Wallestad Foundation
The Wallestad Foundation is a private foundation based in Edina, Minnesota. Its 2024 filing says it gives primarily to Christian mission organizations, while reserving the right to support broader purposes allowed by its tax-exempt status.
Wallestad Foundation at a glance
In short: Wallestad Foundation gave $337K across 12 grants in 2024 (avg $28K), mostly in Georgia. 25% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $337,000
- -23.9% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 12
- -33.3% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $28,083
- +14.1% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $7,500
- Total assets
- $7,579,079
- +1.8% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 25% first-time grantees (3 of 12, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Georgia (59% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Wallestad Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The filing says to send a letter to Andrew Bennett at the Wallestad Foundation, with an IRS tax-exempt status letter, ministry budget, and ministry literature. The foundation’s stated restriction is that it gives primarily to Christian mission organizations but may give for broader purposes permitted by its tax-exempt status.
- Contact
Application contact: Andrew Bennett Wallestad Foundation
Mailing address: 7701 France Avenue S Suite 360, Edina, MN 55435
Phone: (612) 288-2292
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Wallestad Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was National Christian Foundation ($200K). Together the top 10 received $327K.
Grant Size Distribution
71 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 61 grants of 71 (86%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The filing reports that 2024 grant dollars went primarily to recipients in Georgia (59%) and Minnesota (25%), followed by Arizona (8%), Illinois (3%), and Texas (1%). The listed 2024 recipients also included organizations in Colorado and Tennessee.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Wallestad Foundation open to new grantees?
25%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 3 of 12 grantees (25%) were first-time recipients. With only 12 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $34K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 50% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving fell 21% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 75% 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 (2020–2024). 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 $315K (2022) to $443K (2023). In 2024 it made 12 grants totaling $337K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| National Christian Foundation Alpharetta, GA | General Purpose | $200,000 |
| Dream City Church Phoenix, AZ | General Purpose | $27,000 |
| Avail Academy Edina, MN | General Purpose | $25,000 |
| Hope Academy Edina, MN | General Purpose | $25,000 |
| City Vision Burnsville, MN | General Purpose | $20,000 |
| Unseen Wheaton, IL | General Purpose | $10,000 |
| Amplify Mission Network Edina, MN | General Purpose | $5,000 |
| Halftime Institute Irving, TX | General Purpose | $5,000 |
| New Life Family Services Richfield, MN | General Purpose | $5,000 |
| Young Life Foundation Colorado Springs, CO | General Purpose | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Wallestad 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $7,579,079 | $795,831 | $660,493 | $337,000 | 12 | $379,848 | $443,463 | $507,481 |
| 2023 | $7,443,741 | $886,804 | $669,175 | $443,000 | 18 | $484,958 | $707,299 | $456,584 |
| 2022 | $7,226,112 | $578,138 | $559,273 | $315,000 | 15 | $357,754 | $328,319 | $473,440 |
| 2021 | $7,645,247 | $742,274 | $566,205 | $426,600 | 14 | $543,657 | $671,108 | $412,515 |
| 2020 | $7,505,179 | $294,331 | $525,912 | $351,000 | 12 | — | $148,616 | $317,541 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Wallestad Foundation reported a distributable amount of $507K for 2024 — 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 filing describes its giving as primarily supporting Christian mission organizations. Its 2024 grants included Christian organizations, schools, family services, and a children’s research hospital; these examples describe the grantees, not a broader stated mission for the foundation.
Among its grantees, Hope Academy says it operates a K–12 school providing a classical Christian education in urban Minneapolis. City Vision describes itself as a Christian nonprofit that mobilizes, equips, and serves the Church. New Life Family Services describes itself as a faith-based medical clinic and social service agency focused primarily on pregnancy, parenting, and adoption support.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation awarded 12 grants totaling $337,000. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $200,000, with a median of $7,500. The largest grants included $200,000 to National Christian Foundation, $27,000 to Dream City Church, $25,000 each to Avail Academy and Hope Academy, and $20,000 to City Vision. The filing lists the purposes of these grants as “general purpose.”
National Christian Foundation says it accepts gifts, liquidates certain property, and grants proceeds to its affiliated foundation and other charities it supports. Other 2024 grantees describe work in areas including Christian education, ministry, family services, and pediatric disease research and treatment.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Andy Bennett as president and Jay L. Bennett, William Dunkley, and Andrew Giertsen as directors.
Wallestad Foundation is led by Andy Bennett, President on every filing since 2020; 1 of 4 officers listed in 2024 is compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Andy Bennett
President
On filings since 2020
7 hrs/week
$50K (2020) → $50K (2024)
Andrew Giertsen
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jay L. Bennett
Director
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
William Dunkley
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $50K, to Andy Bennett (President).
Frequently asked questions about Wallestad Foundation
How much does Wallestad Foundation give each year?
Wallestad Foundation gave $337K across 12 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $443K across 18 grants.
What is Wallestad Foundation's typical grant size?
Wallestad Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $7,500, and its average grant was $28,083, across 12 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Wallestad Foundation that year got $10K on average.
Where does Wallestad Foundation give grants?
Wallestad Foundation gives mostly in Georgia: 59% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Minnesota (25%) and Arizona (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Edina, MN (3 grants).
Does Wallestad Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Wallestad Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (12 of 12) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Wallestad Foundation's largest grantees?
Wallestad Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include National Christian Foundation ($200,000), Dream City Church ($27,000) and Avail Academy ($25,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 75% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Wallestad Foundation?
Wallestad Foundation reported $7.6M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $380K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $507K (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 Wallestad Foundation fund?
The foundation’s filing describes its giving as primarily supporting Christian mission organizations. Its 2024 grants included Christian organizations, schools, family services, and a children’s research hospital; these examples describe the grantees, not a broader stated mission for the foundation. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Wallestad Foundation?
The filing says to send a letter to Andrew Bennett at the Wallestad Foundation, with an IRS tax-exempt status letter, ministry budget, and ministry literature. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Wallestad Foundation's EIN?
Wallestad Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-3485265. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Wallestad Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/wallestad-foundation-morg_60120fd3626f478d9b181a6426d1d364
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_363485265_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Wallestad Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/wallestad-foundation-morg_60120fd3626f478d9b181a6426d1d364},
note = {Accessed 2026-11-02. 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 Wallestad 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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