Wittern Family Charitable Foundation
The Wittern Family Charitable Foundation is a private foundation based in Clive, Iowa. Its 2025 filing reports grants to scholarship programs, educational and community organizations, and charitable organizations, with recipients in several states.
Wittern Family Charitable Foundation at a glance
In short: Wittern Family Charitable Foundation gave $77K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $8K), mostly in Maine. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $77,400
- -63.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- -69.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $7,740
- +20.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,700
- Total assets
- $3,272,253
- +11.0% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Maine (65% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Wittern Family Charitable 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 for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 8040 University Blvd, Des Moines, IA 50325
Phone: (515) 274-3641
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Wittern Family Charitable Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 9 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Mayo Clinic ($50K). Together the top 9 received $76K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($1,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
111 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 109 grants of 111 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, grant dollars went to recipients in Maine (65%), Iowa (16%), Colorado (13%), South Dakota (5%), and New York (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Wittern Family Charitable Foundation gives
- Giving fell 28% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 52% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $77K (2025) to $211K (2024). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $77K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Mayo Clinic Rochester, ME | Medical Education Scholarships | $50,000 |
| Integrated Community Steamboat Springs, CO | Our mission is to proactively promote and support successful integration of immigrant and local community members in northwest Colorado through education, intercultural exchange, and collaboration to build a more united community where its members can communicate, participate and contribute | $5,000 |
| Northwest Rocky Mountain CASA Steamboat Springs, CO | The mission of northwest rocky mountain casa is to inspire, educate and empower community volunteers to advocate for the best interests of abused, neglected and at-risk children to help ensure safety and permanency in their lives | $5,000 |
| Breanna B - Des Moines Area Community College Boulevard Ankeny, IA | Scholarship | $4,000 |
| Flandreau High School Flandreau, SD | Scholarship Fund | $4,000 |
| West Des Moines Historical Society West Des Moines, IA | Maintain historical information on the underground railroad and one room school houses | $3,400 |
| Anthony W - Iowa State University Ames, IA | Scholarship | $2,000 |
| Victor M H - Kirkwood Community College Cedar Rapids, IA | Scholarship | $2,000 |
| 1 individual scholarship Recipients not named | — | $1,000 |
| Smile Train New York, NY | Smile train aims to ensure that every person has access to safe, quality cleft care | $1,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Wittern Family Charitable 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $3,272,253 | $403,935 | $80,499 | $77,400 | 10 | $77,400 | $371,880 | $149,987 |
| 2024 | $2,949,197 | $482,422 | $211,962 | $211,400 | 33 | $211,400 | $358,415 | $124,853 |
| 2023 | $2,679,047 | $218,257 | $129,570 | $110,700 | 18 | $110,700 | $117,340 | $112,101 |
| 2022 | $2,597,822 | $808,936 | $119,562 | $107,100 | 31 | $107,100 | $758,395 | $110,916 |
| 2021 | $1,908,450 | $107,695 | $119,274 | $106,000 | 19 | — | $95,198 | $105,543 |
| 2020 | $1,920,029 | $93,879 | $118,306 | $104,400 | 27 | — | $54,430 | $105,349 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Wittern Family Charitable Foundation reported a distributable amount of $150K 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 grants included scholarships and support for organizations working in education, community integration, child advocacy, local history, and cleft care. For example, Integrated Community describes its work as supporting immigrant families’ linguistic and cultural integration; Northwest Rocky Mountain CASA says it empowers volunteers to advocate for children who have experienced abuse, neglect, or risk; and the West Des Moines Historical Society describes its work as education and preservation of local history. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own missions.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 10 grants totaling $77,400. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $50,000, with a median of $3,700. The largest listed award was $50,000 to Mayo Clinic for medical education scholarships. Other notable awards included $5,000 each to Integrated Community and Northwest Rocky Mountain CASA, and $4,000 each for a scholarship to Breanna B at Des Moines Area Community College and to Flandreau High School’s scholarship fund.
Other 2025 recipients included the West Des Moines Historical Society ($3,400), East High School Alumni Foundation ($1,000), and Smile Train ($1,000). The East High School Alumni Foundation says its program provides scholarships to an individual recipient graduates pursuing further education.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Heidi Chico as president and secretary, and FA Wittern III as vice president and treasurer.
Wittern Family Charitable Foundation is led by Heidi Chico, President & Secretary since 2022 (on filings since 2020); none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Heidi Chico
President & Secretary
President → President & Secretary, 2022
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Fa Wittern III
Vice President & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Deborah Dougherty (2020–2021) — Secretary
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 Wittern Family Charitable Foundation
How much does Wittern Family Charitable Foundation give each year?
Wittern Family Charitable Foundation gave $77K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $211K across 33 grants.
What is Wittern Family Charitable Foundation's typical grant size?
Wittern Family Charitable Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $3,700, and its average grant was $7,740, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Wittern Family Charitable Foundation give grants?
Wittern Family Charitable Foundation gives mostly in Maine: 65% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Iowa (16%) and Colorado (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were Steamboat Springs, CO (2 grants).
Does Wittern Family Charitable Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 10 grants with a stated purpose on Wittern Family Charitable Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Scholarship" (3 grants).
Who are Wittern Family Charitable Foundation's largest grantees?
Wittern Family Charitable Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Mayo Clinic ($50,000), Integrated Community ($5,000) and Northwest Rocky Mountain CASA ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($1,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 78% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Wittern Family Charitable Foundation?
Wittern Family Charitable Foundation reported $3.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $77K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $150K (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 Wittern Family Charitable Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included scholarships and support for organizations working in education, community integration, child advocacy, local history, and cleft care. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Wittern Family Charitable Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Wittern Family Charitable Foundation's EIN?
Wittern Family Charitable Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 42-1114774. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Wittern Family Charitable 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS August 17, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS August 13, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 6, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS June 27, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 13, 2026)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS June 27, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Wittern Family Charitable Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/wittern-family-charitable-foundation-morg_4eba18043d6b46808bff826983ccdc99
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_421114774_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Wittern Family Charitable Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/wittern-family-charitable-foundation-morg_4eba18043d6b46808bff826983ccdc99},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Wittern Family Charitable 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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