Tommy C Capper Foundation
The Tommy C. Capper Foundation is a private foundation based in Aurora, Illinois. It funds scholarships for current and former attendees of Central DeWitt High School who demonstrate financial need and need help affording continuing education.
Tommy C Capper Foundation at a glance
In short: Tommy C Capper Foundation gave $89K across 16 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), mostly in Iowa. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $89,303
- +26.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 16
- +14.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $5,581
- +10.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $4,891
- Total assets
- $3,507,617
- +3.2% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Iowa (97% 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 Tommy C Capper Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation’s website provides a scholarship application. It says applicants must have attended Central DeWitt High School, demonstrate financial need, and submit the application and required materials. Its terms list a high school transcript, letter of reference, two photos, personal essay, personal video essay, signed tax return, and recent pay stub. The 2025 filing lists Rick L. Law as the contact for applying, identifies the foundation’s website as the source for forms and materials, and states a restriction of DeWitt, Iowa, and the surrounding county. The filing says there are no deadlines; the website says applications must be received four months before a program starts. The website reported that applications for Fall 2026 traditional college scholarships were closed and that applications were limited but open for Spring 2027 college scholarships.
- Contact
Application contact: Rick L Law
Mailing address: 2275 Church Road, Aurora, IL 60502
Phone: (630) 585-5200
Website: https://capperfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Tommy C Capper Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
83 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 83 grants of 83 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s 2025 filing reports that 97% of grant dollars went to recipients in Iowa and 3% to recipients in Minnesota. Its website focuses scholarship eligibility on current and former attendees of Central DeWitt High School, and its 2025 filing lists DeWitt, Iowa, and the surrounding county as an award restriction.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
Cities
How Tommy C Capper Foundation gives
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+8%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 95% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $68K (2023) to $89K (2025). In 2025 it made 16 grants totaling $89K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 16 individual scholarships Recipients not named | — | $89,303 |
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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 | $3,507,617 | $121,765 | $199,325 | $89,303 | 16 | $159,629 | $83,569 | $168,068 |
| 2024 | $3,400,231 | $114,291 | $184,762 | $70,661 | 14 | $147,120 | $77,134 | $164,061 |
| 2023 | $3,274,004 | $48,682 | $186,800 | $67,529 | 17 | $146,115 | $52,756 | $157,009 |
| 2022 | $3,178,656 | $96,863 | $208,563 | $83,027 | 20 | $173,683 | $63,520 | $161,708 |
| 2021 | $3,603,520 | $95,826 | $203,022 | $73,557 | 16 | $169,282 | $62,495 | $175,972 |
| 2020 | $3,506,417 | $3,472,201 | $53,901 | — | — | — | $17,129 | $106,564 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Tommy C Capper Foundation reported a distributable amount of $168K 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
The foundation’s website describes its purpose as helping people for whom financial assistance would make a profound difference in their ability to continue their education. It aims to help current and former Central DeWitt High School attendees of any graduation year, including people returning to school or changing careers.
Scholarships may support tuition, fees, books, and other supplies, with funds paid directly to the selected institution. The website says applicants must demonstrate financial need and plan to study a specific area of interest.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation gave 16 grants totaling $89,303. Grant amounts ranged from $658 to $12,614, with a median of $4,891. The largest reported grants were $12,614, $10,250, and $8,319, each to an individual recipient in Iowa for a scholarship. The remaining listed grants were also scholarships to individual recipients.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Rick L. Law as executive director and Diana M. Law and Zachary Hesselbaum as directors.
Tommy C Capper Foundation is led by Rick L. Law, Executive Director on every filing since 2020; 1 of 3 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Rick L. Law
Executive Director
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$30K (2020) → $70K (2025)
Diana M. Law
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Zachary Hesselbaum
Director
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $70K, to Rick L Law (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about Tommy C Capper Foundation
How much does Tommy C Capper Foundation give each year?
Tommy C Capper Foundation gave $89K across 16 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $71K across 14 grants.
What is Tommy C Capper Foundation's typical grant size?
Tommy C Capper Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $4,891, and its average grant was $5,581, across 16 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Tommy C Capper Foundation give grants?
Tommy C Capper Foundation gives mostly in Iowa: 97% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there.
Does Tommy C Capper Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 16 grants with a stated purpose on Tommy C Capper Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Scholarship" (16 grants).
How large is Tommy C Capper Foundation?
Tommy C Capper Foundation reported $3.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $160K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $168K (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 Tommy C Capper Foundation fund?
The foundation’s website describes its purpose as helping people for whom financial assistance would make a profound difference in their ability to continue their education. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Tommy C Capper Foundation?
The foundation’s website provides a scholarship application. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Tommy C Capper Foundation's EIN?
Tommy C Capper Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 83-0718253. 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 26, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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