The Margaret Ellen Nielsen Foundation
The Margaret Ellen Nielsen Foundation is a private foundation based in Wilmington, Delaware. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations including Williams College, Urban Youth Impact Inc., InterVarsity Christian Fellowship-USA, and LEVER Inc., with grant purposes including an alumni fund, youth campus completion, leadership development, and general support.
Key facts about The Margaret Ellen Nielsen Foundation
In short: The Margaret Ellen Nielsen Foundation gave $803K across 14 grants in 2025 (avg $57K), top state Ohio. 45% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 47-5266096
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $802,500
- Grants made (2025)
- 14
- Average grant
- $57,321
- Median grant
- $25,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 45% first-time grantees (5 of 11, 2025)
- Total assets
- $37,679,081
- Primary geography
- Ohio (31% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- 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. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$37.7M
+75.0% YoY
Annual Giving
$803K
+47.4% YoY
Grant Count
14
+7.7% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$57K
+36.9% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Margaret Ellen Nielsen Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.7M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is The Margaret Ellen Nielsen Foundation open to new grantees?
45%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 11 grantees (45%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $89K; repeat grants $60K. How we count
Medians: $25K first-time, $38K repeat.
- 36% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 118% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 49% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations with varied activities. Urban Youth Impact describes its mission as loving, equipping, and empowering inner-city youth to fulfill their God-given purpose. LEVER Inc. says it works to spur economic and entrepreneurial development in Northern Berkshire County, Massachusetts. Youth Volunteer Corps says it engages young people in team-based service experiences that build life and work skills and inspire a lifetime ethic of service. Heifer Project International describes work to end hunger and poverty and care for the Earth, including support for marginalized small-scale farmers.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 14 grants totaling $802,500. Grants ranged from $2,500 to $250,000, with a median grant of $25,000.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in Ohio (31%), Massachusetts (28%), Florida (22%), Wisconsin (11%), and North Carolina (3%). The listed grants also included recipients in Missouri, Arkansas, and Tennessee.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 14 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $131K (2020) to $803K (2025). In 2025 it made 14 grants totaling $803K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund ($250K). Together the top 10 received $798K.
Grant Size Distribution
69 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 52 grants of 69 (75%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund Cincinnati, OH | Steven E. and Elizabeth T. Nielsen Gift Fund | $250,000 |
| Williams College Williamstown, MA | Alumni Fund | $150,000 |
| Urban Youth Impact Inc West Palm BCH, FL | Complete the Campus | $125,000 |
| Intervarsity Christian Fellowship- USA Madison, WI | Forming Faithful Leaders Campaign | $65,000 |
| Lever Inc North Adams, MA | General & Unrestricted | $50,000 |
| Urban Youth Impact Inc West Palm BCH, FL | Carver Christian Academy of Urban Youth Impact | $50,000 |
| Sim USA Incorporated Charlotte, NC | Support for the African Strategic Discipleship Movement | $25,000 |
| Southwick Civic Fund Inc Southwick, MA | Richard Atkinson Fund | $25,000 |
| Youth Volunteer Corps Kansas City, MO | General & Unrestricted | $20,000 |
| Intervarsity Christian Fellowship- USA Madison, WI | Intravarsity Christian Fellowship's Donor engagement function | $15,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $37,679,081 | $17,328,202 | $1,184,535 | $802,500 |
| 2024 | $21,535,414 | $11,069,811 | $811,236 | $544,300 |
| 2023 | $11,276,839 | $2,253,841 | $576,761 | $471,900 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $37,679,081 | $21,535,414 | $11,276,839 |
| Revenue | $17,328,202 | $11,069,811 | $2,253,841 |
| Expenses | $1,184,535 | $811,236 | $576,761 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $838,148 | $579,178 | $506,095 |
| Net Investment Income | $17,750,510 | $14,736,417 | $3,553,923 |
| Distributable Amount | $1,716,237 | $824,722 | $577,596 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS April 17, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 21, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS October 6, 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 April 18, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 3, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 3, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Elizabeth Nielsen as director, secretary, and treasurer, and Steven Nielsen as president and director.
The Margaret Ellen Nielsen Foundation is led by Steven Nielsen, President & Director on every filing since 2019; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Steven Nielsen
President & Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Elizabeth Nielsen
Director, Secretary & Treasurer
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Contact
Mailing address: Foundation Source 501 Silverside Rd, Wilmington, DE 19809-1377
Phone: (800) 839-1754
Frequently asked questions about The Margaret Ellen Nielsen Foundation
How much does The Margaret Ellen Nielsen Foundation give each year?
The Margaret Ellen Nielsen Foundation gave $803K across 14 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $544K across 13 grants.
What is The Margaret Ellen Nielsen Foundation's typical grant size?
The Margaret Ellen Nielsen Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $57,321, across 14 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Margaret Ellen Nielsen Foundation that year got $89K on average.
Where does The Margaret Ellen Nielsen Foundation give grants?
The Margaret Ellen Nielsen Foundation's top state is Ohio, with 31% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Massachusetts (28%) and Florida (22%). The most frequent recipient cities were Madison, WI (4 grants) and West Palm BCH, FL (2 grants).
Does The Margaret Ellen Nielsen Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 29% of The Margaret Ellen Nielsen Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (4 of 14) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Margaret Ellen Nielsen Foundation's largest grantees?
The Margaret Ellen Nielsen Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund ($250,000), Urban Youth Impact Inc ($175,000 across 2 grants) and Williams College ($150,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 72% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Margaret Ellen Nielsen Foundation?
The Margaret Ellen Nielsen Foundation reported $37.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $838K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.7M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does The Margaret Ellen Nielsen Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations with varied activities. Urban Youth Impact describes its mission as loving, equipping, and empowering inner-city youth to fulfill their God-given purpose. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Margaret Ellen Nielsen Foundation?
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 Margaret Ellen Nielsen Foundation's EIN?
The Margaret Ellen Nielsen Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-5266096. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Margaret Ellen Nielsen 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.
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