The Joseph and Mildred Thelen Memorial Foundation concentrates its giving on a small number of sizable grants that prioritize international and cultural exchange, contemporary art, and global population/health research. Its largest and repeat support goes to organizations that foster Netherlands–America ties, while other major gifts fund an art museum and population-health research, indicating an interest in both cultural diplomacy and applied global social science. Grants are few but large, suggesting a targeted, impact-oriented strategy rather than broad-based community giving.
Concentrated and targeted — a small number of large grants, including repeat funding to the same international/cultural organization, with emphasis on high-impact institutional partners rather than many small awards.
The Joseph and Mildred Thelen Memorial Foundation’s recent giving is defined by a $250,000 unrestricted grant to the Orange County Museum of Art in Costa Mesa, a signal that the foundation backs institutions at the top of the arts field with large, flexible support. That same pattern appears in its other major awards: a $150,000 grant to The Netherland-America Foundation in New York and a $100,000 grant to The Population Council, also in New York. Together, these gifts point to a focused portfolio built around cultural exchange, contemporary art, and global population and health research. The foundation’s grantmaking is concentrated rather than broad. It has continued support for the Netherland-America Foundation across multiple years, and its recent awards also include organizations working in women’s empowerment, community development, health, education, and local social services. Most grants are unrestricted, which suggests the foundation often provides flexible operating support rather than project-only funding. The overall picture is of a private foundation making selective, sizable grants to a small set of organizations aligned with international ties, the arts, and applied social research.
One clear focus is Netherlands–America cultural exchange and bilateral relations. The foundation gave $150,000 to The Netherland America Foundation in 2024 and repeated that support with another $150,000 grant in 2025; it also made a $150,000 award to The Netherland-america Foundation Inc in 2025. A second area is contemporary art. In 2024, it awarded $250,000 to the Orange County Museum of Art in Costa Mesa as unrestricted support. The foundation also supports population and reproductive health research. In 2025, it gave $100,000 unrestricted to The Population Council Inc in New York. Its recent list further includes a $50,000 grant to Sundari Foundation Inc in Miami, linking the foundation’s giving to women’s empowerment and community development philanthropy.
Typical grant size is large: the 25th percentile, median, and 75th percentile are $150,000, $150,000, and $200,000, respectively. That clustering reflects a small number of awards at substantial levels, with one larger outlier at $250,000. The recent record also shows repeat support to the same organization across multiple years, especially in the Netherlands–America exchange area. Grants are made as unrestricted support, indicating flexibility in how recipients can use the funds. The foundation is a private foundation rather than a donor-advised fund, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments.
$436K
$10.3M
$562K
$468K
Most grants fall between $150K and $200K, with a median of $150K.
25th Percentile
$150K
Median
$150K
75th Percentile
$200K
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Notable grantees: The Netherland-America Foundation / The Netherland America Foundation Inc., Orange County Museum of Art, The Population Council, Inc., Sundari Foundation, Inc.
Grant recipients are located entirely in the United States. New York is the most common recipient state by count, with multiple awards in New York City. California also appears prominently through Costa Mesa and several other recipient locations. Philadelphia recipients include Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia Foundation, Project Home Gloria Casarez Residence, The Evoluer House, and Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence Region. The list also reaches Miami, Cincinnati, Bryn Mawr, and Chicago, showing a regional but multi-state footprint rather than a single-city pattern.
Its recent grants point to a mix of cultural exchange, contemporary art, population and reproductive health research, and selected community-serving nonprofits. Named recipients include The Netherland America Foundation, Orange County Museum of Art, The Population Council Inc, and Sundari Foundation Inc.
Yes. Every listed recent grant is marked unrestricted, including the $250,000 award to Orange County Museum of Art, the $150,000 grants to The Netherland America Foundation, and the $100,000 grant to The Population Council Inc.
There is recurring support in the recent record. The Netherland America Foundation received $150,000 in 2023, another $150,000 in 2024, and $150,000 in 2025, showing a multi-year pattern rather than a single one-off award.
The foundation’s grant size distribution is concentrated at the high end: the 25th percentile is $150,000, the median is $150,000, and the 75th percentile is $200,000. That makes $150,000 the central amount in the recent record.
By recipient count, California is the top state, while New York appears frequently as well. Recent grants also went to Philadelphia, Miami, Cincinnati, Bryn Mawr, and Chicago, all within the United States.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE NETHERLAND-AMERICA FOUNDATION INC | NEW YORK, NY | $150,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THE POPULATION COUNCIL INC | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SUNDARI FOUNDATION INC | MIAMI, FL | $50,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| CHILDRENS HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA FOUNDATION | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $50,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| PROJECT HOME GLORIA CASAREZ RESIDENCE | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $35,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS INDEPENDENCE REGION | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $15,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THE EVOLUER HOUSE | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $15,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| JACK M BARRACK HEBREW ACADEMY | BRYN MAWR, PA | $10,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ROCKDALE TEMPLE | CINCINNATI, PA | $10,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| CHICAGO COALITION TO END HOMELESSNESS | CHICAGO, PA | $516 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ORANGE COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART | COSTA MESA, CA | $250,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THE NETHERLAND AMERICA FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $150,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THE NETHERLAND AMERICA FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $150,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
UNRESTRICTED
THE EVOLUER HOUSE
$15,000UNRESTRICTED
ROCKDALE TEMPLE
$10,000UNRESTRICTED