The Nathan & Sarah Herbst Family Foundation makes modest, targeted gifts to local Madison-area institutions, concentrating on community-wide philanthropy and direct support for a local independent school. Their giving emphasizes one-time or capital-type gifts (a centennial/campaign gift and school facility repairs) rather than broad program portfolios. The foundation appears focused on sustaining community infrastructure and local education.
Nathan & Sarah Herbst Family Foundation Inc concentrates its giving on a narrow set of local priorities, with its largest recent grant going to United Way of Dane County Found for a centennial campaign gift. The foundation’s recent record shows a pattern of targeted support for Madison-area institutions and community-serving organizations, including school facilities, health-related initiatives, and local civic causes. It also gives beyond Madison when a project fits its stated priorities, as seen in support for Mayo Clinic’s strategic initiative fund and St John Rescue’s general gift. Within Wisconsin, the foundation’s grants often land with organizations tied to place-based infrastructure and public-facing services. Madison Country Day School received support for boiler repairs, while Henry Vilas Zoo was funded for Zoo Lights. Other grants went to Unitypoint Health for Meriter Foundation - Love is Love and Uw Health for the BerbeeWalsh Dept. of Medicine. The pattern points to a funder that uses relatively modest, targeted awards to meet specific institutional needs rather than spread gifts across many broad programs.
One clear theme is community fundraising and campaign support. The foundation gave $50,000 to United Way of Dane County Found for a centennial campaign gift and later added $12,500 for the same purpose in 2024, along with a separate $5,000 grant for the Abundant Life Fund. Education and facilities are another recurring theme. Madison Country Day School received $20,000 for boiler repairs, showing attention to capital and maintenance needs rather than unrestricted school programming. Health-related support appears in multiple forms. The foundation gave $10,000 to Unitypoint Health for Meriter Foundation - Love is Love and $5,000 to Uw Health for the BerbeeWalsh Dept. of Medicine. It also backed Mayo Clinic’s strategic initiative fund with $10,000, suggesting interest in institution-specific priorities. Cultural and community programming also receives support, including $5,000 to Henry Vilas Zoo for Zoo Lights and a small general gift to Clean Lakes Alliance.
Typical grants cluster around a median of $10,000, with a lower quartile of $5,000 and an upper quartile also at $10,000, indicating a fairly tight grant-size range. The foundation’s recent activity includes both large one-time gifts and smaller follow-on awards, such as repeated support for United Way of Dane County Found in consecutive years. Its structure appears family-based, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. The grant record suggests direct, targeted giving rather than an application-driven portfolio.
$232K
$1K
$225K
$233K
Most grants fall between $5K and $10K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$10K
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Concentrated, small-grant portfolio with few but relatively sizable one-off gifts; supports established local institutions rather than many new or small nonprofits; mix of campaign/capital support and operational infrastructure assistance.
Notable grantees: United Way of Dane County Foundation, Madison Country Day School
Grantmaking is strongly concentrated in Wisconsin, which receives 85% of grants by recipient location. Madison appears most often, including gifts to United Way of Dane County Found, Unitypoint Health, Henry Vilas Zoo, Uw Health, Clean Lakes Alliance, and Vera Court Neighborhood Center. Other Wisconsin recipients include Waunakee, Middleton, and Maple Bluff. Outside Wisconsin, the foundation made grants to Rochester, Minnesota, and St John in the U.S. Virgin Islands, but the overall pattern remains local and Dane County-centered.
The foundation backs local community fundraising, school facility needs, healthcare-related initiatives, and cultural programming. Recent grants include support for a centennial campaign, boiler repairs at a private school, a medical department initiative, and Zoo Lights at Henry Vilas Zoo.
Recent grants cluster tightly around $10,000. The provided distribution shows a 25th percentile of $5,000, a median of $10,000, and a 75th percentile of $10,000.
Yes. Wisconsin recipients account for 85% of the grants in the data, and Madison is the most frequent recipient city. Other Wisconsin locations that appear include Waunakee, Middleton, and Maple Bluff.
Yes. United Way of Dane County Found appears multiple times, including a $50,000 centennial campaign gift in 2025, a $12,500 centennial campaign gift in 2024, and a $5,000 grant for the Abundant Life Fund in 2025.
No. The provided profile states that the foundation funds individuals is false and that it does not make program-related investments.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN FOUNDATION | MADISON, WI | $100,000 | 2026 | AMERICAN FAMILY CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL |
| USONA INSTITUTE INC | MADISON, WI | $50,000 | 2026 | GENERAL GIFT |
| UNITED WAY OF DANE COUNTY FOUND | MADISON, WI | $50,000 | 2026 | CENTENNIAL CAMPAIGN GIFT |
| MAYO CLINIC | ROCHESTER, MN | $10,000 | 2026 | STRATEGIC INITIATIVE FUND |
| CHILD MIND INSTITUTE | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2026 | ADHD PROGRAM |
| WSLO MAPLE BLUFF | MAPLE BLUFF, WI | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL GIFT |
| UW HEALTH | MADISON, WI | $5,000 | 2026 | BERBEE WALSH DEPT. OF MEDICINE |
| CLEAN LAKES ALLIANCE | MADISON, WI | $1,004 | 2026 | GENERAL GIFT |
| VERA COURT NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER | MADISON, WI | $515 | 2026 | GENERAL GIFT |
| UNITED WAY OF DANE COUNTY FOUND | MADISON, WI | $50,000 | 2025 | CENTENNIAL CAMPAIGN GIFT |
| MADISON COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL | WAUNAKEE, WI | $20,000 | 2025 | GIFT FOR BOILER REPAIRS |
| MAYO CLINIC | ROCHESTER, MN | $10,000 | 2025 | STRATEGIC INITIATIVE FUND |
| UNITYPOINT HEALTH | MADISON, WI | $10,000 | 2025 | MERITER FOUNDATION - LOVE IS LOVE |
| MIDDLETON LAW ENFORCEMENT FOUND | MIDDLETON, WI | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL GIFT |
| ST JOHN RESCUE | ST JOHN, VI | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL GIFT |
| WSLO MAPLE BLUFF | MAPLE BLUFF, WI | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL GIFT |
| HENRY VILAS ZOO | MADISON, WI | $5,000 | 2025 | GIFT FOR ZOO LIGHTS |
| UNITED WAY OF DANE COUNTY FOUND | MADISON, WI | $5,000 | 2025 | ABUNDANT LIFE FUND |
| UW HEALTH | MADISON, WI | $5,000 | 2025 | BERBEEWALSH DEPT. OF MEDICINE |
| CLEAN LAKES ALLIANCE | MADISON, WI | $920 | 2025 | GENERAL GIFT |
| VERA COURT NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER | MADISON, WI | $515 | 2025 | GENERAL GIFT |
| UNITED WAY OF DANE COUNTY FOUND | MADISON, WI | $12,500 | 2024 | CENTENNIAL CAMPAIGN GIFT |
MAYO CLINIC
$10,000STRATEGIC INITIATIVE FUND
WSLO MAPLE BLUFF
$5,000GENERAL GIFT
UW HEALTH
$5,000BERBEE WALSH DEPT. OF MEDICINE
CLEAN LAKES ALLIANCE
$1,004GENERAL GIFT
MAYO CLINIC
$10,000STRATEGIC INITIATIVE FUND
UNITYPOINT HEALTH
$10,000MERITER FOUNDATION - LOVE IS LOVE
MIDDLETON LAW ENFORCEMENT FOUND
$10,000GENERAL GIFT
ST JOHN RESCUE
$10,000GENERAL GIFT
WSLO MAPLE BLUFF
$5,000GENERAL GIFT
HENRY VILAS ZOO
$5,000GIFT FOR ZOO LIGHTS
UW HEALTH
$5,000BERBEEWALSH DEPT. OF MEDICINE
CLEAN LAKES ALLIANCE
$920GENERAL GIFT