Water Quality Research Foundation
Education & research
Key facts about Water Quality Research Foundation
In short: Water Quality Research Foundation gave $47K across 2 grants in 2025 (avg $23K), mostly in Illinois. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 23-7063420
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $46,999
- Grants made (2025)
- 2
- Average grant
- $23,500
- Median grant
- $23,500
- Total assets
- $5,551,259
- Primary geography
- Illinois (74% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990 · View filing
Total Assets
$5.6M
+2.3% YoY
Annual Giving
$47K
-74.8% YoY
Grant Count
2
-60.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$23K
-37.1% YoY
How Water Quality Research Foundation gives
- Giving fell 50% from 2022 to 2025. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990 filings. Methodology.
About Water Quality Research Foundation
Based on IRS filings
Water Quality Research Foundation is a public charity focused on Environment & Animals, based in Lisle, IL. IRS filing data is available from 2020 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $5.6M in total assets. In 2025, it awarded 2 grants totaling $47K. Net investment income was $189K.
Focus Areas
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 2 itemized grants.
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $47K (2025) to $217K (2021). In 2025 it made 2 grants totaling $47K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 2 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Purdue University ($35K). Together the top 2 received $47K.
Grant Size Distribution
19 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 14 grants of 19 (74%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Purdue University Chicago, IL | Pfas Filter Study | $35,000 |
| Desert Research Institute Reno, NV | Reducing Contaminations in Drinking Water Study | $11,999 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $5,551,259 | $5,428,701 | $5,545,192 |
| Revenue | $369,501 | $293,747 | $847,145 |
| Expenses | $301,916 | $461,597 | $438,458 |
| Net Investment Income | $189,159 | $102,987 | $66,489 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS June 1, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS August 22, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS July 10, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS July 9, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS August 5, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 21, 2026)
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Water Quality Research Foundation is led by Laura Undesser, CEO since 2024 (on filings since 2020); none of the 12 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Laura Undesser
CEO
Executive Director → CEO, 2024
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Bret P. Tangley
President
Secretary & Treasurer → Vice President, 2022
Vice President → President, 2023
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Doug Anderson
Director
On filings since 2022
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Larry Gottlieb
Director
On filings since 2023
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Chris Wilker
Director
On filings since 2024
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Deepak Rao
Director
On filings since 2024
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Robert Maisner
Director
On filings since 2024
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Judd Larned
Director
New on the 2025 filing
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Shannon Murphy
Director
New on the 2025 filing
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Donald K. McGhee
Secretary & Treasurer
Director → Secretary & Treasurer, 2023
On filings since 2022
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kyle Jones
CFO
On filings since 2024
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sam Karge
Vice President
New on the 2025 filing
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (12)
- Former: Richard A. Mest (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Douglas S. Karge (2022–2024) — Vice President
- Former: J. Christopher Layton (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: James W. Wakem (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Denise Urbans (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Toby Thomas (2022) — Director
- Former: Edward P. Jones (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Rebecca Tallon (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Stephen Ver Strat (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Dj Shannahan (2021) — Director
- Former: James Baker (2020) — Director
- Former: Scott Freeman (2020) — CFO
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.
Frequently asked questions about Water Quality Research Foundation
How much does Water Quality Research Foundation give each year?
Water Quality Research Foundation gave $47K across 2 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $187K across 5 grants.
How large is Water Quality Research Foundation?
Water Quality Research Foundation reported $5.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $370K.
What is Water Quality Research Foundation?
Water Quality Research Foundation is a public charity focused on Environment & Animals, based in Lisle, IL. It holds $5.6M in total assets as of 2025.
Where does Water Quality Research Foundation operate?
Water Quality Research Foundation has awarded grants in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Nevada, Virginia, Wisconsin.
What is Water Quality Research Foundation's EIN?
Water Quality Research Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 23-7063420. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings.
Here's the math on researching Water Quality Research Foundation by hand.
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