Aceso Foundation Inc.

Aceso Foundation Inc. is a young, well-capitalized private foundation formally established in November 2022 in Bloomington, Indiana, with a $80.6 million endowment received in its founding year (FY2021). Named for Aceso, the Greek goddess of healing, the foundation frames its grantmaking around community restoration through economic empowerment — but its actual portfolio tells a more specific story: sustainable food systems, urban and community agriculture, animal welfare advocacy, and food policy reform.

The foundation's giving philosophy centers on organizations that transform how communities grow, access, and relate to food. Top grantees — Mill City Growing ($375,500 across 2 grants), The Humane League ($325,000), Plant It Forward ($175,000), All Farmers ($148,000), and Victory Garden Initiative ($118,000) — share a worldview that locally-controlled food production, reduced reliance on factory farming, and community food security are interconnected paths to healthy neighborhoods. Applicants whose missions resonate with this integrated perspective will have the strongest fit.

Leadership is lean and founder-led. Vera Flocke serves as Secretary and Executive Director at $137,308 annually (FY2023), the sole compensated officer. President Mark Veldman and Vice President Nicole Schonemann serve without compensation. This structure strongly suggests that grant decisions flow through direct relationships with Flocke and Veldman rather than a staffed program officer team.

The foundation publishes no formal RFP process, LOI template, application portal, or funding cycle calendar. The pattern of repeat grantees — at least four organizations received multiple grants — points to a relationship-first approach. First-time applicants should expect a cold-outreach path through info@acesofoundation.org, a longer relationship-building runway than foundations with open cycles, and a preference for organizations already embedded in food-systems or animal welfare philanthropy networks where mutual connections may provide warm introductions.

For first-time applicants: be explicit about community-level healing outcomes, local ownership or governance structures, and measurable food or economic access improvements. The foundation's NTEE classification as 'Public Benefit' (W12) should not mislead applicants into pitching broad civic causes — the grantee record is specific and thematically coherent around food justice, urban farming, and humane food systems.

Aceso Foundation's financial trajectory reflects a foundation still scaling its grantmaking from a standing start. In FY2021 (founding year), the foundation received $80.6M in contributions and made no grants. By FY2022, total giving reached $871,066 with $316,860 in grants paid. FY2023 saw a major step-up: $3.93M in total giving and $3.40M in grants paid across 39 grants, generating an average grant of $95,231. FY2024 data from the October 2025 990 filing shows charitable disbursements of approximately $4.81M — up significantly from the prior year and indicating accelerating deployment despite total revenue of just $3.26M (meaning the foundation is drawing on assets).

Grant size range is wide: smallest recorded grant is $10,000 (Humane America Animal Foundation, Filbert Street Garden) and the largest is $400,000 (Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund). The median grant in the top-35 grantee list falls at approximately $92,000 (Animal Equality). The modal grant size clusters between $50,000 and $125,000, which is where the bulk of programmatic grants land.

By program area, community food systems and urban agriculture dominate — approximately 48% of tracked giving (~$1.8M) flows to organizations like Mill City Growing, Victory Garden Initiative, Seedleaf Inc., Common Good City Farm, Farm Alliance of Baltimore, and roughly 15 similar organizations. Animal welfare and factory farming reduction accounts for approximately 26% (~$950,000), including grants to The Humane League, Animal Outlook, Animal Charity Evaluators, Factory Farming Awareness Coalition, Compassion In World Farming USA, and Animal Equality. Media and investigative journalism receives about 8% (~$280,000), covering the International Documentary Foundation, Sentient Media, and the Center for Investigative Reporting. Food and agriculture policy (Food & Water Watch, Socially Responsible Agriculture Project) captures roughly 6% (~$211,000). Environmental conservation (Northeast Wilderness Trust) accounts for ~3%.

Geographically, California dominates with 10 of 39 tracked grants — a striking concentration given the foundation's Indiana address. Maryland (3), Massachusetts (3), New York (3), and DC (3) round out the major hubs. Total tracked giving of $3,714,022 across 35 listed grantees represents a national reach with no single-state focus beyond California.

The following table compares Aceso Foundation to four asset-comparable peers in the Public Benefit NTEE category:

Among these five comparably-sized Public Benefit foundations, Aceso stands out as the most thematically focused and most likely to be accessible to external applicants — despite the absence of a formal open application cycle. Transitcenter functions primarily as a research and advocacy organization rather than a traditional grantmaker. The Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute is highly restricted to aviation-health contexts. Pan American and Berges Family Foundation maintain limited public-facing grant programs.

Aceso's willingness to list a public contact email (info@acesofoundation.org) and its database classification of 'accepting applications: true' distinguishes it from peers that operate entirely by invitation. However, prospective applicants should treat this as invitation-adjacent rather than truly open — no public criteria, no portal, and no cycle calendar are published.

Aceso Foundation Inc. maintains an unusually low public profile for a $72.8M foundation. No press releases, grant announcements, or program launches were found in a thorough search of web sources through April 2026.

The most recent verifiable activity is the October 2025 filing of the FY2024 Form 990, which ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer records as submitted October 11, 2025. That filing shows charitable disbursements of approximately $4.81M — up from $3.40M in FY2023 — against total revenue of $3.26M, indicating the foundation is now disbursing more than it earns annually and drawing down on its $72.8M asset base. This is a notable trend: the foundation appears to have shifted from asset accumulation (FY2021–FY2022) to active capital deployment.

Leadership continuity appears stable: Vera Flocke has served as Secretary and Executive Director across all three available 990 filings (FY2022, FY2023, FY2024), with Mark Veldman as President and Nicole Schonemann as Vice President. No leadership transitions or board expansions were announced publicly.

The foundation's website (acesofoundation.org) was last substantively updated with content about its donor programs and mission framing. The IRS records indicate the foundation's mailing address has shifted between Bloomington, IN (IRS EIN records) and Mesa, AZ (website listing at 4435 E. Holmes Ave.), which may reflect Veldman or Flocke's geographic base. Applicants should use the email info@acesofoundation.org as the primary contact rather than relying on physical address.

Lead with food systems or animal welfare — not the foundation's stated mission. The foundation's website describes support for 'locally-owned and operated businesses that serve community members,' but the actual grant record is overwhelmingly composed of urban farms, community food access organizations, and animal welfare advocacy nonprofits. Frame your pitch around food justice, community-controlled food production, humane food systems, or food policy reform — not generic economic development or small business support.

Use direct email outreach as the entry point. No application portal, LOI form, or grant cycle calendar exists. Send a concise (two-page maximum) concept note to info@acesofoundation.org addressed to Vera Flocke, Executive Director. Introduce your organization, your primary outcomes, your budget, and the grant amount requested. Reference specific grantees whose work is adjacent to yours (e.g., 'We operate similarly to Seedleaf Inc. or City Blossoms, serving urban growers in [city]').

Target the $50,000–$125,000 range for a first ask. Grants in this range are the most common in the portfolio. The $400,000 Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund grant and $325,000 Humane League grant appear to be relationship-deepening investments rather than first grants. Anchor your first request at $75,000–$100,000 to match median giving.

Emphasize California presence or connection if applicable. California accounts for 10 of 39 tracked grants — by far the most concentrated geography. Midwest and Southern organizations should highlight national relevance or network connections to California-based peer organizations.

Demonstrate community ownership or participatory governance. The foundation's stated preference for community-owned and community-operated enterprises appears in its mission language even if grantees are mostly nonprofits. Language about community advisory boards, resident leadership, cooperative structures, or locally-embedded decision-making will resonate.

Build the relationship before the ask. Four organizations (Mill City Growing, Plant It Forward, Victory Garden Initiative, Seedleaf Inc.) received multiple grants, signaling long-term partnership orientation. Initial outreach should prioritize learning and alignment conversations, not immediate funding requests.

Do not expect a rapid response timeline. With a three-person leadership team (one paid staff), Aceso operates at a small-foundation pace. Follow up after 30 days if no reply; be persistent but patient.