United Telephone Educational Foundation
United Telephone Educational Foundation is a private foundation based in Langdon, North Dakota. Its 2025 grants were reported as scholarships to recipients in North Dakota.
United Telephone Educational Foundation at a glance
In short: United Telephone Educational Foundation gave $41K across 31 grants in 2025 (avg $1K), mostly in North Dakota. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $41,000
- +46.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 31
- +10.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $1,323
- +32.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $1,756,320
- +75.1% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- North Dakota (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to United Telephone Educational Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Its filing states that an application form is available upon request. Parents must receive service from United Telephone Mutual Aid Corporation or Turtle Mountain Communications.
- Review Cycle
- March 31 of the request year.
- Deadline
- March 31 of the request year.
- Contact
Application contact: Steve Swanson
Mailing address: PO Box 729, Langdon, ND 58249
Phone: (701) 256-5156
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who United Telephone Educational Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
142 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 142 grants of 142 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars reported for 2025 went to recipients in North Dakota.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 31 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How United Telephone Educational Foundation gives
- Giving grew 28% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 69% 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $28K (2023) to $41K (2025). In 2025 it made 31 grants totaling $41K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 31 individual scholarships Recipients not named | — | $41,000 |
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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 | $1,756,320 | $798,973 | $45,802 | $41,000 | 31 | $45,455 | $23,803 | $65,908 |
| 2024 | $1,003,149 | $365,625 | $33,304 | $28,000 | 28 | $33,158 | $24,214 | $46,694 |
| 2023 | $669,828 | $40,504 | $32,086 | $28,000 | 28 | $32,059 | $10,504 | $32,494 |
| 2022 | $661,410 | $1,934 | $36,142 | $32,000 | 28 | $36,086 | $1,934 | $33,431 |
| 2021 | $695,618 | $4,028 | $34,174 | $30,000 | 27 | $34,028 | $4,028 | $35,127 |
| 2020 | $725,764 | $108,212 | $37,490 | $33,500 | 24 | — | $10,517 | $33,307 |
| 2019 | $655,042 | $9,681 | $34,568 | $30,500 | 22 | — | $9,681 | $35,382 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, United Telephone Educational Foundation reported a distributable amount of $66K 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
The available grant information identifies scholarships as a funded purpose. The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations; its 2025 itemized grants, however, list individual scholarship recipients.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave $41,000 through 31 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $3,000, with a median of $1,000. Notable awards included $3,000 each to two individual recipients, and $2,000 to Hayden Halvorson of Bottineau; each was listed for a scholarship.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Bernard Schommer as president, Guy Mitchell as vice president, and Steve Swanson as secretary-treasurer. Directors listed are William Brooks, Michelle Christianson, Bev Gage, Mary Kuchar, Janet Jacobson, Jeff Sims, and Melissa Seeba.
United Telephone Educational Foundation is led by Bernard Schommer, President on every filing since 2019; 9 of 10 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Bernard Schommer
President
On filings since 2019
0.1 hrs/week
$200 (2019) → $200 (2025)
Bev Gage
Director
On filings since 2019
0.1 hrs/week
$200 (2019) → $200 (2025)
Janet Jacobson
Director
On filings since 2019
0.1 hrs/week
$200 (2019) → $200 (2025)
Jeff Sims
Director
On filings since 2019
0.1 hrs/week
$200 (2019) → $200 (2025)
William Brooks
Director
On filings since 2019
0.1 hrs/week
$200 (2019) → $200 (2025)
Mary Kuchar
Director
On filings since 2021
0.1 hrs/week
$200 (2021) → $200 (2025)
Michelle Christianson
Director
On filings since 2021
0.1 hrs/week
$200 (2021) → $200 (2025)
Melissa Seeba
Director
On filings since 2024
0.1 hrs/week
$200 (2024) → $200 (2025)
Guy Mitchell
Vice President
On filings since 2019
0.1 hrs/week
$200 (2019) → $200 (2025)
Steve Swanson
Secretary-Treasurer
On filings since 2021
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (5)
- Former: Nancy Belanus (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Perry Oster (2019–2021) — Secretary-Treasurer
- Former: Nancy Haraseth (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Jan Stein (2020) — Director
- Former: Arlaine Delebo Short (2019) — Director
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $200, to Bernard Schommer (President). 9 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about United Telephone Educational Foundation
How much does United Telephone Educational Foundation give each year?
United Telephone Educational Foundation gave $41K across 31 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $28K across 28 grants.
What is United Telephone Educational Foundation's typical grant size?
United Telephone Educational Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $1,323, across 31 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does United Telephone Educational Foundation give grants?
United Telephone Educational Foundation gives mostly in North Dakota: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there.
Does United Telephone Educational Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 31 grants with a stated purpose on United Telephone Educational Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Scholarship" (31 grants).
How large is United Telephone Educational Foundation?
United Telephone Educational Foundation reported $1.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $45K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $66K (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 United Telephone Educational Foundation fund?
The available grant information identifies scholarships as a funded purpose. The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations; its 2025 itemized grants, however, list individual scholarship recipients. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from United Telephone Educational Foundation?
The foundation 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 United Telephone Educational Foundation's EIN?
United Telephone Educational Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 45-0414760. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does United Telephone Educational 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
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 15, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS October 8, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 13, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 26, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 29, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 13, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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Figures come from United Telephone Educational 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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