Timothy and Barbara Michels Family

Private foundation · Grantmaker Brownsville, WI EIN: 39-2044009

Timothy and Barbara Michels Family is a private foundation based in Brownsville, Wisconsin. Its 2025 filing reports grants to 11 organizations totaling $3,146,500, including grants to Dartmouth College and several Wisconsin organizations.

Key facts about Timothy and Barbara Michels Family

In short: Timothy and Barbara Michels Family gave $3.1M across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $286K), mostly in New Hampshire. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
39-2044009
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025
Annual giving (2025)
$3,146,500
Grants made (2025)
11
Average grant
$286,045
Median grant
$70,000
Total assets
$834,744
Primary geography
New Hampshire (65% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
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. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Financial Overview

From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$835K

-44.2% YoY

Annual Giving

$3.1M

-44.6% YoY

Grant Count

11

+22.2% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$286K

-54.6% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Timothy and Barbara Michels Family reported a distributable amount of $62K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

How Timothy and Barbara Michels Family gives

  • 73% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving grew 6193% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out well above 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.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

No foundation mission is stated in the available information. Its 2025 grants went to organizations including colleges and schools, churches, ministries, and other charitable organizations. Among the grantees’ own descriptions, Zachariah’s Acres says its mission is to connect children with special health care needs and their families to nature; University Lake School describes itself as a college preparatory school; Fordham University identifies as a Jesuit university; and Babson College says it educates entrepreneurial leaders.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation gave 11 grants totaling $3,146,500. Grants ranged from $20,000 to $2,040,000, with a median of $70,000. All listed grants were for general operating support.

The largest awards were $2,040,000 to Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire; $500,000 to Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee; and $200,000 to Spring Creek Church in Pewaukee. Other grants included $100,000 to Zachariah’s Acres, $71,500 to University Lake School, $70,000 to C2K Ministries, and $50,000 each to Life Church and CareNet Pregnancy Center of Milwaukee.

How to Apply

The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, 65% of grant dollars went to recipients in New Hampshire and 33% to recipients in Wisconsin. New York and Massachusetts each accounted for 1%.

Grant Distribution by State

7states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.

Cities

New YorkMilwaukeeHartlandPewaukeeBabson ParkBrookfieldHanoverGermantownIthacaAspenBronxFond Du LacGreenwichMiamiSt Francis

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$2M$4M$6M0 grants2019 11 grants2020 8 grants2021 1 grant2022 13 grants2023 9 grants2024 11 grants2025

From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $50K (2022) to $5.7M (2024). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $3.1M.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Dartmouth College: $2.0MDartmouth College$2.0MMedical College of WI: $500KMedical College of WI$500KSpring Creek Church: $200KSpring Creek Church$200KZachariah's Acres Inc: $100KZachariah's Acres Inc$100KUniversity Lake School: $72KUniversity Lake School$72KC2K Ministries: $70KC2K Ministries$70KLife Church: $50KLife Church$50KCarenet Pregnancy Center of Milwaukee: $50KCarenet Pregnancy Center ofMilwaukee$50KXavier High School: $25KXavier High School$25KBabson College: $20KBabson College$20K

The largest 2025 recipient was Dartmouth College ($2.0M). Together the top 10 received $3.1M.

Grant Size Distribution

42 grants across all recorded years

16<$50K10$50–100K5$100–250K1$250–500K6$500K–1M4$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 16 grants of 42 (38%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Dartmouth College Hanover, NHGeneral Operating Support$2,040,000
Medical College of WI Milwaukee, WIGeneral Operating Support$500,000
Spring Creek Church Pewaukee, WIGeneral Operating Support$200,000
Zachariah's Acres Inc Brookfield, WIGeneral Operating Support$100,000
University Lake School Hartland, WIGeneral Operating Support$71,500
C2K Ministries Hartland, WIGeneral Operating Support$70,000
Life Church Germantown, WIGeneral Operating Support$50,000
Carenet Pregnancy Center of Milwaukee Milwaukee, WIGeneral Operating Support$50,000
Xavier High School New York, NYGeneral Operating Support$25,000
Babson College Babson Park, MAGeneral Operating Support$20,000

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grants
2025 $834,744 $3,926,606 $3,196,580 $3,146,500
2024 $1,496,781 $10,267,514 $5,754,146 $5,675,010
2023 $542,663 $3,992,149 $2,526,356 $2,521,000
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$5M$10M$15M2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Metric202520242023
Total Assets$834,744$1,496,781$542,663
Revenue$3,926,606$10,267,514$3,992,149
Expenses$3,196,580$5,754,146$2,526,356
Qualifying Distributions$3,149,823$5,678,208$2,523,590
Net Investment Income$1,642,803$4,149,235$2,538,368
Distributable Amount$62,258$20,138$32,874

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 8, 2020)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 17, 2021)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS June 9, 2022)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 4, 2023)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 26, 2024)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 28, 2025)
  7. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 28, 2026)
  8. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Timothy J Michels and Barbara A Michels as trustees.

Timothy and Barbara Michels Family's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Barbara A. Michels

    Trustee

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Timothy J. Michels

    Trustee

    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.

Contact

Mailing address: Post Office Box 128, Brownsville, WI 53006
Phone: (920) 583-3132

Frequently asked questions about Timothy and Barbara Michels Family

How much does Timothy and Barbara Michels Family give each year?

Timothy and Barbara Michels Family gave $3.1M across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $5.7M across 9 grants.

What is Timothy and Barbara Michels Family's typical grant size?

Timothy and Barbara Michels Family's median grant in 2025 was $70,000, and its average grant was $286,045, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Where does Timothy and Barbara Michels Family give grants?

Timothy and Barbara Michels Family gives mostly in New Hampshire: 65% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Wisconsin (33%). The most frequent recipient cities were Milwaukee, WI (2 grants) and Hartland, WI (2 grants).

Does Timothy and Barbara Michels Family give general operating support?

Yes: 100% of Timothy and Barbara Michels Family's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (11 of 11) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are Timothy and Barbara Michels Family's largest grantees?

Timothy and Barbara Michels Family's largest 2025 grantees include Dartmouth College ($2,040,000), Medical College of WI ($500,000) and Spring Creek Church ($200,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 87% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Timothy and Barbara Michels Family?

Timothy and Barbara Michels Family reported $835K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $3.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $62K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Timothy and Barbara Michels Family fund?

No foundation mission is stated in the available information. Its 2025 grants went to organizations including colleges and schools, churches, ministries, and other charitable organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Timothy and Barbara Michels Family?

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 Timothy and Barbara Michels Family's EIN?

Timothy and Barbara Michels Family's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 39-2044009. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Does Timothy and Barbara Michels Family 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.

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