The Louis Stewart Foundation Inc
The Louis Stewart Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Its 2025 filing reports grants to preselected charitable organizations, including organizations working in conservation and environmental education, as well as organizations in health, education, and social welfare.
The Louis Stewart Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: The Louis Stewart Foundation Inc gave $253K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $23K), top state Virginia. 18% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $253,000
- -11.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 11
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $23,000
- -11.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,000
- Total assets
- $1,475,146
- -2.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 18% first-time grantees (2 of 11, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Virginia (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 Louis Stewart Foundation Inc
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 410 Hunt Club Way, Lake Geneva, WI 53147
Phone: (262) 384-3700
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Louis Stewart Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Charities Aid Foundation American Donor Fund ($101K). Together the top 10 received $252K.
Grant Size Distribution
56 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 46 grants of 56 (82%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing lists recipients based in Virginia, North Carolina, Minnesota, New York, Wisconsin, Illinois, and California. These are recipient locations shown in the filing, not a stated geographic focus.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Louis Stewart Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
18%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 11 grantees (18%) 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 $28K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 82% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+10%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 303% 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 $199K (2023) to $287K (2024). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $253K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Charities Aid Foundation American Donor Fund | Social Welfare | $101,000 |
| Rainforest Trust Warrenton, VA | Environmental | $100,000 |
| Saving Nature Durham, NC | General | $30,000 |
| Mayo Clinic Rochester, MN | General | $10,000 |
| American Friends of Canadian Nature Buffalo, NY | General | $3,000 |
| Cable Natural History Museum Cable, WI | Education | $2,000 |
| Hadley School for the Blind Winnetka, IL | Education | $2,000 |
| Pams Foundation Inc Eureka, CA | Charitable | $2,000 |
| North Shore Country Day School Winnetka, IL | Education | $1,000 |
| Northshore Hospitals Foundation Evanston, IL | Medical | $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 | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,475,146 | $234,088 | $273,230 | $253,000 | 11 | $253,000 | $44,666 | $83,623 |
| 2024 | $1,514,286 | $421,252 | $303,417 | $287,000 | 11 | $287,000 | $230,799 | $78,204 |
| 2023 | $1,396,210 | $233,024 | $213,893 | $199,000 | 11 | $199,000 | $43,463 | $71,437 |
| 2022 | $1,377,072 | $182,375 | $244,071 | $230,500 | 11 | $230,500 | $18,096 | $71,774 |
| 2021 | $1,436,622 | $195,105 | $267,791 | $250,000 | 12 | $250,000 | $13,494 | $82,342 |
| 2020 | $1,510,720 | $164,482 | $265,723 | $250,000 | 12 | — | $7,889 | $73,849 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Louis Stewart Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $84K 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 foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations with varied purposes. For example, Rainforest Trust describes its mission as saving endangered wildlife and protecting the planet by creating rainforest reserves; Saving Nature says it works to rescue endangered species and communities from environmental destruction. Cable Natural History Museum describes its programs as environmental and natural history education. Other recipients include Mayo Clinic, whose stated mission centers on patient care, education, and research, and Hadley School for the Blind, which received an education grant.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 11 grants totaling $253,000. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $101,000, with a median of $2,000. The largest reported grants were $101,000 to Charities Aid Foundation American Donor Fund for social welfare and $100,000 to Rainforest Trust for environmental purposes. Other notable grants included $30,000 to Saving Nature, $10,000 to Mayo Clinic, and $3,000 to American Friends of Canadian Nature.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Kimberly Louis Stewart and W David Stewart as directors; Walter W Bell as director and president; and Eoin M Dempsey as director and treasurer.
The Louis Stewart Foundation Inc is led by Walter W. Bell, Director & President on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Walter W. Bell
Director & President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Eoin M. Dempsey
Director & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Kimberly Louis Stewart
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
W. David Stewart
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 Louis Stewart Foundation Inc
How much does The Louis Stewart Foundation Inc give each year?
The Louis Stewart Foundation Inc gave $253K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $287K across 11 grants.
What is The Louis Stewart Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
The Louis Stewart Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $23,000, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Louis Stewart Foundation Inc that year got $2K on average.
Where does The Louis Stewart Foundation Inc give grants?
The Louis Stewart Foundation Inc's top state is Virginia, with 40% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest state was North Carolina (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were Winnetka, IL (2 grants) and Evanston, IL (2 grants).
Does The Louis Stewart Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 27% of The Louis Stewart Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (3 of 11) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Education" (4 grants).
Who are The Louis Stewart Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
The Louis Stewart Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Charities Aid Foundation American Donor Fund ($101,000), Rainforest Trust ($100,000) and Saving Nature ($30,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 91% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Louis Stewart Foundation Inc?
The Louis Stewart Foundation Inc reported $1.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $253K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $84K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Louis Stewart Foundation Inc fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations with varied purposes. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Louis Stewart Foundation Inc?
The foundation states 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 Louis Stewart Foundation Inc's EIN?
The Louis Stewart Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-3993797. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Louis Stewart 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
(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 10, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 5, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 8, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 11, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work The Louis Stewart Foundation Inc funds
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—
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Louis Stewart Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-louis-stewart-foundation-inc-morg_914aedcb21d64c7796799eb7d9354f12
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_363993797_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Louis Stewart Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-louis-stewart-foundation-inc-morg_914aedcb21d64c7796799eb7d9354f12},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-21. 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 Louis Stewart 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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