Vern & Bunny Thelen Family Foundation
The Vern & Bunny Thelen Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Antioch, Illinois. It supports charitable causes, including local food pantries, schools, scholarships, and melanoma research and education.
Vern & Bunny Thelen Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Vern & Bunny Thelen Family Foundation gave $46K across 16 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in Wisconsin. 13% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $45,700
- -20.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 16
- +14.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,856
- -30.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,500
- Total assets
- $1,408,783
- +14.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 13% first-time grantees (2 of 16, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Wisconsin (61% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Vern & Bunny Thelen Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- Yes
- How to Apply
-
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests. Any written request will be considered. Awards must be used for charitable, religious, educational, civic, or scientific purposes. Contact Matthew Thelen.
- Contact
Application contact: Matthew Thelen
Mailing address: 28955 W Il Route 173, Antioch, IL 60002
Phone: (847) 395-3313
Website: https://thelenfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Vern & Bunny Thelen Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Ronald McDonald House Eastern WI ($23K). Together the top 10 received $37K.
Grant Size Distribution
73 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 73 grants of 73 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation is based in Antioch, Illinois. In 2025, 61% of grant dollars went to recipients in Wisconsin and 39% to recipients in Illinois. Its website describes much of its giving as local to the family.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Vern & Bunny Thelen Family Foundation open to new grantees?
13%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 16 grantees (13%) were first-time recipients. With only 16 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $12K; repeat grants $2K. How we count
Medians: $12K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 88% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−8%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 105% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $40K (2019) to $81K (2020). In 2025 it made 16 grants totaling $46K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Ronald McDonald House Eastern WI Wauwatosa, WI | Care Center | $22,500 |
| Sharing Center Trevor, WI | Food for Poor | $2,200 |
| Fish of McHenry McHenry, IL | Food for Poor | $1,500 |
| Community Food Pantry Richmond, IL | Food for Poor | $1,500 |
| St Francis De Sales Lake Zurich, IL | Food for Poor | $1,500 |
| Twin Lakes Area Food Pantry Twin Lakes, WI | Food for Poor | $1,500 |
| Grant Township Ingleside, IL | Food for Poor | $1,500 |
| Loaves & Fishes Genoa City, WI | Food for Poor | $1,500 |
| Open Arms Mission Antioch, IL | Food for Poor | $1,500 |
| Warren Township Food Pantry Gurnee, IL | Food for Poor | $1,500 |
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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 | $1,408,783 | $153,119 | $108,001 | $45,700 | 16 | — | $85,122 | — |
| 2024 | $1,228,693 | $94,097 | $70,543 | $57,400 | 14 | $57,400 | $63,950 | $54,458 |
| 2023 | $924,301 | $27,470 | $59,003 | $46,800 | 15 | $46,800 | $19,719 | $44,273 |
| 2022 | $804,007 | $135,023 | $108,218 | $49,557 | 14 | $49,557 | $11,601 | — |
| 2021 | $984,308 | $69,195 | $77,250 | $63,000 | 14 | — | $39,010 | $46,260 |
| 2020 | $808,661 | $35,850 | $94,497 | $81,000 | 15 | — | $6,733 | $38,581 |
| 2019 | $799,370 | $93,859 | $70,789 | $40,037 | 16 | — | $5,397 | $36,734 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated motto, “Don’t just take, give some back,” reflects its mission to help local communities. Its website describes past support for the American Cancer Society’s melanoma research and education, scholarships, schools, and local food pantries.
Recent grants include support for food assistance. The Sharing Center describes its work as serving western Kenosha County residents through supportive nutrition programs and other assistance for income-qualified residents. FISH of McHenry says it provides food, clothing, and other necessities to people in need and performs acts for the good of the McHenry County community. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own missions.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 16 grants totaling $45,700. Grant amounts ranged from $1,500 to $22,500, with a median of $1,500. The largest grant was $22,500 to Ronald McDonald House Eastern WI for a care center. Other listed awards included $2,200 to the Sharing Center and $1,500 each to FISH of McHenry, Community Food Pantry, St. Francis de Sales, Twin Lakes Area Food Pantry, Grant Township, Loaves & Fishes, Open Arms Mission, Warren Township Food Pantry, Helping Hands, and St. Peters St. Vincent DePaul; the listed $1,500 grants were for food for the poor.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Jacob Miles as president, Matt Thelen as treasurer, Peggy Miles as secretary, and Peggy Volpe and John Thelen as board members.
Vern & Bunny Thelen Family Foundation is led by Jacob Miles, President since 2024 (on filings since 2023); none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Jacob Miles
President
Vice President → President, 2024
On filings since 2023
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Peggy Miles
Secretary
Treasurer → Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2023
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Peggy Volpe
Board Member
On filings since 2023
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
John Thelen
Board Member
On filings since 2024
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Matt Thelen
Treasurer
On filings since 2024
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (5)
- Former: Ann T. Kroupa (2019–2023) — Secretary
- Former: Matthew R. Thelen (2019–2023) — President
- Former: Patrick Mayette (2019–2022) — Vice President
- Former: Samantha Thelen (2021–2022) — Secretary
- Former: Peter Thelen (2019–2020) — Treasurer
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.
Frequently asked questions about Vern & Bunny Thelen Family Foundation
How much does Vern & Bunny Thelen Family Foundation give each year?
Vern & Bunny Thelen Family Foundation gave $46K across 16 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $57K across 14 grants.
What is Vern & Bunny Thelen Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Vern & Bunny Thelen Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,500, and its average grant was $2,856, across 16 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Vern & Bunny Thelen Family Foundation that year got $12K on average.
Where does Vern & Bunny Thelen Family Foundation give grants?
Vern & Bunny Thelen Family Foundation gives mostly in Wisconsin: 61% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Illinois (39%). The most frequent recipient cities were Antioch, IL (3 grants), McHenry, IL (2 grants) and Spring Grove, IL (2 grants).
Does Vern & Bunny Thelen Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 16 grants with a stated purpose on Vern & Bunny Thelen Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Food for Poor" (11 grants).
Who are Vern & Bunny Thelen Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Vern & Bunny Thelen Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Ronald McDonald House Eastern WI ($22,500), Sharing Center ($2,200) and Fish of McHenry ($1,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 57% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Vern & Bunny Thelen Family Foundation?
Vern & Bunny Thelen Family Foundation reported $1.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $153K.
What does Vern & Bunny Thelen Family Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated motto, “Don’t just take, give some back,” reflects its mission to help local communities. Its website describes past support for the American Cancer Society’s melanoma research and education, scholarships, schools, and local food pantries. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Vern & Bunny Thelen Family Foundation?
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Vern & Bunny Thelen Family Foundation's EIN?
Vern & Bunny Thelen Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-0260049. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Vern & Bunny Thelen Family Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
Yes, 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
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 13, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 10, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 2, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 7, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS September 18, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 16, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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