The Kjellstrom Family Foundation
The Kjellstrom Family Foundation is a private grant-making foundation based in Rockford, Illinois. Established in 2004 and named for Rockford native Janet Kjellstrom, it supports local charities in Northern Illinois, with particular attention to youth-serving organizations and the arts.
The Kjellstrom Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Kjellstrom Family Foundation gave $710K across 47 grants in 2025 (avg $15K), mostly in Illinois. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $710,460
- -0.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 47
- -11.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $15,116
- +12.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $12,000
- Total assets
- $10,472,080
- +16.7% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Illinois (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to The Kjellstrom Family Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation’s filing says organizations are required to complete the grant application and include specified supporting information. Its website lists three annual grant cycles, with applications due April 15, August 15, and November 15, and awards made in May, September, and December. As of October 2, 2026, the April 15 and August 15 deadlines have passed; the next listed deadline is November 15. The foundation’s filing says applications are reviewed three times a year and does not restrict giving to preselected organizations.
- Review Cycle
- November 15, 2026, is the next listed application deadline.
- Deadline
- November 15, 2026, is the next listed application deadline.
- Contact
Application contact: Pam Clark Reidenbach
Mailing address: 8500 East State Street, Rockford, IL 61108
Phone: (815) 753-8733
Website: https://kjellstromfdn.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from The Kjellstrom Family Foundation
Who The Kjellstrom Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Northern IL Center for Nonprofit Excellence ($82K). Together the top 10 received $326K.
Grant Size Distribution
201 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 193 grants of 201 (96%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s website says it funds organizations located in and serving Winnebago, Boone, Ogle, and Stephenson counties, with emphasis on Winnebago County. All grant dollars itemized in filing year 2025 went to recipients in Illinois.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 47 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How The Kjellstrom Family Foundation gives
- 51% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 56% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 128% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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 $457K (2022) to $711K (2024). In 2025 it made 47 grants totaling $710K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Northern IL Center for Nonprofit Excellence Rockford, IL | Education | $82,459 |
| Farmers Rising Rockford Rockford, IL | Education | $39,965 |
| Rockford Promise Rockford, IL | Social Welfare | $35,000 |
| Salvation Army Rockford, IL | Social Welfare | $26,792 |
| Shelter Care Rockford, IL | Social Welfare | $25,000 |
| Keith Country Day School Rockford, IL | Education | $25,000 |
| Rockford Symphony Orchestra Machesney Park, IL | Education | $24,553 |
| The Music Academy Rockford, IL | Social Welfare | $23,970 |
| Burpee Museum of Natural History Rockford, IL | Social Welfare | $23,550 |
| Rock River Valley Pantry Rockford, IL | Social Welfare | $20,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Kjellstrom Family 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 | $10,472,080 | $2,306,154 | $810,739 | $710,460 | 47 | $710,460 | $2,107,286 | $553,300 |
| 2024 | $8,976,665 | $990,680 | $809,263 | $710,866 | 53 | $710,866 | $794,418 | $547,173 |
| 2023 | $8,795,248 | $417,335 | $726,475 | $631,704 | 40 | $631,704 | $228,081 | $516,629 |
| 2022 | $9,104,388 | $20,981 | $539,158 | $456,807 | 31 | $456,807 | $168,189 | $538,566 |
| 2021 | $9,622,565 | $523,866 | $728,353 | $617,014 | 30 | $617,014 | $360,142 | $570,882 |
| 2020 | $9,827,052 | $422,217 | $611,573 | $508,866 | 3 | — | $196,518 | $518,597 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Kjellstrom Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $553K for 2025 — 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 foundation’s filing describes its purpose as supporting local charities in Northern Illinois, focusing on youth-serving organizations and the arts. Its website lists youth programs, performing and visual arts, museums, services for people with disabilities, human services, literacy, nature, education, and organizational development among its fields of interest.
The foundation’s 2025 grants included organizations with a range of missions. Rockford Promise says it works to remove financial barriers to post-secondary education for Rockford Public School graduates through scholarships and student support. The Boys & Girls Club of Rockford describes its work as serving local youth and helping members prepare for graduation and future plans. Rock River Valley Pantry says it packages and distributes food to people in need. The Rockford Symphony Orchestra received a grant for an endowment benefiting the orchestra and its programs, and the Ethnic Heritage Museum says it preserves ethnic artifacts and traditions through festivals and workshops.
The foundation’s website says it can fund programmatic work, capital expenditures, general administration, and capacity building. It also considers applications from organizations working together toward a shared need or goal.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation awarded 47 grants totaling $710,460. Grants ranged from $2,600 to $82,459, with a median grant of $12,000. The largest awards included $82,459 to Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence, $39,965 to Farmers Rising Rockford, and $35,000 to Rockford Promise. Other notable 2025 awards included $26,792 to the Salvation Army, $25,000 each to Shelter Care and Keith Country Day School, and $24,553 to the Rockford Symphony Orchestra.
The foundation’s website says individual grants generally will not exceed $40,000. It describes exceptions for challenge grants: up to $25,000 when matching a challenge from an out-of-community entity or person, and up to $50,000 for endowment or capital expenditures. It also considers emergent grant commitments outside regular cycles; its website says organizations seeking one should contact the Lead Trustee.
The foundation accepts applications from organizations in its stated service area. Its website says applicants must have been operating for more than three years and that it generally does not award grants to organizations with operating deficits. It generally does not sponsor events, discourages repetitive grants to one organization for the same purpose, and does not make binding multi-year pledges, though it may consider renewable annual grants. The application asks for a project budget and narrative, information about organizational sustainability and board involvement, and supporting financial and organizational documents.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Pam Clark Reidenbach, Dan Ross, and Julie Bosma as trustees. The foundation’s website identifies Pam Clark Reidenbach as Lead Trustee.
The Kjellstrom Family Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; all 3 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Dan Ross
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
$500 (2020) → $2K (2025)
Pam Clark Reidenbach
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
$27K (2021) → $27K (2025)
Julie Bosma
Trustee
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
$500 (2021) → $2K (2025)
Former officers (3)
- Former: Paul Logli (2020–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Dan Loescher (2020) — Trustee
- Former: Jon Bates (2020) — 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 $27K, to Pam Clark Reidenbach (Trustee). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about The Kjellstrom Family Foundation
How much does The Kjellstrom Family Foundation give each year?
The Kjellstrom Family Foundation gave $710K across 47 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $711K across 53 grants.
What is The Kjellstrom Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Kjellstrom Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $12,000, and its average grant was $15,116, across 47 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Kjellstrom Family Foundation give grants?
The Kjellstrom Family Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Rockford, IL (42 grants) and Machesney Park, IL (2 grants).
Does The Kjellstrom Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 47 grants with a stated purpose on The Kjellstrom Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Social Welfare" (31 grants) and "Education" (16 grants).
Who are The Kjellstrom Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Kjellstrom Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Northern IL Center for Nonprofit Excellence ($82,459), Farmers Rising Rockford ($39,965) and Rockford Promise ($35,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 22% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Kjellstrom Family Foundation?
The Kjellstrom Family Foundation reported $10.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $710K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $553K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Kjellstrom Family Foundation fund?
The foundation’s filing describes its purpose as supporting local charities in Northern Illinois, focusing on youth-serving organizations and the arts. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Kjellstrom Family Foundation?
The foundation’s filing says organizations are required to complete the grant application and include specified supporting information. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Kjellstrom Family Foundation's EIN?
The Kjellstrom Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-6368876. 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.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Kjellstrom Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Kjellstrom Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 9, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-kjellstrom-family-foundation-morg_4c7e7289d09e46d39931e7a36a107bd2
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_206368876_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Kjellstrom Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-kjellstrom-family-foundation-morg_4c7e7289d09e46d39931e7a36a107bd2},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-09. 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 Kjellstrom Family 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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