The Optimist Club of St Cloud
The purpose of the st cloud optimist club is to develop optimism as a philosophy of life; to promote an active interest in good government and civic affairs; to inspire respect for the law; to promote patriotism and work for international accord and friendship among all people; to aid and encourage the development of youth, in the belief that giving of one's self in service to others will advance the well-being of humankind, community life and the world.
The Optimist Club of St Cloud at a glance
In short: The Optimist Club of St Cloud gave $75K across 7 grants in 2025 (avg $11K), mostly in Minnesota. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $74,655
- +54.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 7
- +250.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $10,665
- -56.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $6,000
- Total assets
- $106,603
- +0.4% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Minnesota (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
Who The Optimist Club of St Cloud funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 7 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Communitygiving ($32K). Together the top 7 received $75K.
Grant Size Distribution
21 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 21 grants of 21 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 7 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How The Optimist Club of St Cloud gives
- Giving grew 46% from 2022 to 2025. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990 filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $11K (2019) to $75K (2025). In 2025 it made 7 grants totaling $75K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Communitygiving St Cloud, MN | Charitable Purposes | $31,800 |
| Great River Educational Arts Theare Waite Park, MN | Musical in a Week for Community Youth | $12,100 |
| Salvation Army - St Cloud St Cloud, MN | Support Food Shelf, Homeless Shelter & Red Kettle | $7,750 |
| Sartell School District - Oak Ridge Early Learning Center Sartell, MN | Literacy Events & Learning Materials | $6,000 |
| United Way of Central MN St Cloud, MN | Support Imagination Library | $6,000 |
| Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St Cloud St Cloud, MN | Support Local Foodshelf | $5,600 |
| Sauk Rapids Rice Music Boosters Inc Sauk Rapids, MN | Support Music Program | $5,405 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $106,603 | $250,620 | $248,724 | $74,655 | 7 | $518 |
| 2024 | $106,137 | $191,107 | $189,850 | $48,450 | 2 | $532 |
| 2023 | $110,771 | $164,714 | $163,590 | $51,140 | 2 | $363 |
| 2022 | $106,686 | $179,738 | $177,273 | $50,991 | 7 | $79 |
| 2021 | $103,483 | $195,443 | $150,017 | $34,372 | 3 | $38 |
| 2020 | $56,559 | $125,568 | $124,199 | $25,500 | 1 | $28 |
| 2019 | $51,663 | $92,870 | $74,085 | $11,250 | 2 | $20 |
About The Optimist Club of St Cloud
Based on IRS filings
The Optimist Club of St Cloud is a public charity, based in St Cloud, MN. IRS filing data is available from 2019 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $107K in total assets. In 2025, it awarded 7 grants totaling $75K. Net investment income was $518.
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
The Optimist Club of St Cloud is led by Nicole Blake-Bradley, Co-President since 2025 (on filings since 2022); 2 of 15 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Nicole Blake-Bradley
Co-President
President Elect → President, 2024
President → Co-President, 2025
On filings since 2022
15 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Wanita Parker
Co-President
Board Member → Co-President, 2025
On filings since 2022
15 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jim Gasperlin
Board Member
Secretary → Board Member, 2020
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$153 (2020) → $0 (2025)
Mark Emerson
Gambling Manager
On filings since 2019
15 hrs/week
$44K (2019) → $36K (2025)
Renee Dingmann
Board Member
Board Member → Secretary, 2024
Secretary → Board Member, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$4K (2020) → $5K (2025)
Jacki Templin
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Caroline Linz
Board Member
Secretary → Board Member, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Don Berger
Secretary
Past President → Board Member, 2023
Board Member → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Buddy King
Board Member
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Marge Bates
Board Member
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Dale Okland
Board Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kevin Hanson
Board Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Denny Hummel
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Dottie Seamans
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sarah Drake
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (15)
- Former: Becky Reynolds (2022–2024) — Past President
- Former: Tom Seamans (2019–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Brady Degagne (2021–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Denny Smith (2021–2023) — Past President
- Former: Emmett Keenan (2022–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Jim Bisek (2022–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Andy Gasperlin (2019–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Makayla Wijeratne (2019–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Dale Wahnschaffe (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Jackie Walz (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Bruce Hentges (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Pete Rengel (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Shari Whalin (2020) — Board Member
- Former: Dave Erickson (2019) — Board Member
- Former: Shari Wahlin (2019) — Board Member
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $36K, to Mark Emerson (Gambling Manager). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about The Optimist Club of St Cloud
How much does The Optimist Club of St Cloud give each year?
The Optimist Club of St Cloud gave $75K across 7 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $48K across 2 grants.
What is The Optimist Club of St Cloud's typical grant size?
The Optimist Club of St Cloud's median grant in 2025 was $6,000, and its average grant was $10,665, across 7 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does The Optimist Club of St Cloud give grants?
The Optimist Club of St Cloud gives mostly in Minnesota: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were St Cloud, MN (4 grants).
Does The Optimist Club of St Cloud give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 7 grants with a stated purpose on The Optimist Club of St Cloud's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support.
Who are The Optimist Club of St Cloud's largest grantees?
The Optimist Club of St Cloud's largest 2025 grantees include Communitygiving ($31,800), Great River Educational Arts Theare ($12,100) and Salvation Army - St Cloud ($7,750), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 69% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Optimist Club of St Cloud?
The Optimist Club of St Cloud reported $107K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $251K.
What is The Optimist Club of St Cloud's EIN?
The Optimist Club of St Cloud's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 41-1538896. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Optimist Club of St Cloud's focus areas in our free grants database
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