Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation
The Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation is a private foundation based in Sheridan, Wyoming. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations in Wyoming, including organizations serving health care, older adults, education, public lands and trails, arts, and youth.
Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation at a glance
In short: Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation gave $689K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $63K), mostly in Wyoming. 18% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $688,580
- -3.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 11
- -21.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $62,598
- +22.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $14,826,469
- -2.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 18% first-time grantees (2 of 11, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Wyoming (100% 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 Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation
- 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. Its filing says to submit a letter to the Griffith Foundation Board of Trustees. All awards and grants are at the total discretion of the board.
- Review Cycle
- The foundation states that there are no specific deadlines.
- Deadline
- The foundation states that there are no specific deadlines.
- Contact
Application contact: Griffith Foundation
Mailing address: Steven C Harker, 1811 So Sheridan Ave, Sheridan, WY 82801
Phone: (307) 672-0785
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Sheridan Memorial Hospital ($250K). Together the top 10 received $684K.
Grant Size Distribution
61 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 41 grants of 61 (67%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars reported for filing year 2025 went to recipients in Wyoming.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation open to new grantees?
18%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 11 grantees (18%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $30K; repeat grants $70K. How we count
Medians: $30K first-time, $25K repeat.
- 82% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 21% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 78% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $643K (2020) to $887K (2023). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $689K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Sheridan Memorial Hospital Sheridan, WY | Support Hospital Functions | $250,000 |
| Sheridan County Senior Center Sheridan, WY | Support Community Senior Center | $175,000 |
| Sheridan Community Land Trust Sheridan, WY | Support Public Lands and Trails | $75,000 |
| Sheridan College Sheridan, WY | Support for School Functions | $71,580 |
| WYO Theater Inc Sheridan, WY | To Support Theater | $55,000 |
| St Peters Episcopal Church Sheridan, WY | Support Church Activites | $25,000 |
| Girl Scouts Sheridan, WY | Support Girl Scout Program | $12,000 |
| Youth Inc Story, WY | Support Youth Camping | $10,000 |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters Sheridan, WY | Support Area Youth | $5,000 |
| The Food Group Sheridan, WY | Support for Food Group | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation?
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 | $14,826,469 | $500,665 | $799,194 | $688,580 | 11 | $708,123 | $415,368 | $912,236 |
| 2024 | $15,128,716 | $860,863 | $824,759 | $714,580 | 14 | $734,009 | $780,714 | $855,260 |
| 2023 | $15,088,894 | $714,326 | $996,181 | $886,580 | 12 | $906,164 | $635,634 | $778,710 |
| 2022 | $15,375,554 | $542,711 | $974,665 | $871,580 | 14 | $890,758 | $463,138 | $791,920 |
| 2021 | $15,808,238 | $1,455,376 | $839,329 | $721,980 | 10 | $741,148 | $1,376,326 | $887,736 |
| 2020 | $15,189,174 | $1,036,988 | $749,854 | $642,900 | 10 | — | $962,783 | $765,841 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation reported a distributable amount of $912K 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 foundation’s filings do not state a mission. Its 2025 grants included support for a hospital, a senior center, a college, a theater, a church, youth programs, food assistance, and public lands and trails.
Sheridan Community Land Trust, which received $75,000 in 2025, says its mission is to preserve open spaces, healthy rivers and creeks, working ranches, wildlife habitat, and local history while expanding recreation opportunities. The Food Group Inc., which received $5,000, says it seeks to alleviate childhood hunger in Sheridan County by providing nourishment to children.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation awarded $688,580 across 11 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $250,000, with a median of $25,000. The largest grants were $250,000 to Sheridan Memorial Hospital for hospital functions, $175,000 to Sheridan County Senior Center for community senior center support, $75,000 to Sheridan Community Land Trust for public lands and trails, and $71,580 to Sheridan College for school functions. Other recipients included Wyo Theater Inc. ($55,000), St Peters Episcopal Church ($25,000), Girl Scouts ($12,000), and Youth Inc. ($10,000).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Steven C Harker as president, Karen Green as treasurer, Ronald J DeStefano as secretary, and Anthony Tarver and Mark Demple as directors.
Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation is led by Steven C. Harker, President on every filing since 2020; all 5 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Steven C. Harker
President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$7K (2020) → $7K (2025)
Anthony Tarver
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
$6K (2021) → $7K (2025)
Mark Demple
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
$7K (2022) → $7K (2025)
Karen Green
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$7K (2020) → $7K (2025)
Ronald J. Destefano
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2022
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$7K (2020) → $7K (2025)
Former officers (2)
- Former: Richard Kilpatrick (2020–2021) — Secretary
- Former: Roman Skatula (2020) — Director
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 $7K, to Steven C Harker (President). 5 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation
How much does Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation give each year?
Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation gave $689K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $715K across 14 grants.
What is Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation's typical grant size?
Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $62,598, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation that year got $30K on average.
Where does Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation give grants?
Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation gives mostly in Wyoming: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Sheridan, WY (10 grants).
Does Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 11 grants with a stated purpose on Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation's largest grantees?
Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Sheridan Memorial Hospital ($250,000), Sheridan County Senior Center ($175,000) and Sheridan Community Land Trust ($75,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 73% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation?
Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation reported $14.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $708K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $912K (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 Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation fund?
The foundation’s filings do not state a mission. Its 2025 grants included support for a hospital, a senior center, a college, a theater, a church, youth programs, food assistance, and public lands and trails. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation's EIN?
Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 23-7135835. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation 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.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 12, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 23, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Vernon & Rowena Griffith Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/vernon-and-rowena-griffith-foundation-morg_a0f7c71c9757450cbf081d15615b89a1
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_237135835_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Vernon \& Rowena Griffith Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/vernon-and-rowena-griffith-foundation-morg_a0f7c71c9757450cbf081d15615b89a1},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Vernon & Rowena Griffith 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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