The Ahrens Family Foundation
The Ahrens Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Louisville, Kentucky. Its 2025 filing reports 43 grants totaling $201,500, with awards to organizations in multiple states.
The Ahrens Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Ahrens Family Foundation gave $202K across 43 grants in 2025 (avg $5K), top state Oregon. 2% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $201,500
- +0.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 43
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $4,686
- +0.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,000
- Total assets
- $2,163,395
- +1.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 2% first-time grantees (1 of 43, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Oregon (42% 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 The Ahrens Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Applications must be in writing. The filing lists no restrictions on awards. Edwin Ahrens is listed as the contact for applications.
- Contact
Application contact: Edwin Ahrens
Mailing address: 21 Autumn Hill, Louisville, KY 40059
Phone: (502) 228-5800
Website: https://ahrensfamilyfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Ahrens Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Cascade Raptor Center ($10K). Together the top 10 received $100K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($5,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
224 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 224 grants of 224 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing shows grant dollars going to recipients in several states. Oregon received 42% of grant dollars, Kentucky 30%, Ohio 9%, Indiana 7%, and the District of Columbia 4%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 43 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Ahrens Family Foundation open to new grantees?
2%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 43 grantees (2%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $5K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $4K repeat.
- 95% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+3%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 137% 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 $184K (2021) to $202K (2025). In 2025 it made 43 grants totaling $202K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Cascade Raptor Center Louisville, KY | General Support | $10,000 |
| Food for Lane CO Eugene, OR | General Support | $10,000 |
| Hope & Safety Alliance Eugene, OR | General Support | $10,000 |
| Lane County School Garden Project Eugene, OR | General Support | $10,000 |
| Looking Glass Community Service Eugene, OR | General Support | $10,000 |
| Louisville Nature Center Louisville, KY | General Support | $10,000 |
| McKensie River Trust Eugene, OR | General Support | $10,000 |
| Nearby Nature Eugene, OR | General Support | $10,000 |
| Shelter Care Eugene, OR | General Support | $10,000 |
| Volunteers in Medicine Bloomington, IN | General Support | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Ahrens Family Foundation?
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 | $2,163,395 | $263,383 | $230,963 | $201,500 | 43 | $201,500 | $236,020 | $146,618 |
| 2024 | $2,130,975 | $125,608 | $223,976 | $200,500 | 43 | $200,500 | $104,232 | $144,649 |
| 2023 | $2,229,343 | $99,705 | $218,631 | $192,500 | 46 | $192,500 | $75,674 | $134,482 |
| 2022 | $2,348,269 | $88,739 | $230,900 | $196,000 | 46 | $196,000 | $63,964 | $142,023 |
| 2021 | $2,490,430 | $344,768 | $213,048 | $183,500 | 46 | $183,500 | $317,042 | $150,242 |
| 2020 | $2,358,710 | $40,024 | $220,068 | $194,500 | 46 | — | $62,363 | $149,226 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Ahrens Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $147K 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
The available filing information describes the 2025 awards as general support but does not state a foundation mission or specific focus areas. The grantees include organizations with varied missions: Willamette Family describes its work as providing mental health and substance-abuse care; Nearby Nature focuses on nature education and ecological living; and Louisville Nature Center describes its mission as conservation through environmental education and connection to nature. Other grantees include organizations focused on Cincinnati firefighting history and fire safety, American signage history and preservation, and college access for underrepresented students.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 43 grants totaling $201,500. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $10,000, with a median of $2,000. Largest awards included $10,000 each to Cascade Raptor Center, Food for Lane County, Hope & Safety Alliance, Lane County School Garden Project, Looking Glass Community Service, Louisville Nature Center, McKenzie River Trust, Nearby Nature, Shelter Care, Volunteers in Medicine, and Willamette Family. The Kentucky Ornithological Society received $6,500.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Edwin M. Ahrens and Richard E. Ahrens as trustee advisors.
The Ahrens Family Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Edwin M. Ahrens
Trustee Advisor
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Richard E. Ahrens
Trustee Advisor
On filings since 2020
1 hr/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 The Ahrens Family Foundation
How much does The Ahrens Family Foundation give each year?
The Ahrens Family Foundation gave $202K across 43 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $201K across 43 grants.
What is The Ahrens Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Ahrens Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $4,686, across 43 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Ahrens Family Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does The Ahrens Family Foundation give grants?
The Ahrens Family Foundation's top state is Oregon, with 42% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Kentucky (30%) and Ohio (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Louisville, KY (11 grants), Eugene, OR (9 grants) and Washington, DC (3 grants).
Does The Ahrens Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Ahrens Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (43 of 43) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Ahrens Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Ahrens Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Cascade Raptor Center ($10,000), Food for Lane CO ($10,000) and Hope & Safety Alliance ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($5,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 15% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Ahrens Family Foundation?
The Ahrens Family Foundation reported $2.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $202K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $147K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Ahrens Family Foundation fund?
The available filing information describes the 2025 awards as general support but does not state a foundation mission or specific focus areas. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Ahrens Family Foundation?
The foundation states that it 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 The Ahrens Family Foundation's EIN?
The Ahrens Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 61-6265649. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Ahrens 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 June 22, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work The Ahrens Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Ahrens Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Ahrens Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 23, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-ahrens-family-foundation-morg_930da7fa791149c9839c533e16fbeb7f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_616265649_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Ahrens Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-ahrens-family-foundation-morg_930da7fa791149c9839c533e16fbeb7f},
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 The Ahrens 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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