Visitors Center Inc
Visitors Center Inc. is a public charity based in Columbus, Indiana, formed in 1994. It promotes tourism in Bartholomew County, operates a visitors center, and provides funding to local not-for-profit organizations.
Visitors Center Inc at a glance
In short: Visitors Center Inc gave $106K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $10K), mostly in Indiana. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $106,000
- +39.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 11
- +37.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $9,636
- +1.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $9,000
- Total assets
- $4,101,868
- +0.6% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Indiana (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to Visitors Center Inc
- Contact
Mailing address: 506 Fifth Street, Columbus, IN 47201
Phone: (812) 378-2622
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
3 open opportunities from Visitors Center Inc
Who Visitors Center Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Columbus Area Arts Council ($16K). Together the top 10 received $100K.
Grant Size Distribution
32 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 30 grants of 32 (94%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The organization’s grant programs specify Bartholomew County, Indiana, as their geographic scope. All grant dollars reported for filing year 2025 went to recipients in Indiana.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Visitors Center Inc gives
- 36% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−7%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (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 $10K (2020) to $118K (2019). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $106K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Columbus Area Arts Council Columbus, IN | To further the tax exempt purpose of the organization | $16,000 |
| Bartholomew County Historical Society Columbus, IN | To further the tax exempt purpose of the organization | $13,500 |
| Yellow Trail Museum Hope, IN | To further the tax exempt purpose of the organization | $12,000 |
| Kidscommons Columbus, IN | To further the tax exempt purpose of the organization | $10,500 |
| Indiana Girls Wrestling LLC New Palestine, IN | To further the tax exempt purpose of the organization | $10,000 |
| Mill Race Theatre Company Columbus, IN | To further the tax exempt purpose of the organization | $9,000 |
| Office of Downtown Development Columbus, IN | To further the tax exempt purpose of the organization | $8,000 |
| Good Shepherd Radio Inc Columbus, IN | To further the tax exempt purpose of the organization | $7,000 |
| Columbus Indiana Philharmonic Columbus, IN | To further the tax exempt purpose of the organization | $7,000 |
| Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum Columbus, IN | To further the tax exempt purpose of the organization | $7,000 |
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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 | $4,101,868 | $1,908,393 | $1,873,048 | $106,000 | 11 | $116,877 |
| 2024 | $4,078,523 | $2,077,930 | $1,791,038 | $76,174 | 8 | $133,573 |
| 2023 | $3,756,245 | $1,819,678 | $1,517,012 | $107,000 | 7 | $34,239 |
| 2022 | $3,460,184 | $2,273,942 | $1,527,080 | $114,000 | 5 | $3,463 |
| 2021 | $2,698,097 | $1,743,696 | $1,222,519 | $20,000 | 1 | $2,425 |
| 2020 | $2,184,283 | $1,181,877 | $1,233,302 | $10,000 | 1 | $2,234 |
| 2019 | $2,243,178 | $1,796,702 | $1,736,025 | $117,500 | 6 | $7,916 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The organization funds programs and projects intended to bring visitors to Bartholomew County, improve quality of life in the county, and support its mission. Its 2025 grantees illustrate a range of supported work: the Columbus Area Arts Council says it fosters community interest in art and a vibrant arts culture; the Bartholomew County Historical Society says it preserves and shares local history; Kidscommons says it nurtures children’s exploration, collaboration, and creativity; the Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum says it preserves history and educates about military service; and Good Shepherd Radio says it provides Christian inspiration and education.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, Visitors Center Inc. reported 11 grants totaling $106,000. Grants ranged from $6,000 to $16,000, with a median of $9,000. Notable awards included $16,000 to Columbus Area Arts Council, $13,500 to Bartholomew County Historical Society, $12,000 to Yellow Trail Museum, $10,500 to Kidscommons, and $10,000 to Indiana Girls Wrestling LLC. The filing states that the grants furthered each recipient organization’s tax-exempt purpose.
The organization lists three grant programs: Event Support, Tourism Development, and Sports Event. Event Support and Tourism Development are for tax-exempt organizations in Bartholomew County; they support events, programs, and projects that meet the organization’s stated visitor, quality-of-life, and mission criteria. Sports Event support is for organizations hosting sporting events and considers whether an event generates year-round overnight visits, media exposure, or community quality-of-life benefits.
For Event Support and Tourism Development grants, requests are evaluated by the Tourism Development Committee, a subcommittee of the board. Those grants are funded through the county innkeeper’s tax, and all must fall within uses permitted under Indiana Code 6-9-18-1. Application and reporting templates are available for these programs. The Sports Event program provides assistance for qualifying sporting events.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists these board members: Amy Kaiser, Brittany Gray, Danielle Nickerson, Frank Griffin, C Jordan Hilber, Jake Miller, Jan Sprague, Jim Kreutzjans, Kiley Broad, and Melissa Jewell.
Visitors Center Inc is led by Misty Weisensteiner, Executive Director on every filing since 2023; 1 of 15 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Misty Weisensteiner
Executive Director
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$65K (2023) → $138K (2025)
Diane Robbins
President
Board Member → Vice President, 2022
Vice President → President, 2024
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Brian Payne
Secretary & Treasurer
Board Member → Secretary & Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
C. Jordan Hilber
Board Member
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jan Sprague
Board Member
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tyler Hodge
Board Member
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Amy Kaiser
Board Member
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jake Miller
Board Member
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Melissa Jewell
Board Member
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Pete King
Vice President
Board Member → Vice President, 2024
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Brittany Gray
Board Member
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jim Kreutzjans
Board Member
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Danielle Nickerson
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Frank Griffin
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kiley Broad
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (12)
- Former: Beth Booth Poor (2019–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Cindy Waddle (2019–2024) — Secretary & Treasurer
- Former: Justin Booth (2019–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Al Degner (2019–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Brenda Vogel (2019–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Jenny Kim (2019–2023) — President
- Former: Karen Niverson (2019–2022) — Executive Director -
- Former: Lisa Shafran (2019–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Lia Elliott (2019–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Michael Dean (2019–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Lynne Hyatt (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Amit Patel (2019) — Board Member
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 $138K, to Misty Weisensteiner (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about Visitors Center Inc
How much does Visitors Center Inc give each year?
Visitors Center Inc gave $106K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $76K across 8 grants.
What is Visitors Center Inc's typical grant size?
Visitors Center Inc's median grant in 2025 was $9,000, and its average grant was $9,636, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does Visitors Center Inc give grants?
Visitors Center Inc gives mostly in Indiana: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Columbus, IN (9 grants).
Who are Visitors Center Inc's largest grantees?
Visitors Center Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Columbus Area Arts Council ($16,000), Bartholomew County Historical Society ($13,500) and Yellow Trail Museum ($12,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 39% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Visitors Center Inc?
Visitors Center Inc reported $4.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $1.9M.
What does Visitors Center Inc fund?
The organization funds programs and projects intended to bring visitors to Bartholomew County, improve quality of life in the county, and support its mission. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Visitors Center Inc?
Visitors Center Inc has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Visitors Center Inc's EIN?
Visitors Center Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 35-1918822. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 20, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS July 6, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 23, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 22, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 27, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 13, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 7, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Live grants for the work Visitors Center Inc funds
Community Improvement & Capacity Building Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Visitors Center Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Visitors Center Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/visitors-center-inc-morg_c8b21d341d224412b93b81cae76f0403
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_351918822_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Visitors Center Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/visitors-center-inc-morg_c8b21d341d224412b93b81cae76f0403},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-18. 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 Visitors Center Inc'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.
Visitors Center Inc down — hundreds of funders to go?