FundersIowa

Otto Schoitz Foundation

Waterloo, IA · EIN 81-1949053. Reported 204 grants totalling $12.9M to 95 organizations across tax years 2020-2023. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.

Yesaccepts unsolicited requests
$25,000median grant
$12.9Mgranted, 2020-2023
95organizations funded
72%of grantees funded again the next year
$70.1Massets, latest filing

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. Otto Schoitz 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.

This is the foundation's own statement to the IRS, not our judgement, and it says nothing about whether they have a form, a deadline, or an appetite for new grantees. Treat it as the reason this foundation is worth your research time, not as an invitation. Many small foundations of this kind have no website and no application process -- a letter of inquiry is the normal first step.

How big are its grants?

The median grant is $25,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $11,250 and $56,250; the smallest was $378 and the largest $736,110. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.

Under $1,000
1 grant
$1,000 - $5,000
21 grants
$5,000 - $10,000
22 grants
$10,000 - $25,000
51 grants
$25,000 - $50,000
46 grants
$50,000 - $100,000
39 grants
$100,000 and Up
24 grants

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.

OrganizationLocationTotal receivedGrantsYears fundedLast
Friends of the FamilyWaterloo, IA$1,309,033222023
Iowa Heartland Habitat for HumanityWaterloo, IA$1,288,266442023
Peoples Community Health ClinicWaterloo, IA$1,000,000332023
Christian Community Development Dba House of HopeWaterloo, IA$898,779442023
City of Waterlooleisure ServicesWaterloo, IA$666,666222023
Elevate CcbhcWaterloo, IA$650,000222022
Hawkeye Community College FoundationWaterloo, IA$625,000442023
Cedar Valley Friends of the FamilyWaterloo, IA$550,261222021
SuccesslinkWaterloo, IA$460,000442023
Grin and Grow LtdWaterloo, IA$385,000442023
City of Waterloowaterloo Community DevelopmentWaterloo, IA$309,736112020
Cedar Valley HospiceWaterloo, IA$200,000112020
Northeast Iowa Food BankWaterloo, IA$200,000442023
Jesse Cosby CenterWaterloo, IA$195,215332023
University of Northern Iowa FoundationCedar Falls, IA$167,500332023
Iowa Legal AidWaterloo, IA$157,500332023
The Salvation Army of Waterloocedar FallsWaterloo, IA$151,250332022
247 Black Leadership Advancement Consortium Fka Renew WaterlooWaterloo, IA$151,000332023
One City UnitedWaterloo, IA$150,000442023
1619 Freedom SchoolWaterloo, IA$128,000332023
YWCA of Black Hawk CountyWaterloo, IA$125,000222023
The Job FoundationCedar Falls, IA$115,568442023
Waterloo Housing Trust FundWaterloo, IA$114,100442023
Youth Art TeamWaterloo, IA$112,500442023
Operation Threshold IncWaterloo, IA$112,388442023
Black Hawk County Health DepartmentWaterloo, IA$111,307332022
Cedar Valley AngelsWaterloo, IA$105,000442023
Waterloo Schools FoundationWaterloo, IA$101,000112020
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of DubuqueWaterloo, IA$100,000332023
Amani Community ServicesWaterloo, IA$87,500222023
Americans for Independent LivingWaterloo, IA$83,014442023
North End Cultural Center IncWaterloo, IA$75,120332023
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Cedar ValleyWaterloo, IA$75,000112023
Try PieWaterloo, IA$75,000332023
Ethnic Minorities of Burma Advocacy and Resource CenterWaterloo, IA$70,843332023
Riverview CenterWaterloo, IA$70,749222021
Iowa Jobs for America's GraduatesWaterloo, IA$70,000332023
EmbarcWaterloo, IA$69,852112020
Royal Legacy Christian AcademyWaterloo, IA$68,750222023
One Cedar ValleyWaterloo, IA$67,500222023
Center of AttentionWaterloo, IA$66,525222023
Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western IllinoisWaterloo, IA$65,000332023
Vision to LearnWaterloo, IA$65,000222023
Family YMCA of Black Hawk CountyWaterloo, IA$61,000222022
Exceptional Persons IncWaterloo, IA$60,000332023
Catholic Charities of the Arch of DubuqueWaterloo, IA$58,190112020
Grout Museum IncWaterloo, IA$56,250112021
City of Waterloowaterloo Public LibraryWaterloo, IA$50,000222023
The Salvation Army of Cedar FallswaterlooWaterloo, IA$50,000112023
Tri-County Child and Family Development Council IncWaterloo, IA$50,000222022
Family & Children's Council of Black Hawk CountyWaterloo, IA$49,140222021
Empowering Men ProjectWaterloo, IA$45,000222023
Leader Valley FoundationWaterloo, IA$43,500332023
Mercyone Waterloo FoundationWaterloo, IA$40,000332022
Lutheran Services in IowaWaterloo, IA$39,000332023
Grout Museum DistrictWaterloo, IA$38,750222023
I Believe Leadership & Sports AcademyWaterloo, IA$37,500112023
North Star Community Services IncWaterloo, IA$36,000332022
Inclusion ConnectionWaterloo, IA$34,178332022
Cedar Valley Bicycle CollectiveWaterloo, IA$31,361332023
Cedar Valley Preschool and Child Care CenterCedar Falls, IA$30,000442023
Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging IncWaterloo, IA$30,000222022
Love Inc of the Cedar ValleyCedar Falls, IA$28,548332023
Eye of the NeedleWaterloo, IA$25,000112020
Refugees and Immigrant Youth OrganizationWaterloo, IA$25,000112023
415 Walnut CollectiveWaterloo, IA$20,000112023
Cedar Trails PartnershipCedar Falls, IA$20,000112021
ShiphtWaterloo, IA$20,000112021
Sunrise Children's Zoo IncWaterloo, IA$20,000222023
Waterloo Writing ProjectWaterloo, IA$19,462112020
Social Action IncWaterloo, IA$17,151112020
Epi Exceptional Persons IncWaterloo, IA$15,000112020
Iowa Dental FoundationWaterloo, IA$15,000222023
The Larrabee Center IncWaverly, IA$15,000112022
Communities in Schools of Mid-AmericaWaterloo, IA$12,000112022
Communities in Schools of Mid-AmericaLawrence, KS$10,000112021
Eye of the NeedleincWaterloo, IA$10,000112021
Four Oaks Family and Children's ServicesWaterloo, IA$10,000222023
Plentiful PantryOelwein, IA$10,000222023
Waterloo-Cedar Falls SymphonyCedar Falls, IA$9,250112020
SparkwheelWaterloo, IA$9,000112023
Cedar Valley Gearheads MinistryCedar Falls, IA$7,500112023
Winnebago Council Inc Boy Scouts of AmericaWaterloo, IA$7,500112023
Tri-County Child and Family DevelopmentWaterloo, IA$6,953112020
Junior League of Waterloo Cedar FallsWaterloo, IA$6,000112020
Cedar Falls Schools FoundationCedar Falls, IA$5,625112021
Winnebago Council Inc BsoaWaterloo, IA$5,259112020
Cedar Valley Crime StoppersWaterloo, IA$5,000222022
Quota of the Cedar Valley IncWaterloo, IA$5,000112021
Love IncCedar Falls, IA$3,708112020
Waterloo Community FoundationWaterloo, IA$3,500112023
Communities in School of Mid-AmericaLawrence, KS$3,179112020
NAMI (national Alliance on Mental Illness) Black Hawk CountyWaterloo, IA$3,000112021
Ihope Chapter of AmbucsCedar Falls, IA$1,162112020
WaterhawksWaterloo, IA$1,000112021

59 of 95 (62%) 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 72%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is about typical. 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 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.

What kind of organizations it funds

By the recipient's own IRS classification, for the 115 grants where we could identify the organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses.

Education
26 grants
Human Services
24 grants
Housing & Shelter
12 grants
Arts & Culture
11 grants
Crime & Legal
7 grants
Youth Development
7 grants
Community Improvement
6 grants
Public & Societal Benefit
6 grants

Giving by year

Tax yearGrantsTotalMedian grant
202043$2,247,303$27,409
202150$3,670,612$28,374
202256$3,503,052$25,000
202355$3,443,621$25,000

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.

Already committed for future years

Form 990-PF has a separate schedule for grants approved but not yet paid. Otto Schoitz Foundation has 102 of them, worth $11.6M. This is the one part of the filing that looks forward rather than back -- and it also tells you how much of the next year's budget is already spoken for.

OrganizationLocationApproved
Waterloo Development CorporationWaterloo, IA$2,500,000
Iowa Heartland Habitat for HumanityWaterloo, IA$1,095,000
Cedar Valley Friends of the FamilyWaterloo, IA$917,033
Cedar Valley Friends of the FamilyWaverly, IA$879,090
Iowa Heartland Habitat for HumanityWaterloo, IA$730,000
City of Waterlooleisure ServicesWaterloo, IA$666,667
Peoples Community Health ClinicWaterloo, IA$625,000
Hawkeye Community College FoundationWaterloo, IA$500,000
Friends of the FamilyWaterloo, IA$380,923
Iowa Heartland Habitat for HumanityWaterloo, IA$365,000
City of Waterlooleisure ServicesWaterloo, IA$333,334
Peoples Community Health ClinicWaterloo, IA$250,000
Christian Community Development Dba House of HopeWaterloo, IA$250,000
Cedar Falls Schools FoundationCedar Falls, IA$200,000
Cedar Falls Schools FoundationCedar Falls, IA$200,000

Where its money goes

Foundations concentrate geographically far more than their mission statements suggest. 100% of this one's giving went to organizations in Iowa. If you are outside its footprint, that matters more than how well your programme fits.

Iowa
$12.9M
Kansas
$13K

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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 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.

Max and Helen Guernsey37 shared recipientsBlack Hawk County Gaming Association30 shared recipientsCedar Valley United Way26 shared recipientsR J Mcelroy Trust17 shared recipientsAmerican Online Giving Foundation Inc16 shared recipientsLsb Foundation16 shared recipients

How to approach this foundation

  1. Check you are its size. The median grant is $25,000. Asking for ten times that is the most common way small organizations waste a submission.
  2. Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in Iowa.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

Where these numbers come from

Everything above is taken from Otto Schoitz Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2020-2023). Nothing here is scraped, inferred, or estimated.

Address of record on the latest return: 114 E 4TH St 300, Waterloo, IA, 50703. 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 81-1949053 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this

This is history, not an open call. Foundation returns are published about a year after the tax year ends. Nothing on this page is a deadline. It is a record of who this foundation has actually funded, which is the best available predictor of who it will fund next -- and a much better basis for deciding whether to write to them than a mission statement.

Is something here wrong about your foundation? Email hello@funderscope.com and we will correct it.