136,000 | 78 | $17,228,088 | $14,243,353 | $8,319,385 |
| 2020 | $149,471,111 | $-3,258,513 | $19,515,730 | $17,665,000 | 73 | — | — | $8,221,315 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Penner Family Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $5.8M 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 higher education and educational programs, as well as organizations addressing mental health, employment, health care, and other initiatives.
Grantees describe their own work in varied terms. KIPP Foundation says it works with families and communities to create academically excellent schools that prepare students for college and beyond. One Mind says it uses science and lived experience to improve mental health outcomes. REDF describes investing in businesses that support people facing barriers to employment, while Rock Health Foundation says it works to enable an inclusive digital health ecosystem.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 81 grants totaling $25,331,409. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $8,000,000, with a median of $25,000.
The largest reported grants included $8,000,000 to Brown University to build, equip, and maintain a turf field house; $5,000,000 to KIPP Foundation for its 2025 campaign and leadership priorities; and $4,000,000 to Stanford University’s Department of Athletics, Physical Education, and Recreation. Other notable grants were $1,000,000 to The Aspen Institute for its initiatives; $900,000 to The Kennedy Forum to advance parity, access, and equity in mental health and substance-use-disorder systems; and $600,000 each to REDF for its strategic growth campaign and Rock Health Foundation for general operating support.
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Penner Family Foundation Inc is led by Carrie W. Penner, Director & President on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Carrie W. Penner
Director & President
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Gregory B. Penner
Director, Vice President, Secretary & Treasurer
Director, V.p. Secretary & Treasurer → Director, V.p., Secretary & Treasurer, 2021
Director, V.p., Secretary & Treasurer → Director, Vice President, Secretary & Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Erron Smith
Assistant Secretary
Ass't Secretary → Assistant Secretary, 2021
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Luke Mitchell
Assistant Treasurer
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Robert A. Smith (2020–2023) — Assistant Treasurer
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 Penner Family Foundation Inc
How much does Penner Family Foundation Inc give each year?
Penner Family Foundation Inc gave $25.3M across 81 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $31.3M across 82 grants.
What is Penner Family Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Penner Family Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $312,733, across 81 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Penner Family Foundation Inc that year got $149K on average.
Where does Penner Family Foundation Inc give grants?
Penner Family Foundation Inc's top state is California, with 46% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Rhode Island (32%) and Colorado (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (9 grants), Washington, DC (7 grants), Aspen, CO (7 grants) and Stanford, CA (6 grants).
Does Penner Family Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 69% of Penner Family Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (56 of 81) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Penner Family Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Penner Family Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Brown University ($8,070,000 across 3 grants), KIPP Foundation ($5,000,000) and The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University ($4,160,000 across 6 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 68% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Penner Family Foundation Inc?
Penner Family Foundation Inc reported $85.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $25.5M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $5.8M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Penner Family Foundation Inc fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for higher education and educational programs, as well as organizations addressing mental health, employment, health care, and other initiatives. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Penner Family Foundation Inc?
The foundation 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 Penner Family Foundation Inc's EIN?
Penner Family Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-0831228. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Penner Family 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 23, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Penner Family Foundation Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Penner Family Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/penner-family-foundation-inc-morg_00a9cd5377954c118b6c31656324a007
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_810831228_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Penner Family Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/penner-family-foundation-inc-morg_00a9cd5377954c118b6c31656324a007},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 Penner Family 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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