The Rail Heritage Trust
Paola, KS · EIN 46-4327372. Reported 99 grants totalling $1,350,000 to 68 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. The Rail Heritage Trust 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 $12,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $10,000 and $15,000; the smallest was $1,000 and the largest $45,000. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Railroading Heritage of Midwest America Inc | Blaine, MN | $66,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Colebrookdale Railroad Preservation Trust | Boyertown, PA | $55,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation | Portland, OR | $55,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Nashville Steam Preservation Society | Nashville, TN | $45,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| United Railroad Historical Society of Nj Inc | Boonton, NJ | $44,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Nashville Steam Preservation Association | Nashville, KY | $44,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Abilene Smoky Valley Railroad Association | Abilene, KS | $40,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society Inc | New Haven, IN | $40,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum Inc | Chattanooga, TN | $40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Pacific Railroad Preservation Association Incorporated | Portland, OR | $39,500 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Engine 557 Restoration Company | Wasilla, AK | $36,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Illinois Railway Museum | Union, IL | $36,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Railroad Museum of New England Inc | Thomaston, CT | $33,500 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Pacific Locomotive Association Inc | Sunol, CA | $31,000 | 2 | 1 | 2022 |
| Friends of Sp 4449 Inc | Portland, OR | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Mid-Continent Railway Historical Society Inc | North Freedom, WI | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Midwest Railway Preservation Society Inc | Cleveland, OH | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Railway Restoration Project #113 | Minersville, PA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| San Bernardino Railroad Historical Society | Los Angeles, CA | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Tri-State Railway Historical Society Inc | Bn, NJ | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Black River Railroad Historical Trust Inc | Point Pleasant Boro, NJ | $23,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Kentucky Railway Museum Inc | Irvine, KY | $23,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Adirondack Railway Preservation Society | Utica, NY | $21,100 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Gulf Coast Chapter National Railway Historical Society Inc | Houston, TX | $21,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Minnesota Transportation Museum Inc | St Paul, MN | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Watauga Valley Railroad Historical Society & Museum Inc | Jonesborough, TN | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Iron Mountain Railway | Jackson, MO | $17,100 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Michigan State Trust for Railway Preservation Inc | Owasso, MI | $16,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Watauga Valley Rr Hist Society & Museum Inc | Jonesborough, TN | $15,550 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Ebt Foundation Inc | Rockhill Furace, PA | $15,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Friends of Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites Inc | Cordele, GA | $15,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Cuyahoga Valley Preservation and Scenic Railway Association | Peninsula, OH | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Fox River Trolley Association Inc | South Elgin, IL | $15,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Iron Horse Society at Steamtorn Incorporated | Scranton, PA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Lake Superior Railroad Museum | Duluth, MN | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Nickel Plate Heritage Railroad Inc | Noblesville, IN | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Pacific Railroad Society Inc | San Dimas, CA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Roanoke Chapter National Railway Nistorical Society | Roanoke, VA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Sumpter Valley Railroad Restoration Inc | Baker City, OR | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Western Maryland Scenic Railroad Development Corporation | Cumberland, MD | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Western Michigan Society for Industrial Heritage | Coopersville, MI | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Bellefonte Historical Rr Society Inc | Bellefonte, PA | $13,100 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Danbury Railway Museum Inc | Danbury, CT | $12,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad Company | Duluth, MN | $12,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Rochester and Genesee Valley Railroad Museum | Rush, NY | $11,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Austin Steam Train Association Incorporated | Cedar Park, TX | $11,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Railroad Museum Golden Gate | Miami, FL | $11,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Railroaders Heritage Corporation | Altoona, PA | $11,000 | 2 | 1 | 2022 |
| Anthracite Railroads Historical Society Inc | Fort Washington, PA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| B&o Railroad Museum | Baltimore, MD | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| East Troy Railroad Museum Inc | East Troy, WI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Friends of the SP4449 Inc | Portland, OR | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| New Mexico Steam Locomotive and Railroad Historical Society | Albuquerque, NM | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Pacific Southwest Railway Museum | La Mesa, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Smoky Hill Railway & Hist Society Inc | Belton, MO | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Southern Michigan Railroad Society Inc | Clinton, MI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| West Chester Rr Heritage Assn | West Chester, PA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Downeast Rail Heritage Preservation Trust | Hancock, ME | $9,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| National Railway Historical Society | Washington, DC | $8,800 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| National Railroad Museum Inc | Green Bay, WI | $8,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Northwest Railway Museum | Snoqualmie, WA | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Norfolk & Western Business Car 300 Preservation Soc Inc | Chesterton, IN | $7,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Branford Electric Railway Association Inc | East Haven, CT | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| North Carolina Transportation Museum Foundation | Spencer, NC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Railways to Yesterday Inc | Rockhill Furnace, PA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| West Chester Railroad Heritage Assoc | West Chester, PA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Connecticut Electric Rwy Assn Inc | East Windsor, CT | $2,350 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| El Dorado Western Railway Foundation | Placerville, CA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
22 of 68 (32%) 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 29%, across 4 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is less consistent than most. 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.
- Nashville Steam Preservation Society
LOCOMOTIVE 576 EECTRICAL COMPONENTS - Engine 557 Restoration Company
INSTALL TUBERS AND FLUES IN ALASKA RAILROAD 557 - Railroading Heritage of Midwest America Inc
CARITAS RESCUE AND RETURN TO SERVICE - Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation
GRANTS, DONATIONS, HOLIDAY EXPRESS TRAINS - Railway Restoration Project #113
PRIVATE & PUBLIC DONATIONS, TICKET SALES, NRHS - Colebrookdale Railroad Preservation Trust
PULLMAN WOODLAND HEATING SYSTEM
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 65 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 | 22 | $350,000 | $15,000 |
| 2022 | 21 | $250,000 | $10,000 |
| 2023 | 18 | $250,000 | $15,000 |
| 2024 | 18 | $250,000 | $15,000 |
| 2025 | 20 | $250,000 | $10,000 |
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
12% of its giving went to organizations in Pennsylvania. 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 $12,000. 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 Pennsylvania.
- 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 The Rail Heritage Trust'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: 702 Baptiste Dr, Paola, KS, 66071. 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 46-4327372 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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