The Wellmark Foundation
The Wellmark Foundation is a private foundation based in Des Moines, Iowa. It funds initiatives intended to have a positive impact on the health of Iowans and South Dakotans.
The Wellmark Foundation at a glance
In short: The Wellmark Foundation gave $3.2M across 27 grants in 2024 (avg $117K), mostly in Iowa. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $3,152,094
- -10.1% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 27
- -27.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $116,744
- +23.1% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $31,951
- Total assets
- $79,766,543
- +7.4% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- Iowa (61% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026.
How to apply to The Wellmark Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation’s filing says applicants should complete the form available through the Alignment Tool on its website; the form guides applicants in providing required information. Applications must align with and support the foundation’s mission to fund initiatives that positively impact the health of Iowans and South Dakotans. The filing states that the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations.
- Review Cycle
- Applications have no submission deadlines.
- Deadline
- Applications have no submission deadlines.
- Contact
Application contact: The Wellmark Foundation
Mailing address: 1331 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50309
Phone: (515) 376-6420
Email: wellmarkfoundation@wellmark.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Wellmark Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Charities Aid Foundation America ($759K). Together the top 10 received $3.0M.
Grant Size Distribution
154 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 65 grants of 154 (42%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s stated funding restriction is that applications support a positive impact on the health of Iowans and South Dakotans. In 2024, 61% of grant dollars went to recipients in Iowa, 24% to recipients in Virginia, and 15% to recipients in South Dakota.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 27 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How The Wellmark Foundation gives
- 17% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−20%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 98% 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 (2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $3.2M (2024) to $4.2M (2022). In 2024 it made 27 grants totaling $3.2M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Charities Aid Foundation America Alexandira, VA | Bluescare giving matching gifts and personal volunteer time donations. | $758,599 |
| Iowa Jag Inc Des Moines, IA | Expansion in up to 8 schools with high need for programming. | $400,000 |
| State University of Iowa Foundation Iowa City, IA | Through this project, the effectiveness of the rural vitality coalition and the effectiveness of the processes utilized by the coalition for community assessment, engagement, and change will be evaluated by the university of Iowa institute of public health practice, research and policy. In 2024, funding has been provided in 2 parts for phases 1-5 of the project and for phase 6. | $387,672 |
| Blues Care Giving Contributions Des Moines, IA | See Attachment 1 | $336,307 |
| Childserve Foundation Inc Johnston, IA | Addition of two neurobehavioral health treatment rooms to increase capacity to serve more Iowa families and support the workforce of Iowa's employers. | $250,000 |
| Lifescape Foundation Sioux Falls, SD | Enable the creation of a dedicated testing and functional assessment room for conducting functional behavior assessments (FBAS) and functional analyses (FAS) essential for identifying the causes and functions of challenging behaviors. | $250,000 |
| Rock Valley Community School District Rock Valley, IA | Restoring the Learning Environment After a Disaster. | $150,000 |
| South Dakota Community Foundation Pierre, SD | Expansion in up to 3 schools with high need for programming. | $150,000 |
| Bravo Greater Des Moines Inc Des Moines, IA | To support the passport to culture program for 20 years into the future. | $100,000 |
| Spencer Comm School District Spencer, IA | For Restoring the Learning Environment After a Disaster. | $100,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Wellmark Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $79,766,543 | $3,039,209 | $3,945,427 | $3,152,094 | 27 | $3,712,132 | $3,671,749 | $3,772,155 |
| 2023 | $74,300,021 | $6,770,892 | $4,194,297 | $3,507,966 | 37 | $4,031,548 | $3,958,449 | $3,473,747 |
| 2022 | $68,745,360 | $2,015,022 | $7,021,273 | $4,176,564 | 35 | $4,489,080 | $1,937,018 | $3,647,353 |
| 2021 | $84,611,630 | $6,941,383 | $4,526,745 | $3,934,034 | 54 | $3,934,034 | $6,832,875 | $4,051,874 |
| 2020 | $81,030,470 | $6,016,884 | $4,538,971 | $4,091,238 | 1 | — | $3,680,698 | $3,709,914 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Wellmark Foundation reported a distributable amount of $3.8M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is to fund initiatives that provide a positive impact to the health of Iowans and South Dakotans. Its 2024 grants included support for Iowa JAG’s school programming and curriculum work, ChildServe Foundation’s additional neurobehavioral health treatment rooms, and Lifescape Foundation’s functional assessment room.
The grantees’ own missions illustrate the types of organizations supported. ChildServe Foundation says it partners with families to help children with special health care needs live a great life. Lifescape Foundation says it provides resources for therapy, education, supported living, and employment programs for people with disabilities. The State University of Iowa Foundation says its mission is to advance the University of Iowa through engagement and philanthropy. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation awarded 27 grants totaling $3,152,094. Grant amounts ranged from $26 to $758,599, with a median of $31,951. In 2023, it awarded 37 grants totaling $3,507,966; in 2022, it awarded 35 grants totaling $4,176,564.
Among the largest 2024 awards were $758,599 to Charities Aid Foundation America for BluesCare giving; $400,000 to Iowa JAG Inc. for expansion in up to eight schools with high need for programming; and $387,672 to the State University of Iowa Foundation for evaluation of the Rural Vitality Coalition and its community assessment, engagement, and change processes. Other notable awards included $250,000 each to ChildServe Foundation and Lifescape Foundation, and $150,000 each to Rock Valley Community School District and South Dakota Community Foundation.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Laura Jackson as chairperson, Christa D Kuennen as treasurer, and Scott A Sundstrom as secretary. Directors listed are Kris DeGraff, Mary Beth Hart, Cammy Jenkins, Jennifer Mentele, and Sherwin Robinson.
The Wellmark Foundation is led by Laura Jackson, Chairperson on every filing since 2022; none of the 8 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Laura Jackson
Chairperson
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Cammy Jenkins
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jennifer Mentele
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kris DeGraff
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mary Beth Hart
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sherwin Robinson
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Christa D Kuennen
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Scott A Sundstrom
Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (8)
- Former: Chris G Atchison (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Izaah Knox (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: John D Forsyth (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Thomas M Cink MD (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Thomas M McMahon (2022–2023) — Director
- Former: Cory R Harris (2020–2022) — Chairperson
- Former: Sheila Riggs (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Tom M McMahon (2020–2021) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Wellmark Foundation
How much does The Wellmark Foundation give each year?
The Wellmark Foundation gave $3.2M across 27 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $3.5M across 37 grants.
What is The Wellmark Foundation's typical grant size?
The Wellmark Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $31,951, and its average grant was $116,744, across 27 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Wellmark Foundation give grants?
The Wellmark Foundation gives mostly in Iowa: 61% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Virginia (24%) and South Dakota (15%). The most frequent recipient cities were Des Moines, IA (6 grants), Rock Valley, IA (4 grants), Pierre, SD (3 grants) and Sioux Falls, SD (2 grants).
Does The Wellmark Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 27 grants with a stated purpose on The Wellmark Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Bluescare Giving Matching Gifts." (4 grants).
Who are The Wellmark Foundation's largest grantees?
The Wellmark Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Charities Aid Foundation America ($758,599), Iowa Jag Inc ($450,000 across 2 grants) and State University of Iowa Foundation ($387,672), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 51% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Wellmark Foundation?
The Wellmark Foundation reported $79.8M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $3.7M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $3.8M (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 Wellmark Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to fund initiatives that provide a positive impact to the health of Iowans and South Dakotans. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Wellmark Foundation?
The foundation’s filing says applicants should complete the form available through the Alignment Tool on its website; the form guides applicants in providing required information. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Wellmark Foundation's EIN?
The Wellmark Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 42-1368650. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 11, 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 November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 14, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Wellmark Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Wellmark Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-wellmark-foundation-morg_bd20df7be5f1415c86364260834378d0
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_421368650_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Wellmark Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-wellmark-foundation-morg_bd20df7be5f1415c86364260834378d0},
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 Wellmark 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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