Peterson Family Foundation
The Peterson Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Dakota Dunes, South Dakota. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, primarily in Iowa, including organizations focused on recreation, conservation, youth, and adoption services.
Peterson Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Peterson Family Foundation gave $286K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $29K), mostly in Iowa. 10% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $285,500
- -24.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- -23.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $28,550
- -1.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $16,500
- Total assets
- $1,078,170
- +16.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 10% first-time grantees (1 of 10, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Iowa (98% 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 Peterson Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 324 Dakota Dunes Blvd Suite 200, Dakota Dunes, SD 57049
Phone: (605) 217-2157
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Peterson Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Historic Arnolds Park ($150K). Together the top 10 received $286K.
Grant Size Distribution
69 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 60 grants of 69 (87%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 98% of grant dollars went to recipients in Iowa and 2% to recipients in Illinois.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Peterson Family Foundation open to new grantees?
10%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 10 grantees (10%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $20K; repeat grants $30K. How we count
Medians: $20K first-time, $15K repeat.
- 80% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 22% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 561% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $206K (2020) to $376K (2024). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $286K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Historic Arnolds Park Arnolds Park, IA | Unrestricted | $150,000 |
| Camp High Hopes Sioux City, IA | Unrestricted | $45,000 |
| Camp Foster YMCA Spirit Lake, IA | Unrestricted | $20,000 |
| Okoboji Yacht Club Sailing School Spirit Lake, IA | Unrestricted | $20,000 |
| Okoboji Foundation Okoboji, IA | Unrestricted | $18,000 |
| Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation Des Moines, IA | Unrestricted | $15,000 |
| Girls Incorporated of Sioux City Sioux City, IA | Unrestricted | $5,000 |
| Okoboji Summer Theatre Okoboji, IA | Unrestricted | $5,000 |
| The Cradle Foundation Evanston, IL | Unrestricted | $5,000 |
| Maple Valley-Anthon Oto Community School Mapleton, IA | Unrestricted | $2,500 |
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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 | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,078,170 | $453,097 | $295,142 | $285,500 | 10 | $285,500 | $129,898 | $50,890 |
| 2024 | $924,215 | $381,776 | $401,179 | $376,334 | 13 | $376,334 | $347,160 | $41,661 |
| 2023 | $967,618 | $536,216 | $277,413 | $262,333 | 12 | $262,333 | $484,953 | $25,749 |
| 2022 | $710,815 | $11,119 | $386,828 | $366,000 | 15 | $366,000 | $12,617 | $50,674 |
| 2021 | $1,056,524 | $165,355 | $342,099 | $323,215 | 19 | $323,215 | $153,580 | $70,904 |
| 2020 | $1,233,268 | $66,055 | $230,150 | $206,400 | 19 | — | $53,056 | $71,539 |
| 2019 | $1,397,363 | $164,295 | $384,254 | $366,525 | 25 | — | $154,857 | $78,020 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Peterson Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $51K 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 included support for organizations whose own missions include preserving family attractions in Iowa’s Great Lakes area, providing adaptive recreation for people with disabilities and chronic illnesses, teaching boating and water safety, protecting Iowa’s land and wildlife, supporting adoption programs, and inspiring girls to be strong, smart, and bold.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation gave 10 grants totaling $285,500. Grants ranged from $2,500 to $150,000, with a median grant of $16,500. All itemized grants were reported as unrestricted.
The largest grants went to Historic Arnolds Park ($150,000), Camp High Hopes ($45,000), Camp Foster YMCA ($20,000), Okoboji Yacht Club Sailing School ($20,000), Okoboji Foundation ($18,000), and Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation ($15,000). Other recipients included Girls Incorporated of Sioux City ($5,000), Okoboji Summer Theatre ($5,000), The Cradle Foundation ($5,000), and Maple Valley-Anthon Oto Community School ($2,500).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Mark R Peterson as president and treasurer and Susan DePass as secretary.
Peterson Family Foundation is led by Mark R. Peterson, President & Treasurer since 2020 (on filings since 2019); none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Mark R. Peterson
President & Treasurer
Secretary & Treasurer → President & Treasurer, 2020
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Susan Depass
Secretary
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: G. Virginia Peterson (2019) — President
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.
Frequently asked questions about Peterson Family Foundation
How much does Peterson Family Foundation give each year?
Peterson Family Foundation gave $286K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $376K across 13 grants.
What is Peterson Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Peterson Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $16,500, and its average grant was $28,550, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Peterson Family Foundation that year got $20K on average.
Where does Peterson Family Foundation give grants?
Peterson Family Foundation gives mostly in Iowa: 98% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Sioux City, IA (2 grants), Spirit Lake, IA (2 grants) and Okoboji, IA (2 grants).
Does Peterson Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Peterson Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (10 of 10) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Peterson Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Peterson Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Historic Arnolds Park ($150,000), Camp High Hopes ($45,000) and Camp Foster YMCA ($20,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 75% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Peterson Family Foundation?
Peterson Family Foundation reported $1.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $286K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $51K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Peterson Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Peterson Family Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Peterson Family Foundation's EIN?
Peterson Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 91-1753779. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Peterson Family Foundation 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 13, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 8, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 14, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 12, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 11, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 13, 2024)
Explore Open Grants
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Peterson Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/peterson-family-foundation-morg_452e25713a3448e8a178697392e516c1
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_911753779_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Peterson Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/peterson-family-foundation-morg_452e25713a3448e8a178697392e516c1},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Peterson 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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