The Lumw Foundation concentrates its giving in large, targeted gifts to place-based cultural, faith-based education, and local community institutions. A plurality of funding supports performing arts infrastructure and historic theater preservation, while a secondary thread funds Catholic schooling and small community foundations, suggesting an interest in sustaining local civic life and faith-based education. Grants are few in number but very large in size and often made multiple times to the same organizations.
Lumw Foundation’s giving is marked by repeated, very large support for place-based institutions, especially the Friends of Genesee Theatre, which received $2,000,000 in 2024 and $1,905,500 in 2025. That pattern sits alongside major support for Catholic schooling, including St Joseph Catholic Academy, and it points to a grantmaker that favors concentrated commitments rather than broad dispersal. The foundation’s recent grants also show attention to local civic and cultural infrastructure, from regional theater preservation to community foundations and education institutions. Several of the largest awards are general support grants, suggesting flexibility in how recipients use the funds. The size pattern is notable: the foundation makes relatively few grants, but those grants can reach into the multi-million-dollar range for a select set of organizations. Its recent portfolio includes both Wisconsin and nearby Illinois recipients, with repeated funding going to the same organizations across consecutive years. In the available grant list, the foundation supports a mix of faith-based education, arts venues, rural community institutions, and local conservation and recreation groups. The result is a compact giving profile centered on sustaining named institutions over time.
A clear thread in Lumw Foundation’s grantmaking is historic and regional performing arts infrastructure. The foundation gave $2,000,000 in 2024 and $1,905,500 in 2025 to Friends of Genesee Theatre, both listed as general support, showing sustained backing for a single venue. Catholic K–12 education is another recurring area. St Joseph Catholic Academy received $777,186 in 2024 and $650,904 in 2025, again as general support. Other faith-based education grants include $40,000 to St Anastasia in Waukegan and $10,000 to Matthias Academy in Benet Lake in 2024 and 2025. The foundation also backs local civic and conservation work. It gave $321,000 to Boulder Junction Community Foundation in 2024 and $150,000 to Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation in 2025, along with grants to Ice Age Trail Alliance and Seno Krlt Conservancy for regional land and trail work.
Lumw Foundation’s typical grant size is modest relative to its largest awards: the p25 is $300, the median is $1,000, and the p75 is $2,966. That distribution sits beside a small number of very large grants, indicating a highly skewed pattern. The grants are usually general support. The same organizations appear in multiple years, which points to repeat funding rather than one-time gifts. Friends of Genesee Theatre, St Joseph Catholic Academy, Town of Manitowish Waters, North Lakeland Discovery Center, Seno Krlt Conservancy, Ice Age Trail Alliance, Matthias Academy, and others each received support in more than one year. The foundation is structured as a private foundation, does not fund individuals, and makes no program-related investments.
$4.3M
$7.7M
$5.6M
$4.3M
Most grants fall between $300 and $3K, with a median of $1K.
25th Percentile
$300
Median
$1K
75th Percentile
$3K
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Highly concentrated giving: very large grants (multi-million dollar) in a small number of awards, repeat funding to select flagship organizations, and a focus on general operating or capital support rather than many small grants.
Notable grantees: Friends of Genesee Theatre, St. Joseph Catholic Academy, Boulder Junction Community Foundation, SEE ATTACHED FILE (large unspecified recipient)
Lumw Foundation gives most often in Wisconsin, which accounts for 47% of grants to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state, though its recent awards also reach nearby Illinois. Wisconsin recipients include Kenosha, Manitowish Waters, Boulder Junction, Madison, Burlington, Milwaukee, Benet Lake, Rhinelander, Cross Plains, and Woodruff. Illinois recipients include Waukegan, Lake Forest, Elizabeth, and Lake Forest again through different organizations. The recipient-country distribution is entirely U.S.-based in the provided data, with 138 grants to U.S. organizations. The pattern is regional rather than national, with several grants clustered in northwestern and northern Wisconsin communities.
The foundation backs place-based cultural institutions, Catholic schools, local community foundations, rural community development groups, and conservation or recreation organizations. Recent recipients include Friends of Genesee Theatre, St Joseph Catholic Academy, Boulder Junction Community Foundation, Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation, and Ice Age Trail Alliance.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Friends of Genesee Theatre, St Joseph Catholic Academy, Town of Manitowish Waters, North Lakeland Discovery Center, Seno Krlt Conservancy, Ice Age Trail Alliance, and Matthias Academy. That pattern suggests ongoing support for a select set of organizations.
Typical grants are small, even though a few awards are very large. The p25 is $300, the median is $1,000, and the p75 is $2,966. The recent list also includes multi-million-dollar grants, showing a wide spread between ordinary awards and major commitments.
Wisconsin is the top state by grant count, with 47% of grants going to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state. Recent Wisconsin recipients include Kenosha, Manitowish Waters, Boulder Junction, Madison, Burlington, Milwaukee, Benet Lake, Rhinelander, Cross Plains, and Woodruff.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRIENDS OF GENESEE THEATRE | WAUKEGAN, IL | $2,000,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| LAKE FOREST OPEN LANDS | LAKE FOREST, IL | $1,032,282 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| ST JOSEPH CATHOLIC ACADEMY | KENOSHA, WI | $323,093 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| ST ANASTASIA | WAUKEGAN, IL | $275,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| BIG SHOULDERS FUND | CHICAGO, IL | $200,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| TOWN OF MANITOWISH WATERS | MANITOWISH WATERS, WI | $134,926 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| CITY OF LAKE FOREST ELAWA | LAKE FOREST, IL | $53,016 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| ICE AGE TRAIL ALLIANCE | CROSS PLAINS, WI | $30,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| NORTH LAKELAND DISCOVERY CENTER | MANITOWISH WATERS, WI | $28,301 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| CAMP JORN | MANITOWISH WATERS, WI | $27,201 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| SENO KRLT CONSERVANCY | BURLINGTON, WI | $26,661 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| NORTH LAKELAND SCHOOL DISTRICT | MANITOWISH WATERS, WI | $25,196 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| PRESERVATION FOUNDATION OF THE LAKE | LIBERTYVILLE, IL | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| MATTHIAS ACADEMY | BENET LAKE, WI | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| NICOLET COLLEGE FOUNDATION | RHINELANDER, WI | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| MANITOWISH WATERS BIKE TRAIL INC | MANITOWISH WATERS, WI | $9,431 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| NORTHEAST ILLINOIS COUNCIL | VERNON HILLS, IL | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| HOWARD YOUNG FOUNDATION | WOODRUFF, WI | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| MERCER CROSS COUNTRY SKI CLUB INC | MERCER, WI | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| NATURE CONSERVANCY WI | ARLINGTON, VA | $3,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| CM RUSSELL MUSEUM | GREAT FALLS, MT | $3,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| LAKELAND AIRPORT COMMISSION | WOODRUFF, WI | $2,640 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WILDLIFE ART | JACKSON, WY | $2,500 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| MARSHFIELD CLINIC | MARSHFIELD, WI | $2,500 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| SHIRLEY RYAN ABILITYLAB | CHICAGO, IL | $2,500 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| NORTH CHICAGO COMMUNITY PARTNERS | LAKE BLUFF, IL | $2,500 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| EISENHOWER HEALTH | RANCHO MIRAGE, CA | $2,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| ST JUDE CHILDRENS RESEARCH HOSPITAL | MEMPHIS, TN | $2,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| GENEVA LAKE CONSERVANCY | FONTANA, WI | $1,500 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| RAILS TO TAILS CONSERVANCY | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,200 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIA | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING CANCER CEN | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| MORTON ARBORETUM | LISLE, IL | $1,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| LAKE BLUFF OPEN LANDS ASSOCIATION | LAKE BLUFF, IL | $1,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| LITTLE STAR FOUNDATION | SANTA ROSA BEACH, FL | $1,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY | CHICAGO, IL | $1,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| OPENLANDS | CHICAGO, IL | $1,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| YOUNG AMERICAS FOUNDATION | RESTON, VA | $1,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| FIRST STAGE | MILWAUKEE, WI | $500 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| NORTHWOODS LAND TRUST | EAGLE RIVER, WI | $500 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| NORTHWOODS WILDLIFE CENTER | MINOCQUA, WI | $500 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| PAWS CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $500 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| OLD WORLD FOUNDATION | EAGLE, WI | $500 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER | HOUSTON, TX | $500 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| SCHLITZ AUDUBON NATURE CENTER | MILWAUKEE, WI | $500 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| ALDO LEOPOLD FOUNDATION | BARABOO, WI | $500 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN | GLENCOE, IL | $500 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| HAWTHORN HOLLOW | KENOSHA, WI | $400 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| BROOKFIELD ZOO | BROOKFIELD, IL | $350 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| LOLA | LAND O LAKES, WI | $300 | 2026 | GENERAL |
FRIENDS OF GENESEE THEATRE
$2,000,000GENERAL
ST JOSEPH CATHOLIC ACADEMY
$323,093GENERAL
ST ANASTASIA
$275,000GENERAL
TOWN OF MANITOWISH WATERS
$134,926GENERAL
CITY OF LAKE FOREST ELAWA
$53,016GENERAL
CAMP JORN
$27,201GENERAL
SENO KRLT CONSERVANCY
$26,661GENERAL
NORTH LAKELAND SCHOOL DISTRICT
$25,196GENERAL
NICOLET COLLEGE FOUNDATION
$10,000GENERAL
MANITOWISH WATERS BIKE TRAIL INC
$9,431GENERAL
NORTHEAST ILLINOIS COUNCIL
$5,000GENERAL
MERCER CROSS COUNTRY SKI CLUB INC
$5,000GENERAL
CM RUSSELL MUSEUM
$3,000GENERAL
LAKELAND AIRPORT COMMISSION
$2,640GENERAL
NORTH CHICAGO COMMUNITY PARTNERS
$2,500GENERAL
RAILS TO TAILS CONSERVANCY
$1,200GENERAL
MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING CANCER CEN
$1,000GENERAL
LAKE BLUFF OPEN LANDS ASSOCIATION
$1,000GENERAL
NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY
$1,000GENERAL
NORTHWOODS LAND TRUST
$500GENERAL
NORTHWOODS WILDLIFE CENTER
$500GENERAL
OLD WORLD FOUNDATION
$500GENERAL
MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER
$500GENERAL
SCHLITZ AUDUBON NATURE CENTER
$500GENERAL
HAWTHORN HOLLOW
$400GENERAL
LOLA
$300GENERAL