Accepts applications
Can I apply?
Accepts applications
The funder's latest Form 990-PF says it accepts applications. Read the instructions below before you write.
- How to apply
The funder's latest Form 990-PF says it accepts applications. Read the instructions below before you write.
Application policy: Accepts applications, as stated on the FY2025 return.
These lines count this foundation's own Form 990-PF returns that the IRS has published as data. An amended return replaces its original. They describe past returns only.
This is a count from past returns. It does not say the foundation will consider a new request. How it is counted: names are compared as written on the returns, without "The" at the start, without endings such as "Inc" or "LLC", and without spaces and punctuation. A recipient also counts as already listed when our records link it to the same organization as an earlier recipient, or when its name is almost the same as an earlier name (a trigram similarity of 0.8 or more, where 1 means identical). The state on the grant row is not compared. Grants that the foundation marked as paid to an individual, such as a scholarship, are left out of both numbers, and no count is shown when most of its grants are marked that way. A person whom the foundation did not mark as an individual is still counted as a recipient. A recipient can still look new when its name is written very differently from year to year, and two different recipients with almost the same name can be counted as one.
Application guidance comes from the funder's own Form 990-PF, Part XV (the section where a private foundation says how to apply), shown as filed. It is the funder's words, not ours. These fields are free text and the IRS form cuts them short. Filers sometimes put whole sentences in the contact-name box. Shown exactly as filed.
Giving by year
Total assets by year
| Year | Form | Revenue | Expenses | Giving | Assets | Net assets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | 990-PF | $246,552 | $283,125 | $257,600 | $2,701,473 |
Figures are as reported on the e-filed return, with no restatement. Fiscal years are the funder's own tax year, labelled by the calendar year the period ends in. A blank line means the return does not carry that figure; a real zero shows as $0. When an amended return replaces an original, every figure here uses the amended return. The original is not shown. Giving is what the funder actually paid out toward its charitable purpose in the year (qualifying distributions on Form 990-PF, charitable disbursements otherwise). Assets are what it holds; giving is what moves.
Recipient focus areas
Where recipients are
Based on the 24% of grant rows we could match to an organization record. The rest stay as reported. The IRS assigns the NTEE category when it grants exemption. It often reflects the original filing, not today's giving.
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gathering WatersMadison, WI | GIS and cartography capacities | $15,000 | 2020 | |
Recipients are shown as the funder wrote them on the return. A recipient with a link was matched to an organization record; the rest stay as reported and are never guessed. Some links come from other funders' returns: when three or more of them wrote the same name and state with one EIN, and the city on this row matches, we use that EIN. The name on this row is still shown as this funder wrote it.
| Name | Title | Hours / week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dean W Fenske | President/Treas | 7.00 | $44,000 |
| John Dutton | Vice President | 1.00 | $8,800 |
| J Lewis Perlson | Secretary | 1.00 | $13,200 |
From the officer list on the latest e-filed return. Compensation is as reported there; a blank means the return carries no figure.
| $2,701,473 |
| FY2024 | 990-PF | $352,004 | $261,873 | $239,770 | $2,737,705 | $2,737,705 |
| FY2023 | 990-PF | $37,250 | $239,059 | $218,333 | $2,646,502 | $2,646,502 |
| FY2022 | 990-PF | $91,157 | $233,867 | $178,807 | $2,847,738 | $2,847,738 |
| FY2021 | 990-PF | $304,232 | $233,919 | $185,023 | $2,988,647 | $2,988,647 |
| FY2020 | 990-PF | $45,901 | $214,640 | $166,774 | $2,918,584 | $2,918,584 |
| Lake Puckaway Dredgebank Restoration Project |
| $15,000 |
| 2021 |
| Central Wisconsin Environmental StationAmherst Junction, WI | Waterfront dock system | $15,000 | 2022 |
| Field AdventuresPoynette, WI | Watershed Connections: Students Explore Ripple Effect in Their Watersheds | $15,000 | 2021 |
| Pheasants ForeverPlain, WI | Milwaukee River Watershed Land Stweardship Coordinator | $13,412 | 2024 |
| The Nature PlaceLa Crosse, WI | Building Community through Garden Opportunities | $12,865 | 2024 |
| Pineview Wildlife Rehabilitation CenterFredonia, WI | Construction of a New Reptile Enclosure | $12,500 | 2025 |
| Groundswell ConservancyMadison, WI | Westport Prairie Preserve | $12,000 | 2021 |
| Rock River CoalitionJefferson, WI | Stream monitor base, phosphorus testing and environmental education | $10,000 | 2020 |
| Northwoods Humane SocietyHayward, WI | Rescue Partners Transport Program | $10,000 | 2021 |
| Driftless Area Land Conservancy IncDodgeville, WI | Restoration of Spring Valley Wetland Complex | $10,000 | 2025 |
| American Bird ConservancySlinger, WI | Kirtland Warbler Habitat | $10,000 | 2020 |
| Friends of the Cedarburg Bog IncSaukeville, WI | Curbing the Spread of Invasive Buckthorn to Protect Wildlife Habitat | $10,000 | 2025 |
| Aldo Leopold Nature CenterMonona, WI | CompanionCare Hub Program | $10,000 | 2024 |
| Woodland Dunes Nature Center & PreserveTwo Rivers, WI | Rusty Patch bumble bee habitat | $10,000 | 2020 |
| Raptor Education Group IncAntigo, WI | Education Vehicle | $10,000 | 2025 |
| Urban Ecology CenterMilwaukee, WI | Research and Community Services | $10,000 | 2025 |
| Wisconsin Humane SocietyMilwaukee, WI | Pets for Life Program and the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center | $10,000 | 2025 |
| Driftless Area Land Conservancy IncDodgeville, WI | Driftless Trail-A Platform for Community Conservation | $10,000 | 2021 |
| Milwaukee RiverKeeperMilwaukee, WI | Water Quality Monitoring Program | $10,000 | 2024 |
| River Revitalization FoundationMatched to this organization because 3 grant-making charities wrote this name with its EIN. Source: Schedule I of their Form 990 returns, fiscal years 2022 to 2023. Counted Oct 9, 2026.Milwaukee, WI | Environmental quality protection and beautification. | $10,000 | 2021 |
| Schlitz Audobon SocietyMilwaukee, WI | Central Wetlands Loop Accessible Trail Project | $10,000 | 2021 |
| Door County Land TrustSturgeon Bay, WI | Indoor/Outdoor Classroom and Troop House at Camp Cuesta | $10,000 | 2024 |
| Superior Rivers Watershed AssociationAshland, WI | Stewardship of the Bad River Watershed | $9,925 | 2023 |
| Rock River CoalitionJefferson, WI | Collaboration with Small Watershed and Producer-led Groups | $8,778 | 2025 |
Nearest by size, location and giving pattern in the database. Geography weighs heavily. Treat it as a starting list, not a ranking of fit.
Form 990-PF · FY2024 · period ending Dec 31, 2024IRS bulk XML
Filing id 202541119349100974
Form 990-PF · FY2023 · period ending Dec 31, 2023IRS bulk XML
Filing id 202402079349100120
Form 990-PF · FY2022 · period ending Dec 31, 2022
Filing id 202311219349103251
Form 990-PF · FY2021 · period ending Dec 31, 2021
Filing id 202201199349100245
Form 990-PF · FY2020 · period ending Dec 31, 2020
Filing id 202121309349102607
IRS filings are the source for every fact on this page. Nothing a model writes is ever a source; it can only point at a row here.