Ronald and Barbara Brunner Foundation
The Ronald and Barbara Brunner Foundation is a private foundation based in Mauston, Wisconsin. Its 2025 filing lists grants to organizations including churches, fire departments, an ambulance association, an animal shelter, a food pantry, and schools.
Ronald and Barbara Brunner Foundation at a glance
In short: Ronald and Barbara Brunner Foundation gave $49K across 12 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), mostly in Wisconsin. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $48,600
- -91.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 12
- -7.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $4,050
- -90.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,000
- Total assets
- $2,012,437
- +8.8% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Wisconsin (88% 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 Ronald and Barbara Brunner Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation’s 2025 filing says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. It lists a written request by mail as the application materials and names Ronald E Brunner and Barbara J Brun as contacts. Award restrictions are to be determined.
- Review Cycle
- To be determined.
- Deadline
- To be determined.
- Contact
Application contact: Ronald E Brunner And Barbara J Brun
Mailing address: 227 Hwy 585, Sundance, WY 82729
Phone: (307) 746-2627
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Ronald and Barbara Brunner Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was St Paul's Catholic Church ($10K). Together the top 10 received $47K.
Grant Size Distribution
58 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 56 grants of 58 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 88% of grant dollars went to recipients in Wisconsin and 12% to recipients in Wyoming.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
Cities
How Ronald and Barbara Brunner Foundation gives
- 42% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 57% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 40% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. 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 $49K (2025) to $570K (2024). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $49K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| St Paul's Catholic Church Milwaukee, WI | Program Support | $10,000 |
| Mauston Area Ambulance Assn Inc Mauston, WI | Program Support | $10,000 |
| St Theresa Eucharistic Chapel Union Center, WI | Program Support | $5,000 |
| Carl W Nelson Animal Shelter Mauston, WI | Charitable Purposes | $5,000 |
| Weston County Fire Department Newcastle, WY | General Support | $3,000 |
| Elroy Fire Department Elroy, WI | Program Support | $3,000 |
| Mauston Fire Department Mauston, WI | Program Support | $3,000 |
| Crook County Fire Department Sundance, WY | Program Support | $3,000 |
| Community Sharing Pantry Mauston, WI | Program Support | $2,500 |
| Royall School District Elroy, WI | Program Support | $2,000 |
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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 | $2,012,437 | $224,954 | $61,488 | $48,600 | 12 | $49,100 | $217,226 | $123,353 |
| 2024 | $1,850,320 | $207,286 | $579,877 | $570,000 | 13 | $570,375 | $198,841 | $134,772 |
| 2023 | $2,223,135 | $5,513 | $152,645 | $141,000 | 12 | $141,375 | $62,195 | $127,468 |
| 2022 | $2,372,257 | $586,140 | $125,596 | $113,000 | 11 | $113,375 | $77,161 | $130,483 |
| 2021 | $1,910,886 | $138,000 | $119,450 | $110,176 | 10 | $112,411 | $130,143 | $124,138 |
| 2020 | $1,892,852 | $10,812 | $60,739 | $51,595 | 4 | — | $35,269 | $106,530 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Ronald and Barbara Brunner Foundation reported a distributable amount of $123K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 12 grants totaling $48,600. Grant amounts ranged from $100 to $10,000, with a median of $3,000. Notable awards included $10,000 each to St Paul's Catholic Church and Mauston Area Ambulance Assn Inc; $5,000 each to St Theresa Eucharistic Chapel and Carl W Nelson Animal Shelter; and $3,000 each to Weston County Fire Department, Elroy Fire Department, Mauston Fire Department, and Crook County Fire Department.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Ronald E Brunner, Barbara J Brunner, and Fred Ferris as trustees.
Ronald and Barbara Brunner Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Barbara J Brunner
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Fred Ferris
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ronald E Brunner
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
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 Ronald and Barbara Brunner Foundation
How much does Ronald and Barbara Brunner Foundation give each year?
Ronald and Barbara Brunner Foundation gave $49K across 12 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $570K across 13 grants.
What is Ronald and Barbara Brunner Foundation's typical grant size?
Ronald and Barbara Brunner Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $3,000, and its average grant was $4,050, across 12 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Ronald and Barbara Brunner Foundation give grants?
Ronald and Barbara Brunner Foundation gives mostly in Wisconsin: 88% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Wyoming (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were Mauston, WI (5 grants) and Elroy, WI (2 grants).
Does Ronald and Barbara Brunner Foundation give general operating support?
Occasionally: 8% of Ronald and Barbara Brunner Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 12) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Program Support" (9 grants).
Who are Ronald and Barbara Brunner Foundation's largest grantees?
Ronald and Barbara Brunner Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include St Paul's Catholic Church ($10,000), Mauston Area Ambulance Assn Inc ($10,000) and St Theresa Eucharistic Chapel ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 51% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Ronald and Barbara Brunner Foundation?
Ronald and Barbara Brunner Foundation reported $2.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $49K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $123K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
How do I apply for a grant from Ronald and Barbara Brunner Foundation?
The foundation’s 2025 filing says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Ronald and Barbara Brunner Foundation's EIN?
Ronald and Barbara Brunner Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 27-6979566. 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 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 May 11, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Ronald and Barbara Brunner Foundation funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Ronald and Barbara Brunner Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/ronald-and-barbara-brunner-foundation-morg_68e5c9347f05412893c35e6ca2cc8e89
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_276979566_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Ronald and Barbara Brunner Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/ronald-and-barbara-brunner-foundation-morg_68e5c9347f05412893c35e6ca2cc8e89},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 Ronald and Barbara Brunner 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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