The Earle and Elsie Little Scholarship Trust
The Earle and Elsie Little Scholarship Trust is a private foundation based in Muncie, Indiana. It awards scholarships to U.S. citizens pursuing undergraduate studies at accredited colleges.
Key facts about The Earle and Elsie Little Scholarship Trust
In short: The Earle and Elsie Little Scholarship Trust gave $16K across 13 grants in 2025 (avg $1K), mostly in Michigan. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 38-6729055
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $16,250
- Grants made (2025)
- 13
- Average grant
- $1,250
- Median grant
- $1,250
- Total assets
- $284,616
- Primary geography
- Michigan (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- How to apply
- The 2025 filing says applicants should contact their high school counselor for forms; an application is available upon request. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$285K
+2.5% YoY
Annual Giving
$16K
-18.8% YoY
Grant Count
13
-35.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$1K
+25.0% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Earle and Elsie Little Scholarship Trust reported a distributable amount of $21K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
How The Earle and Elsie Little Scholarship Trust gives
- Giving fell 32% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 93% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement is provided. The filing describes scholarship awards for undergraduate study at accredited colleges.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the trust reported 13 grants totaling $16,250. Each itemized grant was $1,250. The listed purposes were scholarships for study at colleges and universities, including Grand Valley State University, the University of Toledo, the University of Michigan, and Michigan State University. The recipients were individuals.
How to Apply
The 2025 filing says applicants should contact their high school counselor for forms; an application is available upon request. Awards are restricted to U.S. citizens pursuing undergraduate studies at accredited colleges. The filing states there are no deadlines.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars itemized for 2025 went to individual recipients listed in Michigan. The filing’s listed scholarship purposes include colleges and universities in Michigan and elsewhere; it does not establish a broader geographic focus.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $12K (2020) to $24K (2022). In 2025 it made 13 grants totaling $16K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
70 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 70 grants of 70 (100%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 13 individual scholarships Recipients not named | — | $16,250 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants given | Grant count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $284,616 | $30,206 | $23,218 | $16,250 | 13 |
| 2024 | $277,628 | $25,257 | $25,050 | $20,000 | 20 |
| 2023 | $277,408 | $7,056 | $25,323 | $23,000 | 21 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $284,616 | $277,628 | $277,408 |
| Revenue | $30,206 | $25,257 | $7,056 |
| Expenses | $23,218 | $25,050 | $25,323 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $19,396 | $21,988 | $23,114 |
| Net Investment Income | $26,384 | $22,195 | $7,652 |
| Distributable Amount | $20,776 | $19,524 | $18,484 |
Data update history
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 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 4, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 8, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists First Merchants PWA First Merchants as trustee.
The Earle and Elsie Little Scholarship Trust is led by First Merchants Pwa First Merchants, Trustee on the 2025 filing — the only officer listed, and compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
First Merchants Pwa First Merchants
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
$5K (2025)
Former officers (2)
- Former: First Merchants Pwa (2023–2024) — Trustee
- Former: First Merchants Bank (2020–2022) — Trustee
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 $5K, to First Merchants PWA First Merchants (Trustee).
Contact
Application contact: Applicant'S High School Counselor
Mailing address: 102 E Front Street, Monroe, MI 48161
Phone: (734) 242-2734
Frequently asked questions about The Earle and Elsie Little Scholarship Trust
How much does The Earle and Elsie Little Scholarship Trust give each year?
The Earle and Elsie Little Scholarship Trust gave $16K across 13 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $20K across 20 grants.
What is The Earle and Elsie Little Scholarship Trust's typical grant size?
The Earle and Elsie Little Scholarship Trust's median grant in 2025 was $1,250, and its average grant was $1,250, across 13 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Earle and Elsie Little Scholarship Trust give grants?
The Earle and Elsie Little Scholarship Trust gives mostly in Michigan: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there.
Does The Earle and Elsie Little Scholarship Trust give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 13 grants with a stated purpose on The Earle and Elsie Little Scholarship Trust's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
How large is The Earle and Elsie Little Scholarship Trust?
The Earle and Elsie Little Scholarship Trust reported $285K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $19K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $21K (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 Earle and Elsie Little Scholarship Trust fund?
No mission statement is provided. The filing describes scholarship awards for undergraduate study at accredited colleges. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Earle and Elsie Little Scholarship Trust?
The 2025 filing says applicants should contact their high school counselor for forms; an application is available upon request. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Earle and Elsie Little Scholarship Trust's EIN?
The Earle and Elsie Little Scholarship Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 38-6729055. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Here's the math on researching The Earle and Elsie Little Scholarship Trust by hand.
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