Urban Ventures Leadership Foundation
Urban Ventures Leadership Foundation is a public charity based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, formed in 1987. It works to educate children, strengthen families, and build healthy communities, with programs addressing early learning, academic support, college and career preparation, family support, wellness, and community health.
Urban Ventures Leadership Foundation at a glance
- Total assets
- $29,693,719
- -2.8% vs 2024
- Revenue (2025)
- $6,854,449
- -22.9% vs 2024
- Net investment income (2025)
- $793,207
- +38.3% vs 2024
- Expenses (2025)
- $8,054,425
- +9.3% vs 2024
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to Urban Ventures Leadership Foundation
- Contact
Mailing address: 2924 4Th Avenue S, Minneapolis, MN 55408
Phone: (612) 638-1000
Website: https://urbanventures.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Urban Ventures Leadership Foundation
Who Urban Ventures Leadership Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
32 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 32 grants of 32 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The organization is based in Minneapolis and describes its service area as its South Minneapolis neighborhood. Its Act Six scholarship program is for high school students in its South Minneapolis service area.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
How Urban Ventures Leadership Foundation gives
- 22% of 2021 grantees were also funded in 2020. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2021). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $28K (2024) to $385K (2020). In 2024 it reported $28K in grants paid, as a total without an itemized list.
Hatched bars: grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| A & J Fish ND Chicken Inc Minneapolis, MN | Benevolence | $5,000 |
| Amla International Translations LLC Minneapolis, MN | Benevolence | $5,000 |
| Anas Home Health Care Minneapolis, MN | Benevolence | $5,000 |
| Apex Dental Systems DBA Minnesota Dental Care Minneapolis, MN | Benevolence | $5,000 |
| Comfort Care Homes LLC Minneapolis, MN | Benevolence | $5,000 |
| Dalcar Foods Minneapolis, MN | Benevolence | $5,000 |
| Daryel Home Care Inc Minneapolis, MN | Benevolence | $5,000 |
| Didier LLC DBA New Fone World Minneapolis, MN | Benevolence | $5,000 |
| Din Auto Body Minneapolis, MN | Benevolence | $5,000 |
| El Mexican Restaurant LLC Minneapolis, MN | Benevolence | $5,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $29,693,719 | $6,854,449 | $8,054,425 | — | — | $793,207 |
| 2024 | $30,560,648 | $8,885,305 | $7,369,938 | $28,000 | Total only | $573,467 |
| 2023 | $27,759,469 | $10,927,726 | $6,156,259 | — | — | $-317,834 |
| 2022 | $22,384,369 | $4,412,613 | $4,997,199 | — | — | $-250,922 |
| 2021 | $23,559,763 | $6,521,879 | $4,477,913 | $160,000 | 32 | $338,764 |
| 2020 | $22,491,404 | $7,248,962 | $4,522,406 | $385,000 | 77 | $27,151 |
"Total only": grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The organization’s stated mission is “educating kids, strengthening their families, and building healthy communities.” Its website also describes its goal as preparing and sending every youth in its neighborhood to college or postsecondary education.
Programs reported on the organization’s 2024 filing include early academic learning and literacy; college, career, and leadership preparation; parenting support; wellness and athletics; violence-prevention support; small-business consultations; and nutrition and sustainable-agriculture education. The filing describes the participating small businesses as local businesses receiving consultations to support their growth.
The organization also offers the Act Six College Scholarship Program for high school students from its South Minneapolis service area. The program provides full-need, full-tuition scholarships at partner colleges, along with leadership development, academic support, mentorship, and guidance. The scholarships support program participants; they are not grants to outside organizations.
Grantmaking
The available IRS filing data reports zero grants for each of 2023, 2024, and 2025. It does not provide grant totals, typical award sizes, or named grantees. The Act Six scholarships are for students participating in the organization’s program, rather than grants to outside applicants.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Gaylen Knack as chair; Roy Ferber as treasurer and executive committee member; and Shannon Foreman, Tim Howe, Dean Hager, Derek Weatherford, Jeremy Williamson, Brandi Powell, and Samantha Reimer as directors. David Hawn is listed as president and CEO through March 2025.
Urban Ventures Leadership Foundation is led by David Hawn, President & CEO since 2023 (on filings since 2020); 3 of 12 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
David Hawn
President & CEO
CEO → President & CEO, 2023
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$122K (2020) → $167K (2025)
Erica Schimelpfenig
President & CEO
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$29K (2025)
Gaylen Knack
Chair
Secretary → Chair & Executive Committee, 2024
Chair & Executive Committee → Chair, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Dean Hager
Director
Board Member → Director, 2022
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Derek Weatherford
Director
Board Member → Director, 2022
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jeremy Williamson
Director
Board Member → Director, 2022
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Shannon Foreman
Director
Director → Executive Committee, 2024
Executive Committee → Director, 2025
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tim Howe
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Brandi Powell
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Samantha Reimer
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Renee Sherman
Vice President of Finance & Operations
On filings since 2021
36 hrs/week
$83K (2021) → $140K (2025)
Roy Ferber
Treasurer & Executive Committee
Treasurer → Treasurer & Executive Committee, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (12)
- Former: Kathryn Graves Unger (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Shanequa Williams (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Samantha Sommerness (2021–2024) — Director
- Former: Karen Baumberger (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Leah McLean (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Mark Morse (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Cristina Plaza Ruiz (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: David Vanterpool (2021) — Board Member
- Former: Ann Folkman (2020) — Board Member
- Former: Carrie Plack (2020) — Board Member
- Former: Dennis Gould (2020) — Board Member
- Former: Edwin Gage (2020) — Board Member
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 $167K, to David Hawn (President and CEO (Thru 03/2025)). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Urban Ventures Leadership Foundation
How large is Urban Ventures Leadership Foundation?
Urban Ventures Leadership Foundation reported $29.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $6.9M.
What does Urban Ventures Leadership Foundation fund?
The organization’s stated mission is “educating kids, strengthening their families, and building healthy communities.” Its website also describes its goal as preparing and sending every youth in its neighborhood to college or postsecondary education. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Urban Ventures Leadership Foundation?
Urban Ventures Leadership Foundation has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check urbanventures.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
Where does Urban Ventures Leadership Foundation make grants?
The organization is based in Minneapolis and describes its service area as its South Minneapolis neighborhood. Its Act Six scholarship program is for high school students in its South Minneapolis service area.
What is Urban Ventures Leadership Foundation's EIN?
Urban Ventures Leadership Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-3558710. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(5)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 13, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 11, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 1, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 8, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Urban Ventures Leadership Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?