Olson Tom & Cynthia Family Foundation
Lincoln, NE · EIN 46-1639212. Reported 116 grants totalling $250,764 to 77 organizations across tax years 2021-2024. 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. Olson Tom & Cynthia 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 $1,225. Half of everything it gave fell between $1,000 and $2,500; the smallest was $5 and the largest $16,400. 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. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which the organization received money -- more than one means a real relationship rather than a one-off.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julesburg School District | Julesburg, CO | $16,400 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Haxtun Hospital District Foundation | Haxtun, CO | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| American Cancer Society | Greeley, CO | $13,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Sedgwick County Organized Recreation Inc | Julesburg, CO | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| UC Health Northern Colorado Foundation | Fort Collins, CO | $10,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Windsor Community Foundation | Greeley, CO | $9,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| The Community Foundation of Northern Co | Fort Collins, CO | $8,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| City of Fullerton | Fullerton, NE | $7,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Community Foundation of Northern Colorado | Fort Collins, CO | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Lisco Presbyterian Church | Lisco, NE | $7,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Weld Food Bank | Greeley, CO | $5,503 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Eastern Wyoming College Foundation | Torrington, WY | $5,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Broadwater Fire Dept | Broadwater, NE | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Cheyenne County Community Center Foundation | Sidney, NE | $5,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Wyoming State Fair Endowment Fund | Douglas, WY | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Haxtun Education Foundation | Haxtun, CO | $4,800 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Crossroads Ministry of Estes Park | Estes Park, CO | $4,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Sidney Public School Foundation | Sidney, NE | $4,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Sedgwick County | Julesburg, CO | $4,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Teammates Mentoring Program | Sidney, NE | $4,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| University of Nebraska Foundation | Lincoln, NE | $4,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Estes Valley Sunrise Rotary Foundation | Estes Park, CO | $3,500 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Cheyenne County Hospital & Health Foundation | Sidney, NE | $3,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Friends of Lied | Lincoln, NE | $3,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Habitat for Humanity | Fort Collins, CO | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Lodgepole Depot Museum | Lodgepole, NE | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Purple and Gold Legacy Foundation | Pine Bluffs, WY | $3,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Fort Sedgwick Historical Society | Julesburg, CO | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Foothills Gateway Rehab Center Foundation Trust | Fort Collins, CO | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Fullertons Future Inc | Fullerton, NE | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Hippodrome Arts Centre | Julesburg, CO | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| No Co Bbb Foundation | Fort Collins, CO | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Success Foundation Serving Greeley-Evans Schools Inc | Greeley, CO | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Historic Stanley Home Foundation | Estes Park, CO | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Town of Lingle | Lingle, WY | $2,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Thompson Valley Art League | Loveland, CO | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Weld County Foundation | Greeley, CO | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Windsor Severance Food Pantry | Windsor, CO | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Dalton Volunteer Fire Dept | Dalton, NE | $2,200 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Community Pride Foundation | Torrington, WY | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Estes Park Medical Center Foundation | Estes Park, CO | $2,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Lincoln Child Advocacy Center | Lincoln, NE | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Lodgepole Old Settlers Inc | Lodgepole, NE | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Loveland Strategic Partnership | Loveland, CO | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Serve 68 | Fort Collins, CO | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| University of Northern Colorado Foundation | Greeley, CO | $2,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Chappell Volunteer Fire Department | Chappell, NE | $1,977 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Northern Colorado Down Syndrome Association | Loveland, CO | $1,750 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Lodgepole Volunteer Fire Department | Lodgepole, NE | $1,650 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| American Legacy Academy | Windsor, CO | $1,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Boys and Girls Club of Larimar County | Wellington, CO | $1,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Estes Park Learning Place | Estes Park, CO | $1,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Nance County Veterans Memorial Park and Military Resource Center | Fullerton, NE | $1,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Kings Daughters | Sidney, NE | $1,500 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| The Success Foundation | Greeley, CO | $1,250 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Healing Warriors Program | Fort Collins, CO | $1,200 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Town of Julesurg | Julesburg, CO | $1,200 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Chey Cnty Hopsital & Health Foundation | Sidney, NE | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Cheyenne County CASA | Sidney, NE | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| First Plymouth Church | Lincoln, NE | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Grace Village | Wellington, CO | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Handwork Initiative | Fort Collins, CO | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Lisco American Legion | Lisco, NE | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation | Lincoln, NE | $1,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Northern Colorado Community Foundation | Fort Collins, CO | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Project Self-Sufficiency | Loveland, CO | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Wellington Food Bank | Wellington, CO | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Windsor Warriors | Windsor, CO | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Northern Co Down Syndrome Assoc | Fort Collins, CO | $750 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Community Shepherds | Gurley, NE | $650 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Leyton Public School Foundation | Dalton, NE | $650 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Julesburg Christian Church | Julesburg, CO | $320 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Ovid United Methodist Church | Ovid, CO | $319 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| American Legion | Dalton, NE | $300 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Arc of Cheyenne County | Sidney, NE | $250 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Wyoming State 4H Foundation | Laramie, WY | $90 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Gladys Lisco Foundation | Lisco, NE | $5 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
25 of 77 (32%) received money in more than one year over the 4 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 24%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is less consistent than most. A high number means its list is close to settled and a newcomer has to displace someone; a low one means it is still moving money around, which is where an opening is.
What kind of organizations it funds
By the recipient's own IRS classification, for the 62 grants where we could identify the organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 30 | $52,150 | $1,000 |
| 2022 | 33 | $64,650 | $1,500 |
| 2023 | 23 | $68,259 | $1,000 |
| 2024 | 30 | $65,705 | $1,375 |
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
Foundations concentrate geographically far more than their mission statements suggest. 66% of this one's giving went to organizations in Colorado. If you are outside its footprint, that matters more than how well your programme fits.
Find more foundations like Olson Tom & Cynthia Family Foundation
We email you newly filed foundations whose giving matches your state and cause, as the IRS publishes them. Free.
No spam, unsubscribe in one click. We never sell or share your address.
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 the strongest available signal that two funders have overlapping priorities, and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $1,225. Asking for ten times that is the most common way small organizations waste a submission.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in Colorado.
- 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 Olson Tom & Cynthia Family Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Nothing here is scraped, inferred, or estimated.
Address of record on the latest return: 9819 Thornwood Circle, Lincoln, NE, 68512. 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 46-1639212 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
Is something here wrong about your foundation? Email hello@funderscope.com and we will correct it.