The Van Buren Foundation Inc
The Van Buren Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Keosauqua, Iowa. In its 2025 filing, it reported 29 grants totaling $418,850, all to recipients in Iowa. Grant purposes included community programming, trails and recreation, historic preservation, arts, and scholarships.
The Van Buren Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: The Van Buren Foundation Inc gave $419K across 29 grants in 2025 (avg $14K), mostly in Iowa. 29% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $418,850
- +12.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 29
- -12.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $14,443
- +28.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,053
- Total assets
- $10,782,544
- +6.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 29% first-time grantees (8 of 28, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Iowa (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 Van Buren Foundation Inc
- How to Apply
-
The filing says to submit a written request detailing the grant’s purpose, project cost, and timeframe for use of funds. The foundation states that it will not award funds where pecuniary profits may be obtained and that its grant must not be the sole or complete funding for a project. The board meets twice yearly to review applications and gives preference to requests benefiting an individual recipient County, Iowa.
- Review Cycle
- None stated.
- Deadline
- None stated.
- Contact
Application contact: Jon Finney
Mailing address: PO Box 158, Keosauqua, IA 52565
Phone: (319) 293-3209
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Van Buren Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Engage Keosauqua ($157K). Together the top 10 received $373K.
Organizations only. It also paid 2 grants to individuals ($8,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
168 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 166 grants of 168 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars in 2025 went to recipients in Iowa. The foundation’s filing says it gives preference to requests benefiting an individual recipient County, Iowa.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 29 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Van Buren Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
29%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 8 of 28 grantees (29%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $18K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $4K repeat.
- 61% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 95% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 111% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $82K (2021) to $419K (2025). In 2025 it made 29 grants totaling $419K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Engage Keosauqua Keosauqua, IA | Concert Series Pocket Park 1ST Street Courts | $156,900 |
| VBC Trails Association Keosauqua, IA | KEO Loop Trail Pavement | $48,000 |
| Villages of Van Buren Keosauqua, IA | 2026 Programming | $40,000 |
| City of Farmington Farmington, IA | Trail Damn and Stone Lodge Repairs Kayak Rack | $30,300 |
| Bonaparte Pottery and Artisan MKT Bonaparte, IA | Property Purchase | $30,000 |
| Van Buren Historical Society Keosauqua, IA | Twombly Building Capital Improvements | $29,384 |
| University of Iowa Iowa City, IA | Scholarships | $16,500 |
| City of Birmingham Birmingham, IA | Phase 2 Bonnett School Restoration | $10,000 |
| Villages Folk School Keosauqua, IA | 2024 Programming | $6,000 |
| Douds American Legion Post 484 Douds, IA | Uniforms | $6,000 |
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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 | $10,782,544 | $844,430 | $620,082 | $418,850 | 29 | $562,011 | $791,759 | $505,821 |
| 2024 | $10,148,375 | $903,367 | $583,442 | $371,273 | 33 | $523,861 | $788,746 | $479,264 |
| 2023 | $9,743,168 | $735,644 | $487,125 | $213,586 | 34 | $443,805 | $489,057 | $451,027 |
| 2022 | $8,865,213 | $466,254 | $388,586 | $215,123 | 49 | $345,264 | $442,626 | $446,392 |
| 2021 | $10,647,371 | $660,960 | $369,617 | $82,227 | 23 | $325,524 | $633,361 | $501,396 |
| 2020 | $7,861,342 | $472,320 | $360,339 | $223,653 | 54 | — | $457,996 | $413,596 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Van Buren Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $506K for 2025 — 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 2025 grants show support for local community projects and organizations, including trail improvements, programming, property purchases, historic-building work, scholarships, uniforms, and general support.
An individual recipient Community College, which received $3,000 in 2025, describes its mission as operating the college’s dormitories and promoting the college.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation awarded 29 grants totaling $418,850. Grant amounts ranged from $284 to $156,900, with a median grant of $3,053.
Among the largest 2025 grants were $156,900 to Engage Keosauqua for a concert series, pocket park, and 1st Street courts; $48,000 to VBC Trails Association for Keo Loop Trail pavement; $40,000 to Villages of an individual recipient for 2026 programming; and $30,300 to the City of Farmington for trail, dam, and stone lodge repairs and a kayak rack. Other grants included $30,000 to Bonaparte Pottery and Artisan Market for a property purchase, $29,384 to an individual recipient Historical Society for Twombly Building capital improvements, and $16,500 to the University of Iowa for scholarships.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Matt Manning as president; Jon P. Finney as chairperson; Katie Nichols as vice chair; Lisa Plowman as secretary; Crystal Cronk as assistant secretary; Kevin Hranicka as assistant treasurer; and Marvin Philips, Denae Meek, and Jeanne Erickson as directors. Allen Gunn is listed as vice president.
The Van Buren Foundation Inc is led by Matt Manning, President on every filing since 2021; none of the 16 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Matt Manning
President
On filings since 2021
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jon P. Finney
Chairperson
Chairman → Chairperson, 2021
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Denae Meek
Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Diane Waugh
Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jeanne Erickson
Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Marvin Philips
Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Christine Westercamp
Director
On filings since 2024
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Dixie Saunders
Director
On filings since 2024
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Julie Chapuis
Director
On filings since 2024
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Stacy Richards
Director
On filings since 2024
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Allen Gunn
Vice President
Director → 1st Vice President, 2021
1st Vice President → Vice President, 2022
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Crystal Cronk
Assistant Secretary
Assitant Secretary → Assistant Secretary, 2021
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Dillon Smith
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Katie Nichols
Vice Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2022
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kevin Hranicka
Assistant Treasurer
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lisa Plowman
Secretary
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (6)
- Former: Cale Plowman (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Steve Duke (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: George Manning (2020–2021) — Vice Chairperson
- Former: Katie Plowman (2020) — Director
- Former: Matthew Manning (2020) — President
- Former: Sandy McLain (2020) — V 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 Van Buren Foundation Inc
How much does The Van Buren Foundation Inc give each year?
The Van Buren Foundation Inc gave $419K across 29 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $371K across 33 grants.
What is The Van Buren Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
The Van Buren Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $3,053, and its average grant was $14,443, across 29 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Van Buren Foundation Inc that year got $6K on average.
Where does The Van Buren Foundation Inc give grants?
The Van Buren Foundation Inc gives mostly in Iowa: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Keosauqua, IA (17 grants) and Douds, IA (2 grants).
Does The Van Buren Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 21% of The Van Buren Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (6 of 29) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Scholarships" (4 grants).
Who are The Van Buren Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
The Van Buren Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Engage Keosauqua ($156,900), VBC Trails Association ($48,000) and Villages of Van Buren ($40,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 2 grants to individuals ($8,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 58% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Van Buren Foundation Inc?
The Van Buren Foundation Inc reported $10.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $562K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $506K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Van Buren Foundation Inc fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for local community projects and organizations, including trail improvements, programming, property purchases, historic-building work, scholarships, uniforms, and general support. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Van Buren Foundation Inc?
The filing says to submit a written request detailing the grant’s purpose, project cost, and timeframe for use of funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Van Buren Foundation Inc's EIN?
The Van Buren Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 42-6062589. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 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 May 11, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS August 27, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 15, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Van Buren Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-van-buren-foundation-inc-morg_7aaf63c5e7b147969d695e376d623c9c
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_426062589_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Van Buren Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-van-buren-foundation-inc-morg_7aaf63c5e7b147969d695e376d623c9c},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-20. 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 Van Buren Foundation Inc'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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