Tietjen Family Foundation
The Tietjen Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Ballwin, Missouri. Its 2025 filing reports 17 grants totaling $515,750 to charitable organizations.
Tietjen Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Tietjen Family Foundation gave $516K across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $30K), mostly in Illinois. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $515,750
- -42.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- +13.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $30,338
- -49.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $2,510,006
- -12.4% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Illinois (66% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Tietjen Family Foundation
- 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.
- Contact
Mailing address: 965 Kimswick Manor Lane, Ballwin, MO 63011
Phone: (312) 242-3305
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Tietjen Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Lutheran School of Theology Chicago ($330K). Together the top 10 received $513K.
Grant Size Distribution
84 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 71 grants of 84 (85%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 66% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois, 19% to Missouri, and 15% to Michigan. The filing also lists grants to recipients in Texas and California, each accounting for 0% of grant dollars when rounded.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
Cities
How Tietjen Family Foundation gives
- 65% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 55% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 279% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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 $267K (2023) to $892K (2024). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $516K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Lutheran School of Theology Chicago Chicago, IL | To Further the Exempt Purpose of the Organizaiton | $329,500 |
| Lutheran High North Macomb, MI | To Further the Exempt Purpose of the Organizaiton | $75,000 |
| Trinity Lutheran Church Town and Country, MO | To Further the Exempt Purpose of the Organizaiton | $65,000 |
| Lutheran Fam & Childrens Service St. Louis, MO | To Further the Exempt Purpose of the Organizaiton | $27,000 |
| Opportunity International Carol Stream, IL | To Further the Exempt Purpose of the Organizaiton | $10,000 |
| Camp Wartburg (Lutheran Fam & Childrens Service) Waterloo, IL | To Further the Exempt Purpose of the Organizaiton | $2,000 |
| Central States Synod Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Kansas City, MO | To Further the Exempt Purpose of the Organizaiton | $1,000 |
| Crossings St. Louis, MO | To Further the Exempt Purpose of the Organizaiton | $1,000 |
| Friends of Lantern Hill Chesterfield, MO | To Further the Exempt Purpose of the Organizaiton | $1,000 |
| Nurses for Newborns Maplewood, MO | To Further the Exempt Purpose of the Organizaiton | $1,000 |
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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 | $2,510,006 | $239,629 | $543,595 | $515,750 | 17 | $515,750 | $239,629 | $184,680 |
| 2024 | $2,864,244 | $1,093,373 | $921,809 | $891,750 | 15 | $891,750 | $564,596 | $162,852 |
| 2023 | $2,692,680 | $158,657 | $284,670 | $266,750 | 16 | $266,750 | $140,737 | $162,130 |
| 2022 | $2,820,991 | $126,041 | $356,430 | $332,500 | 21 | $332,500 | $50,950 | $172,944 |
| 2021 | $2,807,125 | $405,526 | $475,704 | $466,500 | 15 | $466,500 | $215,159 | $193,156 |
| 2020 | $2,937,585 | $-17,062 | $348,186 | $330,000 | 1 | — | $51,313 | $170,571 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Tietjen Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $185K 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 foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants included organizations working in areas such as Lutheran education and ministry, services for children and families, and international poverty alleviation. For example, Opportunity International describes its work as providing financial solutions, support, and training to help people in developing countries build sustainable incomes and address generational poverty. Nurses for Newborns says it provides home-based services to promote the health, safety, and well-being of babies and their families.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 17 grants totaling $515,750. Grants ranged from $250 to $329,500, with a median grant of $1,000.
The largest reported awards included $329,500 to Lutheran School of Theology Chicago, $75,000 to Lutheran High North, $65,000 to Trinity Lutheran Church, and $27,000 to Lutheran Family and Children’s Service. Other reported recipients included Opportunity International ($10,000), Camp Wartburg ($2,000), and Nurses for Newborns ($1,000). Children of Grace, which describes its work as supporting Ugandan children affected by poverty and AIDS through education, healthcare, and empowerment programs, received $500.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Laurence J. Tietjen as president, Christie J. Tietjen as treasurer, Jessica Tietjen as secretary, and Jennifer Tietjen and Carrie Tietjen as directors.
Tietjen Family Foundation is led by Laurence J. Tietjen, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Laurence J. Tietjen
President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Carrie Tietjen
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jennifer Tietjen
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Christie J. Tietjen
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jessica Tietjen
Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/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 Tietjen Family Foundation
How much does Tietjen Family Foundation give each year?
Tietjen Family Foundation gave $516K across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $892K across 15 grants.
What is Tietjen Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Tietjen Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $30,338, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Tietjen Family Foundation give grants?
Tietjen Family Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 66% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Missouri (19%) and Michigan (15%). The most frequent recipient cities were St. Louis, MO (5 grants) and Chesterfield, MO (2 grants).
Who are Tietjen Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Tietjen Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Lutheran School of Theology Chicago ($329,500), Lutheran High North ($75,000) and Trinity Lutheran Church ($65,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 91% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Tietjen Family Foundation?
Tietjen Family Foundation reported $2.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $516K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $185K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Tietjen Family Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants included organizations working in areas such as Lutheran education and ministry, services for children and families, and international poverty alleviation. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Tietjen Family Foundation?
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 Tietjen Family Foundation's EIN?
Tietjen Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 82-3715560. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Tietjen Family 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 27, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Tietjen Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/tietjen-family-foundation-morg_9323179cb6264af99472b103cb59e47d
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_823715560_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Tietjen Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/tietjen-family-foundation-morg_9323179cb6264af99472b103cb59e47d},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-05. 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 Tietjen Family 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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