The Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation concentrates on education and youth development, funding schools, literacy programs, community learning centers and complementary cultural institutions. Its grants favor large, multi-hundred-thousand dollar awards to a relatively small set of organizations—often repeat or flagship investments—that build educational opportunity, literacy and community engagement in Wisconsin (and selective other locales). The foundation also supports arts/cultural preservation and local media that amplify community learning.
Pleasant T Rowland Foundation Inc’s largest recent grant went to One City Learning Centers, a $2.3 million award in 2025 that reflects its emphasis on education and youth development. The foundation’s portfolio centers on schools, literacy, adult education, and community learning organizations, with additional support for cultural institutions that reinforce learning and civic life. Recent awards also include $1,951,144 to UW Foundation in 2023 and $1,074,311 to Fountain Valley School in 2025, showing sustained backing for both Wisconsin-based educational initiatives and select institutions beyond the state. Its support reaches K–12 school networks, adult learners, and organizations that connect education with arts, history, and public engagement. The pattern is not broad, general philanthropy; it is a concentrated program of large grants directed to a relatively small set of organizations, many of which appear as repeat recipients across multiple years. Madison and other Wisconsin communities account for much of the activity, while a smaller set of out-of-state grants extends the foundation’s reach to literacy, school, and cultural partners in other regions.
In urban community learning and school-network support, the foundation gave $500,000 to The Playing Field in Madison in 2025 and $299,216 to One City Schools in 2023. In literacy and adult education, it awarded $805,400 to The Reading League in Syracuse in 2025 and $500,000 to University of Wisconsin - Odyssey Project in Madison in 2025. The foundation also supports local cultural organizations tied to community learning: Capital City Theatre received $300,000 in 2025, and Madison Public Market received $125,000 in 2025. Historic preservation appears as another thread, with $500,000 to Taliesin Preservaton Inc in Spring Green in 2025 and $100,000 to Wisconsin Historical Foundation in 2024. These grants show a mix of educational programming, cultural access, and place-based community support.
Typical grants are modest compared with the foundation’s larger awards: the p25 is $2,250, the median is $5,000, and the p75 is $32,500. That distribution sits alongside a smaller number of major program gifts, including several six- and seven-figure grants. The same organizations can recur across years, such as UW Foundation, Fountain Valley School, Capital City Theatre, Wells College, and Madison Public Market, which points to repeat support rather than isolated one-time gifts. The foundation funds organizations, not individuals, and does not make program-related investments. The pattern is consistent with concentrated operating or program support for a limited roster of recipients.
$9.2M
$82.1M
$5.2M
$10.3M
Most grants fall between $2K and $33K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$2K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$33K
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Concentrated, high-dollar grants to a small number of organizations with several repeat recipients; funding is project/program support rather than many small awards, showing preference for flagship and capacity-building investments.
Notable grantees: UW Foundation, One City Learning Centers / One City Schools, Fountain Valley School, WYSO, The Reading League
Grant recipients are overwhelmingly in the United States, with 160 grants there. Wisconsin is the foundation’s most frequent giving state, accounting for 80% of grants to recipients in the HQ state or elsewhere in Wisconsin. Madison appears repeatedly among recipient cities, alongside Middleton, Spring Green, and Stoughton. Outside Wisconsin, grants land in Colorado Springs, Syracuse, Skaneateles, and Aurora. Florida is the top state by grant count overall, even though the foundation is headquartered in Brookfield, Wisconsin.
Its grants focus on education and youth development, especially schools, literacy and adult education, urban community learning centers, and organizations that connect learning with arts, culture, and preservation. Recent awards include support for school networks, literacy initiatives, public media, and historic architecture preservation tied to educational programming.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including UW Foundation, Fountain Valley School, Capital City Theatre, Wells College, and Madison Public Market. That suggests a pattern of recurring support rather than only one-off grants.
The grant-size distribution is centered on smaller awards, with a p25 of $2,250, a median of $5,000, and a p75 of $32,500. At the same time, the foundation also makes much larger program grants, including seven-figure awards in recent years.
Wisconsin is the main recipient state by volume, with 80% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. The top state by grant count overall is Florida, and recipient cities also include Madison, Middleton, Spring Green, Stoughton, Colorado Springs, Syracuse, Skaneateles, and Aurora.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FOUNTAIN VALLEY SCHOOL | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO | $1,032,886 | 2026 | DONATION |
| MADISON CHILDREN'S MUSEUM | MADISON, WI | $666,667 | 2026 | DONATION |
| THE PLAYING FIELD | MADISON, WI | $500,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| TALIESIN PRESERVATION INC | SPRING GREEN, WI | $500,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| MADISON COLLEGE | MADISON, WI | $500,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN FOUNDATION | MADISON, WI | $500,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| FOUNTAIN VALLEY SCHOOL | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO | $364,136 | 2026 | DONATION |
| ONE CITY EARLY LEARNING CENTERS | MADISON, WI | $350,792 | 2026 | DONATION |
| ONE CITY EARLY LEARNING CENTERS | MADISON, WI | $323,137 | 2026 | DONATION |
| ONE CITY EARLY LEARNING CENTERS | MADISON, WI | $280,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| RIVER FOOD PANTRY | MADISON, WI | $250,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| MADISON PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION INC | MADISON, WI | $250,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| ALDO LEOPOLD NATURE CENTER | MONONA, WI | $250,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| ARTS & LITERATURE LABORATORY INC | MADISON, WI | $250,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| ROOT TO RISE | MADISON, WI | $200,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| ONE CITY EARLY LEARNING CENTERS | MADISON, WI | $196,149 | 2026 | DONATION |
| ONE CITY EARLY LEARNING CENTERS | MADISON, WI | $195,819 | 2026 | DONATION |
| ONE CITY EARLY LEARNING CENTERS | MADISON, WI | $195,387 | 2026 | DONATION |
| FOUNTAIN VALLEY SCHOOL | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO | $176,186 | 2026 | DONATION |
| CAPITAL CITY THEATRE | MIDDLETON, WI | $162,500 | 2026 | DONATION |
| ONE CITY EARLY LEARNING CENTERS | MADISON, WI | $152,894 | 2026 | DONATION |
| CAPITAL CITY THEATRE | MIDDLETON, WI | $150,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| ONE CITY EARLY LEARNING CENTERS | MADISON, WI | $101,346 | 2026 | DONATION |
| FRIENDS OF BOCA GRANDE COMMUNITY CENTER | BOCA GRANDE, FL | $100,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| ONE CITY EARLY LEARNING CENTERS | MADISON, WI | $92,429 | 2026 | DONATION |
| ONE CITY EARLY LEARNING CENTERS | MADISON, WI | $88,539 | 2026 | DONATION |
| FOUNTAIN VALLEY SCHOOL | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO | $68,467 | 2026 | DONATION |
| FRIENDS OF PATRICK TAVERN | AURORA, NY | $65,500 | 2026 | DONATION |
| FOUNTAIN VALLEY SCHOOL | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO | $57,078 | 2026 | DONATION |
| LITERACY NETWORK | MADISON, WI | $50,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| CAPITAL CITY THEATRE | MIDDLETON, WI | $50,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| MADISON YOUTH CHOIRS | MADISON, WI | $50,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| MADISON PARKS FOUNDATION (FORMERLY CAMP RANDALL ROWING CLUB INC | MADISON, WI | $50,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| WISCONSIN LATINO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE | MADISON, WI | $50,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| AGRACE FOUNDATION | MADISON, WI | $50,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| WISCONSIN YOUTH SYMPHONY | MADISON, WI | $50,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| MADISON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | MADISON, WI | $50,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| MADISON OPERA | MADISON, WI | $50,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| CHILDREN'S THEATER OF MADISON | MADISON, WI | $50,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| UNITED WAY OF DANE COUNTY | MADISON, WI | $45,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| MADISON DOWNTOWN PARTNERS INC | MADISON, WI | $37,500 | 2026 | DONATION |
| FOUNTAIN VALLEY SCHOOL | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO | $37,127 | 2026 | DONATION |
| MADISON MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART | MADISON, WI | $35,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| MADISON PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION INC | MADISON, WI | $30,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| SIMPSON STREET FREE PRESS | MADISON, WI | $30,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| PBS WISCONSIN | MADISON, WI | $25,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| ALDO LEOPOLD NATURE CENTER | MONONA, WI | $25,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| CHAZEN MUSEUM OF ART (FORMERLY ELVEJHEM) | MADISON, WI | $25,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| OLBRICH BOTANICAL SOCIETY | MADISON, WI | $25,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| AMERICAN PLAYERS THEATER | SPRING GREEN, WI | $25,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
FOUNTAIN VALLEY SCHOOL
$1,032,886DONATION
TALIESIN PRESERVATION INC
$500,000DONATION
MADISON COLLEGE
$500,000DONATION
DONATION
FOUNTAIN VALLEY SCHOOL
$364,136DONATION
ARTS & LITERATURE LABORATORY INC
$250,000DONATION
ROOT TO RISE
$200,000DONATION
ONE CITY EARLY LEARNING CENTERS
$195,819DONATION
ONE CITY EARLY LEARNING CENTERS
$195,387DONATION
FOUNTAIN VALLEY SCHOOL
$176,186DONATION
CAPITAL CITY THEATRE
$162,500DONATION
ONE CITY EARLY LEARNING CENTERS
$152,894DONATION
CAPITAL CITY THEATRE
$150,000DONATION
ONE CITY EARLY LEARNING CENTERS
$88,539DONATION
FOUNTAIN VALLEY SCHOOL
$68,467DONATION
FRIENDS OF PATRICK TAVERN
$65,500DONATION
FOUNTAIN VALLEY SCHOOL
$57,078DONATION
LITERACY NETWORK
$50,000DONATION
CAPITAL CITY THEATRE
$50,000DONATION
MADISON YOUTH CHOIRS
$50,000DONATION
WISCONSIN LATINO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
$50,000DONATION
WISCONSIN YOUTH SYMPHONY
$50,000DONATION
MADISON OPERA
$50,000DONATION
MADISON DOWNTOWN PARTNERS INC
$37,500DONATION
FOUNTAIN VALLEY SCHOOL
$37,127DONATION
SIMPSON STREET FREE PRESS
$30,000DONATION
PBS WISCONSIN
$25,000DONATION
CHAZEN MUSEUM OF ART (FORMERLY ELVEJHEM)
$25,000DONATION
AMERICAN PLAYERS THEATER
$25,000DONATION