Foundations that fund organizations in Madison, Wisconsin
Worked out from where the grants went, not where the foundations sit.
Funding landscape for Madison nonprofits
1,334 private foundations gave $289M to Madison organizations in their latest filings; 42 of the 100 that say either way accept applications.
3,926 grants in total, with a typical foundation's median grant to Madison around $150K. 44 of these funders are based in Wisconsin; the rest give here from elsewhere.
- Foundations giving here
- 1,334
- Accept applications
- 42
- of 100 that state a policy
- Dollars to Madison
- $289M
- latest filings
- Grants
- 3,926
- Typical median grant
- $150K
- Based in WI
- 44%
- of funders listed
Funders, by dollars given to Madison organizations
| Foundation | Based in | Grants here | Dollars here | Median | Accepts applications | Typical purposes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tosa Foundation C/O Tashia Morgridge | Portola Valley, CA | 5 | $76M | $25M | Preselected only | Education; Art; Medical |
| The Roots and Wings Foundation Inc | Seattle, WA | 221 | $23M | $40K | Preselected only | Unrestricted grant; Foundation gathering honorarium; Site visit honorarium |
| Fund for Wisconsin Scholars Inc | Madison, WI | 2 | $20M | $9.8M | Preselected only | Stipends and need-based grants for higher education |
| People's Support Foundation Limited | Chicago, IL | 25 | $10M | $300K | Preselected only | For charitable, religious, scientific, literary, or educati… |
| The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation | Princeton, NJ | 9 | $10M | $500K | Yes | 79510 promoting equitable investment of the federal governm…; 81809 learning from transnational abortion law and policy g…; 82402 general operating support for the state innovation ex… |
| Gates Foundation | Seattle, WA | 6 | $6.2M | $790K | Yes | Research and learning opportunities; Postsecondary education; K-12 education |
| Pleasant T Rowland Foundation Inc | Brookfield, WI | 73 | $6.0M | $20K | Yes | Donation |
| Irving & Dorothy Levy Family Foundation | Madison, WI | 19 | $5.8M | $15K | Preselected only | Religious; Civic and community service; Educational research |
| Starry Night Charitable Foundation | Milwaukee, WI | 2 | $5.0M | $2.5M | Preselected only | Charitable, scientific, and educational purposes |
| The Oscar Rennebohm Foundation Inc | Madison, WI | 37 | $3.2M | $75K | Yes | Community; Health; Education |
| Otto Bremer Trust | St Paul, MN | 7 | $3.1M | $200K | Yes | Community responsive fund; Capital for new shelter; Food distribution |
| Irwin a and Robert D Goodman Foundation Inc | Madison, WI | 4 | $3.1M | $255K | Preselected only | Capital campaign; Nonprofit center |
| The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation | Palo Alto, CA | 2 | $3.1M | $1.6M | Preselected only | Support for scientific research on converting inconsistent…; Advancing the development of nuclear materials for fusion a… |
| Margaret a Cargill Foundation | Eden Prairie, MN | 6 | $2.9M | $428K | Preselected only | Support floodplain managers in tribal nations; Support for arts integration menomonie; Support for its program for shelter medicine and community… |
| The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation | Omaha, NE | 2 | $2.7M | $1.4M | Preselected only | Program support |
| Tiny Blue Dot Inc | West Hollywood, CA | 4 | $2.6M | $186K | Preselected only | Grant supports a Science of Perception Box study being cond…; Grant supports the final payment of a Science of Perception…; Grant to support work advancing Phase 3 clinical trials of… |
| Sub-Zero Group Foundation Inc C/O Sub-Zero Group Inc | Madison, WI | 22 | $2.5M | $20K | Yes | Unrestricted charitable grant; University avenue christmas lights |
| The Wallace Foundation | New York, NY | 1 | $2.3M | $2.3M | Preselected only | To study the work of districts participating in Wallace's E… |
| Trustage Foundation Inc | Madison, WI | 31 | $2.1M | $35K | Preselected only | Charitable |
| Henry J Predolin Foundation Inc | Madison, WI | 2 | $1.9M | $963K | Preselected only | For funding academic scholarships and educational facilitie…; For funding food and housing programs for indigent children |
| Michael & Susan Dell Foundation | Austin, TX | 2 | $1.9M | $933K | Yes | Connecting Multi-State Federal Data Standards through Ed-Fi…; Ed-Fi Expansion into Local California Education Agencies |
| Sheldon L and Pearl R Leibowitz Dale Leibowitz Legacy Foundation | Milwaukee, WI | 1 | $1.9M | $1.9M | Preselected only | General operations |
| The Jaket Foundation | Boston, MA | 2 | $1.8M | $875K | Preselected only | Support for school of business dei plan; Support for bucky's buddies program |
| Madison Gas and Electric Foundation Inc | Madison, WI | 173 | $1.7M | $2,500 | Yes | General support; Support high school interns; Support the community emergency fund |
| William T Evjue Charitable Trust | Madison, WI | 1 | $1.6M | $1.6M | Preselected only | To be used for grants to eligible organizations |
| Freedom Together Foundation | New York, NY | 3 | $1.6M | $500K | Preselected only | Building more high-road metros; Emerging poverty scholars program; General operating support |
| The Ford Foundation | New York, NY | 2 | $1.6M | $800K | Yes | General support and core support for institutional strength…; General support |
| Brand Family Foundation | Madison, WI | 6 | $1.5M | $53K | Preselected only | Memorials; Uw carbone cancer center; General donation2025 first tee cup |
| Susan Nicholas Fasciano Family Foundation Inc | Glenview, IL | 7 | $1.4M | $250K | Yes | General support; Uw wi nil fund for women's basketball.; Uw wi nil fund for men's basketball |
| Surgical Science Fdn | Eagan, MN | 1 | $1.3M | $1.3M | Preselected only | General operating |
| Duane & Dorothy Bluemke Foundation Ltd | Sturgeon Bay, WI | 2 | $1.3M | $652K | Yes | For education on public policy; For education |
| Wm Keck Foundation | Los Angeles, CA | 1 | $1.3M | $1.3M | Yes | To experimentally study nitrogen-fixing enzymes |
| The Simons Foundation Inc | New York, NY | 12 | $1.3M | $116K | Preselected only | Characterizing aging microglia and their ecosystem using mu…; Open notebook fellowship gift; Simons collaboration on extreme electrodynamics of compact… |
| The Brookhill Foundation | Milwaukee, WI | 5 | $1.3M | $216K | Preselected only | Organic vegetable apprenticeship program; Grassland 2.0 program; Organic collaborative 2.0 |
| The Joyce Foundation | Chicago, IL | 8 | $1.2M | $103K | Yes | Democracy; Journalism; Environment |
| Alfred P Sloan Foundation | New York, NY | 7 | $1.1M | $122K | Yes | To support the development, maintenance, and sustainability…; To develop a comprehensive, publicly available dataset and…; To perform selection experiments on chemical ecosystems tha… |
| Walton Family Foundation Inc | Bentonville, AR | 2 | $1.1M | $561K | Preselected only | To support a collaborative of states seeking to partner tog…; To expand the use of nutrient trading systems from point so… |
| John Templeton Foundation | West Conshohocken, PA | 4 | $1.0M | $247K | Yes | Science and theology entrepreneur incubator: increasing eng…; Higher pursuits 2.0 - enlarging the impact of the christian…; Civic science fellowship |
| Ifs Family Foundation Inc | Old Greenwich, CT | 1 | $1.0M | $1.0M | Yes | Education |
| Mae Philanthropies | Palo Alto, CA | 1 | $1.0M | $1.0M | Preselected only | Public education center of higher learning |
| Theodore W Batterman Family Foundation Inc | Milwaukee, WI | 6 | $980K | $96K | Preselected only | Mission support/greatest need; Mission support; Scholarships for fort atkinson students |
| Ricky Sandler Family Foundation C/O Eminence Partners | New York, NY | 1 | $975K | $975K | Preselected only | General support |
| The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation Inc | Milwaukee, WI | 9 | $940K | $100K | Yes | To support general operations; To support the Center for Research on the Wisconsin Economy; To support the 2024-2025 Bradley Graduate and Post-Graduate… |
| Daniel & Julie Hartung Charitable Foundation Inc | Fitchburg, WI | 17 | $862K | $20K | Preselected only | Charitable operations; Charitable operations and we build campaign; Odyssey project |
| The Duffield Family Foundation Dba Maddie's Fund | Pleasanton, CA | 2 | $857K | $429K | Yes | Maddie's clinical instructor; Feline h5n1 outbreak response |
| Jenni & Kyle Foundation Inc | Belleville, WI | 10 | $845K | $28K | Preselected only | Believe in our build campaign; Agrace memorial walk; Waisman center funding |
| The Antoineo'brien Family Foundation | Sarasota, FL | 3 | $825K | $120K | Preselected only | Program support |
| Herman and Gwen Shapiro Foundation | Madison, WI | 1 | $700K | $700K | Preselected only | To provide scholarships for students at the university of w… |
| Rath Foundation Inc | Janesville, WI | 2 | $695K | $348K | Yes | Education endowment; Support for development of independent colleges & universit… |
| Helen D Schulte Trust | Dallas, TX | 1 | $678K | $678K | Preselected only | Unrestricted general |
| Arie and Ida Crown Memorial | Chicago, IL | 6 | $675K | $100K | Yes | General operating |
| The Human Family Unity Foundation C/O Warady & Davis Llp | Deerfield, IL | 8 | $669K | $45K | Preselected only | Exempt purpose of organization |
| Daniel W Erdman Foundation Inc | Milwaukee, WI | 9 | $665K | $22K | Preselected only | General operating |
| Caerus Foundation Inc | Northbrook, IL | 8 | $650K | $65K | Preselected only | General Operating Support; Communications Activities; Public Policy Advocacy and Alternative Funding and Financin… |
| Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation | Irvine, CA | 3 | $635K | $150K | Yes | Research, general support & education |
| Clack Foundation Inc | Windsor, WI | 4 | $625K | $64K | Preselected only | The university of wisconsin foundation raises, invests and…; Assist with community and center-based employment, day serv…; To support the mission to promote functional independence a… |
| The McKnight Foundation | Minneapolis, MN | 4 | $625K | $150K | Yes | for general operating support; to increase collaboration and input in the statewide Climat… |
| The David and Lucile Packard Foundation | Los Altos, CA | 4 | $613K | $175K | Yes | Fellowships for Science and Engineering; Environment and Science |
| The Henry Luce Foundation Inc | New York, NY | 3 | $600K | $75K | Yes | Support for academic research and public education; Support for academic research; General Operating Support |
| Ge Healthcare Charitable Foundation | Chicago, IL | 1 | $600K | $600K | Preselected only | Radiology research |
| The Mehring Family Foundation | Madison, WI | 11 | $597K | $2,000 | Preselected only | Unrestricted charitable grant |
| The Lachman Family Foundation Inc | Purchase, NY | 1 | $550K | $550K | Preselected only | To provide educational scholarships for students |
| Powers-Wolfe Charitable Trust | Madison, WI | 7 | $538K | $10K | Preselected only | General purpose |
| John S and James L Knight Foundation | Miami, FL | 3 | $523K | $15K | Yes | To support the mission of alimenta la solidaridad to develo…; To support the mission of the university of wisconsin, scho…; To support the growth of the center for communication and c… |
| Berbeewalsh Foundation Inc C/O Fred G Broihahn Cpa | Middleton, WI | 6 | $509K | $33K | Preselected only | K9 cash and his related expenses; Animal health support - cat adoption and medical care; James g. berbee community fund |
| Willow Springs Charitable Trust Jenny B Stoddard Trustee | Mount Carroll, IL | 1 | $500K | $500K | Preselected only | General purpose |
| Marguerite Casey Foundation | Seattle, WA | 1 | $500K | $500K | Preselected only | General operating support |
| Alliant Energy Foundation Inc | Madison, WI | 123 | $491K | $500 | Yes | Matching gift; Volunteer grant grant; Riverland conservancy, southern wi bird alliance & operatio… |
| John J Frautschi Family Foundation Inc | Madison, WI | 65 | $485K | $2,000 | Preselected only | General |
| Kikkoman Foods Foundation Inc | Walworth, WI | 12 | $458K | $18K | Yes | 2025 financial support; 2025 general fund; Director's circle |
| Lau & Bea Christensen Charitable Foundat | Madison, WI | 7 | $456K | $20K | Preselected only | Donation; To support organization; To support center for black excellence and culture |
| Wallace H Coulter Trust | Sebastian, FL | 1 | $451K | $451K | Preselected only | General Support |
| Dan & Patti Rashke (tasc) Family Foundation Inc | Madison, WI | 18 | $439K | $25K | Preselected only | General operating support |
| Builders Vision Foundation | Chicago, IL | 2 | $425K | $213K | Preselected only | to support efforts to strengthen CAFO permitting in Wiscons…; to support a research project involving the scaling of agro… |
| Nimick Forbesway Foundation | Wilmington, DE | 11 | $421K | $31K | Preselected only | Youth Programming Support and Stabilization Program; CTM's Ensure the Future Campaign; Future Forward Endowment Campaign |
| Wm Collins Kohler Foundation Inc | Milwaukee, WI | 3 | $417K | $91K | Preselected only | General operating |
| Public Welfare Foundation Inc | Washington, DC | 3 | $400K | $125K | Yes | Support for restoring justice, building abundance; Support for wi statewide youth justice coalition; Support for wisconsin criminal justice reporting project ph… |
| Elmore & Alyce Kraemer Char Tr | Chicago, IL | 2 | $400K | $200K | Preselected only | Program support |
| Endres Manufacturing Foundation Inc | Madison, WI | 39 | $379K | $7,000 | Yes | General support for mission; Housing for disabled individuals; Family jail visits and education for children |
| Schlecht Family Foundation Inc | Waunakee, WI | 16 | $378K | $20K | Preselected only | To support operating activities; To support operating activities.; To support capacity building. |
| Bernard and Anne Spitzer Charitable Trust | New York, NY | 3 | $370K | $10K | Yes | General purpose; State democracy research initiative |
| Charles Stewart Mott Foundation | Flint, MI | 3 | $360K | $150K | Preselected only | To support a leading statewide conservation policy organiza…; To support the engagement of citizens to protect drinking w…; To protect and restore the Great Lakes ecosystem through ed… |
| Wk Kellogg Foundation | Battle Creek, MI | 10 | $358K | $300 | Yes | Matching Grant; Health and Health Equity; Food, Strong and Equitable Food Systems |
| The Spencer Foundation | Chicago, IL | 4 | $353K | $47K | Yes | Supplement for center for philosophical reflection on educa…; Seven generations of native education; Youth writing for peace in colombia |
| Lumina Foundation for Education Inc | Indianapolis, IN | 1 | $350K | $350K | Yes | To study the impact of integrating proactive financial aid… |
| Merck Foundation a New Jersey Nonprofit Corporation | Rahway, NJ | 1 | $350K | $350K | Yes | Contribution provided |
| Herbert H Kohl Charities Inc | Milwaukee, WI | 14 | $349K | $5,000 | Preselected only | To fund approved public charities |
| M J Murdock Charitable Trust | Vancouver, WA | 2 | $349K | $174K | Yes | New staff; New technology |
| Frances and Laurence Weinstein Foundation Inc | Madison, WI | 10 | $346K | $15K | Preselected only | General operations |
| Ono Pharma Foundation | New York, NY | 1 | $345K | $345K | Yes | The ono pharma breakthrough science intitiative awards prog… |
| Widen Family Foundation Inc | Cottage Grove, WI | 31 | $343K | $10K | Yes | Opportunities for black girls; Foster/develop a safe/inclusive environment in dane county; Beacon of hope |
| The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation | Menlo Park, CA | 2 | $340K | $170K | Yes | For the environmental policy innovation center; For the editing and publication of "the documentary history… |
| Fritz Family Foundation Inc | Potosi, WI | 6 | $338K | $3,500 | Preselected only | Charitable |
| Joseph and Vera Zilber Family Foundation Inc | Milwaukee, WI | 4 | $326K | $28K | Yes | Access to capital support; Gratitude grant; News that serves |
| Green Bay Packers Foundation | Green Bay, WI | 36 | $325K | $4,000 | Yes | Physical education program expenses; Expanding dementia and alzheimer's services throughout wisc…; Arts programming for children and adults with disabilities… |
| Highlands Foundation Inc | Madison, WI | 8 | $309K | $25K | Preselected only | Unrestricted charitable gift; Division of plastic surgery greatest need fund; Cdis building for the future fund |
| Virginia Lee Cook Foundation | Chicago, IL | 1 | $300K | $300K | Preselected only | General purpose |
| David G and Nancy B Walsh Family Foundation Ltd | Madison, WI | 21 | $289K | $2,000 | Preselected only | General charitable; General Charitable |
| American Warrior Initiative Inc | Madison, WI | 1 | $281K | $281K | Yes | Service dogs |
| The Catherine Zdeblick Foundation Inc | Middleton, WI | 5 | $280K | $10K | Yes | Program support |
Source: IRS Form 990-PF Part XV, latest electronic return per foundation (2026-10-28). "Accepts applications" reflects the foundation's own checkbox on Part XV line 2. Grants to individuals excluded.
Common questions
Which foundations give to nonprofits in Madison, Wisconsin?
Tosa Foundation C/O Tashia Morgridge, The Roots and Wings Foundation Inc, Fund for Wisconsin Scholars Inc, People's Support Foundation Limited, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and 95 others reported grants to Madison organizations on their latest Form 990-PF.
How do I approach a foundation that doesn't accept applications?
A foundation that checks "contributes only to preselected organizations" on its 990-PF won't review a cold proposal. Look at who it funds, find a shared board member, grantee or advisor, and ask for an introduction. Foundations that accept applications usually list a contact and deadlines in Part XV; we show that text on each foundation's page.
Is this list complete?
No. It covers private foundations (Form 990-PF filers) whose latest electronic return lists at least one grant to an organization in Madison. Community foundations and corporate giving programs file different forms and are not included yet.