The Allen and Ellen M Blessman
The Allen and Ellen M Blessman is a private foundation based in New Holland, Illinois. Its 2025 filing says awards must benefit residents or former residents of Mason County, Illinois. Its grants that year went to educational programs and other programs, including children’s programs and hospital program support.
The Allen and Ellen M Blessman at a glance
In short: The Allen and Ellen M Blessman gave $460K across 27 grants in 2025 (avg $17K), mostly in Illinois. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $460,000
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 27
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $17,037
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $7,500
- Total assets
- $2,522,581
- -7.9% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Illinois (100% 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 The Allen and Ellen M Blessman
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- Yes
- How to Apply
-
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests and asks applicants to submit a letter of inquiry. Awards must benefit residents or former residents of Mason County, Illinois. The filing lists no deadline.
- Contact
Application contact: The Allen Ellen Blessman Foundation
Mailing address: 39431 State Route 10, New Holland, IL 62671
Phone: (217) 737-5334
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Allen and Ellen M Blessman funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Havana District Schools ($50K). Together the top 10 received $335K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($50,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
85 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 67 grants of 85 (79%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The filing states that awards must benefit residents or former residents of Mason County, Illinois. All reported 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 27 itemized grants.
Cities
How The Allen and Ellen M Blessman gives
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 $48K (2021) to $480K (2023). In 2025 it made 27 grants totaling $460K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 1 individual scholarship Recipients not named | — | $50,000 |
| Havana District Schools Havana, IL | Various Educational Projects | $50,000 |
| Midwest Central Schools Manito, IL | Educational Grants | $50,000 |
| PORTA School Foundation Petersburg, IL | Educational Grants | $50,000 |
| Athens School District Foundation Athens, IL | Educational Programs | $50,000 |
| Tremont School Foundation Tremont, IL | Educational Grants | $50,000 |
| Delevan Educational Foundation Delevan, IL | Educational Programs | $30,000 |
| Mason District Hospital Foundation Havana, IL | Program Support | $20,000 |
| IAA Foundation Bloomington, IL | Educational | $15,000 |
| Chaddock's Boy School Foundation Quincy, IL | Children's Programs | $10,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $2,522,581 | $257,729 | $480,200 | $460,000 | 27 | $460,000 | $119,845 |
| 2024 | $2,739,820 | $407,654 | $475,287 | $460,000 | 27 | $460,000 | $281,234 |
| 2023 | $2,807,453 | $1,273,474 | $497,362 | $480,000 | 27 | $480,000 | $104,297 |
| 2022 | $2,031,341 | $1,700,708 | $48,527 | $47,500 | 2 | $47,500 | $1,690 |
| 2021 | $379,160 | $1,188 | $51,740 | $47,500 | 2 | $47,500 | — |
| 2020 | $429,712 | $1,528 | $57,476 | $55,000 | 3 | — | — |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement is provided. The 2025 grants include support for school foundations and districts, educational projects, scholarships, children’s programs, and hospital program support. One grantee, the IAA Foundation, describes its mission as funding education, research, and charitable activities that benefit Illinois farm families and agriculture.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 27 grants totaling $460,000. Grants ranged from $2,000 to $50,000, with a median of $7,500. The largest listed awards were $50,000 each to Illini Central School Foundation for a scholarship fund, Havana District Schools for various educational projects, an individual recipient Schools for educational grants, PORTA School Foundation for educational grants, Athens School District Foundation for educational programs, and Tremont School Foundation for educational grants. Other listed grants included $30,000 to Delevan Educational Foundation for educational programs, $20,000 to Mason District Hospital Foundation for program support, and $15,000 to IAA Foundation for educational purposes.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Kirk Martin, Doug Bergman, and Diane Kirby as directors; Robert R Werner as president; and Janet E Werner as treasurer.
The Allen and Ellen M Blessman is led by Robert R Werner, President on every filing since 2020; all 5 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Robert R Werner
President
On filings since 2020
$400 (2020) → $3K (2025)
Diane Kirby
Director
On filings since 2020
$400 (2020) → $3K (2025)
Doug Bergman
Director
On filings since 2020
$400 (2020) → $3K (2025)
Kirk Martin
Director
On filings since 2020
$400 (2020) → $3K (2025)
Janet E Werner
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
$400 (2020) → $3K (2025)
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $3K, to Kirk Martin (Director). 5 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about The Allen and Ellen M Blessman
How much does The Allen and Ellen M Blessman give each year?
The Allen and Ellen M Blessman gave $460K across 27 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $460K across 27 grants.
What is The Allen and Ellen M Blessman's typical grant size?
The Allen and Ellen M Blessman's median grant in 2025 was $7,500, and its average grant was $17,037, across 27 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Allen and Ellen M Blessman give grants?
The Allen and Ellen M Blessman gives mostly in Illinois: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Mason City, IL (11 grants), Springfield, IL (3 grants), Havana, IL (2 grants) and Chicago, IL (2 grants).
Does The Allen and Ellen M Blessman give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 27 grants with a stated purpose on The Allen and Ellen M Blessman's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Community Programs" (7 grants), "Educational Grants" (4 grants) and "Educational" (4 grants).
Who are The Allen and Ellen M Blessman's largest grantees?
The Allen and Ellen M Blessman's largest 2025 grantees include Havana District Schools ($50,000), Midwest Central Schools ($50,000) and PORTA School Foundation ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($50,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 33% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Allen and Ellen M Blessman?
The Allen and Ellen M Blessman reported $2.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $258K.
What does The Allen and Ellen M Blessman fund?
No mission statement is provided. The 2025 grants include support for school foundations and districts, educational projects, scholarships, children’s programs, and hospital program support. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Allen and Ellen M Blessman?
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests and asks applicants to submit a letter of inquiry. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Allen and Ellen M Blessman's EIN?
The Allen and Ellen M Blessman's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-5863643. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Allen and Ellen M Blessman accept unsolicited proposals?
Yes, 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
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 14, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 17, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS August 18, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS August 13, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 11, 2026)
Live grants for the work The Allen and Ellen M Blessman funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Allen and Ellen M Blessman funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 23, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-allen-and-ellen-m-blessman-morg_4ca038eeecf748e9ba6f5199f64840a4
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_205863643_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Allen and Ellen M Blessman funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-allen-and-ellen-m-blessman-morg_4ca038eeecf748e9ba6f5199f64840a4},
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 Allen and Ellen M Blessman'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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