Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation
Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation is a private foundation based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its grantmaking supports work in STEM education, access and opportunity, community vitality, and disaster relief and recovery.
Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation at a glance
In short: Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation gave $6.2M across 35 grants in 2025 (avg $177K), mostly in Wisconsin. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $6,196,985
- -0.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 35
- -10.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $177,057
- +11.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $45,000
- Total assets
- $8,584,791
- +10.9% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Wisconsin (60% 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 Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation
- How to Apply
-
The filing directs applicants to submit an application and materials through the giving-guidelines page. It lists deadlines of November 1 for March payments and May 15 for September payments.
- Contact
Application contact: Rockwell Automation Char Corp Admin
Mailing address: 1201 S Second Street, Milwaukee, WI 53204
Phone: (414) 382-2000
Email: ekrier@ra.rockwell.com
Website: https://rockwellautomation.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County Inc ($1.2M). Together the top 10 received $5.0M.
Grant Size Distribution
77 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 40 grants of 77 (52%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing shows that 60% of grant dollars went to Wisconsin recipients, 15% to New Hampshire, 13% to Delaware, and 7% to Ohio; 2% is listed for an unidentified state. The largest awards included recipients in Milwaukee and Cleveland. Rockwell Automation’s U.S. guidelines say the charitable corporation focuses on a select group of public schools, primarily near larger facilities in Milwaukee and Cleveland, and is not seeking new partner schools.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 35 itemized grants.
Cities
How Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation gives
- 89% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−1%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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 $5.9M (2021) to $6.4M (2023). In 2025 it made 35 grants totaling $6.2M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County Inc Milwaukee, WI | General Operating | $1,212,288 |
| Foundation for the Inspiration & Recognition of Science & Technology Manchester, NH | General Operating | $900,000 |
| American Online Giving Foundation Inc Newark, DE | Matching gift payment | $803,451 |
| Discovery World Ltd Milwaukee, WI | General Operating, Education support | $500,000 |
| Boys & Girls Club of Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI | General Operating | $467,000 |
| United Way of Greater Cleveland Cleveland, OH | General Operating | $413,500 |
| United Performing Arts Fund Inc Milwaukee, WI | General Operating | $215,000 |
| American Red Cross Milwaukee, WI | Disaster relief | $195,000 |
| City Year Inc Milwaukee, WI | Program support | $150,000 |
| Milwaukee Parks Foundation Milwaukee, WI | General Operating | $150,000 |
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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 | $8,584,791 | $7,288,487 | $6,442,291 | $6,196,985 | 35 | $6,432,673 | $288,487 | $344,613 |
| 2024 | $7,738,595 | $5,327,168 | $6,439,010 | $6,212,807 | 39 | $6,437,877 | $327,168 | $331,427 |
| 2023 | $8,850,437 | $9,253,245 | $6,539,814 | $6,370,396 | 1 | $6,371,664 | $85,095 | $367,473 |
| 2022 | $6,137,007 | $10,007,891 | $6,428,444 | $6,255,890 | 1 | $6,255,890 | $3,599 | $114,275 |
| 2021 | $2,557,562 | $4,005,360 | $6,128,060 | $5,916,904 | 1 | — | $37 | $222,580 |
| 2020 | $4,680,261 | $1,577,546 | $6,174,900 | $6,027,756 | 1 | — | $78,083 | $370,353 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation reported a distributable amount of $345K 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 separate mission statement for the charitable corporation is provided. Rockwell Automation describes four philanthropic priorities: STEM education; access and opportunity in communities where it operates; programs addressing basic needs and arts and culture; and disaster relief and recovery.
Its 2025 grants included community organizations, arts groups, and education-focused recipients. For example, Discovery World describes its work as connecting innovation, science, and technology with exploration and hands-on learning. The United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County says its mission is to unite people to create positive, lasting change in the community. These are the recipients’ descriptions of their own work.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the corporation reported 35 grants totaling $6,196,985. Grant amounts ranged from $10,000 to $1,212,288, with a median of $45,000. Its largest awards included $1,212,288 to United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County for general operating support; $900,000 to the Foundation for the Inspiration & Recognition of Science & Technology for general operating support; and $803,451 to American Online Giving Foundation for matching gift payments.
Other notable 2025 awards included $500,000 to Discovery World for general operating and education support, $467,000 to Boys & Girls Club of Milwaukee for general operating support, and $413,500 to United Way of Greater Cleveland for general operating support.
The 2023 filing lists an application process and says giving is not restricted to preselected organizations. It directs applicants to submit an application and materials through the giving-guidelines page. The filing lists application deadlines of November 1 for payment in March and May 15 for payment in September. Rockwell Automation’s global guidelines exclude grants to individuals, lobbying or political organizations, animal shelters or animal-related causes, festivals, athletic events, and specific sales opportunities; they also state that the company generally does not support religious organizations, capital campaigns, or multiyear pledges. The guidelines state that private foundations are not eligible for company grants or sponsorships.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Blake Moret as Chairman, Patricia Contreras as Secretary, Christian Rothe as Vice President and Treasurer, and Rebecca House as Vice President.
Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation is led by Blake Moret, Chairman since 2023 (on filings since 2020); none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Blake Moret
Chairman
Director → Chairman, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Patricia Contreras
Secretary
Officer → Secretary, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rebecca House
Vice President
Officer → Vice President, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Christian Rothe
Vice President & Treasurer
Vice President & Treasurer Term Start → Vice President & Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (5)
- Former: Nicholas C Gangestad (2021–2024) — Vice President & Treasurer Term
- Former: Ashley Johnson (2023–2024) — Assistant Secretary
- Former: Veena Lakkudi (2023–2024) — Vice President
- Former: Patrick Goris (2020–2021) — Officer
- Former: Ernest Nicolas Jr. (2021) — Officer
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 Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation
How much does Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation give each year?
Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation gave $6.2M across 35 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $6.2M across 39 grants.
What is Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation's typical grant size?
Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation's median grant in 2025 was $45,000, and its average grant was $177,057, across 35 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation give grants?
Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation gives mostly in Wisconsin: 60% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New Hampshire (15%) and Delaware (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were Milwaukee, WI (27 grants) and Cleveland, OH (2 grants).
Does Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation give general operating support?
Yes: 74% of Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (26 of 35) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Program support" (5 grants).
Who are Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation's largest grantees?
Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation's largest 2025 grantees include United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County Inc ($1,212,288), Foundation for the Inspiration & Recognition of Science & Technology ($900,000) and American Online Giving Foundation Inc ($803,451), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 47% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation?
Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation reported $8.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $6.4M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $345K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation fund?
No separate mission statement for the charitable corporation is provided. Rockwell Automation describes four philanthropic priorities: STEM education; access and opportunity in communities where it operates; programs addressing basic needs and arts and culture; and disaster relief and recovery. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation?
The filing directs applicants to submit an application and materials through the giving-guidelines page. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation's EIN?
Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 48-1307009. 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 10, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 9, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 14, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 8, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Live grants for the work Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/rockwell-automation-charitable-corporation-morg_fcc55ee18d8246c9a2cdad4f977d851d
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_481307009_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/rockwell-automation-charitable-corporation-morg_fcc55ee18d8246c9a2cdad4f977d851d},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-22. 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 Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation'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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