Wipfli Foundation Inc
Wipfli Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Wausau, Wisconsin. Its programs support universities, community giving, and grantmaking to nonprofits, with the stated aim of creating a lasting, positive impact in the communities Wipfli serves.
Wipfli Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Wipfli Foundation Inc gave $477K across 75 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), top state Illinois. 44% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $476,600
- +83.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 75
- +47.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $6,355
- +24.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,000
- Total assets
- $2,239,558
- -1.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 44% first-time grantees (29 of 66, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (24% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Wipfli Foundation Inc
- How to Apply
-
The foundation’s filing states that applications should describe the activity or organization for which support is requested, the amount needed, other funding sources, and documented exempt status. It lists no restrictions on awards.
- Review Cycle
- None specified at this time.
- Deadline
- None specified at this time.
- Contact
Application contact: Durward Ferland
Mailing address: 10000 Innovation Dr Suite 250, Milwaukee, WI 53226
Phone: (414) 431-9303
Website: https://wipfli.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Wipfli Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Marquette College of Business Administration ($35K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $215K.
Organizations only. It also paid 4 grants to individuals ($11,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
342 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 341 grants of 342 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing shows grant dollars distributed across multiple states. The largest recipient-state shares were Illinois (24%), Wisconsin (16%), Colorado (8%), Minnesota (7%), and Pennsylvania (7%). The 2025 grant list also includes recipients in Connecticut and California.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 75 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Wipfli Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
44%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 29 of 66 grantees (44%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $5K. How we count
Medians: $6K first-time, $4K repeat.
- 53% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 36% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 342% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $99K (2021) to $477K (2025). In 2025 it made 75 grants totaling $477K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Cancer Wellness Center Northbrook, IL | General Funding | $25,000 |
| Center for Work Education and Employment Denver, CO | General Funding | $25,000 |
| Marquette College of Business Administration Carol Stream, IL | Wipfli Fellows Current Use Fund - Fellowship Program | $25,000 |
| Valley Packaging Industries Inc Appleton, WI | General Funding | $25,000 |
| Branford Food Pantry Branford, CT | General Funding | $20,000 |
| Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County Inc Chicago, IL | Stronger to Serve Innovation Award | $20,000 |
| Maya's Music Therapy Fund Berkeley, CA | FY25 Grant | $20,000 |
| Artistyear Philadelphia, PA | General Funding | $15,000 |
| Life House Inc Duluth, MN | General Funding | $15,000 |
| West Chester University Foundation West Chester, PA | West Chester Case Competition | $13,500 |
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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 | $2,239,558 | $413,138 | $502,142 | $476,600 | 75 | $476,600 | $72,437 | $139,340 |
| 2024 | $2,282,799 | $338,354 | $272,862 | $259,400 | 51 | $259,639 | $63,891 | $126,635 |
| 2023 | $2,217,307 | $1,151,126 | $202,234 | $195,855 | 78 | $195,855 | $35,389 | $76,550 |
| 2022 | $1,268,415 | $377,288 | $362,583 | $350,624 | 117 | $350,819 | $41,356 | $80,655 |
| 2021 | $1,253,710 | $565,032 | $105,291 | $99,132 | 21 | — | $133,595 | $57,699 |
| 2020 | $793,969 | $186,723 | $175,526 | $170,200 | 32 | — | $21,975 | $49,707 |
| 2019 | $782,772 | $217,807 | $164,184 | $157,536 | 24 | — | $41,804 | $47,404 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Wipfli Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $139K 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
The foundation describes its work as supporting Wipfli’s mission to create a lasting, positive impact. Its university support includes scholarships, textbooks, and occasional support for university capital campaigns and endowed professorships. It also offers scholarships connected to diversity, equity, and inclusion, including the Mary T. Wylie Scholarship for women in accounting and support for the National Association of Black Accountants leadership program. Its community support includes an associate charitable matching program.
The foundation’s external grantmaking program supports nonprofits and aims to make a positive impact in communities where Wipfli associates live and work. Its grants have included organizations with varied missions. For example, Cancer Wellness Center says it helps people touched by cancer find a way forward, while Valley Packaging Industries says it provides vocational and rehabilitation services to people with disabilities or who are disadvantaged. Maya’s Music Therapy Fund says it provides people with developmental disabilities access to music therapy; Life House says it works to reconnect homeless and street youth to their dreams; and ArtistYear describes its work as expanding arts opportunities through a resident teaching artist corps.
Grantmaking
The foundation’s 2025 filing lists 75 grants totaling $476,600. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $25,000, with a median of $3,000. Among the largest were $25,000 each to Cancer Wellness Center, Center for Work Education and Employment, Marquette College of Business Administration, and Valley Packaging Industries; and $20,000 each to Branford Food Pantry, Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County, and Maya’s Music Therapy Fund.
Separately, the foundation announced that its 2025 grant cycle awarded $110,000 to six nonprofits: Valley Packaging Industries, Cancer Wellness Center, Branford Food Pantry, Maya’s Music Therapy Fund, Center for Warriors Foundation, and Literacy Volunteers of Kennebec. Its first announced grant round, in 2024, awarded grants of $10,000 to $25,000 to six organizations.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Durward Ferland as president and director; Marypat Davitz as vice president and director; and Stephanie Cavadeas as secretary, treasurer, and director. It also lists Jessica Macklin, Shereen Mahoney, Audra Moncur, and Shelly Worrel as directors.
Wipfli Foundation Inc is led by Durward Ferland, President & Director on every filing since 2023; none of the 7 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Durward Ferland
President & Director
On filings since 2023
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Audra Moncur
Director
On filings since 2023
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jessica Macklin
Director
On filings since 2023
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Marypat Davitz
Vice President & Director
On filings since 2023
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Shelly Worrel
Director
On filings since 2023
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Stephanie Cavadeas
Secretary, Treasurer & Director
Treasurer & Director → Secretary, Treasurer & Director, 2025
On filings since 2023
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Shereen Mahoney
Director
On filings since 2024
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (6)
- Former: Ken Kortas (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: John Nihill (2019–2022) — Treasurer & Director
- Former: Jessica Schwantes (2022) — Vice President & Director
- Former: David Elyashar (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Jessica Macnaughton (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Darcy Reum (2019–2020) — Secretary & Director
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.
Frequently asked questions about Wipfli Foundation Inc
How much does Wipfli Foundation Inc give each year?
Wipfli Foundation Inc gave $477K across 75 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $259K across 51 grants.
What is Wipfli Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Wipfli Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $3,000, and its average grant was $6,355, across 75 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Wipfli Foundation Inc that year got $10K on average.
Where does Wipfli Foundation Inc give grants?
Wipfli Foundation Inc's top state is Illinois, with 24% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Wisconsin (16%) and Colorado (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (4 grants), St. Louis, MO (4 grants), Minneapolis, MN (3 grants) and Carol Stream, IL (2 grants).
Does Wipfli Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 24% of Wipfli Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (18 of 75) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Accounting Scholarship" (4 grants) and "Spring 2025 DEI Champion Scholarship" (3 grants).
Who are Wipfli Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Wipfli Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Marquette College of Business Administration ($35,000 across 2 grants), Cancer Wellness Center ($25,000) and Center for Work Education and Employment ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 4 grants to individuals ($11,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 18% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Wipfli Foundation Inc?
Wipfli Foundation Inc reported $2.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $477K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $139K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Wipfli Foundation Inc fund?
The foundation describes its work as supporting Wipfli’s mission to create a lasting, positive impact. Its university support includes scholarships, textbooks, and occasional support for university capital campaigns and endowed professorships. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Wipfli Foundation Inc?
The foundation’s filing states that applications should describe the activity or organization for which support is requested, the amount needed, other funding sources, and documented exempt status. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Wipfli Foundation Inc's EIN?
Wipfli Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-2901635. 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.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 3, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 7, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS October 7, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 31, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 29, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 9, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 5, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Wipfli Foundation Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Wipfli Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/wipfli-foundation-inc-morg_92ea54653c89440c99380e26ece5b165
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_202901635_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Wipfli Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/wipfli-foundation-inc-morg_92ea54653c89440c99380e26ece5b165},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 Wipfli Foundation Inc'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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