WR & Floy a Sauey Family Foundation
The W.R. & Floy A. Sauey Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Incorporated in January 1998, it describes itself as a private corporate foundation committed to communities where Nordic Group Member Companies operate; its original endowment came from W.R. and Floy A. Sauey, and Nordic Group Member Companies provide annual charitable contributions.
WR & Floy a Sauey Family Foundation at a glance
In short: WR & Floy a Sauey Family Foundation gave $332K across 38 grants in 2025 (avg $9K), mostly in Wisconsin. 59% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $332,150
- +22.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 38
- -2.6% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $8,741
- +25.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,850
- Total assets
- $6,110,082
- -1.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 59% first-time grantees (17 of 29, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Wisconsin (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. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to WR & Floy a Sauey Family Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation’s website provides a donation-request form. Scholarship applicants follow a multistep process and should contact Karen Riebs. The filing states that there are various deadlines throughout the process but does not specify dates.
- Contact
Application contact: Karen Riebs
Mailing address: C/O Nordic Group 715 Lynn Ave, Baraboo, WI 53913
Phone: (608) 356-2130
Website: https://saueyfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from WR & Floy a Sauey Family Foundation
Who WR & Floy a Sauey Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Reedsburg Public Library ($100K). Together the top 10 received $235K.
Organizations only. It also paid 5 individual scholarships ($12,500), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
175 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 170 grants of 175 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation says it focuses support near Nordic Group Member Company facilities. In 2025, 65% of grant dollars went to recipients in Wisconsin, 11% to Ohio, 9% to Kansas, 5% to Indiana, and 2% to South Carolina. Its 2025 grants also included a $3,850 award to the South Texas Food Bank in Texas.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 38 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is WR & Floy a Sauey Family Foundation open to new grantees?
59%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 17 of 29 grantees (59%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $12K; repeat grants $9K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $4K repeat.
- 21% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+6%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 96% 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.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $237K (2021) to $449K (2023). In 2025 it made 38 grants totaling $332K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Reedsburg Public Library Reedsburg, WI | Donation | $100,000 |
| Spring Hill Education Foundation Spring Hill, KS | Donation | $27,300 |
| Habitat for Humanity - Wisconsin River Area Baraboo, WI | Donation | $20,000 |
| Hope and Healing Survivor Resource Center Akron, OH | Donation | $20,000 |
| Baraboo Police Department Baraboo, WI | Donation | $18,500 |
| Beyond Blessed Food Pantry Baraboo, WI | Donation | $10,000 |
| Ravenwood Health Chardon, OH | Donation | $10,000 |
| Reedsburg Ambulance Reedsburg, WI | Donation | $10,000 |
| Symons Recreation Complex Richland Center, WI | Donation | $10,000 |
| Reedsburg Bar Buddies Reedsburg, WI | Donation | $9,500 |
Ready to take the next step with WR & Floy a Sauey Family 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 | $6,110,082 | $413,790 | $376,403 | $332,150 | 38 | $370,886 | $380,361 | $384,457 |
| 2024 | $6,198,363 | $1,919,660 | $329,803 | $271,597 | 39 | $308,473 | $302,853 | $327,391 |
| 2023 | $5,070,476 | $303,329 | $498,359 | $448,776 | 25 | $482,278 | $250,325 | $270,607 |
| 2022 | $5,475,587 | $517,398 | $360,541 | $314,597 | 40 | $314,597 | $181,033 | $275,319 |
| 2021 | $5,116,072 | $291,699 | $297,277 | $236,731 | 33 | $236,731 | $232,007 | $301,866 |
| 2020 | $5,035,773 | $86,570 | $335,371 | $293,914 | 39 | — | $97,696 | $262,896 |
| 2019 | $5,290,663 | $211,031 | $370,615 | $324,600 | 37 | — | $157,623 | $264,615 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, WR & Floy a Sauey Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $384K 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’s stated mission is to encourage the Sauey descendants and Nordic Group Member Companies to make constructive contributions to local communities. Its stated focus includes promoting participation in the free-enterprise and free-market system near Nordic Group company facilities, providing scholarships, and supporting local charities that promote quality of life, particularly through work on child and family issues.
The foundation’s supported-charities listing includes local community organizations, youth programs, food resources, schools and colleges, healthcare organizations, and shelters and support services. Examples of grantees’ stated work include the South Texas Food Bank’s distribution of donated food to people in need and the Bartholomew County Historical Society’s work to preserve and share local history.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 38 grants totaling $332,150. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $100,000, with a median grant of $3,850. The largest reported awards included $100,000 to Reedsburg Public Library, $27,300 to Spring Hill Education Foundation, $20,000 each to Habitat for Humanity – Wisconsin River Area and Hope and Healing Survivor Resource Center, and $18,500 to Baraboo Police Department. All were listed with the purpose “donation.”
The foundation’s website describes annual scholarships for children of Nordic Group Member Company associates. These include college, music and performing arts, technical school, and Hillsdale College scholarships, as well as public education scholarships in Saltillo, Mexico. The filing’s scholarship instructions call for a general application, official high school and/or college transcripts, recommendations from a teacher and a community member, and a typed response to an essay question at a local Nordic Group facility. Scholarship applicants must be children or legal guardians of Nordic Group of Companies associates, under 25, and seeking their first degree after high school. The selection process emphasizes business and technical degrees but has selected students in all fields.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Gretchen Churkey as president, Garrett Sauey as secretary, and Karen Riebs as treasurer. Directors listed are Alison Martin, Sonja Stauffacher, Ann Deitrich, and Shelly Eisen.
WR & Floy a Sauey Family Foundation is led by Gretchen Churkey, President on every filing since 2022; none of the 7 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Gretchen Churkey
President
On filings since 2022
6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Alison Martin
Director
President → Director, 2022
On filings since 2019
6 hrs/week
$14K (2019) → $0 (2025)
Sonja Stauffacher
Director
On filings since 2019
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ann Deitrich
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Shelly Eisen
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Karen Riebs
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Garrett Sauey
Secretary
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Charles Frank (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Kari Pemberton (2019–2021) — Secretary
- Former: William R. Sauey (2019) — 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.
Compensation Overview
From 2021 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2021 filing was $20K, to Alison Martin (President).
Frequently asked questions about WR & Floy a Sauey Family Foundation
How much does WR & Floy a Sauey Family Foundation give each year?
WR & Floy a Sauey Family Foundation gave $332K across 38 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $272K across 39 grants.
What is WR & Floy a Sauey Family Foundation's typical grant size?
WR & Floy a Sauey Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $3,850, and its average grant was $8,741, across 38 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from WR & Floy a Sauey Family Foundation that year got $12K on average.
Where does WR & Floy a Sauey Family Foundation give grants?
WR & Floy a Sauey Family Foundation gives mostly in Wisconsin: 65% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Ohio (11%) and Kansas (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Reedsburg, WI (6 grants), Baraboo, WI (5 grants), Columbus, IN (4 grants) and Spring Hill, KS (2 grants).
Does WR & Floy a Sauey Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 38 grants with a stated purpose on WR & Floy a Sauey Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Donation" (28 grants) and "Scholarship" (10 grants).
Who are WR & Floy a Sauey Family Foundation's largest grantees?
WR & Floy a Sauey Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Reedsburg Public Library ($100,000), Spring Hill Education Foundation ($27,300) and Habitat for Humanity - Wisconsin River Area ($20,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 5 individual scholarships ($12,500), which are not listed by name. Together they received 44% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is WR & Floy a Sauey Family Foundation?
WR & Floy a Sauey Family Foundation reported $6.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $371K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $384K (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 WR & Floy a Sauey Family Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to encourage the Sauey descendants and Nordic Group Member Companies to make constructive contributions to local communities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from WR & Floy a Sauey Family Foundation?
The foundation’s website provides a donation-request form. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is WR & Floy a Sauey Family Foundation's EIN?
WR & Floy a Sauey Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 39-1934775. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 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 September 2, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 14, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 11, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 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 May 13, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Explore Open Grants
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). WR & Floy a Sauey Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 6, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/wr-and-floy-a-sauey-family-foundation-morg_21bbe098cdca47f6b97440eceeac53dd
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_391934775_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{WR \& Floy a Sauey Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/wr-and-floy-a-sauey-family-foundation-morg_21bbe098cdca47f6b97440eceeac53dd},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-06. 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 WR & Floy a Sauey 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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