The BWBR Foundation
The BWBR Foundation is a private foundation based in an individual recipient, Minnesota. Its 2025 filing reports 69 grants totaling $70,700, with listed grant purposes describing support for general capital campaigns.
The BWBR Foundation at a glance
In short: The BWBR Foundation gave $71K across 69 grants in 2025 (avg $1K), mostly in Minnesota. 12% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $70,700
- +11.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 69
- -2.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $1,025
- +14.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $930,359
- +1.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 12% first-time grantees (8 of 69, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Minnesota (50% 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 BWBR Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The filing lists Ryan Johansen as the contact and requests a letter outlining the project, including financial data. Awards are restricted to public charities. The filing says giving is not restricted to preselected organizations.
- Contact
Application contact: Ryan Johansen
Mailing address: 380 St Peter Street Ste 600, St Paul, MN 55102
Phone: (651) 222-3701
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The BWBR Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Avera Health Foundation ($3K). Together the top 10 received $23K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($1,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
299 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 299 grants of 299 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, Minnesota organizations received 50% of grant dollars, Wisconsin 25%, Nebraska 9%, South Dakota 5%, and Michigan 3%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 69 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The BWBR Foundation open to new grantees?
12%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 8 of 69 grantees (12%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $813; repeat grants $1K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $1K repeat.
- 81% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+14%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 122% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $35K (2019) to $71K (2025). In 2025 it made 69 grants totaling $71K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Avera Health Foundation Sioux Falls, SD | General Capital Campaign | $3,000 |
| Mayo Clinic Rochester, MN | General Capital Campaign | $3,000 |
| University of MN Foundation Minneapolis, MN | General Capital Campaign | $3,000 |
| Canvas Health Inc Oakdale, MN | General Capital Campaign | $2,000 |
| Hennepin Health Foundation Minneapolis, MN | General Capital Campaign | $2,000 |
| Latino Academy of Workforce Development Madison, WI | General Capital Campaign | $2,000 |
| Pine Rest Foundation Grand Rapids, MI | General Capital Campaign | $2,000 |
| The Family Partnership Minneapolis, MN | General Capital Campaign | $2,000 |
| University of St Thomas Saint Paul, MN | General Capital Campaign | $2,000 |
| University of Wisconsin River Falls Foundation River Falls, WI | General Capital Campaign | $2,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The BWBR 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 | $930,359 | $111,569 | $94,026 | $70,700 | 69 | $72,376 | $78,019 | $59,448 |
| 2024 | $912,816 | $115,580 | $83,900 | $63,617 | 71 | $65,369 | $82,544 | $57,026 |
| 2023 | $880,636 | $127,098 | $79,774 | $66,222 | 62 | $66,566 | $6,471 | $48,297 |
| 2022 | $831,312 | $119,369 | $76,106 | $61,850 | 54 | $62,762 | $3,129 | $43,331 |
| 2021 | $788,049 | $202,794 | $64,475 | $54,825 | 43 | $54,825 | $132,544 | $43,187 |
| 2020 | $649,730 | $73,116 | $52,936 | $44,000 | 41 | — | $18,790 | $35,584 |
| 2019 | $629,550 | $80,187 | $41,805 | $34,500 | 27 | — | $35,132 | $32,924 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The BWBR Foundation reported a distributable amount of $59K 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 2025 grants went to organizations working in areas including health care, behavioral health, education, family services, and workforce development. For example, Mayo Clinic describes its mission as providing care, education, and research to support health and well-being. The Latino Academy of Workforce Development says it provides culturally and linguistically competent adult education to help individuals and families thrive.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 69 grants totaling $70,700. Grants ranged from $500 to $3,000, with a median of $1,000. The largest grants were $3,000 each to Avera Health Foundation, Mayo Clinic, and the University of Minnesota Foundation, all for general capital campaigns. Other grants included $2,000 each to Canvas Health, Hennepin Health Foundation, Latino Academy of Workforce Development, Pine Rest Foundation, The Family Partnership, the University of St. Thomas, and the University of Wisconsin River Falls Foundation.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Ryan Johansen as president, Megan Flynn as treasurer, and Melanie Baumhover as secretary.
The BWBR Foundation is led by Ryan Johansen, President since 2025 (on filings since 2019); none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Ryan Johansen
President
Director → Secretary, 2022
Secretary → President, 2025
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Megan Flynn
Treasurer
New on the 2025 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Melanie Baumhover
Secretary
New on the 2025 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (6)
- Former: Greg Fenton (2019–2024) — President
- Former: Rebekah Erler (2019–2024) — Treasurer
- Former: Steve Erickson (2019–2024) — Director
- Former: Stephanie McDaniel (2019–2021) — Secretary
- Former: Eric West (2019) — Director
- Former: Michael Ranum (2019) — Treasurer
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 BWBR Foundation
How much does The BWBR Foundation give each year?
The BWBR Foundation gave $71K across 69 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $64K across 71 grants.
What is The BWBR Foundation's typical grant size?
The BWBR Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $1,025, across 69 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The BWBR Foundation that year got $813 on average.
Where does The BWBR Foundation give grants?
The BWBR Foundation gives mostly in Minnesota: 50% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Wisconsin (25%) and Nebraska (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were St. Paul, MN (11 grants), Minneapolis, MN (8 grants), Madison, WI (8 grants) and Omaha, NE (4 grants).
Does The BWBR Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 97% of The BWBR Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (67 of 69) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The BWBR Foundation's largest grantees?
The BWBR Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Avera Health Foundation ($3,000), Mayo Clinic ($3,000) and University of MN Foundation ($3,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($1,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 13% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The BWBR Foundation?
The BWBR Foundation reported $930K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $72K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $59K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The BWBR Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations working in areas including health care, behavioral health, education, family services, and workforce development. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The BWBR Foundation?
The filing lists Ryan Johansen as the contact and requests a letter outlining the project, including financial data. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The BWBR Foundation's EIN?
The BWBR Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-1280877. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(4)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 19, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS January 12, 2023)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 20, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The BWBR Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The BWBR Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-bwbr-foundation-morg_71cfd744c8884f6a83a728e8b3abc7d5
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_261280877_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The BWBR Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-bwbr-foundation-morg_71cfd744c8884f6a83a728e8b3abc7d5},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 BWBR 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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