Thomson Charitable Foundation
Thomson Charitable Foundation is a private foundation based in Cresco, Iowa. Its 2025 grants included support for Iowa organizations and recipients in several other states, with the largest share of grant dollars going to Iowa.
Thomson Charitable Foundation at a glance
In short: Thomson Charitable Foundation gave $177K across 30 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), mostly in Iowa. 47% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $176,789
- +33.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 30
- -9.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $5,893
- +46.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $2,553,232
- -4.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 47% first-time grantees (14 of 30, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Iowa (92% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Thomson Charitable Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 111 N Elm St, Cresco, IA 52136-1519
Phone: (563) 547-2040
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Thomson Charitable Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was City of Cresco ($51K). Together the top 10 received $162K.
Grant Size Distribution
121 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 117 grants of 121 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, Iowa recipients received 92% of grant dollars. Recipients in West Virginia and Tennessee each received 3%, while New York and Missouri each received 1%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 30 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Thomson Charitable Foundation open to new grantees?
47%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 14 of 30 grantees (47%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $5K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $463 repeat.
- 47% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 306% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 86% 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 $44K (2022) to $177K (2025). In 2025 it made 30 grants totaling $177K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| City of Cresco Cresco, IA | Scene Shop | $50,750 |
| Norman-Borlaug Heritage Foundation Cresco, IA | General Operations | $35,000 |
| Floyd County Fair Society Charles City, IA | General Operations | $25,000 |
| Northeast Iowa Community College Foundation Calmar, IA | General Operations | $20,000 |
| Northeast Iowa Food Bank Waterloo, IA | General Operations | $6,000 |
| Shriners Childrens Hospital Ranson, WV | General Operations | $5,250 |
| Wartburg College Waverly, IA | General Operations | $5,000 |
| Notre Dame Catholic Parish Cresco, IA | Alumni Appeal | $5,000 |
| St Jude Children Research Hospital Memphis, TN | General Operations | $5,000 |
| Cresco Elm Street Rentals Cresco, IA | General Operations | $5,000 |
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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 | $2,553,232 | $410,105 | $214,371 | $176,789 | 30 | $176,796 | $64,199 | $205,145 |
| 2024 | $2,676,607 | $439,420 | $154,100 | $132,443 | 33 | $132,977 | $419,017 | $180,613 |
| 2023 | $2,391,287 | $63,088 | $184,774 | $165,576 | 22 | $166,081 | $46,039 | $165,274 |
| 2022 | $2,512,973 | $54,232 | $60,220 | $43,582 | 17 | $44,020 | $38,482 | $158,486 |
| 2021 | $2,518,961 | $80,160 | $131,115 | $113,051 | 19 | $113,459 | $18,019 | $167,151 |
| 2020 | $2,569,916 | $68,609 | $152,210 | $136,409 | 26 | — | $24,511 | $147,598 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Thomson Charitable Foundation reported a distributable amount of $205K 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 stated. Its 2025 grants supported organizations with varied purposes. For example, the Floyd County Fair Society says its mission is to hold an annual county fair and further agricultural interests; the Northeast Iowa Food Bank says it provides food and hunger education; and Wartburg College says it prepares students for lives of leadership and service. The foundation also made grants designated for general operations, a scene shop, an alumni appeal, and a recreation trail.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 30 grants totaling $176,789. The median grant was $1,000; grants ranged from $64 to $50,750. Its largest grants included $50,750 to the City of Cresco for a scene shop, $35,000 to the Norman-Borlaug Heritage Foundation for general operations, $25,000 to the Floyd County Fair Society for general operations, and $20,000 to the Northeast Iowa Community College Foundation for general operations. Other notable grants included $6,000 to the Northeast Iowa Food Bank and $5,250 to Shriners Childrens Hospital, both for general operations.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists John S Thomson as Director, President, and Treasurer, and Stephanie C Thomson as Director and Secretary.
Thomson Charitable Foundation is led by John S Thomson, Director, President & Treasurer on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
John S Thomson
Director, President & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Stephanie C Thomson
Director & Secretary
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
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 Thomson Charitable Foundation
How much does Thomson Charitable Foundation give each year?
Thomson Charitable Foundation gave $177K across 30 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $132K across 33 grants.
What is Thomson Charitable Foundation's typical grant size?
Thomson Charitable Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $5,893, across 30 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Thomson Charitable Foundation that year got $6K on average.
Where does Thomson Charitable Foundation give grants?
Thomson Charitable Foundation gives mostly in Iowa: 92% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Cresco, IA (10 grants) and Decorah, IA (2 grants).
Does Thomson Charitable Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 90% of Thomson Charitable Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (27 of 30) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Thomson Charitable Foundation's largest grantees?
Thomson Charitable Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include City of Cresco ($50,750), Norman-Borlaug Heritage Foundation ($35,000) and Floyd County Fair Society ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 63% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Thomson Charitable Foundation?
Thomson Charitable Foundation reported $2.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $177K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $205K (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 Thomson Charitable Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is stated. Its 2025 grants supported organizations with varied purposes. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Thomson Charitable Foundation?
The foundation 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 Thomson Charitable Foundation's EIN?
Thomson Charitable Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 42-1497057. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Thomson Charitable Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 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 April 28, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 17, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 12, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 8, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Thomson Charitable Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/thomson-charitable-foundation-morg_0fbbf2d3243341888cc0434648e779cd
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_421497057_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Thomson Charitable Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/thomson-charitable-foundation-morg_0fbbf2d3243341888cc0434648e779cd},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Thomson Charitable 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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