Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Scholarship Trust Fund in Memory of W Matson logo

Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Scholarship Trust Fund in Memory of W Matson

Private foundation · Grantmaker Harrisburg, PA EIN: 26-1392600 Website

The Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Scholarship Trust Fund in Memory of W Matson is a private foundation based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It supports college education through scholarships for eligible high school seniors who are sons or daughters of members or employees of electric cooperatives in Pennsylvania and New Jersey that belong to the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association (PREA).

Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Scholarship Trust Fund in Memory of W Matson at a glance

In short: Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Scholarship Trust Fund in Memory of W Matson gave $19K across 12 grants in 2025 (avg $2K), mostly in Pennsylvania. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$19,000
+5.6% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
12
+9.1% vs 2024
Average grant
$1,583
-3.2% vs 2024
Median grant
$1,500
Total assets
$312,862
-1.2% vs 2024
Primary geography
Pennsylvania (87% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.

How to apply to Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Scholarship Trust Fund in Memory of W Matson

How to Apply

The 2025 filing directs students to contact the PREA Scholarship Trust Fund and says the required application is attached to the filing. Applicants must be high school seniors, provide aptitude test scores and financial-need information, and be sons or daughters of members or employees of electric cooperatives in Pennsylvania and New Jersey that belong to PREA, while meeting the trust’s other eligibility requirements. The fund’s website lists aptitude test scores and high school transcripts as required materials.

Review Cycle
May 5, 2025, as stated in the filing. This deadline is past.
Deadline
May 5, 2025, as stated in the filing.
Contact

Application contact: Prea Scholarship Trust Fund
Mailing address: PO Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1266
Phone: (717) 233-5704
Website: https://www.prea.com

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Scholarship Trust Fund in Memory of W Matson funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Grant Size Distribution

54 grants across all recorded years

54<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 54 grants of 54 (100%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The scholarship eligibility described by the fund is tied to electric cooperatives in Pennsylvania and New Jersey that belong to PREA. In 2025, 87% of grant dollars went to recipients in Pennsylvania, 8% to recipients in South Carolina, and 5% to recipients in Maryland.

Grant Distribution by State

11states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.

Cities

AlexandriaBlairsvilleCedarvilleCollege ParkColumbiaDuboisElkins ParkErieEverettGettysburgGreenvilleHamdenHighland LankesHuntingdonHuntingtonIndianaJohnstownLewisburgLexingtonLoretto

How Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Scholarship Trust Fund in Memory of W Matson gives

  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+15%). Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 123% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.

Giving History

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$5K$10K$15K$20K11 grants2020 10 grants2021 10 grants2022 11 grants2023 11 grants2024 12 grants2025

From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $16K (2020) to $19K (2025). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $19K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
12 grants to individuals Recipients not named —$19,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$312,862$15,313$19,231$19,00012$19,000$15,063$15,403
2024$316,780$15,370$18,200$18,00011$18,000$15,120$15,564
2023$319,610$15,382$17,700$17,50011$17,500$15,132$15,688
2022$321,928$15,381$16,710$16,50010$16,500$15,131$15,771
2021$323,257$15,290$19,460$19,00010$19,000$15,040$15,922
2020$327,427$15,342$15,654$15,50011—$15,092$16,020

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Scholarship Trust Fund in Memory of W Matson reported a distributable amount of $15K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

No mission statement for the scholarship trust fund is provided. Its reported grantmaking supports college education through awards to individual recipients. The fund’s website says eligible applicants must be high school seniors and children of members or employees of qualifying electric cooperatives in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2025, the fund awarded 12 grants totaling $19,000. Awards ranged from $1,000 to $2,500, with a median of $1,500. The listed awards were to individual recipients for college education. The 2024 filing reported $18,000 across 11 grants, and the 2023 filing reported $17,500 across 11 grants.

The 2025 filing says the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. The filing describes an application and eligibility requirements for students; it does not provide an application process for organizations.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Barbara B. Miller as chairperson; Chad E. Carrick as vice chairman; Gary L. Hennip, Joshua C. Sechler, Ann B. Henderson, Aaron Young, Rachel Hauser, Leonard C. Hawkins, and Matthew C. Franklin as trustees; and L. Katrice Simpson as vice president of finance and accounting.

Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Scholarship Trust Fund in Memory of W Matson is led by Barbara B. Miller, Chairperson since 2021 (on filings since 2020); none of the 10 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Barbara B. Miller

    Chairperson

    Trustee → Chairperson, 2021

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Gary L. Hennip

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Ann B. Henderson

    Trustee

    On filings since 2021

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Aaron Young

    Trustee

    On filings since 2022

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Rachel Hauser

    Trustee

    On filings since 2022

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Joshua C. Sechler

    Trustee

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Leonard C. Hawkins

    Trustee

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Matthew C. Franklin

    Trustee

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Chad E. Carrick

    Vice Chairman

    Trustee → Vice Chairman, 2025

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • L. Katrice Simpson

    Vice President Finance & Accounting

    On filings since 2021

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

Former officers (8)
  • Former: Brenda L. Swartzlander (2020–2024) — Trustee
  • Former: Richard S. Bauer (2020–2024) — Vice Chairman
  • Former: Randi Matson-Zaiser (2020–2022) — Trustee
  • Former: Timothy D. Burkett (2020–2022) — Trustee
  • Former: Wayne Gavitt (2020–2021) — Chairman
  • Former: Kevin Brownlee (2021) — Trustee
  • Former: Craig Eccher (2020) — Trustee
  • Former: Katrice Simpson (2020) — Vice President Finance & Accounting

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 Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Scholarship Trust Fund in Memory of W Matson

How much does Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Scholarship Trust Fund in Memory of W Matson give each year?

Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Scholarship Trust Fund in Memory of W Matson gave $19K across 12 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $18K across 11 grants.

What is Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Scholarship Trust Fund in Memory of W Matson's typical grant size?

Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Scholarship Trust Fund in Memory of W Matson's median grant in 2025 was $1,500, and its average grant was $1,583, across 12 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Where does Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Scholarship Trust Fund in Memory of W Matson give grants?

Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Scholarship Trust Fund in Memory of W Matson gives mostly in Pennsylvania: 87% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were South Carolina (8%) and Maryland (5%).

Does Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Scholarship Trust Fund in Memory of W Matson give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 12 grants with a stated purpose on Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Scholarship Trust Fund in Memory of W Matson's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "College Education" (12 grants).

How large is Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Scholarship Trust Fund in Memory of W Matson?

Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Scholarship Trust Fund in Memory of W Matson reported $313K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $19K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $15K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Scholarship Trust Fund in Memory of W Matson fund?

No mission statement for the scholarship trust fund is provided. Its reported grantmaking supports college education through awards to individual recipients. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Scholarship Trust Fund in Memory of W Matson?

The 2025 filing directs students to contact the PREA Scholarship Trust Fund and says the required application is attached to the filing. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Scholarship Trust Fund in Memory of W Matson's EIN?

Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Scholarship Trust Fund in Memory of W Matson's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-1392600. 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 October 2026.

Data update history

(2)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 11, 2026)
  2. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

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The filing figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0. About GrantGraph Open

Figures come from Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association Scholarship Trust Fund in Memory of W Matson'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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