The Gretchen Swanson Family Foundation concentrates on health and medical philanthropy, making a small number of very large gifts — primarily to medical research/endowment efforts and rural healthcare providers. Grants include a multi-million dollar commitment to the Corbett Medical Foundation (named endowment and event support), substantial support for a watershed graduate assistantship at the University of Wyoming, and general operating support for a regional healthcare project in the Platte Valley. The foundation appears regionally focused on Nebraska and nearby states, with an emphasis on sustaining medical capacity and targeted education/training.
The Gretchen Swanson Family Foundation’s largest recent gift was a $2,817,972 grant to Corbett Medical Foundation for “GRETCHEN VELDE EF, BRUSH CREEK BASH,” a signal that the foundation can make very large, multi-year style commitments when it chooses. Across the recent grants list, its giving mixes health care support, scholarship and graduate training, historic preservation, disaster relief, and cultural institutions. Medical philanthropy is especially prominent: in addition to Corbett Medical Foundation, the foundation has funded Platte Valley Healthcare Project and North Platte Valley Medical Center, alongside unrestricted support for local organizations in Saratoga and nearby Wyoming communities. The foundation also supports higher education and research through University of Wyoming’s watershed graduate assistantship and scholarship support at Woodberry Forest School and Texas Christian University. Other grants show a willingness to back building and grounds preservation, museum work, and emergency relief, including support for the University of Virginia’s historic building and grounds fund, Buffalo Bill Historical Center’s Cody Firearms Museum, and Coco Point Fund for Hurricane Irma relief. The pattern suggests a family foundation that combines large targeted gifts with operating support and place-based commitments.
Medical and community health support is one of the foundation’s clearest themes. It gave $316,981 to Platte Valley Healthcare Project for general support in 2023 and $50,000 to North Platte Valley Medical Center for unrestricted operating support in 2024. Education and research also appear in the portfolio: the foundation provided $872,500 to the University of Wyoming for a watershed graduate assistantship, and $100,000 to Woodberry Forest School for the Kurt S Bucholz Family Scholarship Fund in 2025. Preservation and cultural work show up as well. It gave $100,000 to the University of Virginia’s historic building & grounds fund in 2025 and $75,000 to Buffalo Bill Historical Center for support of the Cody Firearms Museum in each of 2023, 2024, and 2025. Disaster response is another recurring theme, with $100,000 grants to Coco Point Fund for Hurricane Irma relief in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
$3.8M
$19.3M
$7.3M
$4M
Most grants fall between $5K and $71K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$71K
About 1% of grants go to recipients in WY.
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Highly concentrated giving: very few but large grants, including repeat support to the same medical foundation; predominantly unrestricted or program-level support to institutional grantees rather than many small community grants.
Notable grantees: Corbett Medical Foundation, University of Wyoming, Platte Valley Healthcare Project
Typical grants cluster from $5,000 at the 25th percentile to $25,000 at the median, with a $71,250 75th percentile, but the foundation also makes outlier gifts far above that range. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Corbett Medical Foundation, Platte Valley Community Center, Wyoming Stock Growers Agricultural Land Trust, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Coco Point Fund, University of Virginia, and Woodberry Forest School. That repeat pattern points to ongoing relationship-based giving rather than one-time awards only. The foundation is a family foundation and makes grants nationally, with no program-related investments recorded. It also funds individuals.
Grant recipients are overwhelmingly in the United States, with 89 grants there. The foundation gives most often in Wyoming, especially Saratoga, where recipients include Corbett Medical Foundation, Platte Valley Healthcare Project, Platte Valley Community Center, Valley Village, and North Platte Valley Medical Center. Other Wyoming locations include Laramie, Cheyenne, and Cody. Outside Wyoming, grants went to Charlottesville, Woodberry Forest, Bethesda, Grand Rapids, Fort Worth, Lakewood, and Fairfield. Although the foundation is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, its recent giving shows no grants to Nebraska recipients.
Recent grants show a strong tilt toward health care and medical support, especially in Wyoming, along with scholarship and graduate training, historic preservation, museum support, and disaster relief. Examples include support for Platte Valley Healthcare Project, the University of Wyoming watershed graduate assistantship, and the Cody Firearms Museum.
Yes. Several recipients appear across multiple years, including Corbett Medical Foundation, Platte Valley Community Center, Wyoming Stock Growers Agricultural Land Trust, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Coco Point Fund, University of Virginia, and Woodberry Forest School.
The grant size distribution centers at $5,000 for the 25th percentile, $25,000 at the median, and $71,250 at the 75th percentile. The recent record also includes much larger awards, such as a $2,817,972 grant to Corbett Medical Foundation.
Wyoming is the top state by grant count, with many recipients in Saratoga, plus Laramie, Cheyenne, and Cody. The recipient country distribution in the recent grants list is entirely U.S.-based.
Yes. The foundation is marked as funding individuals, and its recent grants also include scholarship-related support such as the Kurt S Bucholz Family Scholarship Fund at Woodberry Forest School.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CORBETT MEDICAL FOUNDATION | SARATOGA, WY | $2,817,972 | 2025 | GRETCHEN VELDE EF, BRUSH CREEK BASH |
| PLATTE VALLEY COMMUNITY CENTER | SARATOGA, WY | $105,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND |
| UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA | CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA | $100,000 | 2025 | HISTORIC BUILDING & GROUNDS FUND |
| WOODBERRY FOREST SCHOOL | WOODBERRY FOREST, VA | $100,000 | 2025 | KURT S BUCHOLZ FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP FU |
| COCO POINT FUND | BETHESDA, MD | $100,000 | 2025 | HURRICANE IRMA RELIEF FUND |
| WYOMING STOCK GROWERS AGRICULTURAL LAND TRUST | CHEYENNE, WY | $90,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND |
| BUFFALO BILL HISTORICAL CENTER | CODY, WY | $75,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT OF THE CODY FIREARMS MUSEUM |
| VALLEY VILLAGE | SARATOGA, WY | $50,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND |
| TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY | FORT WORTH, TX | $50,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND |
| GREAT BEGINNINGS MONTESSORI SCHOOL | FAIRFIELD, CT | $50,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND |
| MOUNTAIN STATES LEGAL FOUNDATION | LAKEWOOD, CO | $50,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND |
| SAN ANTONIO BOTANICAL SOCIETY | SAN ANTONIO, TX | $25,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND |
| WESTERN LANDOWNERS ALLIANCE | SANTE FE, NM | $25,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND |
| UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING | LARAMIE, WY | $25,000 | 2025 | WATERSHED GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIP |
| CAMP MISHAWAKA INC | GRAND RAPIDS, MN | $25,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND |
| MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER | HOUSTON, TX | $10,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND |
| WYOMING STOCKGROWERS LAND TRUST | CHEYENNE, WY | $10,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND |
| KING RANCH INSTITUTE FOR RANCH MANAGMENT | KINGSVILLE, TX | $10,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND |
| TEXAS CHILDRENS HOSPITAL | HOUSTON, TX | $10,000 | 2025 | IN HONOR OF DR. C. D. FRASER, JR |
| WYOMING STOCK GROWERS ENDOWMENT TRUST | CHEYENNE, WY | $10,000 | 2025 | WILDFIRE RELIEF FUND |
| ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION | OMAHA, NE | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND |
| SARATOGA HISTORICAL & CULTURAL ASSN | SARATOGA, WY | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND |
| PLATTE VALLEY MARTIAL ARTS | SARATOGA, WY | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| GRAND ENCAMPMENT MUSEUM | ENCAMPMENT, WY | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND |
| MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION OF WYOMING | CASPER, WY | $5,000 | 2025 | MAKE-A-WISH PROGRAM |
| WYOMING AGRICULTURE IN THE CLASSROOM | CHEYNNE, WY | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| EAGLE MOUNT | BOZEMAN, MT | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| WYOMING NATURAL RESOURCE | CHEYENNE, WY | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND |
| WSGA ENDOWMENT TRUST | CHEYENNE, WY | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND |
| YELLOW DOG CONSERVATION & COMM FUND | BOZEMAN, MT | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND |
| RIBBONS OF HOPE | DE PERE, WI | $2,500 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND |
| UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING | LARAMIE, WY | $872,500 | 2024 | WATERSHED GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIP |
| CORBETT MEDICAL FOUNDATION | SARATOGA, WY | $530,727 | 2024 | GRETCHEN VELDE EF, BRUSH CREEK BASH |
| WYOMING STOCK GROWERS AGRICULTURAL LAND TRUST | CHEYENNE, WY | $105,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND |
| PLATTE VALLEY COMMUNITY CENTER | SARATOGA, WY | $105,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND |
| COCO POINT FUND | BETHESDA, MD | $100,000 | 2024 | HURRICANE IRMA RELIEF FUND |
| VALLEY VILLAGE | SARATOGA, WY | $100,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND |
| WOODBERRY FOREST SCHOOL | WOODBERRY FOREST, VA | $100,000 | 2024 | KURT S BUCHOLZ FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP FU |
| BUFFALO BILL HISTORICAL CENTER | CODY, WY | $75,000 | 2024 | SUPPORT OF THE CODY FIREARMS MUSEUM |
| NORTH PLATTE VALLEY MEDICAL CENTER | SARATOGA, WY | $50,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND |
| UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA | CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA | $50,000 | 2024 | HISTORIC BUILDING & GROUNDS FUND |
| CAMP MISHAWAKA INC | GRAND RAPIDS, MN | $50,000 | 2024 | UN |
| TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY | FORT WORTH, TX | $50,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND |
| EAGLE MOUNT | BOZEMAN, MT | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| SAN ANTONIO BOTANICAL SOCIETY | SAN ANTONIO, TX | $25,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND |
| WESTERN LANDOWNERS ALLIANCE | SANTE FE, NM | $25,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND |
| MOUNTAIN STATES LEGAL FOUNDATION | LAKEWOOD, CO | $25,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND |
| AMERICAN LEGION POST #54 | FERNANDINA BEACH, FL | $25,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND |
| TEXAS CHILDRENS HOSPITAL | HOUSTON, TX | $10,000 | 2024 | IN HONOR OF DR. C. D. FRASER, JR |
| KING RANCH INSTITUTE FOR RANCH MANAGMENT | KINGSVILLE, TX | $10,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND |
PLATTE VALLEY COMMUNITY CENTER
$105,000UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
$100,000HISTORIC BUILDING & GROUNDS FUND
COCO POINT FUND
$100,000HURRICANE IRMA RELIEF FUND
WYOMING STOCK GROWERS AGRICULTURAL LAND TRUST
UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND
BUFFALO BILL HISTORICAL CENTER
$75,000SUPPORT OF THE CODY FIREARMS MUSEUM
VALLEY VILLAGE
$50,000UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND
TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
$50,000UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND
GREAT BEGINNINGS MONTESSORI SCHOOL
$50,000UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND
SAN ANTONIO BOTANICAL SOCIETY
$25,000UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND
UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING
$25,000WATERSHED GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIP
WYOMING STOCKGROWERS LAND TRUST
$10,000UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND
KING RANCH INSTITUTE FOR RANCH MANAGMENT
$10,000UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND
TEXAS CHILDRENS HOSPITAL
$10,000IN HONOR OF DR. C. D. FRASER, JR
WYOMING STOCK GROWERS ENDOWMENT TRUST
$10,000WILDFIRE RELIEF FUND
ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION
$5,000UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND
SARATOGA HISTORICAL & CULTURAL ASSN
$5,000UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND
PLATTE VALLEY MARTIAL ARTS
$5,000GENERAL
GRAND ENCAMPMENT MUSEUM
$5,000UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND
WYOMING NATURAL RESOURCE
$5,000UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND
WSGA ENDOWMENT TRUST
$5,000UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND
YELLOW DOG CONSERVATION & COMM FUND
$5,000UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND
RIBBONS OF HOPE
$2,500UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND
UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING
$872,500WATERSHED GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIP
UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND
PLATTE VALLEY COMMUNITY CENTER
$105,000UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND
COCO POINT FUND
$100,000HURRICANE IRMA RELIEF FUND
VALLEY VILLAGE
$100,000UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND
BUFFALO BILL HISTORICAL CENTER
$75,000SUPPORT OF THE CODY FIREARMS MUSEUM
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
$50,000HISTORIC BUILDING & GROUNDS FUND
TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
$50,000UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND
SAN ANTONIO BOTANICAL SOCIETY
$25,000UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND
AMERICAN LEGION POST #54
$25,000UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND
TEXAS CHILDRENS HOSPITAL
$10,000IN HONOR OF DR. C. D. FRASER, JR
KING RANCH INSTITUTE FOR RANCH MANAGMENT
$10,000UNRESTRICTED -GENERAL OPERATING FUND