U.S. Venture/Schmidt Family Foundation

Private foundation · EIN 39-1540933 · since 1986usventure.com/us-venture-schmidt-family-foundation·California, Kenya, Wisconsin·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$5.8M

Annual giving, 2024 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$2,250 to $65,000

Grant range

From grants in the 990-PF filings

$10,000

Typical grant (median)

208 grants in the latest filing

Open to applications

A mix of rolling and fixed deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

No geographic focus is stated for U.S. Venture/Schmidt Family Foundation, which is based in Appleton, WI, but it does not fund organisations operating outside the areas where U.S. Venture facilities or team members are located, so check that link first.
Its stated themes are self-sufficiency, community enrichment, vulnerable populations and team member and shareholder engagement, and it looks for measurable, lasting benefits for a substantial number of people, a clear mission and financial stability.
About 8 in 10 of its 489 grants to organisations fall between $2,250 and $65,000, and half are $10,000 or less, so a modest request is the realistic starting point.
Applicants must be IRS-recognised public charities, preferably 501(c)(3), and should show direct involvement or support from a U.S. Venture team member or shareholder, so build that connection before applying; programme grants are applied for through Temelio, while Community Engagement Committee sponsorship must be requested by a participating team member.
Repeat giving is significant, with 66% of grant dollars to organisations going to groups it had funded in earlier filings, and schools, government agencies, individuals, political organisations and recurring operating costs are excluded.

Overview

U.S. Venture/Schmidt Family Foundation is a US private foundation based in Appleton, WI.

What they fund

Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.

Priority Areas

The foundation says it awards grants to empower disadvantaged communities, enhance quality of life and foster stronger, more connected communities. Its stated focus includes self-sufficiency, community enrichment and the well-being of vulnerable populations, alongside team member and shareholder engagement. It supports organisations and projects that demonstrate measurable, lasting benefits for substantial numbers of people, and favours applicants with a clear mission, effective outcomes and sound organisational health, including financial stability and capable staff and boards. Applicants must be IRS-recognised public charities, with preference given to 501(c)(3) status, and should demonstrate direct involvement or support from a U.S. Venture team member or shareholder. The foundation also favours requests supported by diverse funding sources and typically avoids being the sole contributor to a project or programme.

Themes

Self-sufficiency
Community enrichment
Vulnerable populations
Team member and shareholder engagement

Geographic Focus

No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in Wisconsin, California and Kenya.

What They Don't Fund

Grants to individuals or families, conference expenses, or medical procedures and research
Events that have already occurred or expenses incurred prior to funding approval
Political organizations or causes
Funding requests from schools or government agencies
Annual meetings or recurring operational expenses
Religious organizations seeking to build membership or requiring religious affiliation for service delivery
Capital campaigns for schools, religious institutions, sports facilities, or endowments
Organizations operating outside the geographic areas where U.S. Venture facilities or team members are located

How to apply

For program grants, applicants complete the application in Temelio; the downloadable questions are for offline review only. Community Engagement Committee sponsorship requests must be submitted by a participating team member through an internal request process.

Application success factors

Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 66% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 489 grants to organisations were $10,000 or less.

What the foundation says:

The foundation prioritises initiatives with measurable, lasting benefits for a substantial number of people.
It favours organisations with a clear mission and a proven commitment to delivering effective outcomes.
It looks for financial stability and a highly skilled team of staff and board members.
It favours requests supported by diverse funding sources and typically avoids being the sole contributor to a project or programme.
It expects applicants to demonstrate direct involvement or support from a U.S. Venture team member or shareholder.

Where grants go

From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.

Grant dollars by state

Wisconsin62%

California5%

District of Columbia4%

Connecticut4%

Illinois2%

New York2%

6 other states: 6%

Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 16%

The largest single recipient received 13% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2024, 66% of grant dollars went to organisations U.S. Venture/Schmidt Family Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
13% of grant dollars went directly to organisations outside the US (Kenya).
5% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.

Grants

208 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $10,000

How much do they typically give?

Share of 208 grants in tax year 2024 by size

Under $1k1%

$1k–$2.5k8%

$2.5k–$5k11%

$5k–$10k19%

$10k–$25k26%

$25k–$50k16%

$50k–$100k11%

$100k–$250k7%

$250k–$500k0%

$500k–$1M<1%

Median $10,000 (tax year 2024)

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

Victory Community Development Center · Unrestricted charitable grant
$800,0002024 tax year
Kenya Works · Unrestricted charitable grant
$152,0002024 tax year
Building for Kids · Unrestricted charitable grant
$150,0002024 tax year
Thompson Center on Lourdes · Unrestricted charitable grant
$125,0002024 tax year
Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin · Unrestricted charitable grant
$121,5002024 tax year
Pillars · Unrestricted charitable grant
$110,0002024 tax year
CorpsGiving Foundation · Unrestricted charitable grant
$105,0002024 tax year
Oshkosh Area Community Foundation · Unrestricted charitable grant
$103,0002024 tax year

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

Officers and directors

Sangeeta Edwin — Board Member
Tony Springer — Board Member
Andrew Finkelstein — Board Member
Parker Wolf — Board Member
Brian Rhodes — Board Member
Jackie Sharkey — Secretary
Greg Vandenberg — Board Member
Jimmy Schmidt — Board Member
Brett Wetzel — Board Member
Jose Mata — Board Member
Kate Kessenich — Board Member
Mike Koel — Board Member
Bill Kessenich — Board Member
Mike Bongers — Board Member
Greg Bongers — Board Member
Sarah Johannsen — Treasurer
Dan Posanski — Vice President
Amber Simonds — President

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

3 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$3,968,390	$3,923,616	$6,134,231	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$4,359,637	$4,325,315	$7,525,829	Filing for 2023 tax year
2024 tax year	$5,831,461	$5,805,950	$6,255,732	Filing for 2024 tax year

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.