Watts Family Foundation
The Watts Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Rochester, Minnesota. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, with the largest listed grants designated for general support.
Watts Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Watts Family Foundation gave $90K across 24 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), mostly in Minnesota. 13% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $90,100
- +5.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 24
- +9.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,754
- -3.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,225
- Total assets
- $985,086
- +11.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 13% first-time grantees (3 of 24, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Minnesota (68% 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 Watts Family 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.
- Contact
Mailing address: 3641 44Th Avenue Nw, Rochester, MN 55901
Phone: (507) 285-9877
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Watts Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Christ Community Church ($12K). Together the top 10 received $77K.
Grant Size Distribution
92 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 91 grants of 92 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 68% of grant dollars went to recipients in Minnesota, 13% to Missouri, 9% to Florida, 4% to Colorado, and 2% to Ohio.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 24 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Watts Family Foundation open to new grantees?
13%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 24 grantees (13%) were first-time recipients. With only 24 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $4K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $1K repeat.
- 67% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 41% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 200% 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 $64K (2022) to $119K (2021). In 2025 it made 24 grants totaling $90K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Christ Community Church Rochester, MN | General Support | $11,575 |
| Possabilities Rochester, MN | General Support | $11,000 |
| Fellowship of Christian Athletes Kansas City, MO | General Support | $10,900 |
| MN Adult & Teen Challenge Rochester, MN | General Support | $10,800 |
| Read Ministries St Cloud, MN | General Support | $10,000 |
| Campus Crusade for Christ Orlando, FL | General Support | $8,160 |
| Steiger International Minneapolis, MN | General Support | $5,000 |
| American Helper Apple Valley, MN | General Support | $3,600 |
| Ironwood Springs Christian Ranch Stewartville, MN | General Support | $3,500 |
| Christian Missionary Alliance Reynoldsburg, OH | General Support | $2,000 |
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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 | $985,086 | $157,699 | $101,318 | $90,100 | 24 | $90,100 | $67,481 | $45,083 |
| 2024 | $883,779 | $75,672 | $94,125 | $85,521 | 22 | $85,521 | $67,068 | $42,615 |
| 2023 | $884,645 | $82,885 | $91,337 | $81,697 | 19 | $81,697 | $13,745 | $41,463 |
| 2022 | $806,891 | $57,997 | $74,451 | $63,930 | 17 | $63,930 | $38,515 | $43,880 |
| 2021 | $996,751 | $111,548 | $129,052 | $119,020 | 10 | $119,020 | $66,516 | $46,640 |
| 2020 | $938,819 | $59,657 | $72,605 | $64,720 | 15 | — | $39,772 | $44,552 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Watts Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $45K 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 mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grantees describe work including Christian ministry and outreach, equipping churches, camps, and support for people with disabilities. For example, Fellowship of Christian Athletes says its mission is to lead coaches and athletes into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and his church; READ Ministries says it equips the Eurasian church for effective ministry; and Bear Creek Services says it supports people with disabilities to live empowered lives.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 24 grants totaling $90,100. Grants ranged from $150 to $11,575, with a median of $1,225. Its largest grants included $11,575 to Christ Community Church, $11,000 to PossAbilities, $10,900 to Fellowship of Christian Athletes, $10,800 to MN Adult & Teen Challenge, and $10,000 to READ Ministries. Each was listed for general support.
Other reported 2025 grants included $8,160 to Campus Crusade for Christ, $5,000 to Steiger International, $3,600 to American Helper, $3,500 to Ironwood Springs Christian Ranch, $2,000 to Christian Missionary Alliance, $2,000 to Southwest Community Church, and $1,250 to Live Dead. Among other recipients, Friends of the Great Commission received $1,200; it describes its work as providing administrative and compliance services to agents conducting ministry work.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Julie Watts as president and Allan Watts as vice president.
Watts Family Foundation is led by Julie Watts, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Julie Watts
President
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Allan Watts
Vice President
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
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 Watts Family Foundation
How much does Watts Family Foundation give each year?
Watts Family Foundation gave $90K across 24 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $86K across 22 grants.
What is Watts Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Watts Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,225, and its average grant was $3,754, across 24 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Watts Family Foundation that year got $1K on average.
Where does Watts Family Foundation give grants?
Watts Family Foundation gives mostly in Minnesota: 68% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Missouri (13%) and Florida (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Rochester, MN (7 grants), Colorado Springs, CO (3 grants) and Minneapolis, MN (2 grants).
Does Watts Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Watts Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (24 of 24) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Watts Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Watts Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Christ Community Church ($11,575), Possabilities ($11,000) and Fellowship of Christian Athletes ($10,900), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 37% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Watts Family Foundation?
Watts Family Foundation reported $985K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $90K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $45K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Watts Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grantees describe work including Christian ministry and outreach, equipping churches, camps, and support for people with disabilities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Watts Family 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 Watts Family Foundation's EIN?
Watts Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 71-0882769. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Watts Family 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
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS September 23, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 12, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 11, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS September 10, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 15, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 30, 2026)
Live grants for the work Watts Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Watts Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Watts Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/watts-family-foundation-morg_d7c0732fbfb14296a6c95035ad62e865
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_710882769_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Watts Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/watts-family-foundation-morg_d7c0732fbfb14296a6c95035ad62e865},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 Watts Family 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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