WMN Foundation
WMN Foundation is a private foundation based in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Its 2025 filing reports 27 grants totaling $480,788, with most grant dollars going to Minnesota recipients.
WMN Foundation at a glance
In short: WMN Foundation gave $481K across 27 grants in 2025 (avg $18K), mostly in Minnesota. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $480,788
- +12.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 27
- +28.6% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $17,807
- -12.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $1,921,583
- +33.5% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Minnesota (83% 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 WMN Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 701 Carlson Pkwy Ste 1250, Minnetonka, MN 55305
Phone: (952) 404-5636
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who WMN Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Guthrie Theater ($285K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $434K.
Grant Size Distribution
121 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 117 grants of 121 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 83% of grant dollars went to Minnesota recipients. Other reported recipient-state shares were Illinois, 6%; New York, 4%; Colorado, 2%; and Massachusetts, 2%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 27 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How WMN Foundation gives
- 60% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 411% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 638% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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 $11K (2020) to $481K (2025). In 2025 it made 27 grants totaling $481K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Guthrie Theater Minneapolis, MN | Illuminate Campaign | $250,074 |
| Guthrie Theater Minneapolis, MN | General Operating Support | $35,023 |
| Northwestern University Evanston, IL | Honorarium gift for President Morton Shapiro | $29,505 |
| Minnesota Public Radio Saint Paul, MN | Glen Nelson Center | $24,461 |
| Allina Health Foundation Minneapolis, MN | Center for Mental Health and Addiction | $21,761 |
| Breck School Golden Valley, MN | General Operations (Annual Gift) | $20,201 |
| Alia Saint Paul, MN | General Operating Support | $13,000 |
| Colorado College Colorado Springs, CO | General Operating Support | $10,101 |
| Family Equality New York, NY | General Operating Support | $10,069 |
| Harvard University Cambridge, MA | Friends of Harvard Lacrosse | $10,039 |
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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 | $1,921,583 | $917,920 | $483,123 | $480,788 | 27 | $480,813 | $162,318 | $75,326 |
| 2024 | $1,439,187 | $432,025 | $437,311 | $426,568 | 21 | $435,829 | $32,111 | $61,127 |
| 2023 | $1,262,823 | $274,640 | $481,540 | $480,525 | 20 | $480,550 | $23,698 | $58,236 |
| 2022 | $1,276,659 | $247,972 | $101,785 | $94,100 | 23 | $100,669 | $23,737 | $64,438 |
| 2021 | $1,380,599 | $483,941 | $183,846 | $176,879 | 30 | $182,839 | $30,909 | $61,924 |
| 2020 | $960,098 | $12,637 | $27,045 | $11,000 | 3 | — | $12,333 | $42,069 |
| 2019 | $886,066 | $891,508 | $339,749 | $332,684 | 31 | — | $390,101 | $34,885 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, WMN Foundation reported a distributable amount of $75K 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 available filing information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants went to organizations with varied activities. For example, Minnesota Public Radio describes its mission as creating the future of public media by amplifying voices to inform, include, and inspire. Allina Health Foundation says it raises philanthropic support to advance Allina Health’s care mission. Breck School describes its work as creating confident learners who lead lives of intellectual curiosity, self-knowledge, and social responsibility. These are the grantees’ descriptions, not stated priorities of the foundation.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation gave 27 grants totaling $480,788. Grant amounts ranged from $132 to $250,074, with a median grant of $5,000.
The largest reported grants included $250,074 to Guthrie Theater for its Illuminate Campaign and $35,023 to Guthrie Theater for general operating support; $29,505 to Northwestern University for an honorarium gift for President Morton Shapiro; $24,461 to Minnesota Public Radio for the Glen Nelson Center; and $21,761 to Allina Health Foundation for its Center for Mental Health and Addiction.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Diana Nelson as trustee and treasurer, Wendy M Nelson as trustee and president, and C David Nelson as trustee and secretary.
WMN Foundation is led by Wendy M. Nelson, Trustee & President on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Wendy M. Nelson
Trustee & President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
C. David Nelson
Trustee & Secretary
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Diana Nelson
Trustee & Treasurer
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
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 WMN Foundation
How much does WMN Foundation give each year?
WMN Foundation gave $481K across 27 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $427K across 21 grants.
What is WMN Foundation's typical grant size?
WMN Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $17,807, across 27 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does WMN Foundation give grants?
WMN Foundation gives mostly in Minnesota: 83% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Illinois (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Minneapolis, MN (11 grants), Saint Paul, MN (4 grants), Evanston, IL (2 grants) and New York, NY (2 grants).
Does WMN Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 59% of WMN Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (16 of 27) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are WMN Foundation's largest grantees?
WMN Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Guthrie Theater ($285,097 across 2 grants), Northwestern University ($29,637 across 2 grants) and Minnesota Public Radio ($24,461), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 71% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is WMN Foundation?
WMN Foundation reported $1.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $481K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $75K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does WMN Foundation fund?
The available filing information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants went to organizations with varied activities. For example, Minnesota Public Radio describes its mission as creating the future of public media by amplifying voices to inform, include, and inspire. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from WMN Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is WMN Foundation's EIN?
WMN Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-4850609. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does WMN 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
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 15, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in WMN Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). WMN Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/wmn-foundation-morg_60d5553575ed406d8c6cef6768636f7f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_204850609_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{WMN Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/wmn-foundation-morg_60d5553575ed406d8c6cef6768636f7f},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 WMN 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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