The Claire L Rolfs Foundation concentrates its philanthropy on university-based family medicine — funding the University of Chicago Department of Family Medicine in two grants totaling $100,000. Although based in Portland, OR, the foundation appears to prioritize support for clinical/academic family medicine programs and general program support to a single institutional grantee rather than a broad geographic or issue spread.
Highly concentrated: few grants to a single repeat grantee, moderate-size unrestricted/general support rather than many small awards or diversified grantees.
Claire L Rolfs Foundation Inc has focused its giving on university-based family medicine, with two $50,000 grants to the University of Chicago Department of Family Medicine in 2023 and 2024. That repeated support stands out in the foundation’s recent grant history because it places one academic department at the center of the funder’s activity rather than spreading dollars across many institutions. The pattern suggests an emphasis on clinical and educational capacity within a single family medicine program. The foundation’s other recent awards are much smaller and still tied to higher education: $5,000 to Mount Mary University and $2,500 grants to Luther College. Those grants, together with the larger support to the University of Chicago, indicate a grantmaking approach that favors institutional general support over narrowly specified projects. Based on the latest 990 year on file, the foundation reported annual grants of $112,500 and total assets of $302,420, showing a modest-sized private foundation with concentrated grant activity.
A central theme in Claire L Rolfs Foundation Inc’s grantmaking is academic family medicine. The foundation gave $50,000 in 2023 and another $50,000 in 2024 to the University of Chicago Department of Family Medicine, both as general support. Its broader higher-education giving reaches beyond one department. In 2024, Mount Mary University received $5,000 for general support, and Luther College received $2,500 that year and another $2,500 in 2023. Those smaller awards show continued interest in institutional support at colleges and universities. The recurring use of general grants is another clear pattern. Across the recent grants list, the foundation’s awards are not tied to narrowly described projects, but instead support the operating strength of academic programs and institutions.
Grant sizes range from $2,500 at the 25th percentile to a median of $3,750 and a 75th percentile of $38,750, with the largest recent grants at $50,000. The recent record also shows repeated support to the same grantee across 2023 and 2024, which points to a continuing relationship rather than one-off awards. The foundation is not reported to fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. The grants listed are all general support, suggesting a preference for flexible institutional funding.
$63K
$125K
$22K
$68K
Most grants fall between $3K and $39K, with a median of $4K.
25th Percentile
$3K
Median
$4K
75th Percentile
$39K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in IA.
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Notable grantees: University of Chicago Department of Family Medicine
The foundation’s giving is regional and entirely U.S.-based in the recent grants listed. Chicago, Illinois appears twice through grants to a single academic department, while Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Decorah, Iowa each appear with college grants. Iowa is the top state by grant count, reflecting the repeated awards to Luther College in Decorah. No grants in the recent list went to recipients in Oregon, the foundation’s headquarters state.
The recent grants point to university-based family medicine and higher-education institutions. The foundation made two $50,000 general-support grants to an academic family medicine department, and also gave general support to two colleges, showing a clear institutional focus.
Yes. The same academic family medicine department received $50,000 in 2023 and another $50,000 in 2024, and one college received $2,500 in both 2023 and 2024. That pattern indicates recurring support to selected grantees.
The grant-size distribution is relatively compact at the lower end, with a 25th percentile of $2,500 and a median of $3,750. The 75th percentile is $38,750, and the largest recent grants are $50,000.
Iowa is the top state by grant count in the recent data, driven by repeated grants to a college in Decorah. The recent grants are all to U.S. recipients, including organizations in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Decorah.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MUSEUM OF WISCONSIN ART | WEST BEND, WI | $55,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| MOUNT MARY UNIVERSITY | MILWAUKEE, WI | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| UNITED WAY | MILWAUKEE, WI | $2,500 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| MUSEUM OF WISCONSIN ART | WEST BEND, WI | $106,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| CRISTO REY HIGH SCHOOL | WEST MILWAUKEE, WI | $35,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| MOUNT MARY UNIVERSITY | MILWAUKEE, WI | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| LUTHER COLLEGE | DECORAH, IA | $2,500 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY MEDICINE | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| MOUNT MARY UNIVERSITY | MILWAUKEE, WI | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| LUTHER COLLEGE | DECORAH, IA | $2,500 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY MEDICINE | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| LUTHER COLLEGE | DECORAH, IA | $2,500 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| MOUNT MARY UNIVERSITY | MILWAUKEE, WI | $2,500 | 2023 | GENERAL |
MOUNT MARY UNIVERSITY
$5,000GENERAL
CRISTO REY HIGH SCHOOL
$35,000GENERAL
MOUNT MARY UNIVERSITY
$5,000GENERAL
LUTHER COLLEGE
$2,500GENERAL
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY MEDICINE
$50,000GENERAL
MOUNT MARY UNIVERSITY
$5,000GENERAL
LUTHER COLLEGE
$2,500GENERAL
LUTHER COLLEGE
$2,500GENERAL
MOUNT MARY UNIVERSITY
$2,500GENERAL