The Bruning Foundation
The Bruning Foundation is a private foundation based in Fort Myers, Florida. Its 2024 filing reports grants to charitable and educational organizations.
The Bruning Foundation at a glance
In short: The Bruning Foundation gave $801K across 90 grants in 2024 (avg $9K), top state Florida. 17% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $801,000
- -1.7% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 90
- +2.3% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $8,900
- -3.9% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $18,469,427
- -0.5% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 17% first-time grantees (15 of 90, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Florida (19% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Bruning 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 for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 4809 Laurel Lane, Ft Myers, FL 33908
Phone: (847) 736-7451
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Bruning Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was North Lakeland Discovery Center ($69K). Together the top 10 received $329K.
Grant Size Distribution
426 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 409 grants of 426 (96%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation is based in Florida, and its 2024 grants went to organizations in multiple states. By grant dollars, Florida recipients accounted for 19%, Wisconsin 16%, Minnesota 13%, Illinois 10%, and Colorado 10%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 90 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Bruning Foundation open to new grantees?
17%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 15 of 90 grantees (17%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $10K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 77% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+7%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 91% 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 (2020–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $749K (2021) to $931K (2020). In 2024 it made 90 grants totaling $801K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| North Lakeland Discovery Center Manitowish Waters, WI | Charitable | $69,000 |
| Ducks Unlimited Memphis, TN | Charitable | $50,000 |
| Carmel High School Mundelein, IL | Educational | $45,000 |
| Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation Sanibel, FL | Charitable | $45,000 |
| Community Table Arvada Arvada, CO | Charitable | $24,500 |
| Brown Family YMCA Ponte Vedra, FL | Charitable | $21,000 |
| Jacksonville University Jacksonville, FL | Educational | $20,000 |
| Seamark Ranch Jacksonville, FL | Charitable | $20,000 |
| Can-Do Canines New Hope, MN | Charitable | $18,000 |
| Twin Cities Pet Rescue St. Paul, MN | Charitable | $16,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Bruning 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $18,469,427 | $1,036,669 | $1,131,124 | $801,000 | 90 | $919,684 | $785,657 | $1,005,711 |
| 2023 | $18,563,872 | $676,859 | $1,165,571 | $814,900 | 88 | $942,598 | $402,343 | $942,846 |
| 2022 | $18,652,442 | $-156,702 | $1,074,228 | $803,000 | 83 | $868,555 | $205,987 | $921,524 |
| 2021 | $18,973,372 | $1,131,962 | $1,064,572 | $748,500 | 79 | $782,102 | $817,762 | $962,721 |
| 2020 | $18,905,982 | $3,622,720 | $1,164,454 | $930,500 | 86 | — | $3,390,801 | $835,872 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Bruning Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.0M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2024 grants include support for organizations working in areas such as nature and community, residential care for children, education, food assistance, animal rescue, and community sports spaces. For example, North Lakeland Discovery Center describes its mission as connecting people, nature, and community to enrich lives and foster care for Wisconsin’s Northwoods. SeaMark Ranch says it provides residential care for children from families in crisis, while Gladiolus Food Pantry says it provides food assistance to families in need.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the foundation reported 90 grants totaling $801,000. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $69,000, with a median grant of $5,000. Among the largest grants were $69,000 to North Lakeland Discovery Center, $50,000 to Ducks Unlimited, $45,000 each to Carmel High School and Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation, and $24,500 to Community Table Arvada.
Other 2024 grants included $21,000 to Brown Family YMCA; $20,000 each to Jacksonville University and SeaMark Ranch; $18,000 to Can-Do Canines; and $16,000 to Twin Cities Pet Rescue. Dickinson College, Friends of the GTM Reserve, Gladiolus Food Pantry, Shattuck-St. Mary’s School, and Love Futbol each received $15,000.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Tracy S. Bruning as president and director; Kimberly B. Donahue as vice president and director; and Christian B. Silge as treasurer and director. It also lists Susan B. Wulff, Jeanne B. Joseph, Charles Bruning IV, and Jonathan P. Bruning as directors.
The Bruning Foundation is led by Tracy S. Bruning, President & Director since 2022 (on filings since 2020); none of the 7 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Tracy S. Bruning
President & Director
Director → President & Director, 2022
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Christian B. Silge
Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Jeanne B. Joseph
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Kimberly B. Donahue
V.p. & Director
Director → V.p. & Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Susan B. Wulff
Director
V.p. & Director → Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Charles Bruning IV
Director
On filings since 2022
No compensation reported
Jonathan P. Bruning
Director
On filings since 2022
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Charles Bruning III (2020–2021) — President & Director
- Former: James P. Bruning (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Kathleen J. Bruning (2020–2021) — Corporate Se
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Bruning Foundation
How much does The Bruning Foundation give each year?
The Bruning Foundation gave $801K across 90 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $815K across 88 grants.
What is The Bruning Foundation's typical grant size?
The Bruning Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $5,000, and its average grant was $8,900, across 90 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Bruning Foundation that year got $6K on average.
Where does The Bruning Foundation give grants?
The Bruning Foundation's top state is Florida, with 19% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Wisconsin (16%) and Minnesota (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were Madison, WI (6 grants), Manitowish Waters, WI (5 grants), Dallas, TX (5 grants) and Columbus, OH (3 grants).
Does The Bruning Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 90 grants with a stated purpose on The Bruning Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (68 grants), "Educational" (16 grants) and "Religous" (3 grants).
Who are The Bruning Foundation's largest grantees?
The Bruning Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include North Lakeland Discovery Center ($69,000), Ducks Unlimited ($50,000) and Carmel High School ($45,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 20% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Bruning Foundation?
The Bruning Foundation reported $18.5M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $920K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.0M (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.
What does The Bruning Foundation fund?
The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2024 grants include support for organizations working in areas such as nature and community, residential care for children, education, food assistance, animal rescue, and community sports spaces. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Bruning Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Bruning Foundation's EIN?
The Bruning Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-6068626. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Bruning 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 October 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 November 9, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 8, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 9, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 6, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 14, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Bruning Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Bruning Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-bruning-foundation-morg_dd3a7a823fcd4420bcb2b10175e48f61
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_366068626_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Bruning Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-bruning-foundation-morg_dd3a7a823fcd4420bcb2b10175e48f61},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Bruning 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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