W G Christianson Foundation
The W G Christianson Foundation is a private foundation based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 2025, it reported 38 grants totaling $645,000, with most grant dollars going to recipients in Minnesota.
W G Christianson Foundation at a glance
In short: W G Christianson Foundation gave $645K across 38 grants in 2025 (avg $17K), mostly in Minnesota. 37% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $645,000
- +20.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 38
- +18.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $16,974
- +1.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,500
- Total assets
- $7,905,833
- +1.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 37% first-time grantees (14 of 38, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Minnesota (80% 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 W G Christianson Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds; it states that contributions are made only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 730 Second Ave South 1400, Minneapolis, MN 55402-2416
Phone: (612) 752-1770
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who W G Christianson Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery ($80K). Together the top 10 received $515K.
Grant Size Distribution
152 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 129 grants of 152 (85%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 80% of grant dollars went to recipients in Minnesota. Other reported recipient-state shares were California (9%), Illinois (5%), Ohio (3%), and Alabama (2%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 38 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is W G Christianson Foundation open to new grantees?
37%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 14 of 38 grantees (37%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $23K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $18K repeat.
- 63% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 33% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 114% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $153K (2020) to $645K (2025). In 2025 it made 38 grants totaling $645K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery Minneapolis, MN | General Support | $80,000 |
| Hope Academy Inc Minneapolis, MN | General Support | $75,000 |
| Annuciation School of Church Minneapolis, MN | General Support | $75,000 |
| Montessori Center of MN St. Paul, MN | General Support | $60,000 |
| Jeremiah Program Minneapolis, MN | General Support | $50,000 |
| Abria Pregnancy Resources St. Paul, MN | General Support | $40,000 |
| Way to Grow Minneapolis, MN | General Support | $40,000 |
| Martha's Village & Kitchen Indio, CA | General Support | $35,000 |
| NPH USA Chicago, IL | General Support | $30,000 |
| Southwest Options for Women Eden Prairie, MN | General Support | $30,000 |
Ready to take the next step with W G Christianson 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 | $7,905,833 | $818,941 | $724,391 | $645,000 | 38 | $659,902 | $758,452 | $579,002 |
| 2024 | $7,813,158 | $1,068,062 | $625,004 | $536,000 | 32 | $545,023 | $1,005,764 | $556,839 |
| 2023 | $7,373,679 | $1,026,100 | $622,703 | $532,000 | 34 | $554,968 | $970,426 | $494,628 |
| 2022 | $7,000,722 | $334,593 | $578,434 | $486,000 | 32 | $508,951 | $279,289 | $517,879 |
| 2021 | $7,245,086 | $978,486 | $660,644 | $590,000 | 16 | $599,758 | $892,300 | $542,481 |
| 2020 | $6,925,299 | $563,802 | $236,946 | $152,500 | 27 | — | $199,389 | $455,601 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, W G Christianson Foundation reported a distributable amount of $579K 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
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grantees include organizations with varied charitable missions. For example, Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery says its mission is to end child abuse and neglect and create strong, healthy families. Jeremiah Program describes its work as disrupting poverty for single mothers and their children across two generations. Project for Pride in Living says it provides affordable housing, resident services, and career-readiness programs.
Other grantees describe work that includes education: Hope Academy says it operates a K–12 school in urban Minneapolis offering a classical Christian education. Way to Grow says it works with parents and communities to help children be born healthy, stay healthy, and be prepared for school.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave $645,000 through 38 grants. Awards ranged from $1,000 to $80,000, with a median grant of $1,500. The largest listed grants included $80,000 to Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery; $75,000 each to Hope Academy and Annunciation School of Church; $60,000 to Montessori Center of MN; and $50,000 to Jeremiah Program. These grants were reported for general support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Mary Herman as vice president and Julie Christianson and John Erhart as directors.
W G Christianson Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
John Erhart
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Julie Christianson
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mary Herman
Vice President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$315 (2020) → $0 (2025)
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 2021 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2021 filing was $1K, to Mary Herman (Vice President).
Frequently asked questions about W G Christianson Foundation
How much does W G Christianson Foundation give each year?
W G Christianson Foundation gave $645K across 38 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $536K across 32 grants.
What is W G Christianson Foundation's typical grant size?
W G Christianson Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,500, and its average grant was $16,974, across 38 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from W G Christianson Foundation that year got $6K on average.
Where does W G Christianson Foundation give grants?
W G Christianson Foundation gives mostly in Minnesota: 80% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was California (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Minneapolis, MN (9 grants), San Antonio, TX (3 grants), St. Paul, MN (2 grants) and Grand Junction, CO (2 grants).
Does W G Christianson Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of W G Christianson Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (38 of 38) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are W G Christianson Foundation's largest grantees?
W G Christianson Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery ($80,000), Hope Academy Inc ($75,000) and Annuciation School of Church ($75,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 36% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is W G Christianson Foundation?
W G Christianson Foundation reported $7.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $660K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $579K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does W G Christianson Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grantees include organizations with varied charitable missions. For example, Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery says its mission is to end child abuse and neglect and create strong, healthy families. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from W G Christianson Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds; it states that contributions are made only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is W G Christianson Foundation's EIN?
W G Christianson Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 41-1743109. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does W G Christianson 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 14, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 11, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 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 May 14, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). W G Christianson Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/w-g-christianson-foundation-morg_940ce86ba65e4475a08a7d9ac95daccc
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_411743109_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{W G Christianson Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/w-g-christianson-foundation-morg_940ce86ba65e4475a08a7d9ac95daccc},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 W G Christianson 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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