Youth Foundation Inc
Youth Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It supports the welfare and development of children and young people through grants to organizations and college scholarships.
Youth Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Youth Foundation Inc gave $123K across 99 grants in 2025 (avg $1K), mostly in Wisconsin. 36% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $122,759
- +5.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 99
- -3.9% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $1,240
- +9.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $2,634,932
- +0.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 36% first-time grantees (31 of 86, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Wisconsin (100% 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 Youth Foundation Inc
- Review Cycle
- December 15, March 15, June 15, and September 15 for the respective grant cycles.
- Deadline
- December 15, March 15, June 15, and September 15 for the respective grant cycles.
- Contact
Application contact: Scott Bush
Mailing address: 11430 West North Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53226
Phone: (414) 778-4929
Website: https://youth-foundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Youth Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was La Causa Inc ($5K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $31K.
Organizations only. It also paid 6 individual scholarships ($6,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
480 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 480 grants of 480 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing reports that 100% of grant dollars went to recipients in Wisconsin and less than 1% to Illinois. The listed 2025 recipients include organizations in Milwaukee and other Wisconsin communities.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 99 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Youth Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
36%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 31 of 86 grantees (36%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $1K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $1K repeat.
- 48% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+0%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 123% 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 $87K (2019) to $123K (2025). In 2025 it made 99 grants totaling $123K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| La Causa Inc Milwaukee, WI | Social Services | $3,800 |
| Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha County Waukesha, WI | Social Services | $3,000 |
| Blessings in a Backpack Waukesha, WI | Social Services | $3,000 |
| Sharp Literacy Milwaukee, WI | Education | $2,881 |
| Girls Rock MKE Milwaukee, WI | ARTS | $2,500 |
| MKE Urban Stables Milwaukee, WI | Social Services | $2,500 |
| Variety - the Children's Charity of Wisconsin Elm Grove, WI | Social Services | $2,500 |
| The Salvation Army of Milwaukee County Wauwatosa, WI | Social Services | $2,500 |
| Future Urban Leaders Foundation Milwaukee, WI | Education | $2,500 |
| Chosen Inc of Wisconsin Waukesha, WI | Social Services | $2,000 |
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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 | $2,634,932 | $202,910 | $171,315 | $122,759 | 99 | $148,753 | $165,019 | $120,525 |
| 2024 | $2,615,988 | $170,868 | $166,335 | $116,556 | 103 | $144,262 | $128,061 | $113,619 |
| 2023 | $2,598,305 | $162,951 | $178,525 | $120,328 | 91 | $155,899 | $87,780 | $106,970 |
| 2022 | $2,629,338 | $25,160 | $183,657 | $122,273 | 101 | $160,875 | $28,111 | $114,066 |
| 2021 | $2,774,987 | $442,466 | $161,175 | $88,618 | 86 | $133,300 | $266,229 | $115,109 |
| 2020 | $2,493,356 | $180,247 | $131,594 | $93,119 | 80 | — | $72,545 | $3,492 |
| 2019 | $2,443,005 | $250,515 | $126,702 | $87,236 | 76 | — | $199,361 | $96,888 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Youth Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $121K 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 assist and promote the welfare and betterment of children and young people up to age 25, supporting their physical and intellectual development and character formation. Its website says Hadden Scholarships consider scholastic achievement, character, leadership, volunteerism, and financial need.
The 2025 grants included organizations with varied services for children and families. For example, La Causa describes its work as providing comprehensive services to children, youth, and families; Sharp Literacy says it partners with educators on experiential STEAM programs; and Variety – The Children’s Charity of Wisconsin describes its mission as enriching the lives of children with physical or developmental special needs and their families. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own work.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 99 grants totaling $122,759: 93 grants to exempt organizations and six college scholarships. The grants ranged from $300 to $3,800, with a median of $1,000.
Among the larger reported awards were $3,800 to La Causa Inc., $3,000 each to Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha County and Blessings in a Backpack, and $2,881 to Sharp Literacy. Other listed recipients included Girls Rock MKE and MKE Urban Stables, each receiving $2,500, and Future Urban Leaders Foundation, receiving $2,500.
The foundation states that it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Grant applicants must complete its application form and submit an IRS determination letter, current financial statements, the most recent audit, review, or compilation report, a project or program budget, and the names of the applicant’s directors or trustees. Awards are for one year and must meet the foundation’s stated mission criteria.
The Hadden Scholarship is a separate program for students. The website says the 2026 application cycle runs February 1 through May 15, 2026. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, high school seniors planning to attend a four-year accredited U.S. college or university, and have at least a 3.5 unweighted GPA on a 4.0 scale. The scholarship is up to $10,000 per scholar and may be renewed for up to four regular undergraduate years. The foundation prohibits displacement of institutional grants or aid.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Jean Daul as president, Susan Muller as vice president, Scott Bush as secretary, and Dave Kolesari as treasurer. It also lists Laura Steele as arts chair, Temeeka Mitchell as social services chair, Dr. Gail Zieman as education chair, Sheena Polachowski as fundraising chair, Debra Kay as arts director, and Paul Nikolic as director.
Youth Foundation Inc is led by Jean Daul, President since 2020 (on filings since 2019); none of the 12 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Jean Daul
President
Vice President → President, 2020
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gail Zieman
Education Chair
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sheena Polachowski
Fundraising Chair
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Laura Steele
Arts Chair
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Temeeka Mitchell
Social Services Chair
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Debra Kay
Arts Director
Arts Chair → Director, 2023
Director → Arts Director, 2024
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Paul Nikolic
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Art Schneider
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sue Derby
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Scott Bush
Secretary
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Susan Muller
Vice President
Fundraising Chair → Vice President, 2020
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Dave Kolesari
Treasurer
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (7)
- Former: Suzanne Head (2023) — Social Services Chair
- Former: Elizabeth Feustel (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Jill Meier (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Peter Stefaniak (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Lisa Eastman (2020–2022) — Social Services Chair
- Former: Lydia Heiden (2019–2020) — Treasurer
- Former: Dana Karow (2019) — President
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 Youth Foundation Inc
How much does Youth Foundation Inc give each year?
Youth Foundation Inc gave $123K across 99 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $117K across 103 grants.
What is Youth Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Youth Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $1,240, across 99 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Youth Foundation Inc that year got $1K on average.
Where does Youth Foundation Inc give grants?
Youth Foundation Inc gives mostly in Wisconsin: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Milwaukee, WI (61 grants), Waukesha, WI (9 grants), Wauwatosa, WI (7 grants) and West Allis, WI (3 grants).
Does Youth Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 99 grants with a stated purpose on Youth Foundation Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Education" (39 grants), "Social Services" (28 grants) and "Arts" (21 grants).
Who are Youth Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Youth Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include La Causa Inc ($4,600 across 2 grants), Sharp Literacy ($3,881 across 2 grants) and St Anthony School ($3,700 across 3 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 6 individual scholarships ($6,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 10% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Youth Foundation Inc?
Youth Foundation Inc reported $2.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $149K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $121K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Youth Foundation Inc fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to assist and promote the welfare and betterment of children and young people up to age 25, supporting their physical and intellectual development and character formation. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Youth Foundation Inc?
Youth Foundation Inc has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check youth-foundation.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Youth Foundation Inc's EIN?
Youth Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 39-0945311. 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 April 8, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 19, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 6, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 19, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 7, 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
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Youth Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/youth-foundation-inc-morg_f34289e849da41318cd4f00e96dc2ce6
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_390945311_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Youth Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/youth-foundation-inc-morg_f34289e849da41318cd4f00e96dc2ce6},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 Youth 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.
Youth Foundation Inc down — hundreds of funders to go?