The Eleanor R Gardner Foundation
The Eleanor R Gardner Foundation is a private foundation based in Alliance, Nebraska. Its 2025 filing reports 11 grants totaling $60,338 to charitable organizations.
The Eleanor R Gardner Foundation at a glance
In short: The Eleanor R Gardner Foundation gave $60K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $5K), mostly in Florida. 45% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $60,338
- +19.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 11
- +37.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $5,485
- -13.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,000
- Total assets
- $835,476
- +2.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 45% first-time grantees (5 of 11, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Florida (58% 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 Eleanor R Gardner Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 5801 Otoe Road, Alliance, NE 69301
Phone: (308) 762-7622
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Eleanor R Gardner Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Food for the Poor ($35K). Together the top 10 received $59K.
Grant Size Distribution
43 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 43 grants of 43 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in Florida (58%), Nebraska (27%), Kansas (8%), Oklahoma (4%), and California (3%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Eleanor R Gardner Foundation open to new grantees?
45%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 11 grantees (45%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $9K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $4K repeat.
- 36% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+6%). 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 $47K (2023) to $60K (2025). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $60K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Food for the Poor Coconut Creek, FL | Charitable Contribution | $35,000 |
| St Agnes Academy Alliance, NE | Charitable Contribution | $5,500 |
| Unbound Kansis City, KS | Charitable Contribution | $4,838 |
| Junior League Diaper Bank Alliance, NE | Charitable Contributions | $2,500 |
| United Way of Southwest Oklahoma Lawton, OK | Charitable Contribution | $2,500 |
| Box Butte Health Foundation Alliance, NE | Charitable Contribution | $2,000 |
| Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation Lincoln, NE | Charitable Contribution | $2,000 |
| Plant with a Purpose San Diego, CA | Charitable Contribution | $2,000 |
| United Way of Western Nebraska Scottsbluff, NE | Charitable Contribution | $2,000 |
| Catholic Social Services Lincoln, NE | Charitable Contribution | $1,000 |
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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 | $835,476 | $96,437 | $76,273 | $60,338 | 11 | $74,882 | $80,502 |
| 2024 | $818,431 | $25,345 | $65,709 | $50,660 | 8 | — | $65,432 |
| 2023 | $799,176 | $21,567 | $62,715 | $46,750 | 11 | — | $18,378 |
| 2022 | $804,394 | $19,973 | $68,709 | $57,000 | 3 | — | $46,176 |
| 2021 | $848,541 | $32,369 | $62,764 | $47,422 | 10 | — | $86,535 |
| 2020 | $821,613 | $22,082 | $60,997 | $47,950 | 6 | — | $32,714 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included organizations working in poverty relief, community support, social services, and other charitable activities. For example, Food for the Poor describes its mission as linking churches in wealthier and poorer countries to serve people who are materially poor and poor in spirit. Unbound says it supports families and communities worldwide on self-directed paths out of poverty. Catholic Social Services in Lincoln says it performs works of mercy, including providing food, clothing, shelter, prison ministry, counseling, instruction, and comfort.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 11 grants totaling $60,338. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $35,000, with a median grant of $2,000.
The largest reported grant was $35,000 to Food for the Poor in Coconut Creek, Florida. Other notable grants were $5,500 to St Agnes Academy in Alliance, Nebraska; $4,838 to Unbound in Kansas City, Kansas; and $2,500 each to Junior League Diaper Bank in Alliance and United Way of Southwest Oklahoma in Lawton.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Victoria Gina Ackerman as president and Callan Joe Ackerman as vice president.
The Eleanor R Gardner Foundation is led by Victoria Gina Ackerman, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Victoria Gina Ackerman
President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Callan Joe Ackerman
Vice President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Bridget F. Ackerman (2020–2024) — Secretary
- Former: Shelby G. Ackerman (2020–2024) — Treasurer
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 Eleanor R Gardner Foundation
How much does The Eleanor R Gardner Foundation give each year?
The Eleanor R Gardner Foundation gave $60K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $51K across 8 grants.
What is The Eleanor R Gardner Foundation's typical grant size?
The Eleanor R Gardner Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $5,485, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Eleanor R Gardner Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does The Eleanor R Gardner Foundation give grants?
The Eleanor R Gardner Foundation gives mostly in Florida: 58% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Nebraska (27%) and Kansas (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Alliance, NE (3 grants) and Lincoln, NE (2 grants).
Who are The Eleanor R Gardner Foundation's largest grantees?
The Eleanor R Gardner Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Food for the Poor ($35,000), St Agnes Academy ($5,500) and Unbound ($4,838), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 75% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Eleanor R Gardner Foundation?
The Eleanor R Gardner Foundation reported $835K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $96K.
What does The Eleanor R Gardner Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included organizations working in poverty relief, community support, social services, and other charitable activities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Eleanor R Gardner Foundation?
The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Eleanor R Gardner Foundation's EIN?
The Eleanor R Gardner Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-2028495. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Eleanor R Gardner 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
(7)
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 13, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 10, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS June 12, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS August 5, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 17, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work The Eleanor R Gardner Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Browse active grant opportunities in The Eleanor R Gardner Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Eleanor R Gardner Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-eleanor-r-gardner-foundation-morg_e64e13dd7f3b4cbd83812bb855177710
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_472028495_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Eleanor R Gardner Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-eleanor-r-gardner-foundation-morg_e64e13dd7f3b4cbd83812bb855177710},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 Eleanor R Gardner 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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