The Nicholas Foundation
The Nicholas Foundation is a private foundation based in Waterbury, Connecticut. Its 2025 filing reports 13 grants totaling $30,000 to charitable organizations, with listed recipients including children’s hospitals, domestic-violence services, shelters, and other organizations.
The Nicholas Foundation at a glance
In short: The Nicholas Foundation gave $30K across 13 grants in 2025 (avg $2K), top state Nevada. 8% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $30,000
- +50.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 13
- -7.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,308
- +61.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,000
- Total assets
- $522,776
- -5.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 8% first-time grantees (1 of 13, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Nevada (33% 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 Nicholas Foundation
- 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: 123 Bank Street, Waterbury, CT 06702
Phone: (203) 578-2448
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Nicholas Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Shriners Hospitals for Children ($5K). Together the top 10 received $27K.
Grant Size Distribution
70 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 70 grants of 70 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing lists grant dollars going to recipients in Nevada (33%), New York (20%), Florida (17%), Arizona (13%), and Ohio (10%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Nicholas Foundation open to new grantees?
8%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 13 grantees (8%) were first-time recipients. With only 13 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $2K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 92% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+18%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 116% 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 $20K (2024) to $32K (2021). In 2025 it made 13 grants totaling $30K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Shriners Hospitals for Children Tampa, FL | Support Programs | $5,000 |
| Mayo Foundation Scottsdale, AZ | Support Programs. | $4,000 |
| Tunnel to Towers Staten Island, NY | Support Programs | $4,000 |
| Cleveland Clinic Fdn Cleveland, OH | Support Programs | $3,000 |
| Double H Hole in the Woods Ranch Lake Luzerne, NY | Support Programs | $2,000 |
| Doctors Without Borders USA Inc Hagerstown, MD | Support Programs | $2,000 |
| Safe House Henderson, NV | Support Programs. | $2,000 |
| Safe Nest Shelter Las Vegas, NV | Support Programs. | $2,000 |
| Family Promise Las Vegas, NV | Support Programs | $2,000 |
| Salvation Army Clark City Las Vegas, NV | Support Programs | $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 | $522,776 | $16,566 | $44,270 | $30,000 | 13 | $32,099 | $10,016 | $27,767 |
| 2024 | $550,041 | $208,869 | $28,920 | $20,000 | 14 | $22,164 | $201,869 | $24,424 |
| 2023 | $372,276 | $8,069 | $38,435 | $30,000 | 14 | $32,067 | $6,486 | $24,880 |
| 2022 | $402,879 | $13,385 | $34,250 | $25,500 | 14 | $26,871 | $6,238 | $26,226 |
| 2021 | $424,176 | $24,945 | $41,477 | $31,500 | 15 | $41,094 | $24,627 | $30,709 |
| 2020 | $439,906 | $15,323 | $38,064 | $29,500 | 15 | — | $14,448 | $27,350 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Nicholas Foundation reported a distributable amount of $28K 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 include support for organizations whose stated work includes children’s health care and services to address domestic violence. Shriners Children’s describes its mission as providing compassionate, high-quality care to improve children’s lives in a family-centered and collaborative environment. S.A.F.E. House describes its work as addressing domestic violence through crisis intervention, safe shelter, counseling, advocacy, and community education.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave $30,000 through 13 grants. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $5,000, with a median grant of $2,000.
Among the largest grants were $5,000 to Shriners Hospitals for Children in Tampa, Florida; $4,000 each to Mayo Foundation in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Tunnel to Towers in Staten Island, New York; and $3,000 to Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio. Other listed recipients included Double H Hole in the Woods Ranch, Doctors Without Borders USA, S.A.F.E. House, Safe Nest Shelter, Family Promise, the Salvation Army Clark City, Boys & Girls Club of Las Vegas, and Shade Tree Shelter.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Markwardt J Nicholas was listed as co-trustee on the 2025 filing.
The Nicholas Foundation is led by Markwardt J Nicholas, Co-Trustee on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Markwardt J Nicholas
Co-Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$2K (2020) → $2K (2025)
Former officers (1)
- Former: Webster Bank NA (2020–2022) — Co-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 $2K, to Markwardt J Nicholas (Co-Trustee).
Frequently asked questions about The Nicholas Foundation
How much does The Nicholas Foundation give each year?
The Nicholas Foundation gave $30K across 13 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $20K across 14 grants.
What is The Nicholas Foundation's typical grant size?
The Nicholas Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $2,308, across 13 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Nicholas Foundation that year got $1K on average.
Where does The Nicholas Foundation give grants?
The Nicholas Foundation's top state is Nevada, with 33% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (20%) and Florida (17%). The most frequent recipient cities were Las Vegas, NV (6 grants).
Does The Nicholas Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 13 grants with a stated purpose on The Nicholas Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Support Programs" (13 grants).
Who are The Nicholas Foundation's largest grantees?
The Nicholas Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Shriners Hospitals for Children ($5,000), Mayo Foundation ($4,000) and Tunnel to Towers ($4,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 43% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Nicholas Foundation?
The Nicholas Foundation reported $523K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $32K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $28K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Nicholas Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations whose stated work includes children’s health care and services to address domestic violence. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Nicholas 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 Nicholas Foundation's EIN?
The Nicholas Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 06-6485716. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Nicholas 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work The Nicholas Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
- Nixa Affiliate Grantmaking Program Up to US $10,000 · Due October 19, 2026
- Community and School Grants $28,000 total pool; 10-15 grants expected · Due October 19, 2026
- Mary Pinola/Crescenta Valley Chamber Education Fund $500 - $5,000 for ongoing programs; up to $15,000 for Strategic Initiative Grants · Due October 19, 2026
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Nicholas Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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The filing figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0. About GrantGraph Open
Figures come from The Nicholas 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.
The Nicholas Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?