The Noel Cover Foundation concentrates its philanthropy on higher education, making substantial, evenly distributed gifts to a small set of colleges and a university—mostly regional Midwestern liberal arts institutions and one metropolitan university. Its grantmaking appears targeted and repeatable, likely for scholarship support, program/endowment contributions, or sustained institutional support rather than broad charitable diversification.
Noel Cover Foundation Inc C0 Jerry Macken gives in a tight circle of higher-education grants, with four colleges and universities receiving repeated support at the same time. The 2025 list shows $75,000 grants to the University of Denver Distribution, St Olaf College Distribution, Hasting College Distribution, and Central College Distribution, continuing a pattern of substantial institutional gifts rather than a broad spread of small awards. Across the recent grants listed, the same campuses reappear in 2023 and 2024, which points to an ongoing relationship with selected schools. The foundation’s recent giving is concentrated in colleges with undergraduate and institutional priorities, especially Midwestern liberal arts institutions and one Denver-based university. St Olaf College Distribution, Central College Distribution, and Hasting College Distribution each appear multiple times in the record, alongside several awards to the University of Denver Distribution. The pattern suggests sustained support for recurring campus needs, likely through unrestricted institutional funding or designated distribution gifts. With annual grants of $900,000 and a relatively small set of recipients, the foundation operates with a focused higher-education portfolio.
Higher education is the clear center of the foundation’s grantmaking. In 2025, it gave $75,000 to Central College Distribution, $75,000 to Hasting College Distribution, and $75,000 to St Olaf College Distribution, reinforcing support for three Midwestern liberal arts colleges. The University of Denver Distribution is another recurring recipient, with $75,000 in 2025 and $50,000 grants in 2023 and 2024. That repeat pattern suggests an ongoing institutional relationship. The grant list also shows repeated awards to the same colleges across multiple years, which makes the portfolio look durable rather than one-time. Because the recipients are all higher-education institutions, the foundation’s giving appears aimed at college-level institutional support rather than a mixed set of program areas.
Typical grant size is tightly grouped around $50,000 to $56,250, with a median of $50,000 and a p25 of $50,000; the p75 rises to $56,250. The 2025 awards step up to $75,000 for four recipients, showing that the foundation can make larger institutional gifts while still clustering around a consistent size. The same schools appear in multiple years, including 2023, 2024, and 2025, which indicates recurring support rather than isolated one-off grants. The foundation is not a funder of individuals and makes no program-related investments. The grant pattern also suggests a streamlined institutional approach, with distribution-style awards to a small set of colleges and universities.
$9.5M
$0
$107K
$9.7M
Most grants fall between $50K and $56K, with a median of $50K.
25th Percentile
$50K
Median
$50K
75th Percentile
$56K
GERALD MACKEN
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Concentrated and repeatable: four core beneficiaries receive equal, multi-grant funding (16 total grants totaling $900K), indicating preference for ongoing relationships and multi-year or staged commitments rather than one-off or widely distributed grants.
Notable grantees: University of Denver, Hastings College, St. Olaf College, Central College
All 16 recent grants went to recipients in the US. The recipient list is anchored in Midwestern and interior-plain institutions, including Central College Distribution and St Olaf College Distribution, plus Hasting College Distribution and the University of Denver Distribution. No grants in the recent list went outside the United States, and none were recorded for recipients in Nebraska. The geography points to a U.S.-only higher-education portfolio centered on a small set of campuses rather than a wide regional spread.
The recent grants are all to higher-education institutions: University of Denver Distribution, St Olaf College Distribution, Hasting College Distribution, and Central College Distribution. The pattern is consistent with institutional support for colleges and universities rather than a mixed charitable portfolio.
Typical grants cluster at $50,000, with p25 and median both at $50,000 and p75 at $56,250. In 2025, the foundation also made four $75,000 grants, showing some upward variation while staying in a relatively narrow range.
Yes. The grant list includes repeated awards to University of Denver Distribution, St Olaf College Distribution, Hasting College Distribution, and Central College Distribution across 2023, 2024, and 2025. That recurring pattern suggests ongoing support for a small set of institutions.
All 16 recent grants were to recipients in the US. The named recipients in the list include Central College Distribution, St Olaf College Distribution, Hasting College Distribution, and the University of Denver Distribution, showing a U.S.-only higher-education focus.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COZAD CAMPING MINISTRY | COZAD, NE | $900,000 | 2026 | — |
| COZAD CREATES CARING | COZAD, NE | $900,000 | 2026 | — |
| ST MARK'S LUTHERAN CHURCH | LINCOLN, NE | $900,000 | 2026 | — |
| CHRIST LUTHERAN CHURCH | COLUMBUS, NE | $900,000 | 2026 | — |
| ST OLAF COLLEGE DISTRIBUTION | NORTHFIELD, MN | $875,000 | 2026 | — |
| CENTRAL COLLEGE DISTRIBUTION | PELLA, IA | $875,000 | 2026 | — |
| UNIVERSITY OF DENVER DISTRIBUTION | DENVER, CO | $875,000 | 2026 | — |
| HASTING COLLEGE DISTRIBUTION | HASTINGS, NE | $875,000 | 2026 | — |
| TRINITY CLASSICAL ACADEMY | WATERLOO, NE | $735,000 | 2026 | — |
| YMCA OF LINCOLN | LINCOLN, NE | $360,000 | 2026 | — |
| COZAD UNITED METHODIST CHURCH | COZAD, NE | $350,000 | 2026 | — |
| NE CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS INC | CENTRAL CITY, NE | $310,000 | 2026 | — |
| AMERICAN LUTHERAN CHURCH | GOTHENBURG, NE | $160,000 | 2026 | — |
| AMERICAN LUTHERAN CHURCH | COZAD, NE | $108,500 | 2026 | — |
| ST MARK'S LUTHERAN CHURCH | OMAHA, NE | $100,000 | 2026 | — |
| UNIVERSITY OF DENVER | DENVER, CO | $68,250 | 2026 | — |
| CENTRAL COLLEGE | PELLA, IA | $68,250 | 2026 | — |
| ST OLAF COLLEGE | NORTHFIELD, MN | $68,250 | 2026 | — |
| HASTINGS COLLEGE | HASTINGS, NE | $68,250 | 2026 | — |
| FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH | COZAD, NE | $50,000 | 2026 | — |
| UNIVERSITY OF DENVER DISTRIBUTION | — | $75,000 | 2025 | — |
| ST OLAF COLLEGE DISTRIBUTION | — | $75,000 | 2025 | — |
| HASTING COLLEGE DISTRIBUTION | — | $75,000 | 2025 | — |
| CENTRAL COLLEGE DISTRIBUTION | — | $75,000 | 2025 | — |
| UNIVERSITY OF DENVER DISTRIBUTION | — | $50,000 | 2024 | — |
| ST OLAF COLLEGE DISTRIBUTION | — | $50,000 | 2024 | — |
| CENTRAL COLLEGE DISTRIBUTION | — | $50,000 | 2024 | — |
| HASTING COLLEGE DISTRIBUTION | — | $50,000 | 2024 | — |
| ST OLAF COLLEGE DISTRIBUTION | — | $50,000 | 2023 | — |
| UNIVERSITY OF DENVER DISTRIBUTION | — | $50,000 | 2023 | — |
| CENTRAL COLLEGE DISTRIBUTION | — | $50,000 | 2023 | — |
| HASTING COLLEGE DISTRIBUTION | — | $50,000 | 2023 | — |
| CENTRAL COLLEGE DISTRIBUTION | — | $50,000 | 2023 | — |
| ST OLAF COLLEGE DISTRIBUTION | — | $50,000 | 2023 | — |
| HASTING COLLEGE DISTRIBUTION | — | $50,000 | 2023 | — |
| UNIVERSITY OF DENVER DISTRIBUTION | — | $50,000 | 2023 | — |
COZAD CAMPING MINISTRY
$900,000COZAD CREATES CARING
$900,000ST MARK'S LUTHERAN CHURCH
$900,000CHRIST LUTHERAN CHURCH
$900,000CENTRAL COLLEGE DISTRIBUTION
$875,000TRINITY CLASSICAL ACADEMY
$735,000COZAD UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
$350,000NE CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS INC
$310,000AMERICAN LUTHERAN CHURCH
$160,000AMERICAN LUTHERAN CHURCH
$108,500ST MARK'S LUTHERAN CHURCH
$100,000CENTRAL COLLEGE
$68,250FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
$50,000UNIVERSITY OF DENVER DISTRIBUTION
$75,000ST OLAF COLLEGE DISTRIBUTION
$75,000HASTING COLLEGE DISTRIBUTION
$75,000CENTRAL COLLEGE DISTRIBUTION
$75,000UNIVERSITY OF DENVER DISTRIBUTION
$50,000ST OLAF COLLEGE DISTRIBUTION
$50,000CENTRAL COLLEGE DISTRIBUTION
$50,000HASTING COLLEGE DISTRIBUTION
$50,000ST OLAF COLLEGE DISTRIBUTION
$50,000UNIVERSITY OF DENVER DISTRIBUTION
$50,000CENTRAL COLLEGE DISTRIBUTION
$50,000HASTING COLLEGE DISTRIBUTION
$50,000CENTRAL COLLEGE DISTRIBUTION
$50,000ST OLAF COLLEGE DISTRIBUTION
$50,000HASTING COLLEGE DISTRIBUTION
$50,000UNIVERSITY OF DENVER DISTRIBUTION
$50,000