The Rod Rhoden Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Omaha, NE EIN: 45-4081296

The Rod Rhoden Foundation is a private foundation based in Omaha, Nebraska. Its 2025 filing lists 21 grants totaling $1,401,750, including grants to organizations in Nebraska and Iowa and smaller grants to recipients in other states.

The Rod Rhoden Foundation at a glance

In short: The Rod Rhoden Foundation gave $1.4M across 21 grants in 2025 (avg $67K), mostly in Nebraska. 33% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$1,401,750
+8.5% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
21
-4.5% vs 2024
Average grant
$66,750
+13.7% vs 2024
Median grant
$7,500
Total assets
$26,421,231
+7.3% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
33% first-time grantees (7 of 21, 2025; small sample)
Primary geography
Nebraska (62% 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 Rod Rhoden Foundation

How to Apply

The filing lists Rodney D. Rhoden as the contact and gives the application form and materials and award restrictions as N/A.

Contact

Application contact: Rodney D Rhoden
Mailing address: 4111 South 144Th Street, Omaha, NE 68137
Phone: (402) 390-9500

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who The Rod Rhoden Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

University of Nebraska Foundation: $501KUniversity of NebraskaFoundation$501KCommunity Foundation of Western Iowa: $500KCommunity Foundation ofWestern Iowa$500KMetropolitan Community College Foundation: $200KMetropolitan Community CollegeFoundation$200KFirst Responders Foundation: $66KFirst Responders Foundation$66KOmaha Community Foundation: $50KOmaha Community Foundation$50KOmaha Street School: $10KOmaha Street School$10KSt Vincent De Paul Society: $10KSt Vincent De Paul Society$10KTunnel to Towers Foundation: $10KTunnel to Towers Foundation$10KWounded Warrior Project: $10KWounded Warrior Project$10KIgnite Pathways: $10KIgnite Pathways$10K

The largest 2025 recipient was University of Nebraska Foundation ($501K). Together the top 10 received $1.4M.

Grant Size Distribution

104 grants across all recorded years

88<$50K3$50–100K3$100–250K1$250–500K9$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 88 grants of 104 (85%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The 2025 grant dollars were reported as 62% to Nebraska recipients and 36% to Iowa recipients. The filing also reports 1% each to recipients in New York, Kansas, and California.

Grant Distribution by State

11states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 21 itemized grants.

Cities

OmahaCouncil BluffsLincolnSarasotaTopekaWashingtonArlingtonBoys RanchHillsdaleStaten IslandTriangleBellevueBostonBradentonBrainardDublinGlenwoodSioux Falls

Is The Rod Rhoden Foundation open to new grantees?

33%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 7 of 21 grantees (33%) were first-time recipients. With only 21 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $32K; repeat grants $84K. How we count

Medians: $5K first-time, $10K repeat.

  • 57% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+16%). Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 78% 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.

Giving History

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$500K$1M$1.5M12 grants2019 8 grants2020 14 grants2021 24 grants2022 23 grants2023 22 grants2024 21 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $481K (2019) to $1.4M (2025). In 2025 it made 21 grants totaling $1.4M.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
University of Nebraska Foundation Lincoln, NEUnrestricted$501,000
Community Foundation of Western Iowa Council Bluffs, IAUnrestricted$500,000
Metropolitan Community College Foundation Omaha, NEUnrestricted$200,000
First Responders Foundation Omaha, NEUnrestricted$66,000
Omaha Community Foundation Omaha, NEUnrestricted$50,000
Omaha Street School Omaha, NEUnrestricted$10,000
St Vincent De Paul Society Omaha, NEUnrestricted$10,000
Tunnel to Towers Foundation Staten Island, NYUnrestricted$10,000
Wounded Warrior Project Topeka, KSUnrestricted$10,000
Ignite Pathways Dublin, CAUnrestricted$10,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$26,421,231$3,369,568$1,579,695$1,401,75021$1,401,750$1,610,590$1,785,853
2024$24,631,358$3,616,208$1,478,086$1,292,00022$1,292,000$1,176,608$1,449,761
2023$22,493,236$4,376,301$1,362,621$1,219,05023$1,219,050$1,760,113$1,204,707
2022$19,479,556$2,860,945$1,411,563$1,208,00024$1,208,000$847,382$1,095,733
2021$18,030,386$6,840,256$1,017,444$885,12514$885,125$2,528,638$1,086,163
2020$12,207,574$4,014,717$576,751$519,0008—$1,844,410$653,878
2019$8,769,608$2,529,473$539,379$480,90012—$243,531$535,079

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Rod Rhoden Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.8M 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 went to organizations whose stated missions include supporting the University of Nebraska, serving college students and communities, honoring first responders, strengthening nonprofits, responding to the needs of people in need, and providing education and services for young people.

For example, the University of Nebraska Foundation says it grows relationships and resources to enable the University of Nebraska to change and save lives. The First Responders Foundation says it serves and honors first responders and their families and works to enhance public safety. Omaha Street School describes its work as providing personalized education and tools for self-sufficiency to at-risk youth in the Omaha metropolitan area.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation made 21 grants totaling $1,401,750. Grants ranged from $250 to $501,000, with a median grant of $7,500. The largest grants included $501,000 to the University of Nebraska Foundation, $500,000 to the Community Foundation of Western Iowa, and $200,000 to the Metropolitan Community College Foundation. Other notable grants were $66,000 to the First Responders Foundation and $50,000 to the Omaha Community Foundation. The listed grants were designated as unrestricted.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Rodney D. Rhoden as director, president, and secretary; Richard L. Muller as director, vice president, and treasurer; and Deborah L. Petersen as director.

The Rod Rhoden Foundation is led by Rodney D. Rhoden, Director, President & Secretary since 2022 (on filings since 2019); none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Rodney D. Rhoden

    Director, President & Secretary

    Director, President, Secretary & Treasurer → Director, President & Secretary, 2022

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Deborah L. Petersen

    Director

    On filings since 2019

    0.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Richard L. Muller

    Director, Vice President & Treasurer

    Director & Vice President → Director, Vice President & Treasurer, 2022

    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.

Frequently asked questions about The Rod Rhoden Foundation

How much does The Rod Rhoden Foundation give each year?

The Rod Rhoden Foundation gave $1.4M across 21 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.3M across 22 grants.

What is The Rod Rhoden Foundation's typical grant size?

The Rod Rhoden Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $7,500, and its average grant was $66,750, across 21 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Rod Rhoden Foundation that year got $32K on average.

Where does The Rod Rhoden Foundation give grants?

The Rod Rhoden Foundation gives mostly in Nebraska: 62% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Iowa (36%). The most frequent recipient cities were Omaha, NE (14 grants).

Does The Rod Rhoden Foundation give general operating support?

Yes: 100% of The Rod Rhoden Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (21 of 21) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are The Rod Rhoden Foundation's largest grantees?

The Rod Rhoden Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include University of Nebraska Foundation ($501,000), Community Foundation of Western Iowa ($500,000) and Metropolitan Community College Foundation ($200,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 86% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is The Rod Rhoden Foundation?

The Rod Rhoden Foundation reported $26.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.4M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.8M (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 Rod Rhoden Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The Rod Rhoden Foundation?

The filing lists Rodney D. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is The Rod Rhoden Foundation's EIN?

The Rod Rhoden Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 45-4081296. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

Data update history

(8)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 29, 2020)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS August 9, 2021)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS August 11, 2022)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 4, 2023)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 15, 2024)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 12, 2025)
  7. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 29, 2026)
  8. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). The Rod Rhoden Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 8, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-rod-rhoden-foundation-morg_928906a7e77440c5bc6a1b5e3318019a

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_454081296_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{The Rod Rhoden Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-rod-rhoden-foundation-morg_928906a7e77440c5bc6a1b5e3318019a},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-08. 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 Rod Rhoden 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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