The Knisely Family Foundation Inc

Private foundation · Grantmaker Tucson, AZ EIN: 86-0952581

The Knisely Family Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Tucson, Arizona. In 2025, it reported making 27 charitable grants totaling $350,500 to organizations in Arizona and other states.

The Knisely Family Foundation Inc at a glance

In short: The Knisely Family Foundation Inc gave $351K across 27 grants in 2025 (avg $13K), top state Arizona. 30% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$350,500
+34.0% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
27
+22.7% vs 2024
Average grant
$12,981
+9.2% vs 2024
Median grant
$10,070
Total assets
$5,519,210
+4.8% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
30% first-time grantees (8 of 27, 2025)
Primary geography
Arizona (45% 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 Knisely Family Foundation Inc

Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to Apply

The foundation states on its 2025 filing that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.

Contact

Mailing address: 8360 East Brookwood Drive, Tucson, AZ 85750-2466
Phone: (520) 886-1885

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who The Knisely Family Foundation Inc funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Nourish: $52KNourish$52KImago DEI School: $20KImago DEI School$20KCrossroads - Fallen Fruit Project: $15KCrossroads - Fallen FruitProject$15KFood Bank of Wyoming: $15KFood Bank of Wyoming$15KMobile Meals of Wenatchee: $15KMobile Meals of Wenatchee$15KNew Women New Yorker: $15KNew Women New Yorker$15KSeton House: $15KSeton House$15KThe Drawing Studio: $15KThe Drawing Studio$15KElder Alliance United Way: $15KElder Alliance United Way$15KMahpiya Luta - Red Cloud: $15KMahpiya Luta - Red Cloud$15K

The largest 2025 recipient was Nourish ($52K). Together the top 10 received $192K.

Grant Size Distribution

120 grants across all recorded years

119<$50K1$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 119 grants of 120 (99%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, Arizona recipients received 45% of grant dollars, followed by Washington (13%), Wyoming (11%), New York (9%), and Colorado (7%). The reported grants also included recipients in other states.

Grant Distribution by State

13states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 27 itemized grants.

Cities

TucsonDouglasPortlandWenatcheeYumaEvansvilleBrooklynHood RiverNew YorkSylmarDenverLaramieLynchburgPhoenixBloomfieldCasperOxnardRestonAvonAZ

Is The Knisely Family Foundation Inc open to new grantees?

30%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 8 of 27 grantees (30%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $12K; repeat grants $13K. How we count

Medians: $13K first-time, $10K repeat.

  • 56% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving grew 41% from 2022 to 2025. 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 (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

$0$100K$200K$300K$400K29 grants2020 26 grants2021 23 grants2022 22 grants2023 22 grants2024 27 grants2025

From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $248K (2022) to $351K (2025). In 2025 it made 27 grants totaling $351K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Nourish Tucson, AZCharitable$51,500
Imago DEI School Tucson, AZCharitable$20,000
Crossroads - Fallen Fruit Project Phoenix, AZCharitable$15,000
Food Bank of Wyoming Evansville, WYCharitable$15,000
Mobile Meals of Wenatchee Wenatchee, WACharitable$15,000
New Women New Yorker New York, NYCharitable$15,000
Seton House Casper, WYCharitable$15,000
The Drawing Studio Tucson, AZCharitable$15,000
Elder Alliance United Way Tucson, AZCharitable$15,000
Mahpiya Luta - Red Cloud Pine Ridge, SDCharitable$15,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$5,519,210$648,890$394,275$350,50027$357,197$611,812$293,037
2024$5,264,595$581,761$297,002$261,58722$268,523$553,382$280,262
2023$4,979,836$216,130$289,588$260,40022$274,994$201,536$255,158
2022$5,053,294$360,054$279,029$248,40923$258,137$339,162$256,428
2021$4,972,269$513,315$342,946$309,63526$319,790$490,159$294,731
2020$4,807,942$785,695$335,868$302,15029—$262,541$237,972

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Knisely Family Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $293K 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 included organizations working in areas such as visual arts, youth mentoring, language preservation, literacy, food assistance, and support for combat veterans. These descriptions reflect the grantees’ stated missions: The Drawing Studio says it uses art practice to support personal growth and healthy community; SOS Outreach says it builds character and leadership in underserved children through outdoor mentoring; and WikiTongues says it works to prevent language extinction and support language revitalization. Literacy Connects describes its mission as connecting people of all ages to opportunities through literacy and creative expression. Northwest Battle Buddies says it pairs combat veterans with PTSD with trained service dogs at no charge.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 27 grants totaling $350,500. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $51,500, with a median of $10,070.

Among the largest reported grants were $51,500 to Nourish; $20,000 to Imago Dei School; and $15,000 each to Crossroads - Fallen Fruit Project, Food Bank of Wyoming, Mobile Meals of Wenatchee, New Women New Yorker, Seton House, The Drawing Studio, Elder Alliance United Way, Mahpiya Luta - Red Cloud, and SOS Outreach. WikiTongues received $14,850.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Jil Feldhausen as president; Jay Knisely as vice president; Jaye Mercer as secretary; and Evan Feldhausen as treasurer. It lists John E Morton, Margy Morton, Sarah Monroe, Fred Rauche, Joe Pennington, and Frank Auletta as directors.

The Knisely Family Foundation Inc is led by Jil Feldhausen, President on every filing since 2020; 1 of 10 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Jil Feldhausen

    President

    On filings since 2020

    3 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Frank Auletta

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Fred Rauche

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Joe Pennington

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • John E. Morton

    Director

    Secretary → Director, 2025

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Margy Morton

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Sarah Monroe

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Evan Feldhausen

    Treasurer

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    $12K (2025)

  • Jay Knisely

    Vice President

    Director → Vice President, 2025

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Jaye Mercer

    Secretary

    Vice President → Secretary, 2025

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

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

Evan Feldhausen — Treasurer: $12KEvan FeldhausenTreasurer$12K

The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $12K, to Evan Feldhausen (Treasurer).

Frequently asked questions about The Knisely Family Foundation Inc

How much does The Knisely Family Foundation Inc give each year?

The Knisely Family Foundation Inc gave $351K across 27 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $262K across 22 grants.

What is The Knisely Family Foundation Inc's typical grant size?

The Knisely Family Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $10,070, and its average grant was $12,981, across 27 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Knisely Family Foundation Inc that year got $12K on average.

Where does The Knisely Family Foundation Inc give grants?

The Knisely Family Foundation Inc's top state is Arizona, with 45% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Washington (13%) and Wyoming (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were Tucson, AZ (8 grants), Wenatchee, WA (2 grants), Phoenix, AZ (2 grants) and Evansville, WY (2 grants).

Does The Knisely Family Foundation Inc give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 27 grants with a stated purpose on The Knisely Family Foundation Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (27 grants).

Who are The Knisely Family Foundation Inc's largest grantees?

The Knisely Family Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Nourish ($51,500), Imago DEI School ($20,000) and Crossroads - Fallen Fruit Project ($15,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 25% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is The Knisely Family Foundation Inc?

The Knisely Family Foundation Inc reported $5.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $357K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $293K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does The Knisely Family Foundation Inc fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included organizations working in areas such as visual arts, youth mentoring, language preservation, literacy, food assistance, and support for combat veterans. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The Knisely Family Foundation Inc?

The foundation states on its 2025 filing that it 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 Knisely Family Foundation Inc's EIN?

The Knisely Family Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 86-0952581. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.

Does The Knisely Family Foundation Inc 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

(3)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 27, 2023)
  2. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 9, 2026)
  3. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). The Knisely Family Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-knisely-family-foundation-inc-morg_387e830e7b3f4141872a8238913c78b2

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_860952581_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{The Knisely Family Foundation Inc funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-knisely-family-foundation-inc-morg_387e830e7b3f4141872a8238913c78b2},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Knisely Family Foundation Inc'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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