WPS Charitable Foundation concentrates its giving locally in Dane County, channeling support primarily through the community intermediary United Way of Dane County. Their grants indicate a preference for broad, multipurpose human services funding rather than direct project-specific support, suggesting they fund community-wide needs and coordinated service delivery. The foundation gives repeatedly to a single regional organization, implying a strategy of centralized impact through a trusted partner.
Highly concentrated: repeat, substantial grants to a single local intermediary (United Way of Dane County), favoring unrestricted or general community support over many small or diverse direct-service grants.
Wps Charitable Foundation Inc repeatedly makes $100,000 grants to United Way of Dane County, a pattern that anchors its giving around coordinated community support in the Madison area. The foundation’s recent record also shows several years of support for military-veteran services, with grants to Boulder Crest Foundation, Psycharmor Institute, and Edgewood College, alongside funding for health and wellness organizations such as Mental Health America Inc and NAMI Wisconsin. Across the most recent grants list, the foundation favors modest awards as well as larger anchor gifts, suggesting a mix of concentrated support and smaller targeted grants. Its recipients include community intermediaries, colleges, mental health groups, food access organizations, and local initiative nonprofits. The overall profile is regional rather than national, with many awards staying close to its Wisconsin base while also reaching a small set of organizations in other states. The grant pattern points to a funder that uses repeat support for familiar partners and aligns with broadly defined human-services, wellness, and veteran-serving work.
A major theme in the recent grants is military-veteran support. The foundation gave $20,000 to Boulder Crest Foundation in 2025 and another $20,000 in 2024, plus $12,500 to Edgewood College in both 2024 and 2025 for veteran-related work. It also funded veteran-focused events and services through United Through Reading, Old Glory Honor Flight Inc, Badger Honor Flight Inc, Wayne D Horner Memorial Stand Down, and Stand Down Madison. Mental health and wellness is another clear area: grants of $20,000 to Psycharmor Institute and Mental Health America Inc, plus $10,750 to NAMI Wisconsin and $5,000 each to NAMI Dane County and NAMI Wisconsin, show repeated support for behavioral-health organizations. The foundation also directed money to underserved communities through Madison Area Tech College, Foundation for Madison Public Schools, Second Harvest Food Bank, American Indian Community, and Goodman Community Center.
Typical grants are small to mid-sized: the 25th percentile is $1,250, the median is $2,500, and the 75th percentile is $5,000. The pattern includes a few much larger anchor grants, most notably the repeated $100,000 awards to United Way of Dane County. Several recipients appear across multiple years, including United Way of Dane County, Psycharmor Institute, Boulder Crest Foundation, Mental Health America Inc, Edgewood College, NAMI Wisconsin, and Stand Down Madison, which indicates recurring support rather than one-time giving. The foundation is a private charitable foundation, not an individual-giving vehicle, and it does not make program-related investments. No application process is shown in the data.
$374K
$1.2M
$169K
$391K
Most grants fall between $1K and $5K, with a median of $3K.
25th Percentile
$1K
Median
$3K
75th Percentile
$5K
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Notable grantees: United Way of Dane County
Giving is concentrated in Wisconsin, with 56% of grants going to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state. Madison appears often, including grants to United Way of Dane County, Edgewood College, NAMI Wisconsin, Foundation for Madison Public Schools, Goodman Community Center, and Stand Down Madison. Outside Wisconsin, the foundation also funded organizations in Virginia, California, Minnesota, and Colorado. All recorded grants in the provided data went to U.S. recipients.
Its recent grants favor community intermediaries, veteran-service groups, mental health organizations, and local human-services nonprofits. Examples include repeated support for United Way of Dane County, Boulder Crest Foundation, Psycharmor Institute, Mental Health America Inc, NAMI Wisconsin, and Stand Down Madison.
The grant-size distribution is modest: the 25th percentile is $1,250, the median is $2,500, and the 75th percentile is $5,000. Larger awards also appear, including several $20,000 grants and repeated $100,000 grants.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including United Way of Dane County, Boulder Crest Foundation, Psycharmor Institute, Mental Health America Inc, Edgewood College, NAMI Wisconsin, and Stand Down Madison.
Its grants are primarily regional, with 56% going to recipients in Wisconsin. Madison is the most visible city in the recent grants list, and the top state by grant count is Ohio.
Military-veteran services and health and wellness are prominent, and there are also grants tied to underserved communities, student support, and local community initiatives. Recent recipients include organizations connected to veterans, mental health, food access, public schools, and community centers.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNITED WAY OF DANE COUNTY | MADISON, WI | $100,000 | 2026 | LOCAL INITIATIVE |
| EDGEWOOD UNIVERSITY INC | MADISON, WI | $12,500 | 2026 | LOCAL INITIATIVE |
| NAMI WISCONSIN INC | MADISON, WI | $10,000 | 2026 | HEALTH AND WELLNESS |
| EASTER SEALS WISCONSIN IN | MADISON, WI | $10,000 | 2026 | HEALTH AND WELLNESS |
| AGRACE HOSPICECARE FOUNDATION | FITCHBURG, WI | $10,000 | 2026 | HEALTH AND WELLNESS |
| NEWBRIDGE MADISON INC | MADISON, WI | $10,000 | 2026 | LOCAL INITIATIVE |
| PORCHLIGHT INC | MADISON, WI | $10,000 | 2026 | LOCAL INITIATIVE |
| RSVP OF DANE COUNTY INC | MADISON, WI | $10,000 | 2026 | LOCAL INITIATIVE |
| NEW COMMUNITY SHELTER INC | GREEN BAY, WI | $10,000 | 2026 | UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS |
| BOULDER CREST FOUNDATION | BLUEMONT, VA | $10,000 | 2026 | MILITARY VETERANS |
| PEOPLE INCORPORATED | EAGAN, MN | $10,000 | 2026 | HEALTH AND WELLNESS |
| CENTER FOR BLACK EXCELLENCE | MADISON, WI | $10,000 | 2026 | UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS |
| ARTS FOR ALL WISCONSIN | MADISON, WI | $10,000 | 2026 | LOCAL INITIATIVE |
| SECOND HARVEST FOODBANK | MADISON, WI | $7,000 | 2026 | LOCAL INITIATIVE |
| VERA COURT NEIGHBORHOOD C | MADISON, WI | $5,500 | 2026 | LOCAL INITIATIVE |
| GREAT LAKES INTER TRIBAL | LAC DU FLAMBEAU, WI | $5,000 | 2026 | UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS |
| FOUNDATION FOR BLACK | MADISON, WI | $5,000 | 2026 | UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS |
| CENTRO HISPANO INC | MADISON, WI | $5,000 | 2026 | UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS |
| JOURNEY MENTAL HEALTH CENTER | MADISON, WI | $5,000 | 2026 | HEALTH AND WELLNESS |
| STAND DOWN MADISON | MADISON, WI | $5,000 | 2026 | MILITARY VETERANS |
| BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS | MADISON, WI | $5,000 | 2026 | LOCAL INITIATIVE |
| ANESIS FOUNDATION FOR MEN | MADISON, WI | $5,000 | 2026 | HEALTH AND WELLNESS |
| SIERRA DELTA INC | MADISON, WI | $5,000 | 2026 | MILITARY VETERANS |
| SEMPER FI AND AMERICAS FUND | OCEANSIDE, CA | $5,000 | 2026 | MILITARY VETERANS |
| COMMUNITY SUPPORT NETWORK | MADISON, WI | $5,000 | 2026 | LOCAL INITIATIVE |
| GILDAS CLUB MADISON | MIDDLETON, WI | $5,000 | 2026 | HEALTH AND WELLNESS |
| PSYCHARMOR INSTITUTE | SAN DIEGO, CA | $5,000 | 2026 | MILITARY VETERANS |
| MADISON PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOUNDATION | MADISON, WI | $5,000 | 2026 | UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS |
| NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE COMMUNITY | MADISON, WI | $5,000 | 2026 | LOCAL INITIATIVE |
| RAINBOW PROJECT INC | MADISON, WI | $5,000 | 2026 | LOCAL INITIATIVE |
| OUTREACH LGBTQ COMMUNITY | MADISON, WI | $5,000 | 2026 | LOCAL INITIATIVE |
| ACCESS COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER | MADISON, WI | $5,000 | 2026 | HEALTH AND WELLNESS |
| DOGS ON CALL INC | POYNETTE, WI | $5,000 | 2026 | LOCAL INITIATIVE |
| ALDO LEOPOLD NATURE CNTR | MONONA, WI | $5,000 | 2026 | LOCAL INITIATIVE |
| KEEP WISCONSIN WARM COOL | MADISON, WI | $4,000 | 2026 | LOCAL INITIATIVE |
| UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN MADISON | MADISON, WI | $3,750 | 2026 | Financial support of students |
| HMONG INSTITUTE INC | MADISON, WI | $3,000 | 2026 | UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS |
| CLEAN LAKES ALLIANCE INC | MADISON, WI | $3,000 | 2026 | LOCAL INITIATIVE |
| MINNESOTA STATE COLLEGES | DULUTH, MN | $2,500 | 2026 | Financial support of students |
| UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $2,500 | 2026 | Financial support of students |
| LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY | BATON ROUGE, LA | $2,500 | 2026 | Financial support of students |
| UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN STEVENS POINT | STEVENS POINT, WI | $2,500 | 2026 | Financial support of students |
| UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN WHITEWATER | WHITEWATER, WI | $2,500 | 2026 | Financial support of students |
| EDGEWOOD UNIVERSITY INC SCHOLARSHIP | MADISON, WI | $2,500 | 2026 | Financial support of students |
| CARROLL UNIVERSITY INC | WAUKESHA, WI | $2,500 | 2026 | Financial support of students |
| MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY | MISSISSIPPI STATE, MS | $2,500 | 2026 | Financial support of students |
| NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY | DEKALB, IL | $2,500 | 2026 | Financial support of students |
| UNIVERSTIY OF NEBRASKA LINCOLN | NORTH LINCOLN, NE | $2,500 | 2026 | Financial support of students |
| MADISON AREA TECHNICAL CO | MADISON, WI | $2,500 | 2026 | Financial support of students |
| UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA | COLUMBIA, SC | $2,500 | 2026 | Financial support of students |
EDGEWOOD UNIVERSITY INC
$12,500LOCAL INITIATIVE
NAMI WISCONSIN INC
$10,000HEALTH AND WELLNESS
EASTER SEALS WISCONSIN IN
$10,000HEALTH AND WELLNESS
NEWBRIDGE MADISON INC
$10,000LOCAL INITIATIVE
RSVP OF DANE COUNTY INC
$10,000LOCAL INITIATIVE
CENTER FOR BLACK EXCELLENCE
$10,000UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS
ARTS FOR ALL WISCONSIN
$10,000LOCAL INITIATIVE
GREAT LAKES INTER TRIBAL
$5,000UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS
FOUNDATION FOR BLACK
$5,000UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS
JOURNEY MENTAL HEALTH CENTER
$5,000HEALTH AND WELLNESS
STAND DOWN MADISON
$5,000MILITARY VETERANS
BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS
$5,000LOCAL INITIATIVE
ANESIS FOUNDATION FOR MEN
$5,000HEALTH AND WELLNESS
COMMUNITY SUPPORT NETWORK
$5,000LOCAL INITIATIVE
GILDAS CLUB MADISON
$5,000HEALTH AND WELLNESS
NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE COMMUNITY
$5,000LOCAL INITIATIVE
RAINBOW PROJECT INC
$5,000LOCAL INITIATIVE
OUTREACH LGBTQ COMMUNITY
$5,000LOCAL INITIATIVE
ACCESS COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER
$5,000HEALTH AND WELLNESS
DOGS ON CALL INC
$5,000LOCAL INITIATIVE
KEEP WISCONSIN WARM COOL
$4,000LOCAL INITIATIVE
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN MADISON
$3,750Financial support of students
HMONG INSTITUTE INC
$3,000UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS
CLEAN LAKES ALLIANCE INC
$3,000LOCAL INITIATIVE
MINNESOTA STATE COLLEGES
$2,500Financial support of students
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
$2,500Financial support of students
LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY
$2,500Financial support of students
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN STEVENS POINT
$2,500Financial support of students
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN WHITEWATER
$2,500Financial support of students
MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY
$2,500Financial support of students
NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
$2,500Financial support of students
UNIVERSTIY OF NEBRASKA LINCOLN
$2,500Financial support of students
MADISON AREA TECHNICAL CO
$2,500Financial support of students
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
$2,500Financial support of students