The Sparks Foundation Trust
The Sparks Foundation Trust is a private foundation based in Mattoon, Illinois. In its 2025 filing, it reported making donations to other 501(c)(3) organizations and stated that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations.
The Sparks Foundation Trust at a glance
In short: The Sparks Foundation Trust gave $197K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $18K), mostly in Illinois. 18% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $197,000
- -1.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 11
- -8.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $17,909
- +8.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $6,000
- Total assets
- $1,777,948
- -1.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 18% first-time grantees (2 of 11, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (100% 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 Sparks Foundation Trust
- 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. Its filing describes its charitable activity as donations to other 501(c)(3) organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 1186, Mattoon, IL 61938
Phone: (217) 254-8740
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Sparks Foundation Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Fields Church ($125K). Together the top 10 received $196K.
Grant Size Distribution
64 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 61 grants of 64 (95%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars reported for 2025 went to recipients in Illinois. The listed recipients were in Mattoon or Charleston, Illinois.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Sparks Foundation Trust open to new grantees?
18%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 11 grantees (18%) 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 $6K; repeat grants $21K. How we count
Medians: $6K first-time, $6K repeat.
- 82% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 67% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 143% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $67K (2020) to $199K (2024). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $197K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Fields Church Mattoon, IL | Facility Construction | $125,000 |
| Emerald Acres Sports Complex Mattoon, IL | Facility Construction | $25,000 |
| Coles County Habitat for Humanity Mattoon, IL | Operations | $13,500 |
| Mattoon Area Family YMCA Mattoon, IL | Operations | $10,000 |
| RK Foundation Mattoon, IL | Class E Entrepreneurial Development | $10,000 |
| Sarah Bush Lincoln Foundation Mattoon, IL | Hospice House /Operations | $6,000 |
| Mattoon Public Library Mattoon, IL | Operations | $2,500 |
| Mattoon Community Food Center Mattoon, IL | Operations | $2,000 |
| Camp New Hope Mattoon, IL | Operations | $1,000 |
| Lifelinks Mattoon, IL | Operations | $1,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Sparks Foundation Trust?
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 | $1,777,948 | $194,945 | $212,798 | $197,000 | 11 | $198,710 | $194,755 | $139,401 |
| 2024 | $1,795,801 | $919,152 | $201,530 | $199,000 | 12 | $200,710 | $833,150 | $114,509 |
| 2023 | $1,078,179 | $113,672 | $124,900 | $122,000 | 11 | $123,350 | $83,872 | $100,579 |
| 2022 | $1,089,407 | $165,557 | $119,500 | $118,000 | 15 | $119,350 | $126,469 | $104,968 |
| 2021 | $1,043,350 | $90,741 | $125,628 | $74,450 | 15 | $125,466 | $40,412 | $110,598 |
| 2020 | $1,035,329 | $67,330 | $74,021 | $66,500 | 14 | — | $37,113 | $80,427 |
| 2019 | $1,042,020 | $212,927 | $76,510 | $74,500 | 18 | — | $162,782 | $76,979 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Sparks Foundation Trust reported a distributable amount of $139K 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 included support for facility construction, operations, hospice-house operations, and entrepreneurial development.
Among the organizations it supported, Coles County Habitat for Humanity describes its mission as providing affordable housing to qualified individuals in Coles County. The Mattoon Area Family YMCA says its mission is to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind, and body for all. Mattoon Community Food Center says it provides food and household staples free of charge to people in need in the community. Camp New Hope describes its mission as providing affordable programs and services for people with developmental disabilities, along with support for parents and families.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 11 grants totaling $197,000. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $125,000, with a median grant of $6,000.
The largest awards included $125,000 to The Fields Church for facility construction and $25,000 to Emerald Acres Sports Complex for facility construction. Other grants included $13,500 to Coles County Habitat for Humanity for operations; $10,000 each to Mattoon Area Family YMCA for operations and RK Foundation for Class E entrepreneurial development; and $6,000 to Sarah Bush Lincoln Foundation for hospice-house operations.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Ray A. Sparks as trustee and Debra A. Sparks as advisory committee member.
The Sparks Foundation Trust's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Ray A. Sparks
Trustee
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Debra A. Sparks
Advisory Com
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 Sparks Foundation Trust
How much does The Sparks Foundation Trust give each year?
The Sparks Foundation Trust gave $197K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $199K across 12 grants.
What is The Sparks Foundation Trust's typical grant size?
The Sparks Foundation Trust's median grant in 2025 was $6,000, and its average grant was $17,909, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Sparks Foundation Trust that year got $6K on average.
Where does The Sparks Foundation Trust give grants?
The Sparks Foundation Trust gives mostly in Illinois: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Mattoon, IL (10 grants).
Does The Sparks Foundation Trust give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 11 grants with a stated purpose on The Sparks Foundation Trust's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Operations" (7 grants).
Who are The Sparks Foundation Trust's largest grantees?
The Sparks Foundation Trust's largest 2025 grantees include The Fields Church ($125,000), Emerald Acres Sports Complex ($25,000) and Coles County Habitat for Humanity ($13,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 83% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Sparks Foundation Trust?
The Sparks Foundation Trust reported $1.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $199K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $139K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Sparks Foundation Trust fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for facility construction, operations, hospice-house operations, and entrepreneurial development. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Sparks Foundation Trust?
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 Sparks Foundation Trust's EIN?
The Sparks Foundation Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 38-3681215. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Sparks Foundation Trust 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
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 29, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS July 28, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 31, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 7, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 12, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 28, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Live grants for the work The Sparks Foundation Trust funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Sparks Foundation Trust's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Sparks Foundation Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-sparks-foundation-trust-morg_49c7037a91d9437da02c7f267cd70728
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_383681215_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Sparks Foundation Trust funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-sparks-foundation-trust-morg_49c7037a91d9437da02c7f267cd70728},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-21. 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 Sparks Foundation Trust'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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