The Helgeson Foundation
The Helgeson Foundation is a private foundation based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It reported 29 grants totaling $186,000 in 2025.
The Helgeson Foundation at a glance
In short: The Helgeson Foundation gave $186K across 29 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), mostly in Minnesota. 0% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $186,000
- +36.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 29
- -6.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $6,414
- +46.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $2,419,581
- -2.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 0% first-time grantees (0 of 29, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Minnesota (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Helgeson Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 4321 E Lake Harriet Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55409
Phone: (612) 667-9094
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Helgeson Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Climate Generation ($15K). Together the top 10 received $118K.
Grant Size Distribution
137 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 137 grants of 137 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars in 2025 went to recipients in Minnesota, according to the reported recipient-state distribution.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 29 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Helgeson Foundation open to new grantees?
0%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 0 of 29 grantees (0%) were first-time recipients. How we count
- 100% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+16%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 111% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $136K (2024) to $186K (2025). In 2025 it made 29 grants totaling $186K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Climate Generation Minneapolis, MN | General Funding | $15,000 |
| Voyageur Outward Bound School Saint Paul, MN | General Funding | $13,500 |
| Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center Finland, MN | General Funding | $13,500 |
| Cedar Cultural Center Minneapolis, MN | General Funding | $13,000 |
| Brownbody Vadnais Heights, MN | General Funding | $11,500 |
| Interact Saint Paul, MN | General Funding | $11,500 |
| The Loppet Foundation Minneapolis, MN | General Funding | $10,500 |
| Penumbra Theatre Company Inc Saint Paul, MN | General Funding | $10,000 |
| Wilderness Inquiry Saint Paul, MN | General Funding | $10,000 |
| Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop Minneapolis, MN | General Funding | $9,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Helgeson Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Grant totals reported by filing year:
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $2,419,581 | $209,504 | $281,248 | $186,000 | 29 | $199,848 | $128,204 | $179,436 |
| 2024 | $2,491,325 | $576,145 | $209,636 | $136,000 | 31 | $149,448 | $515,956 | $163,259 |
| 2023 | $2,124,816 | $137,057 | $217,842 | $146,000 | 30 | $159,969 | $79,184 | $149,549 |
| 2022 | $2,213,601 | $100,216 | $229,790 | $160,000 | 24 | $173,136 | $48,329 | $159,137 |
| 2021 | $2,343,175 | $229,154 | $214,786 | $142,000 | 23 | $155,011 | $169,778 | $176,100 |
| 2020 | $2,329,263 | $85,523 | $214,096 | $142,000 | 25 | — | $26,892 | $151,637 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Helgeson Foundation reported a distributable amount of $179K 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 mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations working in several areas. For example, Climate Generation says its mission is to help educators, youth, and communities act on systems perpetuating the climate crisis. Voyageur Outward Bound School says it brings young people together for learning adventures and leadership development. The Loppet Foundation describes its mission as connecting people to the outdoors through experiences that grow community.
Other 2025 grantees describe work in the arts and social justice: Brownbody combines modern dance, theater, social justice, and figure skating, while Penumbra Theatre Company creates productions through the prism of the African American experience. Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop says it provides creative writing education and other arts services to people incarcerated in Minnesota state prisons.
Grantmaking
The foundation reported the following recent grantmaking:
In 2025, grants ranged from $1,500 to $15,000, with a median grant of $5,000. The largest grants included $15,000 to Climate Generation; $13,500 each to Voyageur Outward Bound School and Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center; $13,000 to Cedar Cultural Center; and $11,500 each to Brownbody and Interact. These grants were listed for general funding.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Glen Helgeson as President and Treasurer, Rita Penrod Helgeson as Executive Director and Secretary, and Mariah Kathan as Vice President.
The Helgeson Foundation is led by Glen Helgeson, President & Treasurer on every filing since 2020; all 3 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Glen Helgeson
President & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$12K (2020) → $12K (2025)
Rita Penrod Helgeson
Executive Director & S
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$12K (2020) → $12K (2025)
Mariah Kathan
Vice President
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
$8K (2024) → $8K (2025)
Former officers (1)
- Former: Mariah Helgeson (2020–2023) — Vice President
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 $12K, to Glen Helgeson (Pres & Treas). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about The Helgeson Foundation
How much does The Helgeson Foundation give each year?
The Helgeson Foundation gave $186K across 29 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $136K across 31 grants.
What is The Helgeson Foundation's typical grant size?
The Helgeson Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $6,414, across 29 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Helgeson Foundation give grants?
The Helgeson Foundation gives mostly in Minnesota: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Saint Paul, MN (11 grants) and Minneapolis, MN (10 grants).
Does The Helgeson Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Helgeson Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (29 of 29) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Helgeson Foundation's largest grantees?
The Helgeson Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Climate Generation ($15,000), Voyageur Outward Bound School ($13,500) and Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center ($13,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 23% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Helgeson Foundation?
The Helgeson Foundation reported $2.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $200K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $179K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Helgeson Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations working in several areas. For example, Climate Generation says its mission is to help educators, youth, and communities act on systems perpetuating the climate crisis. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Helgeson Foundation?
The foundation 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 Helgeson Foundation's EIN?
The Helgeson Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 46-4350306. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Helgeson Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 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 17, 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 9, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 24, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 25, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 23, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Helgeson Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-helgeson-foundation-morg_4b4fd37678cb409f804cfaafe5e38129
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_464350306_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Helgeson Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-helgeson-foundation-morg_4b4fd37678cb409f804cfaafe5e38129},
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 Helgeson 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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