The Rorvig Foundation

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: $669,200 (2024)
• Success Rate: 12% of new applicants
• Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
• Grant Range: $80,000 - $130,000
• Average Grant: $66,920
• Geographic Focus: Multi-state (Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Minnesota)
• Total Assets: $20,147,926 (2024)

Contact Details

Mailing Address:
The Rorvig Foundation
21450 40th Place S, Unit G
SeaTac, WA 98198-4253

EIN: 88-3001501

Note: The foundation does not maintain a public website, phone number, or email address. This is a private family foundation that operates primarily through trustee discretion.

Overview

The Rorvig Foundation was established in 2022 as a private family foundation and received 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status the same year. The foundation is named after Sherman M. Rorvig (1944-2021), who had a long career in nursing home administration and retirement community development in Arizona and Minnesota. Sherman served as Executive Director of the Forsberg Charitable Foundation prior to his passing, demonstrating a family commitment to philanthropy.

The foundation is managed by the Nordtvedt family, with Joel Nordtvedt serving as President and his wife Marybeth A. Nordtvedt (Sherman Rorvig's sister) as Secretary/Treasurer. Despite having significant assets exceeding $20 million as of 2024, the foundation operates with all-volunteer leadership and no paid staff.

In 2024, the foundation awarded 10 grants totaling $669,200, maintaining a focused approach to grantmaking. The foundation has grown rapidly, with total revenue of $8,237,626 in 2024, largely from contributions ($7,225,259), and charitable disbursements of $1,691,425. The foundation demonstrates a clear funding pattern favoring Christian ministries and faith-based social services, particularly organizations serving vulnerable populations in Arizona.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Rorvig Foundation operates as a traditional private foundation without formal grant programs or application cycles. All grants appear to be awarded through trustee discretion based on the board's knowledge of and relationship with recipient organizations.

Grant Size Range: $80,000 - $130,000 (based on 2024 awards)

Priority Areas

Based on 2024 grantmaking patterns, the foundation's funding priorities include:

Christian Ministry and Evangelism

• Missionary training and mobilization
• Theological education and seminary support
• Church planting and ministry development

Social Services with Faith-Based Mission

• Adoption and foster care services
• Healthcare for underserved populations
• Family support and parenting ministries

Geographic Emphasis While headquartered in Washington State, the foundation's 2024 grantmaking showed strong support for Arizona-based organizations, particularly in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area. The foundation also funds organizations in Colorado Springs, Fergus Falls (Minnesota), Gilbert, Orlando, and other communities across Arizona, Colorado, Florida, and Minnesota.

Recent Grant Recipients (2024)

• Mission One (Phoenix, AZ) - $130,000: Trains and mobilizes churches for cross-cultural missions, partnering with national leaders in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East
• Christian Family Care (Phoenix, AZ) - $100,000: Provides adoption, foster care, crisis pregnancy counseling, and family services with a Christ-centered approach
• Neighborhood Christian Clinic (Phoenix, AZ) - $100,000: Offers low-cost medical and dental care to uninsured and underserved populations
• Phoenix Seminary (Scottsdale, AZ) - $94,200: Theological education institution training ministry leaders
• Grace-Based Families (Phoenix, AZ) - $80,000: Ministry focused on supporting families through grace-centered parenting approaches

What They Don't Fund

While not explicitly stated, the foundation's grantmaking pattern suggests they do not fund:

• Secular organizations without a clear faith-based mission
• Organizations outside their established geographic focus areas
• General operating support for large, well-established institutions
• Individual scholarships or emergency assistance
• Political organizations or advocacy campaigns

Governance and Leadership

Board of Directors (as of 2024)

Joel Nordtvedt - President
Joel leads the foundation alongside his wife Marybeth. All board members serve on a voluntary basis without compensation, demonstrating the family's personal commitment to the foundation's mission.

Marybeth A. Nordtvedt - Secretary/Treasurer
Sister of Sherman M. Rorvig, for whom the foundation is named. Manages the financial and administrative operations of the foundation.

Micah Nordtvedt - Director
Likely a family member of the next generation, ensuring continuity of the family's philanthropic legacy.

Family Foundation Heritage

The foundation honors the memory of Sherman M. Rorvig, who passed away in 2021 at age 77. Sherman grew up in Dalton, Minnesota, graduated from Fergus Falls High School in 1962, and earned bachelor's degrees in Elementary Education and Accounting from Arizona State University. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1968-1972 before building a career in senior living, co-owning Southwest Retirement Corporation in Scottsdale and Wooddale Village in Sun City. His service as Executive Director of the Forsberg Charitable Foundation demonstrated his commitment to organized philanthropy, which continues through the Rorvig Foundation.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Important Notice: The Rorvig Foundation does not have a public application process. As a private family foundation, grants are awarded through trustee discretion rather than competitive application cycles.

The foundation does not maintain a website, published application guidelines, or open submission process. The 2024 data indicates only 12% of new applicants received funding, suggesting that most successful grants go to organizations already known to the trustees.

Getting on Their Radar

Given the lack of a public application process, organizations seeking support should consider:

Geographic Connection: The foundation shows strong ties to both Washington State (where it's headquartered) and Arizona (particularly Phoenix/Scottsdale), with additional connections to Fergus Falls, Minnesota (Sherman Rorvig's hometown). Organizations in these communities may have better access.

Faith-Based Mission Alignment: All identified 2024 grant recipients share an explicitly Christian mission and approach to their work. Organizations should have clear faith-based integration, not merely faith-compatible programming.

Personal Networks: As a family foundation, relationships matter. The Nordtvedt family's personal networks, church affiliations, and professional connections in senior living and healthcare sectors may provide natural pathways to awareness.

Demonstrated Impact: The funded organizations all serve vulnerable populations (orphans, poor, uninsured, unreached people groups) with measurable outcomes. Organizations should be able to articulate clear impact in serving those in need.

Size and Scale: Grant recipients appear to be small to mid-size organizations ($1-10 million budgets) where a $80,000-$130,000 grant represents meaningful support rather than a small percentage of a large budget.

Decision Timeline

No public information is available regarding decision timelines, as the foundation operates through trustee discretion rather than scheduled grant cycles.

Success Rates

According to 2024 data, approximately 12% of new applicants received funding, suggesting highly selective grantmaking focused on organizations already known to or identified by the trustees.

Reapplication Policy

No public information is available regarding reapplication policies. As a private foundation operating through trustee discretion, decisions likely depend on ongoing relationships and the foundation's evolving priorities.

Application Success Factors

Since the Rorvig Foundation operates without a public application process, organizations cannot apply directly. However, based on their 2024 grantmaking patterns, organizations that align with the foundation's demonstrated interests share these characteristics:

Mission Alignment

• Explicitly Christian: All funded organizations incorporate Christian faith as central to their mission, not peripheral
• Service Focus: Funded organizations serve vulnerable populations including orphans, foster children, uninsured patients, unreached people groups, and families in crisis
• Theological Soundness: Support for Phoenix Seminary and missionary training suggests interest in orthodox Christian theology and global evangelism

Organizational Characteristics

• Established Track Record: Recipients appear to be established organizations (Mission ONE since 1991, Christian Family Care since 1982, Neighborhood Christian Clinic since 1996)
• Professional Operations: Despite faith-based missions, recipients demonstrate professional standards, accreditation, and licensing where applicable
• Volunteer Leverage: Several recipients utilize extensive volunteer networks (Neighborhood Christian Clinic has 300+ volunteers), which may appeal to the foundation's own all-volunteer board
• Cost-Effective Models: Mission ONE's emphasis on supporting same-culture missionaries "at a fraction of the cost" and the Clinic's low fees reflect efficiency

Geographic and Relational Factors

• Arizona Connection: The 2024 grants showed concentration in Phoenix/Scottsdale area, suggesting either personal connections or strategic focus
• Community Impact: Recipients serve local communities directly rather than functioning as intermediaries
• Faith Community Integration: Organizations like Christian Family Care require adoptive families to be church-involved, suggesting preference for church-integrated ministries

Grant Size Considerations

• Significant Investment: Grants ranging from $80,000-$130,000 represent substantial commitments, suggesting the foundation prefers fewer, larger grants over many small grants
• Capacity to Utilize: Recipients need organizational capacity to effectively deploy and report on six-figure grants

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• No Public Application Available: This is a private family foundation operating through trustee discretion without open applications. Direct solicitation is unlikely to be successful without existing relationships.

• Strong Christian Faith Focus: All identified recipients have explicitly Christian missions focused on evangelism, discipleship, or faith-based service. Secular organizations or those with merely faith-compatible programming do not align with demonstrated priorities.

• Arizona-Minnesota-Washington Triangle: The foundation shows geographic connections to Sherman Rorvig's life story - his Minnesota roots (Fergus Falls), Arizona career (Phoenix/Scottsdale), and the family's Washington State base (SeaTac).

• Service to Vulnerable Populations: Whether orphans, the uninsured, unreached people groups, or families in crisis, the foundation consistently funds ministries serving society's most vulnerable members.

• Significant Grant Sizes: With an average grant of $66,920 and 2024 awards ranging from $80,000-$130,000, the foundation makes substantial investments in a small number of organizations rather than spreading resources widely.

• Relationship-Based Philanthropy: With only 12% of new applicants funded in 2024 and no public application process, success appears to depend on existing relationships, networks, and personal knowledge rather than competitive applications.

• All-Volunteer Governance: The board serves without compensation, suggesting personal passion rather than professional philanthropy, which may influence their preference for hands-on, relational grantmaking.

References

• ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer: The Rorvig Foundation (EIN 88-3001501). Available at: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/883001501 [Accessed February 2026]

• Charity Navigator: Rorvig Foundation Profile. Available at: https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/883001501 [Accessed February 2026]

• Cause IQ: The Rorvig Foundation | Seatac, WA. Available at: https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/rorvig-foundation,883001501/ [Accessed February 2026]

• Grantable: The Rorvig Foundation | Foundation Profile & Grants. Available at: https://www.grantable.co/search/funders/profile/the-rorvig-foundation-us-foundation-883001501 [Accessed February 2026]

• Tribute Archive: Sherman M. Rorvig Obituary. Available at: https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/21235895/Sherman-M-Rorvig/ [Accessed February 2026]

• Mission ONE: Home. Available at: https://mission1.org/ [Accessed February 2026]

• Christian Family Care Agency: Arizona Adoption & Foster Care. Available at: https://cfcare.org/ [Accessed February 2026]

• The Neighborhood Christian Clinic: Home. Available at: https://thechristianclinic.org/ [Accessed February 2026]

• Phoenix Seminary Inc: Instrumentl 990 Report. Available at: https://www.instrumentl.com/990-report/phoenix-seminary-inc [Accessed February 2026]