The Sandcastle Foundation
The Sandcastle Foundation is a private foundation based in Omaha, Nebraska. It supports charitable organizations through grants, with 11 grants totaling $59,700 reported for 2025.
The Sandcastle Foundation at a glance
In short: The Sandcastle Foundation gave $60K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $5K), mostly in Illinois. 27% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $59,700
- -6.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 11
- +10.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $5,427
- -14.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $6,000
- Total assets
- $1,631,123
- -0.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 27% first-time grantees (3 of 11, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (59% 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 Sandcastle Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 9290 W Dodge Road Suite 303, Omaha, NE 68114-3320
Phone: (773) 456-0571
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Sandcastle Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Haywood Christian Ministry Inc ($8K). Together the top 10 received $60K.
Grant Size Distribution
54 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 54 grants of 54 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grants went to organizations in Illinois, North Carolina, and New Jersey. Illinois received 59% of grant dollars, North Carolina 38%, and New Jersey 3%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Sandcastle Foundation open to new grantees?
27%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 11 grantees (27%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $6K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $7K repeat.
- 73% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−1%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 76% 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 (2020–2025). 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 $51K (2023) to $73K (2021). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $60K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Haywood Christian Ministry Inc Waynesville, NC | Unrestricted Charitable Grant | $7,500 |
| Haywood Community College Foundation Clyde, NC | Unrestricted Charitable Grant | $7,500 |
| Lifeworks Services Waynesville, NC | Unrestricted Charitable Grant | $7,500 |
| Cofan Survival Fund Oak Park, IL | Unrestricted Charitable Grant | $7,000 |
| Nourishing Hope Chicago, IL | Unrestricted Charitable Grant | $7,000 |
| Paws Chicago Chicago, IL | Unrestricted Charitable Grant | $6,000 |
| All Saints Episcopal Church Chicago, IL | Unrestricted Charitable Grant | $5,000 |
| Friends of Northside Chicago, IL | Unrestricted Charitable Grant | $5,000 |
| Ravenswood Community Services Chicago, IL | Unrestricted Charitable Grant | $5,000 |
| Ieee Smart Village Piscataway, NJ | Unrestricted Charitable Grant | $2,000 |
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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 | $1,631,123 | $60,844 | $75,055 | $59,700 | 11 | $61,680 | $51,415 | $81,447 |
| 2024 | $1,639,095 | $531,337 | $72,283 | $63,500 | 10 | $63,500 | $34,393 | $61,544 |
| 2023 | $1,179,996 | $19,988 | $65,594 | $51,000 | 10 | $54,474 | $26,433 | $55,575 |
| 2022 | $1,225,602 | $32,711 | $72,089 | $60,000 | 11 | $61,535 | $24,031 | $58,840 |
| 2021 | $1,264,980 | $49,259 | $85,154 | $73,000 | 12 | $73,000 | $39,476 | $65,525 |
| 2020 | $1,300,875 | $54,988 | $71,334 | $61,000 | 12 | — | $45,570 | $66,582 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Sandcastle Foundation reported a distributable amount of $81K 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 working in areas including food and social services, community support, animal welfare, and cultural and environmental preservation. For example, Nourishing Hope describes its work as providing food, mental health support, and social services; PAWS Chicago describes its work as animal welfare; and COFAN Survival Fund describes its purpose as preserving the Cofan community and culture and the rainforest resources where the Cofan people live. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own missions.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave $59,700 through 11 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $200 to $7,500, with a median grant of $6,000. Notable grants included $7,500 each to Haywood Christian Ministry, Haywood Community College Foundation, and LifeWorks Services; $7,000 each to COFAN Survival Fund and Nourishing Hope; and $6,000 to PAWS Chicago. The listed grants were described as unrestricted charitable grants.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Patrick Geenen as president, Jennifer Lundgren Geenen as treasurer, and Michael Jones as secretary.
The Sandcastle Foundation is led by Patrick Geenen, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Patrick Geenen
President
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jennifer Lundgren Geenen
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Jones
Secretary
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Dennis Lundgren (2020–2022) — Vice President
- Former: Mary Lundgren (2020–2022) — Vice President
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.
Frequently asked questions about The Sandcastle Foundation
How much does The Sandcastle Foundation give each year?
The Sandcastle Foundation gave $60K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $64K across 10 grants.
What is The Sandcastle Foundation's typical grant size?
The Sandcastle Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $6,000, and its average grant was $5,427, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Sandcastle Foundation that year got $3K on average.
Where does The Sandcastle Foundation give grants?
The Sandcastle Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 59% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was North Carolina (38%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (6 grants) and Waynesville, NC (2 grants).
Does The Sandcastle Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Sandcastle Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (11 of 11) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Sandcastle Foundation's largest grantees?
The Sandcastle Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Haywood Christian Ministry Inc ($7,500), Haywood Community College Foundation ($7,500) and Lifeworks Services ($7,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 38% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Sandcastle Foundation?
The Sandcastle Foundation reported $1.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $62K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $81K (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 Sandcastle Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations working in areas including food and social services, community support, animal welfare, and cultural and environmental preservation. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Sandcastle Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Sandcastle Foundation's EIN?
The Sandcastle Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 46-0911329. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Sandcastle 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 10, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 9, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 18, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS July 9, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS June 23, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 6, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Sandcastle Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Sandcastle Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-sandcastle-foundation-morg_2d8f64cc10ee4fb2a1b0d5ba68b03c33
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_460911329_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Sandcastle Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-sandcastle-foundation-morg_2d8f64cc10ee4fb2a1b0d5ba68b03c33},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Sandcastle 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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