The R & J Cope Foundation focuses tightly on funding medical research at regional hospital systems in Wisconsin. Nearly all of its documented grants support clinical or medical research through hospital foundations, with a recurring relationship to Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation and a smaller commitment to Froedtert Hospital Foundation. The foundation operates a very small, concentrated grant portfolio aimed at supporting health research rather than broad community services.
Concentrated and selective: only a few, relatively large grants focused exclusively on medical research; repeat funding to a primary grantee (Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation) and occasional support to another regional hospital foundation (Froedtert).
Notable grantees: Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation, Froedtert Hospital Foundation
R & J Cope Foundation Inc C/o Wisniewski Law Office has a narrow grantmaking profile centered on medical research at Wisconsin hospital systems. Its largest documented awards go to Gundersen Lutheran Med Fd in La Crosse, including $37,500 and $25,500 in 2025, both labeled for medical research. That concentration places hospital-based research at the center of the foundation’s giving rather than broad charitable support. The pattern continues with Froedtert Hospital Fd in Milwaukee, which also receives repeated research support. Across the recorded grants, the foundation’s funding relationship is highly focused: medical research is the stated purpose on every listed award, and the grantees are hospital foundations rather than individual researchers or unrelated nonprofits. The result is a compact portfolio that appears designed to sustain clinical and biomedical inquiry within regional health systems in Wisconsin. Because the grant list is small and recurring, the foundation’s identity is easier to read through its grantees than through a wide mix of issue areas. The documented activity shows a consistent commitment to research funding through a few established medical institutions.
The foundation’s giving is built around medical research at hospital foundations. In 2025, it awarded $37,500 to Gundersen Lutheran Med Fd for medical research, followed by another $25,500 grant to the same grantee for the same purpose. That repeat support suggests a close funding relationship with a regional health system in La Crosse. A second strand runs through Milwaukee’s Froedtert Hospital Fd, which received $12,500 and $8,500 in 2025 for medical research. The foundation also made smaller research grants to that institution in earlier years, reinforcing the same institutional focus. Across the record, the cause area stays specific: clinical and biomedical research support through Wisconsin hospital systems. The grantee set is limited, and each listed award carries the same medical research purpose.
The typical grant size is modest and clustered: p25 is $3,750, the median is $7,500, and p75 is $11,250. The recent record shows repeated awards to the same hospital foundations over multiple years, which points to ongoing support rather than isolated one-time gifts. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. Its structure and application process are not described in the available data, so the grant record is the clearest guide to how it gives.
$104K
$580K
$217K
$70K
Most grants fall between $4K and $11K, with a median of $8K.
25th Percentile
$4K
Median
$8K
75th Percentile
$11K
About 100% of grants go to recipients in WI.
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Grantmaking is entirely in Wisconsin, with 100% of documented grants going to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state. The two recipient cities that appear in the recent record are La Crosse and Milwaukee. La Crosse-based Gundersen Lutheran Med Fd receives the largest awards, while Milwaukee-based Froedtert Hospital Fd appears repeatedly as well. The recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based.
It funds medical research, with every listed recent grant labeled for that purpose. The recipients are hospital foundations in Wisconsin, including Gundersen Lutheran Med Fd and Froedtert Hospital Fd.
The foundation’s grant sizes are fairly small and centered around a midrange median: p25 is $3,750, the median is $7,500, and p75 is $11,250. The recent list includes both larger awards like $37,500 and smaller ones like $2,500.
Yes. Gundersen Lutheran Med Fd appears in 2025, 2024, and 2023, and Froedtert Hospital Fd also appears across multiple years. That pattern shows recurring support for the same hospital foundations.
All documented grants go to Wisconsin recipients, and the recent grants are split between La Crosse and Milwaukee. The top state by grant count is Wisconsin, and 100% of grants are given to recipients in that state.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GUNDERSEN LUTHERAN MED FD | LACROSSE, WI | $37,500 | 2025 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| GUNDERSEN LUTHERAN MED FD | LACROSSE, WI | $25,500 | 2025 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| FROEDTERT HOSPITAL FD | MILWAUKEE, WI | $12,500 | 2025 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| FROEDTERT HOSPITAL FD | MILWAUKEE, WI | $8,500 | 2025 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| GUNDERSEN LUTHERAN MED FD | LACROSSE, WI | $7,500 | 2024 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| FROEDTERT HOSPITAL FD | MILWAUKEE, WI | $2,500 | 2024 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| GUNDERSEN LUTHERAN MED FD | LACROSSE, WI | $7,500 | 2023 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| FROEDTERT HOSPITAL FD | MILWAUKEE, WI | $2,500 | 2023 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
GUNDERSEN LUTHERAN MED FD
$37,500MEDICAL RESEARCH
GUNDERSEN LUTHERAN MED FD
$25,500MEDICAL RESEARCH
FROEDTERT HOSPITAL FD
$12,500MEDICAL RESEARCH
FROEDTERT HOSPITAL FD
$8,500MEDICAL RESEARCH
GUNDERSEN LUTHERAN MED FD
$7,500MEDICAL RESEARCH
FROEDTERT HOSPITAL FD
$2,500MEDICAL RESEARCH
GUNDERSEN LUTHERAN MED FD
MEDICAL RESEARCH
FROEDTERT HOSPITAL FD
$2,500MEDICAL RESEARCH