Nancy Woodson Spire Foundation

• Because the foundation does not accept unsolicited requests and works by invitation only, a small charity should not send a cold proposal and should look for an introduction before asking.
• Its grants cluster in art collections, heritage and historic-property work, with community facilities and general operating support also present, so a project well outside these areas is unlikely to match its record.
• Keep any eventual request modest: about 8 in 10 grants fall between $6,000 and $820,000 (a typical range, not a ceiling), the median grant was $250,000, and half of its 18 grants to organisations were $250,000 or less.
• Repeat giving is heavy, with 95% of its grant dollars to organisations going to groups it had also funded in the two earlier filings, so a new applicant should expect a relationship-led process; no geographic focus is stated, though grants have mainly gone to Wisconsin, District of Columbia and Virginia.

The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:

• Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum · Purchase of art objects for its permanent collection
  $1,070,0002024 tax year
• Marathon County Historical Society · In support of general operations
  $255,0002024 tax year
• National Trust for Historic Preservation · In support of chesterwood
  $250,0002024 tax year
• Montpelier Foundation · Annual fund challenge grant
  $169,6462024 tax year
• Lawrence Catholic Academy · Campaign for lawrence catholic academy
  $95,0002024 tax year
• Uwmc Foundation · Fund scholarship to a qualified student from lakeland union high school
  $7,0002024 tax year

Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.

Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.