Swenson Family Foundation
The Swenson Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Orange, California. Its 2025 grants went to organizations in California, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Alabama, and Washington, D.C., supporting projects and programs including university facilities, scholarships, and services for children and families.
Swenson Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Swenson Family Foundation gave $6.1M across 33 grants in 2025 (avg $186K), mostly in California. 32% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $6,148,203
- +3.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 33
- -8.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $186,309
- +12.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $50,000
- Total assets
- $94,314,723
- -2.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 32% first-time grantees (8 of 25, 2025)
- Primary geography
- California (58% 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 Swenson Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 12263, Orange, CA 92859
Phone: (714) 264-6814
Website: https://swensonfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Swenson Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was University MN Duluth ($1.7M across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $5.7M.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($41,667), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
157 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 59 grants of 157 (38%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, California received 58% of grant dollars, Minnesota 29%, Wisconsin 9%, Alabama 2%, and Washington, D.C. 1%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 33 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Swenson Family Foundation open to new grantees?
32%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 8 of 25 grantees (32%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $20K; repeat grants $350K. How we count
Medians: $15K first-time, $70K repeat.
- 64% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 27% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 136% 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 $4.5M (2021) to $9.4M (2023). In 2025 it made 33 grants totaling $6.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| University MN Duluth Minneapolis, MN | Swenson Sail Program 2025 | $1,600,000 |
| Choc Children's Foundation Orange, CA | Wells Spaces 2025 | $1,000,000 |
| California Lutheran University Thousand Oaks, CA | Engineering Building | $500,000 |
| Chapman University Orange, CA | Engineering Building - 2024 | $500,000 |
| Chapman University Orange, CA | To Further the Exempt Purpose of the Organization | $500,000 |
| Friends of Holy Innocents Covina, CA | Science Building | $500,000 |
| University of Wisconsin Superior Foundation Inc Superior, WI | 2025-2026 Swenson Scholars - 1ST Semester | $218,041 |
| University of Wisconsin Superior Foundation Inc Superior, WI | Spring 2026 Semester - Swenson Scholars | $218,041 |
| University MN Duluth Minneapolis, MN | Glensheen, 2025 | $132,000 |
| The Dollywood Foundation Andalusia, AL | To Further the Exempt Purpose of the Organization | $125,000 |
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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 | $94,314,723 | $3,661,689 | $6,519,481 | $6,148,203 | 33 | $6,253,232 | $3,533,949 | $4,592,385 |
| 2024 | $97,139,565 | $3,886,325 | $6,254,287 | $5,951,073 | 36 | $6,043,334 | $3,775,837 | $4,649,058 |
| 2023 | $99,502,157 | $3,751,040 | $9,611,926 | $9,361,880 | 30 | $9,429,748 | $3,822,632 | $4,718,524 |
| 2022 | $105,346,093 | $3,930,758 | $8,742,261 | $8,426,993 | 41 | $8,511,707 | $3,770,778 | $5,179,487 |
| 2021 | $110,157,596 | $4,377,207 | $4,699,049 | $4,469,497 | 17 | $4,507,714 | $4,231,629 | $5,848,231 |
| 2020 | $110,479,438 | $4,299,072 | $6,243,033 | $6,038,997 | 24 | — | $4,182,117 | $6,051,077 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Swenson Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $4.6M 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 university engineering and science buildings, the Swenson Sail Program, Swenson Scholars, and other organizational purposes. Among its grantees, California Lutheran University describes its mission as educating leaders for a global society, while Friends of Holy Innocents describes its work as promoting Catholic Church teachings and supporting Holy Innocents Church and associated schools and ministries. Ocean Institute says it uses the ocean as a classroom and provides ocean and maritime learning experiences; Olive Crest says it provides safe homes, counseling, and education for children and families in crisis.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 33 grants totaling $6,148,203. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $1,600,000, with a median of $50,000. Among the largest awards were $1,600,000 to University MN Duluth for the Swenson Sail Program; $1,000,000 to CHOC Children's Foundation for “Wells Spaces”; and $500,000 each to California Lutheran University for an engineering building, Chapman University for an engineering building and for its exempt purpose, and Friends of Holy Innocents for a science building. Other reported grants included $218,041 installments to the University of Wisconsin Superior Foundation for Swenson Scholars.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Susan G. Swenson as president, Rosie Swenson as secretary, Cheryl L. Lentz as treasurer, and Eoin L. Kreditor, Christopher Lentz, and Timothy J. Swenson as directors.
Swenson Family Foundation is led by Susan G. Swenson, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 6 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Susan G. Swenson
President
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Eoin L. Kreditor
Director
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Timothy J. Swenson
Director
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Christopher Lentz
Director
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Cheryl L. Lentz
Treasurer
CFO → Treasurer, 2022
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Rosie Swenson
Secretary
On filings since 2020
0.5 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 Swenson Family Foundation
How much does Swenson Family Foundation give each year?
Swenson Family Foundation gave $6.1M across 33 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $6.0M across 36 grants.
What is Swenson Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Swenson Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $50,000, and its average grant was $186,309, across 33 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Swenson Family Foundation that year got $20K on average.
Where does Swenson Family Foundation give grants?
Swenson Family Foundation gives mostly in California: 58% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Minnesota (29%) and Wisconsin (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Orange, CA (6 grants), Superior, WI (5 grants), Minneapolis, MN (3 grants) and Thousand Oaks, CA (2 grants).
Who are Swenson Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Swenson Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include University MN Duluth ($1,732,000 across 2 grants), Chapman University ($1,041,667 across 3 grants) and Choc Children's Foundation ($1,041,667 across 2 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($41,667), which are not listed by name. Together they received 62% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Swenson Family Foundation?
Swenson Family Foundation reported $94.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $6.3M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $4.6M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Swenson Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for university engineering and science buildings, the Swenson Sail Program, Swenson Scholars, and other organizational purposes. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Swenson Family Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Swenson Family Foundation's EIN?
Swenson Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 33-0603766. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Swenson 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Swenson Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/swenson-family-foundation-morg_127a0ea7d5a843a4862621228125b75d
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_330603766_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Swenson Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/swenson-family-foundation-morg_127a0ea7d5a843a4862621228125b75d},
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 Swenson 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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