The Knowlton Foundation
The Knowlton Foundation is a private foundation based in Vail, Colorado (EIN 41-1877113). Its 2025 grants included charitable and community purposes, education, arts and cultural activities, and health and medical purposes.
The Knowlton Foundation at a glance
In short: The Knowlton Foundation gave $176K across 29 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), top state Minnesota. 41% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $175,560
- +14.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 29
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $6,054
- +14.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,000
- Total assets
- $915,866
- -8.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 41% first-time grantees (12 of 29, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Minnesota (40% 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 Knowlton 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: 1999 Sunburst Drive, Vail, CO 81657-5166
Phone: (970) 476-2529
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Knowlton Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Hormel Historic Home ($30K). Together the top 10 received $143K.
Grant Size Distribution
163 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 161 grants of 163 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, Minnesota received 40% of grant dollars, Colorado 15%, Iowa 14%, Texas 11%, and California 8%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 29 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Knowlton Foundation open to new grantees?
41%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 12 of 29 grantees (41%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $8K; repeat grants $4K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 52% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+9%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 201% 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 $135K (2020) to $211K (2023). In 2025 it made 29 grants totaling $176K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Hormel Historic Home Austin, MN | Community, Educational | $30,000 |
| University of Minnesota St. Paul, MN | Educational, Shelly Joseph-Kordell Memorial Scholarship Fund | $25,000 |
| American Red Cross - CA Wildfires Boone, IA | Community, Charitable | $20,000 |
| Alzheimer's Association - Houston Texas Walk Houston, TX | Medical, Community | $10,000 |
| Austin Artworks Austin, MN | Education, the Arts | $10,000 |
| Bravo Vail Vail, CO | Cultural, Educational | $10,000 |
| Covenant House Texas Houston, TX | Charitable, Community | $10,000 |
| Horatio Alger Association Alexandria, VA | Community, Charitable | $10,000 |
| McCallum Theatre Palm Desert, CA | Cultural, Community | $10,000 |
| Vail Valley Foundation Community Fund Vail, CO | Community, Charitable | $8,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Knowlton 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 | $915,866 | $100,312 | $185,330 | $175,560 | 29 | $176,104 | $92,290 | $87,774 |
| 2024 | $1,000,884 | $116,432 | $163,258 | $153,318 | 29 | $153,873 | $108,447 | $88,499 |
| 2023 | $1,047,710 | $120,032 | $220,734 | $210,600 | 44 | $211,633 | $112,831 | $87,226 |
| 2022 | $1,151,812 | $125,096 | $171,172 | $160,800 | 30 | $161,322 | $116,546 | $94,265 |
| 2021 | $1,194,488 | $134,634 | $159,971 | $146,850 | 31 | $148,222 | $122,885 | $108,839 |
| 2020 | $1,219,825 | $45,241 | $139,026 | $134,600 | 18 | — | $46,791 | $94,942 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Knowlton Foundation reported a distributable amount of $88K 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
The foundation’s grants support organizations working in a range of areas. For example, Hormel Historic Home describes its mission as preserving the history and values of the George A. and Lilian Hormel family and serving the community as a meeting place focused on hospitality, education, music appreciation, and entrepreneurship. Food Bank of the Rockies says it works to nourish people facing food insecurity, while Boys & Girls Club of Coachella Valley describes providing a safe haven and youth development programs, especially for young people with economic or social needs.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 29 grants totaling $175,560. Grant amounts ranged from $60 to $30,000, with a median of $2,000. Its largest grants included $30,000 to Hormel Historic Home for community and educational purposes; $25,000 to the University of Minnesota for the Shelly Joseph-Kordell Memorial Scholarship Fund; and $20,000 to the American Red Cross – CA Wildfires for community and charitable purposes.
Other notable 2025 grants included $10,000 each to Alzheimer’s Association – Houston Texas Walk, Austin Artworks, Bravo Vail, Covenant House Texas, Horatio Alger Association, and McCallum Theatre. The foundation also gave $8,000 to Vail Valley Foundation Community Fund and $5,000 each to The ALS Foundation and Denver Health Foundation.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Nancy V. Knowlton as president, treasurer, and secretary. Directors are Claudia K. Chike, Julie K. Wham, David R. Knowlton, Kimberly K. Heymann, and Scott B. Knowlton.
The Knowlton Foundation is led by Nancy V. Knowlton, President, Treasurer & Secretary since 2024 (on filings since 2020); none of the 6 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Nancy V. Knowlton
President, Treasurer & Secretary
President & Treasurer → President, Treasurer & Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Claudia K. Chike
Director
Vice President & Director → Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
David R. Knowlton
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Julie K. Wham
Director
Vice President & Director → Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Kimberly K. Heymann
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Scott B. Knowlton
Director
On filings since 2020
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.
Frequently asked questions about The Knowlton Foundation
How much does The Knowlton Foundation give each year?
The Knowlton Foundation gave $176K across 29 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $153K across 29 grants.
What is The Knowlton Foundation's typical grant size?
The Knowlton Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $6,054, across 29 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Knowlton Foundation that year got $8K on average.
Where does The Knowlton Foundation give grants?
The Knowlton Foundation's top state is Minnesota, with 40% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Colorado (15%) and Iowa (14%). The most frequent recipient cities were Austin, MN (3 grants), Boone, IA (2 grants), Houston, TX (2 grants) and Vail, CO (2 grants).
Does The Knowlton Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 29 grants with a stated purpose on The Knowlton Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Community, Charitable" (13 grants) and "Medical, Community" (3 grants).
Who are The Knowlton Foundation's largest grantees?
The Knowlton Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Hormel Historic Home ($30,000), University of Minnesota ($25,000) and American Red Cross - CA Wildfires ($20,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 43% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Knowlton Foundation?
The Knowlton Foundation reported $916K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $176K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $88K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Knowlton Foundation fund?
The foundation’s grants support organizations working in a range of areas. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Knowlton 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 Knowlton Foundation's EIN?
The Knowlton Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 41-1877113. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Knowlton 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 November 4, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 9, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 13, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 24, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Knowlton Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-knowlton-foundation-morg_9eb52d55d18a4d229b97758de1e98dd6
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_411877113_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Knowlton Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-knowlton-foundation-morg_9eb52d55d18a4d229b97758de1e98dd6},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. 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 Knowlton 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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