The Oakfish Foundation
The Oakfish Foundation is a private foundation based in Prior Lake, Minnesota. Its 2024 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, including education, youth, community-service, and basic-needs organizations.
The Oakfish Foundation at a glance
In short: The Oakfish Foundation gave $176K across 10 grants in 2024 (avg $18K), mostly in Minnesota. 30% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $175,500
- -62.1% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 10
- +0.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $17,550
- -62.1% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $5,500
- Total assets
- $4,392,778
- -5.1% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 30% first-time grantees (3 of 10, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Minnesota (97% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Oakfish 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: PO Box 323, Prior Lake, MN 55372
Phone: (952) 226-5526
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Oakfish Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Lift up ($62K). Together the top 10 received $176K.
Grant Size Distribution
45 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 38 grants of 45 (84%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 97% of grant dollars went to recipients in Minnesota and 3% went to recipients in Colorado.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Oakfish Foundation open to new grantees?
30%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 3 of 10 grantees (30%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $23K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $8K repeat.
- 70% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving fell 45% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 92% 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 (2020–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $170K (2020) to $463K (2023). In 2024 it made 10 grants totaling $176K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Lift up Hopkins, MN | Lift up Local Program | $62,000 |
| Hope Academy Minneapolis, MN | Scholarships | $51,350 |
| MN Adult & Teen Challenge Minneapolis, MN | Sponsorship and to Help Fund a New Center | $27,520 |
| The Banyan Foundation Minneapolis, MN | Higher Ground Scholarship | $8,330 |
| My Very Own Bed Minneapolis, MN | To fund the dream kits necessary for one of the organization's programs | $6,000 |
| Bridges to Basics St. Paul, MN | To Support a Program Providing Hygiene Products | $5,000 |
| New Horizons Foundation Colorado Springs, CO | To support a school with scholarships and school supplies | $5,000 |
| Quincy House Mounds View, MN | Program Support | $5,000 |
| Bethel University St. Paul, MN | Anniversary pledge for university growth, women's soccer program, and men's hockey program | $3,900 |
| Northridge Fellowship Church Rogers, MN | To Help Fund a Mission Trip | $1,400 |
Ready to take the next step with The Oakfish Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The 2024 grant total covered 10 grants; the 2023 total covered 10 grants, and the 2022 total covered 7 grants.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $4,392,778 | $239,187 | $213,025 | $175,500 | 10 | $186,847 | $192,798 | $203,718 |
| 2023 | $4,630,412 | $365,547 | $481,439 | $463,100 | 10 | $465,852 | $357,616 | $194,064 |
| 2022 | $4,671,991 | $101,326 | $397,045 | $359,552 | 7 | $361,651 | $74,806 | $206,205 |
| 2021 | $4,691,821 | $1,413,669 | $345,104 | $321,750 | 10 | $326,483 | $394,419 | $163,620 |
| 2020 | $3,355,446 | $154,551 | $188,388 | $169,500 | 8 | — | $138,475 | $161,083 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Oakfish Foundation reported a distributable amount of $204K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants included scholarships and school support, youth and family programs, hygiene products, beds and linens for children, and support for a mission trip. For example, Hope Academy says it operates a K–12 school in urban Minneapolis providing a classical Christian education, while My Very Own Bed says it provides new beds and linens to children whose families have recently secured stable housing. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their work.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the foundation gave $175,500 through 10 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $1,400 to $62,000, with a median of $5,500.
The largest grants were $62,000 to LIFT UP for its local program, $51,350 to Hope Academy for scholarships, and $27,520 to Minnesota Adult & Teen Challenge for sponsorship and help funding a new center. Other grants included $8,330 to The Banyan Foundation for a higher ground scholarship, $6,000 to My Very Own Bed for dream kits, and $5,000 each to Bridges to Basics for a hygiene-products program, New Horizons Foundation for school scholarships and supplies, and Quincy House for program support. Bethel University received $3,900, and Northridge Fellowship Church received $1,400 for a mission trip.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Brian E Provost and Lisa A Provost as trustees.
The Oakfish Foundation's 2024 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Brian E. Provost
Trustee
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lisa A. Provost
Trustee
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Oakfish Foundation
How much does The Oakfish Foundation give each year?
The Oakfish Foundation gave $176K across 10 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $463K across 10 grants.
What is The Oakfish Foundation's typical grant size?
The Oakfish Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $5,500, and its average grant was $17,550, across 10 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Oakfish Foundation that year got $4K on average.
Where does The Oakfish Foundation give grants?
The Oakfish Foundation gives mostly in Minnesota: 97% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Minneapolis, MN (4 grants) and St. Paul, MN (2 grants).
Does The Oakfish Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 10 grants with a stated purpose on The Oakfish Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are The Oakfish Foundation's largest grantees?
The Oakfish Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Lift up ($62,000), Hope Academy ($51,350) and MN Adult & Teen Challenge ($27,520), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 80% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Oakfish Foundation?
The Oakfish Foundation reported $4.4M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $187K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $204K (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 Oakfish Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants included scholarships and school support, youth and family programs, hygiene products, beds and linens for children, and support for a mission trip. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Oakfish 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 Oakfish Foundation's EIN?
The Oakfish Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-2316423. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Oakfish 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS September 22, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS October 27, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 13, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS October 24, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS October 16, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Oakfish Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Oakfish Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-oakfish-foundation-morg_e1ccdd628109412e8a35f2fda301d6bc
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_472316423_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Oakfish Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-oakfish-foundation-morg_e1ccdd628109412e8a35f2fda301d6bc},
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 Oakfish 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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