M G Nelson Family Foundation
Springfield, IL · EIN 47-6678311. Reported 132 grants totalling $3,770,429 to 67 recipients across tax years 2021-2025. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. M G Nelson Family Foundation did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $5,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $2,000 and $25,000; the smallest was $500 and the largest $380,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by name and state as they were written on the returns, so an organization entered under two different names appears twice. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which that name received money.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Illinois Foundation | Champaign, IL | $580,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Compass for Kids | Springfield, IL | $490,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation | Springfield, IL | $397,911 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Kidzeum of Health & Science | Springfield, IL | $350,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Naples Botanical Garden | Naples, FL | $350,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Memorial Medical Center Foundation | Springfield, IL | $269,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Artis Naples | Naples, FL | $225,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln | Springfield, IL | $216,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Boys & Girls Club of Central Illinois | Springfield, IL | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Nch Center for Philanthropy | Naples, FL | $70,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Mini O'beirne Crisis Nursery | Springfield, IL | $63,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Lincoln Memorial Gardens | Springfield, IL | $60,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Guadalupe Center | Naples, FL | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Hole in the Wall Wildlife Fund | Naples, FL | $50,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Bay Education Foundation | Panama City, FL | $45,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Springfield Public School District 186 | Springfield, IL | $41,018 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Springfield Art Association | Springfield, IL | $36,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Copper Coin Ballet Company | Springfield, IL | $35,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Educational Center for the Visually Impaired | Springfield, IL | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Gamma Theta Foundation | Windmere, FL | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Ronald Mcdonald House Charities of Central Illinois | Springfield, IL | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Salvation Army | Springfield, IL | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| The Parent Place | Springfield, IL | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Southern Illinois University Foundation | Carbondale, IL | $22,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Fellowship of Christian Athletes | Kansas City, MO | $17,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Oak Ridge Cemetary Foundation | Springfield, IL | $16,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| The League Club | Naples, FL | $15,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Contact Ministries | Springfield, IL | $11,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Capitol Illini Angel Fund | Champaign, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Folds of Honor Foundation | Owasso, OK | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Immanueal Baptist Church | Benton, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Naples Community Hospital Foundation | Naples, FL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| The Rees Carillon Society | Springfield, IL | $9,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Sertoma Club of Springfield Il | Springfield, IL | $5,500 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Ann T Havey Foundation | Springfield, IL | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Girls Scouts of Central Illinois | Springfield, IL | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Operation Healing Forces | Tampa, FL | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Our Saviors Lutheran | Springfield, IL | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| St Aloysius Catholic School | Springfield, IL | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Susan Shigemura Memorial Golf Fund | Springfield, IL | $5,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Warrior Homes of Collier | Naples, FL | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Chatham Jaycees | Chatham, IL | $4,500 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| King's Daughters Organization | Springfield, IL | $4,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Springfield Pickleball Club | Springfield, IL | $4,500 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Gonzo's Legacy the Zack Defreitas Project | Springfield, IL | $4,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Kiwanis Club of Springfield Downtown Foundation | Springfield, IL | $3,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Springfield Celts Rugby Football Club | Springfield, IL | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| The James Project | Springfield, IL | $2,500 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Benevolent Order of Elks of the World | Springfield, IL | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Delta Delta Delta Foundation | Dallas, TX | $2,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Wooden It Be Lovely | Springfield, IL | $2,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Friend in Deed | Springfield, IL | $1,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| 4 the Kids Fund | Springfield, IL | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Chatham Friends of the Parks | Chatham, IL | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Douglas Avenue United Methodist Church | Springfield, IL | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Florida State University Foundation | Tallahassee, FL | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Friends of Uis Performing Arts | Springfield, IL | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence | Springfield, IL | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Sprinfield Public Schools Foundation | Springfield, IL | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Springfield Memorial Foundation | Springfield, IL | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Superheroes Nfp | Pawnee, IL | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Women for Women International | Washington, DC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Fishing Has No Boundaries | Chatham, IL | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Junior League of Springfield | Springfield, IL | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Petersburg Rural Fire Dept | Petersburg, IL | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Wings of Shelter | Estero, FL | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Wounded Veterans Relief Fund | North Palm Beach, FL | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
32 of 67 (48%) received money in more than one year over the 5 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 61%, across 4 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is about typical. This measures how often it paid the same organizations again. It says nothing about whether it would consider a new one.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- University of Illinois Foundation
TO ADVANCE THE INTERESTS AND WELFARE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS. - Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation
TO SUPPORT THE EXHIBITS AND PROGRAMS OF THE ABRAHAM LINCOLN PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM - Compass for Kids
TO PROVIDE AFTER-SCHOOL AND SUMMER PROGRAMS TO UNDERSERVED CHILDREN IN SPRINGFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOLS. - Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln
TO FUND GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS IN SPRINGFIELD AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES - Naples Botanical Garden
TO HELP SUPPORT GARDEN AND PLANT EXHIBITS, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, AND CONSERVATION INITIATIVES. - Kidzeum of Health & Science
TO ASSIST IN THE CREATION OF EXPERIENCES OF LEARNING AND DISCOVERY THROUGH PLAY FOR CHILDREN.
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 70 grants where we could match the recipient to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's. The match, made from the name and address on the return, is ours.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 19 | $212,500 | $2,500 |
| 2022 | 29 | $929,411 | $20,000 |
| 2023 | 21 | $837,500 | $10,000 |
| 2024 | 32 | $818,918 | $5,000 |
| 2025 | 31 | $972,100 | $5,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Where its money goes
77% of its giving went to organizations in Illinois. If your organization is based elsewhere, look in the recipient list for grants to your area before writing.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more: they do not show that any of these funders would consider a new organization. Each page says what its filings show.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $5,000. A request many times that size asks for something it has rarely or never given.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in Illinois.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from M G Nelson Family Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 5 returns (tax years 2021-2025). Grant figures are from its returns. Matching recipients to registered organizations, their IRS classifications, the retention rate and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations, described in how we build this.
Address of record on the latest return: 2225 Greenside Drive, Springfield, IL, 62704. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 47-6678311 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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