Roger & Violet Noreen Char Trust
The Roger & Violet Noreen Char Trust is a private foundation located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It reported giving $391,346 through 13 grants in 2024.
Roger & Violet Noreen Char Trust at a glance
In short: Roger & Violet Noreen Char Trust gave $391K across 13 grants in 2024 (avg $30K), mostly in Minnesota. 38% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $391,346
- +10.5% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 13
- +225.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $30,104
- -66.0% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $5,209,327
- +4.7% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 38% first-time grantees (5 of 13, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Minnesota (96% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Roger & Violet Noreen Char Trust
- How to Apply
-
The 2024 filing says applicants may apply by letter format, with applications accepted at any time. It lists Lisa Hiniker as the contact. The trust states that it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations.
- Review Cycle
- Applications are accepted at any time, according to the 2024 filing.
- Deadline
- Applications are accepted at any time, according to the 2024 filing.
- Contact
Application contact: Lisa Hiniker
Mailing address: 101 E Fifth St, St Paul, MN 55101
Phone: (651) 466-8722
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Roger & Violet Noreen Char Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was The Children's Theatre Company ($122K). Together the top 10 received $386K.
Grant Size Distribution
39 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 28 grants of 39 (72%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 96% of grant dollars went to recipients in Minnesota, 3% to California, and 1% to Maryland.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Roger & Violet Noreen Char Trust open to new grantees?
38%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 5 of 13 grantees (38%) were first-time recipients. With only 13 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $45K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $18K repeat.
- 23% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 25% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 152% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $248K (2020) to $394K (2019). In 2024 it made 13 grants totaling $391K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Children's Theatre Company Minneapolis, MN | General Operating | $122,246 |
| St Stephen's Lutheran Church West St Paul, MN | General Operating | $105,000 |
| Lutheran Mideast Development West Saint Paul, MN | General Operating | $93,100 |
| Ordway Ctr for the Performing Arts Saint Paul, MN | General Operating | $30,000 |
| NC Little Memorial Hospice Inc Edina, MN | General Operating | $10,000 |
| The Lu Family Fund Moraga, CA | General Operating | $10,000 |
| Dodge Nature Preschool West Saint Paul, MN | General Operating | $5,000 |
| University of Minnesota Law School Minneapolis, MN | General Operating | $5,000 |
| Holy Trinity Orthodox Church Saint Paul, MN | General Operating | $3,000 |
| International Orthodox Christian Charities Baltimore, MD | General Operating | $3,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $5,209,327 | $516,607 | $411,387 | $391,346 | 13 | $392,871 | $497,368 | $258,273 |
| 2023 | $4,976,352 | $243,123 | $379,045 | $354,200 | 4 | $355,725 | $229,684 | $252,903 |
| 2022 | $5,051,077 | $432,921 | $315,788 | $292,000 | 7 | $293,925 | $414,624 | $264,387 |
| 2021 | $4,865,284 | $276,935 | $322,126 | $312,000 | 8 | $313,725 | $268,159 | $289,187 |
| 2020 | $4,578,878 | $117,156 | $254,295 | $248,000 | 7 | — | $143,787 | $267,242 |
| 2019 | $4,656,534 | $235,227 | $403,458 | $393,550 | 8 | — | $230,933 | $259,190 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Roger & Violet Noreen Char Trust reported a distributable amount of $258K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The available information does not state a separate mission for the trust. Its 2024 filing describes its grant purposes as charitable, educational, and religious or scientific.
Grantees’ own descriptions illustrate the range of organizations it supported. Lutheran Mideast Development says it works with people in need to develop solutions to violence, poverty, inequality, and natural disasters. The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts describes its mission as providing artistic, educational, and cultural experiences. N C Little Memorial Hospice says it provides care and support to patients and families. FarmLink Project says it delivers surplus farm produce and other goods to food banks.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the trust made 13 grants totaling $391,346. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $122,246, with a median of $5,000.
Its largest 2024 grants included $122,246 to The Children’s Theatre Company, $105,000 to St Stephen’s Lutheran Church, and $93,100 to Lutheran Mideast Development. Other notable grants were $30,000 to Ordway Center for the Performing Arts and $10,000 to N C Little Memorial Hospice.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists US Bank N A as trustee.
Roger & Violet Noreen Char Trust's only listed officer is US Bank N A, Trustee on every filing since 2019 (uncompensated).
Officers on the 2024 filing
US Bank N A
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2024. "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 Roger & Violet Noreen Char Trust
How much does Roger & Violet Noreen Char Trust give each year?
Roger & Violet Noreen Char Trust gave $391K across 13 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $354K across 4 grants.
What is Roger & Violet Noreen Char Trust's typical grant size?
Roger & Violet Noreen Char Trust's median grant in 2024 was $5,000, and its average grant was $30,104, across 13 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Roger & Violet Noreen Char Trust that year got $6K on average.
Where does Roger & Violet Noreen Char Trust give grants?
Roger & Violet Noreen Char Trust gives mostly in Minnesota: 96% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Saint Paul, MN (3 grants), Minneapolis, MN (2 grants) and West Saint Paul, MN (2 grants).
Does Roger & Violet Noreen Char Trust give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Roger & Violet Noreen Char Trust's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (13 of 13) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Roger & Violet Noreen Char Trust's largest grantees?
Roger & Violet Noreen Char Trust's largest 2024 grantees include The Children's Theatre Company ($122,246), St Stephen's Lutheran Church ($105,000) and Lutheran Mideast Development ($93,100), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 82% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Roger & Violet Noreen Char Trust?
Roger & Violet Noreen Char Trust reported $5.2M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $393K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $258K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Roger & Violet Noreen Char Trust fund?
The available information does not state a separate mission for the trust. Its 2024 filing describes its grant purposes as charitable, educational, and religious or scientific. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Roger & Violet Noreen Char Trust?
The 2024 filing says applicants may apply by letter format, with applications accepted at any time. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Roger & Violet Noreen Char Trust's EIN?
Roger & Violet Noreen Char Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 41-6309355. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2024.
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 2019 (received by the IRS May 7, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS September 22, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS October 27, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 7, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS October 28, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS October 17, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Roger & Violet Noreen Char Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 23, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/roger-and-violet-noreen-char-trust-morg_37cc6cc9f79f4a9cb39b00b826bd8419
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_416309355_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Roger \& Violet Noreen Char Trust funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/roger-and-violet-noreen-char-trust-morg_37cc6cc9f79f4a9cb39b00b826bd8419},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-23. 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 Roger & Violet Noreen Char Trust'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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