Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc
Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Nashotah, Wisconsin. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, including organizations working in education, housing and human services, food access, youth ministry, and health.
Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc gave $295K across 16 grants in 2025 (avg $18K), mostly in Wisconsin. 6% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $295,000
- -38.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 16
- -33.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $18,438
- -8.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $3,645,790
- -2.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 6% first-time grantees (1 of 16, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Wisconsin (69% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
- Contact
Mailing address: 32307 W Oakland Rd, Nashotah, WI 53058
Phone: (920) 474-7690
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Milwaukee School of Engineering ($100K). Together the top 10 received $260K.
Grant Size Distribution
110 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 102 grants of 110 (93%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 69% of grant dollars went to recipients in Wisconsin, 11% to Pennsylvania, 8% to California, 6% to Colorado, and 3% to New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
6%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 16 grantees (6%) were first-time recipients. With only 16 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $19K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 94% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−19%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 118% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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 $228K (2020) to $482K (2024). In 2025 it made 16 grants totaling $295K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee School of Engineering Milwaukee, WI | General Operations | $100,000 |
| Hope Street Ministry Milwaukee, WI | General Operations | $50,000 |
| Pure Freedom Ministries State College, PA | General Operations | $32,500 |
| Young Life Coloroado Springs, CO | General Operations | $17,500 |
| Humane Animal Welfare Society Waukesha, WI | General Operations | $10,000 |
| Lake Country Caring Hartland, WI | General Operations | $10,000 |
| Make a Wish Foundation Wauwatosa, WI | General Operations | $10,000 |
| Milwaukee Rescue Mission Milwaukee, WI | General Operations | $10,000 |
| North Lake Education Foundation Hartland, WI | General Operations | $10,000 |
| Second Harvest of Silicon Valley San Jose, CA | General Operations | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc?
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 | $3,645,790 | $204,893 | $311,313 | $295,000 | 16 | $297,990 | $197,489 | $253,058 |
| 2024 | $3,752,210 | $184,097 | $487,552 | $481,500 | 24 | $481,500 | $184,097 | $245,155 |
| 2023 | $4,055,665 | $115,734 | $261,951 | $255,250 | 14 | $255,250 | $116,094 | $229,008 |
| 2022 | $4,201,882 | $98,125 | $400,415 | $364,521 | 28 | $364,521 | $98,125 | $235,812 |
| 2021 | $4,504,172 | $952,414 | $363,793 | $357,016 | 28 | $357,016 | $1,884,959 | $241,763 |
| 2020 | $3,915,551 | $40,943 | $234,336 | $227,699 | 15 | — | $57,009 | $226,856 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $253K 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 foundation mission statement is provided. Its grants include support for organizations with varied missions. Milwaukee School of Engineering describes itself as a nonprofit university offering undergraduate and graduate education in engineering, business, mathematics, and nursing. Hope Street Ministry says it provides housing and healing to people affected by difficult circumstances, including substance abuse. Other 2025 grantees describe work that includes providing food to people in need, supplying basic necessities, supporting adolescents, and improving the lives of people affected by blood cancers.
Grantmaking
The foundation reported 24 grants totaling $481,500 in 2024 and 16 grants totaling $295,000 in 2025. In 2025, grants ranged from $5,000 to $100,000, with a median grant of $10,000. Listed grant purposes were general operations.
Among the largest 2025 grants were $100,000 to Milwaukee School of Engineering and $50,000 to Hope Street Ministry, both in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; $32,500 to Pure Freedom Ministries in State College, Pennsylvania; and $17,500 to Young Life in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Other reported grants included $10,000 each to Humane Animal Welfare Society, Lake Country Caring, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Milwaukee Rescue Mission, North Lake Education Foundation, Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, and UNICEF.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Kathleen M Ruehlow as president, Theresa A McKittrick as vice president, David B Ruehlow as treasurer, and Renee M Woods as secretary.
Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc is led by Kathleen M. Ruehlow, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Kathleen M. Ruehlow
President
On filings since 2020
8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David B. Ruehlow
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Renee M. Woods
Secretary
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Theresa A. McKitrick
Vice President
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 Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc
How much does Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc give each year?
Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc gave $295K across 16 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $482K across 24 grants.
What is Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $18,438, across 16 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc that year got $5K on average.
Where does Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc give grants?
Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc gives mostly in Wisconsin: 69% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Pennsylvania (11%) and California (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Milwaukee, WI (3 grants) and Hartland, WI (2 grants).
Does Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (16 of 16) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Milwaukee School of Engineering ($100,000), Hope Street Ministry ($50,000) and Pure Freedom Ministries ($32,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 62% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc?
Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc reported $3.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $298K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $253K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its grants include support for organizations with varied missions. Milwaukee School of Engineering describes itself as a nonprofit university offering undergraduate and graduate education in engineering, business, mathematics, and nursing. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc's EIN?
Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-5677514. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 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 2020 (received by the IRS March 2, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 8, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 30, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 24, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/ruehlow-family-foundation-inc-morg_4fda49720a6c4972835859d396253ba0
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_205677514_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/ruehlow-family-foundation-inc-morg_4fda49720a6c4972835859d396253ba0},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 Ruehlow Family Foundation Inc'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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