Welk Family Foundation
The Welk Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Aberdeen, South Dakota. It supports organizations through grants, with 2025 awards going primarily to recipients in South Dakota.
Key facts about Welk Family Foundation
In short: Welk Family Foundation gave $194K across 28 grants in 2025 (avg $7K), mostly in South Dakota. 11% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 36-3579562
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $193,721
- Grants made (2025)
- 28
- Average grant
- $6,919
- Median grant
- $1,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 11% first-time grantees (3 of 28, 2025)
- Total assets
- $2,835,735
- Primary geography
- South Dakota (90% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- How to apply
- Contact Dacotah Bank for application forms. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$2.8M
+5.0% YoY
Annual Giving
$194K
+3.0% YoY
Grant Count
28
-22.2% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$7K
+32.4% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Welk Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $226K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is Welk Family Foundation open to new grantees?
11%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 28 grantees (11%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $8K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $1K repeat.
- 82% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−3%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 97% 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 (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants show support for organizations working in areas including health care, education, emergency response, transportation, religious services, and community facilities.
Coteau Des Prairies Hospital, which received $50,000 in 2025, describes its mission as providing “quality care with a personal touch, close to home.” Community Transit Inc, which received $2,500, describes its mission as providing transportation for “the elderly, disabled, youth and the public.”
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation awarded 28 grants totaling $193,721. Grants ranged from $500 to $53,000, with a median grant of $1,000. Recent annual giving was $188,118 across 36 grants in 2024 and $179,749 across 29 grants in 2023.
Among the largest 2025 awards were $53,000 to Tekakwitha Living Center for resident-room flooring and related improvements, and $50,000 to Coteau Des Prairies Hospital for work on patient-care-room bathrooms, cabinetry, and furnishings. Other notable grants included $19,000 to Sisseton School District 54-2 for academic or vocational/technical scholarships, and $15,000 each to Emmanuel United Church of Christ, Roberts County Rescue Inc, and Sisseton Volunteer Fire Department for building improvements or portable radios.
How to Apply
Contact Dacotah Bank for application forms. The foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations, and its filing states that there are no restrictions on awards.
Ready to take the next step with Welk Family Foundation?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 90% of grant dollars went to recipients in South Dakota, 8% to North Dakota, and 2% to Minnesota. The listed 2025 grants include recipients in Sisseton and other South Dakota communities, as well as Hankinson, North Dakota.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 28 itemized grants.
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $170K (2020) to $199K (2022). In 2025 it made 28 grants totaling $194K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Tekakwitha Living Center ($53K). Together the top 10 received $177K.
Grant Size Distribution
152 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 143 grants of 152 (94%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Tekakwitha Living Center Sisseton, SD | Upgrades to residents room flooring. Finishes and handicapped accessibility and support of capital expense to maintain a comfortable living environment for residents. | $53,000 |
| Coteau Des Prairies Hospital Sisseton, SD | Replace bathrooms, cabinetry. and furnishing to the north wing patient care rooms. | $50,000 |
| Sisseton School District 54-2 Sisseton, SD | Ten general post-secondary academic and/or secondary vocational/technical scholarships. | $19,000 |
| Emmanuel United Church of Christ Hankinson, ND | HVAC maintenance - replace defective Geothermal Heat Pump Compressor. Handicap ramp decking and upgrade the signage at the front of the building. | $15,000 |
| Roberts County Rescue Inc Sisseton, SD | Purchase four handheld portable radios, used for communications on fire scenes. | $15,000 |
| Sisseton Volunteer Fire Department Sisseton, SD | Purchase four handheld portable radios, used for communications on fire scenes. | $15,000 |
| Greater Sisseton Initiative Inc Sisseton, SD | Gym renovation. | $4,000 |
| Community Transit Inc Sisseton, SD | Support for the rural transportation agency that is available for all residents in Northeast South Dakota | $2,500 |
| Sisseton Area Ministerial Association Sisseton, SD | Renovate and add space to our ministerial food pantry. | $2,000 |
| Sisseton Swimming Pool Sisseton, SD | Purchase of 10 thermoplastic coated commercial grade outdoor benches. | $1,100 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Grants | Grant total |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 28 | $193,721 |
| 2024 | 36 | $188,118 |
| 2023 | 29 | $179,749 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $2,835,735 | $2,700,109 | $2,656,699 |
| Revenue | $375,236 | $271,603 | $181,790 |
| Expenses | $239,610 | $228,193 | $220,204 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $219,678 | $211,904 | $203,165 |
| Net Investment Income | $360,115 | $256,875 | $167,011 |
| Distributable Amount | $226,091 | $221,507 | $209,534 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 10, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 30, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 27, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 2, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 25, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 18, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Dacotah Bank is listed as trustee.
Welk Family Foundation's only listed officer is Dacotah Bank, Trustee on every filing since 2019 (compensated).
Officers on the 2025 filing
Dacotah Bank
Trustee
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
$25K (2019) → $27K (2025)
Former officers (6)
- Former: June Helgeson (2019–2024) — Advisor
- Former: Kaye Cahill (2019–2024) — Advisor
- Former: Mark Pistorius (2019–2024) — Advisor
- Former: Pat Dady (2019–2024) — Advisor
- Former: Ross Hanson (2024) — Advisor
- Former: Royce Grimsrud (2019–2023) — Advisor
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 $27K, to Dacotah Bank (Trustee).
Contact
Application contact: Dacotah Bank
Mailing address: 308 S Main St, Aberdeen, SD 57401
Phone: (605) 225-5611
Frequently asked questions about Welk Family Foundation
How much does Welk Family Foundation give each year?
Welk Family Foundation gave $194K across 28 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $188K across 36 grants.
What is Welk Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Welk Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $6,919, across 28 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Welk Family Foundation that year got $1K on average.
Where does Welk Family Foundation give grants?
Welk Family Foundation gives mostly in South Dakota: 90% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was North Dakota (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Sisseton, SD (20 grants), Browns Valley, MN (4 grants) and New Effington, SD (3 grants).
Does Welk Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 11% of Welk Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (3 of 28) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Welk Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Welk Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Tekakwitha Living Center ($53,000), Coteau Des Prairies Hospital ($50,000) and Sisseton School District 54-2 ($19,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 63% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Welk Family Foundation?
Welk Family Foundation reported $2.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $220K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $226K (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 Welk Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants show support for organizations working in areas including health care, education, emergency response, transportation, religious services, and community facilities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Welk Family Foundation?
Contact Dacotah Bank for application forms. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Welk Family Foundation's EIN?
Welk Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-3579562. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Here's the math on researching Welk Family Foundation by hand.
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