The John J. Frautschi Family Foundation is a strongly Madison-centered funder that supports a mix of arts, youth development, and community well-being. Its largest commitments go to cultural institutions—especially youth music and performing arts—alongside steady support for local social service organizations, schools, and a few faith-based or civic groups. The pattern suggests a longtime, relationship-driven approach with repeated grants to a relatively small circle of core grantees.
John J Frautschi Family Foundation Inc shows a pronounced pattern of repeat support for Madison and Dane County organizations, with several recipients funded in back-to-back years and most awards staying within Wisconsin. The largest recent grant in the data is a 2023 general-operations award of $619,500 to See Attached Statement in Madison, which stands apart from the foundation’s otherwise smaller, steady gifts. Alongside that discretionary item, the foundation has funded Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra at $110,000 in both 2024 and 2025, and United Way of Dane County at $77,000 in 2024 and $77,077 in 2025. Those recurring grants suggest long-term relationships rather than one-off awards. The giving profile also points to operating support for community institutions, with general grants to arts, education, human services, and civic organizations. Madison-based grantees appear repeatedly across the recent list, including Madison Youth Arts Center, Madison Childrens Museum, and Madison Symphony Orchestra. The foundation’s recent record reflects a local, relationship-based style of philanthropy centered on sustaining established organizations.
Youth orchestral music is a clear priority. The foundation gave $110,000 in 2024 and again in 2025 to Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra for general support, indicating sustained backing for that program. Community support also runs through United Way of Dane County, which received $77,000 in 2024 and $77,077 in 2025 for general purposes. In youth arts and cultural access, Madison Youth Arts Center received $50,000 in both 2024 and 2025, while Madison Childrens Museum received $29,500 in 2024. The portfolio also includes capacity support for civic and public-serving organizations such as Madison Rotary Foundation, Madison College Foundation, and Friends of Pbs Wi, each funded with general grants.
Typical grants are modest in the context of the foundation’s overall annual giving: p25 is $1,000, the median is $1,000, and p75 is $5,000. The recent record also includes a much larger outlier, showing that most awards are small but a few general-operations grants are substantial. Recipients appear across multiple years, especially Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra, United Way of Dane County, Madison Youth Arts Center, Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (dais), American Players Theatre, Overture Center Foundation, Christ Presbyterian Church, Madison Rotary Foundation, Madison College Foundation, Madison Symphony Orchestra, and Clean Lakes Alliance. The foundation appears to function as a family foundation, and the recent grants are overwhelmingly unrestricted or general support.
$573K
$8.4M
$1.6M
$713K
Most grants fall between $1K and $5K, with a median of $1K.
25th Percentile
$1K
Median
$1K
75th Percentile
$5K
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Highly concentrated and relationship-based, with many repeat grantees receiving multiple grants over time. Grants are mostly mid-sized and recurring rather than highly distributed, with especially strong multi-year support for a handful of local arts and community organizations.
Notable grantees: WISCONSIN YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, MADISON YOUTH ARTS CENTER, UNITED WAY OF DANE COUNTY, DOMESTIC ABUSE INTERVENTION SERVICES (DAIS), OVERTURE CENTER FOUNDATION
Grantmaking is concentrated in Wisconsin, which accounts for 74% of grants in the HQ state and is also the top state by grant count. Madison is the main recipient city, with repeated awards to organizations there across arts, education, human services, and civic causes. A smaller share reaches outside Madison, including Spring Green, Wisconsin, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. All grants in the recipient distribution are domestic, with 202 grants in the US.
Recent grants center on Madison and Dane County organizations working in youth orchestral music, community services, arts, education, and civic life. Examples from the record include Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra, United Way of Dane County, Madison Youth Arts Center, Madison Childrens Museum, and Madison Symphony Orchestra, most funded for general support.
Yes. Several organizations appear in multiple years, including Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra at $110,000 in both 2024 and 2025, United Way of Dane County at $77,000 and $77,077, and Madison Youth Arts Center at $50,000 in both years. That pattern points to sustained relationships.
The foundation’s typical grant size is small: p25 is $1,000, the median is $1,000, and p75 is $5,000. The recent list also includes a much larger general-operations grant of $619,500, so the distribution includes a few outliers alongside many smaller awards.
The giving is highly concentrated in Wisconsin. Wisconsin is the top state by grant count, and 74% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state. Most recent recipients are in Madison, with smaller numbers in places like Spring Green, Wisconsin, and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The recent grants are overwhelmingly general-support or general-operations awards. That pattern appears across arts, human services, and civic organizations, including unrestricted support for recurring recipients and a large statement grant labeled general operations.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WISCONSIN YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | MADISON, WI | $100,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| UNITED WAY OF DANE COUNTY | MADISON, WI | $77,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| WISCONSIN HISTORICAL FOUNDATION | MADISON, WI | $25,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| THE SALVATION ARMY WOMEN'S SHELTER | MADISON, WI | $25,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| MADISON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | MADISON, WI | $25,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| DOMESTIC ABUSE INTERVENTION SERVICES (DAIS) | MADISON, WI | $19,500 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| AMERICAN PLAYERS THEATRE | SPRING GREEN, WI | $17,500 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| OVERTURE CENTER FOUNDATION | MADISON, WI | $15,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| CHRIST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH | MADISON, WI | $15,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| MADISON ROTARY FOUNDATION | MADISON, WI | $13,500 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| MADISON COLLEGE FOUNDATION | MADISON, WI | $12,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| THE RIVER FOOD PANTRY | MADISON, WI | $11,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| WISCONSIN YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | MADISON, WI | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| MADISON LAKEWAY PARTNERS | MADISON, WI | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| CLEAN LAKES ALLIANCE | MADISON, WI | $9,500 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| INTERNATIONAL SHAKESPEARE CENTER SANTA FE | SANTA FE, NM | $8,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| CHRYSALIS | LOS ANGELES, CA | $7,500 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| THE FOUNDATION FOR MADISON PUBLIC SCHOOLS | MADISON, WI | $7,500 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| CANOPY CENTER | MADISON, WI | $7,500 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| WISCONSIN HISTORICAL FOUNDATION | MADISON, WI | $7,500 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| INTERNATIONAL CRANE FOUNDATION | BARABOO, WI | $7,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| ST PHILLIP PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH | HOUSTON, TX | $7,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| OLBRICH BOTANICAL SOCIETY | MADISON, WI | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| MADISON OPERA | MADISON, WI | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| MADISON MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART | MADISON, WI | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| FOUNTAIN VALLEY SCHOOL | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| AGRACE HOSPICECARE FOUNDATION INC | MADISON, WI | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN FDN (PAUL CARBONE CANCER CENTER) | MADISON, WI | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| MADISON CHILDRENS MUSEUM | MADISON, WI | $4,500 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| AMHERST COLLEGE | AMHERST, MA | $4,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| HENRY VILAS PARK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY | MADISON, WI | $4,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| SECOND HARVEST FOODBANK OF SOUTHERN WISCONSIN | MADISON, WI | $4,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| WISCONSIN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA | MADISON, WI | $3,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| THE CRADLE FOUNDATION | EVANSTON, IL | $3,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF DANE CO | MADISON, WI | $3,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| WISCONSIN CENTER FOR ACADEMICALLY TALENTED YOUTH INC (WCATY) | MADISON, WI | $3,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| UPSTART CROWS OF SANTA FE | SANTA FE, NM | $3,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| CTM MADISON FAMILY THEATRE COMPANY | MADISON, WI | $2,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS | MADISON, WI | $2,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| EMMA WILLARD SCHOOL | TROY, NY | $2,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE OF MADISON | MADISON, WI | $2,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| FRIENDS OF THE ARBORETUM | MADISON, WI | $2,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| RAINBOW PROJECT | MADISON, WI | $2,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| ARTS FOR ALL | MADISON, WI | $2,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| RISE (FORMERLY THE RESPITE CENTER CENTER FOR FAMILIES) | MADISON, WI | $2,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| GLACIER'S EDGE COUNCIL - BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA | MADISON, WI | $2,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| MADISON PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION | MADISON, WI | $2,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| GIRL SCOUTS OF WISCONSIN - BADGERLAND COUNCIL | MADISON, WI | $2,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| WISCONSIN ACADEMY FOR GRADUATE SERVICE DOGS (WAGS) | MADISON, WI | $2,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| EAST MADISON COMMUNITY CENTER | MADISON, WI | $1,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
WISCONSIN HISTORICAL FOUNDATION
$25,000GENERAL
THE SALVATION ARMY WOMEN'S SHELTER
$25,000GENERAL
GENERAL
AMERICAN PLAYERS THEATRE
$17,500GENERAL
OVERTURE CENTER FOUNDATION
$15,000GENERAL
CHRIST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
$15,000GENERAL
MADISON ROTARY FOUNDATION
$13,500GENERAL
MADISON COLLEGE FOUNDATION
$12,000GENERAL
MADISON LAKEWAY PARTNERS
$10,000GENERAL
CLEAN LAKES ALLIANCE
$9,500GENERAL
INTERNATIONAL SHAKESPEARE CENTER SANTA FE
$8,000GENERAL
CHRYSALIS
$7,500GENERAL
CANOPY CENTER
$7,500GENERAL
WISCONSIN HISTORICAL FOUNDATION
$7,500GENERAL
ST PHILLIP PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
$7,000GENERAL
MADISON OPERA
$5,000GENERAL
FOUNTAIN VALLEY SCHOOL
$5,000GENERAL
AMHERST COLLEGE
$4,000GENERAL
HENRY VILAS PARK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY
$4,000GENERAL
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF DANE CO
$3,000GENERAL
WISCONSIN CENTER FOR ACADEMICALLY TALENTED YOUTH INC (WCATY)
$3,000GENERAL
UPSTART CROWS OF SANTA FE
$3,000GENERAL
CTM MADISON FAMILY THEATRE COMPANY
$2,000GENERAL
FRIENDS OF THE ARBORETUM
$2,000GENERAL
RAINBOW PROJECT
$2,000GENERAL
ARTS FOR ALL
$2,000GENERAL
RISE (FORMERLY THE RESPITE CENTER CENTER FOR FAMILIES)
$2,000GENERAL
GLACIER'S EDGE COUNCIL - BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
$2,000GENERAL
GIRL SCOUTS OF WISCONSIN - BADGERLAND COUNCIL
$2,000GENERAL
WISCONSIN ACADEMY FOR GRADUATE SERVICE DOGS (WAGS)
$2,000GENERAL
EAST MADISON COMMUNITY CENTER
$1,000GENERAL