Ellies Foundation Inc.

Ellies Foundation Inc. is a tightly-held, private Milwaukee-based family foundation that directs the vast majority of its philanthropic dollars toward metropolitan Chicago and suburban Illinois — despite its Wisconsin registration. Founded in February 2004 (IRS ruling date), the foundation grew from negligible assets to $19.25 million by 2025 through periodic large capital infusions by the Bechthold family, including a $2.93M contribution in 2020 and a $6.04M contribution in 2025.

Leadership consists of three unpaid officers: Ellen Bechthold (President and Treasurer), Kurt Bechthold (Secretary), and Walter Dewey (Vice President). No professional grants staff appears in any public filing. The foundation's address is c/o Denasha A. Scott, 1200 N Mayfair Road, Suite 430, Milwaukee, WI 53226 — a third-party administrative arrangement rather than an operational office. The foundation maintains no verified public website under its own name, no application portal, and no public grants page; the URL listed in some databases (ellies.org) resolves to an unrelated California animal organization.

Most critically: Ellies Foundation Inc. does not accept unsolicited grant applications. Its preselected-only status across all foundation directories reflects a clear pattern in 990-PF filings — every identified grantee has received repeat annual funding, some for five or more consecutive years. Funding decisions flow from existing personal and community ties of the Bechthold family, not competitive grant cycles.

The grantee roster reveals two distinct tiers. The first tier — Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (~$190,654/year average) and Northwestern Memorial Foundation (~$182,781/year average) — together command roughly 88% of all tracked grant dollars and represent anchor institutional partnerships. The second tier encompasses smaller annual gifts to Lutheran congregations, Chicago cultural organizations, and food security nonprofits ranging from $100 to approximately $12,000 annually, consistent with the personal philanthropic interests of the principals.

For prospective grantees, the only viable path is cultivating a direct relationship with the Bechthold family through shared community affiliations: Lutheran faith networks in Chicago's North Shore suburbs, Northwestern Memorial Hospital's donor and volunteer community, and civic institutions such as the Art Institute, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, or Greater Chicago Food Depository. There is no LOI stage, no RFP, no grant portal, and no competitive review process. Any engagement must be personal, patient, and demonstrably values-aligned with the foundation's long-standing institutional priorities.

Annual grantmaking by Ellies Foundation Inc. has grown steadily from $242,287 in 2019 to an estimated $554,441 in fiscal year 2025 — approximately 2.3x growth over six years. This trajectory closely tracks growth in foundation assets:

• 2019: $242,287 in grants paid (assets: $5.57M)
• 2020: $356,116 in grants paid (assets: $8.93M, aided by $2.93M contribution)
• 2021: $372,125 in grants paid (assets: $9.17M)
• 2022: $459,649 in grants paid (assets: $8.69M)
• 2023: $477,987 in grants paid (assets: $9.60M)
• 2025: ~$554,441 in grants paid (assets: $19.25M, boosted by $6.04M contribution)

The foundation's effective payout rate has ranged from approximately 3.8% to 5.3% of assets. With the 2025 asset spike to $19.25M, the IRS 5% minimum distribution requirement now stands at approximately $962,570/year — nearly double actual 2025 disbursements — creating pressure for significant near-term increases in grantmaking.

Grant concentration is extreme. The top two grantees alone absorbed approximately 88% of all tracked grant dollars: - Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI): $953,269 cumulative over 5 grant cycles (~$190,654/year) — categorized as "charitable purposes" - Northwestern Memorial Foundation: $913,907 cumulative over 5 grant cycles (~$182,781/year) — categorized as "research and education"

The remaining ~12% ($253,257 across 80+ smaller grants) distributes across: - Healthcare: NCH Healthcare System ($60,580 over 5 years, ~$12,116/year) - Faith communities: Resurrection Lutheran Church ($55,347), First Presbyterian Church ($16,800), Emmanuel Lutheran Church ($15,245), Bethlehem Lutheran Church ($12,500) - Children/Social services: Grace Place for Children and Families ($15,315), Mercy Home for Boys & Girls ($15,308) - Arts and culture: Pine Mountain Music Festival ($12,614), Chicago Symphony Orchestra ($5,178), Art Institute of Chicago ($5,178) - Food security: Greater Chicago Food Depository ($36,115), Nourishing Hope ($400), Lakeview Pantry ($250) - International/humanitarian: Doctors Without Borders ($2,000), Wounded Warrior Project ($500)

The median individual grant is $2,525, with an average of $18,606 (heavily skewed by two institutional anchors) and a recorded single-grant maximum of $173,356. Geographic distribution of grant count: 61% Illinois, 17% Florida, 11% Wisconsin, 6% Michigan, 4% New York.

Among peer family foundations of comparable scale (~$19M in assets), Ellies Foundation Inc. stands out for its concentrated, anchor-grant model. Its two dominant grantees each receive approximately $183,000–$191,000 per year — running 4–7x the national median single-grant size for foundations with $10M–$25M in assets (approximately $25,000–$50,000). This signals high-conviction, long-term institutional partnerships rather than diversified portfolio grantmaking.

Island Outreach Foundation Inc. (NY, $19.3M) is the only identified peer with a public website, potentially indicating a more accessible inquiry process. The remaining five comparable foundations — including both Texas-based Neviaser and Seay — maintain no public application guidelines, which is typical for all-volunteer family foundations at this asset tier.

Ellies Foundation's most distinctive characteristic relative to peers is geographic incongruity: Wisconsin-registered but Chicago-centric, with 61% of grant count directed to Illinois organizations. All comparable peer foundations are active primarily in their states of registration. This geographic pattern confirms that personal community ties — not programmatic state mandates — drive every funding decision at Ellies, and that Illinois-based organizations with connections to Chicago's major healthcare and Lutheran social service networks hold a structural advantage over Wisconsin applicants despite the foundation's official state of record.

No press releases, media coverage, or public announcements regarding Ellies Foundation Inc. were found through web searches or foundation directories. The foundation has no verified public website under its own name, does not maintain social media accounts, and does not appear in major philanthropy directories with active, current listings — consistent with a private, family-controlled operation that maintains no external communications function.

The most consequential recent development is financial: the foundation's net assets rose from approximately $9.6 million (fiscal year 2023) to $19.25 million (fiscal year 2025), driven by a single contribution of $6,041,709 — the largest single-year capital infusion in the foundation's recorded history. Combined with $495,189 in dividends and $281,544 in asset sales, total revenue for 2025 reached $6,818,972.

Charitable disbursements for 2025 reached $554,441, the highest in the foundation's recorded history. However, the now-larger $19.25M asset base creates an IRS minimum distribution requirement of approximately $962,570/year — a compliance gap of roughly $408,000 above 2025 actual giving. This means the Bechthold family will need to substantially increase grantmaking over the next one to two cycles, which may represent an opening for organizations already within their network to receive new or expanded support.

Leadership has remained stable across all available IRS filings. Ellen Bechthold (President/Treasurer), Kurt Bechthold (Secretary), and Walter Dewey (Vice President) serve without compensation and have appeared consistently across multiple years with no changes to board composition. The foundation's administrative contact, c/o Denasha A. Scott, has also remained consistent. No new program initiatives, partnership announcements, strategic pivots, or leadership transitions were identified from any available public source.

Do not submit unsolicited grant applications. Ellies Foundation Inc. funds exclusively through preselected relationships. All documented grantees receive multi-year repeat funding — a clear signal that the foundation operates as a closed system of existing community ties. A cold grant proposal will not be reviewed and likely will not receive a response.

Cultivate connections within the Bechthold family's institutional world. Giving patterns reveal a clear community universe: Northwestern Memorial Hospital and its research foundation, Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, Lutheran congregations in Chicago's suburbs (Resurrection, Emmanuel, Bethlehem), and civic cultural institutions such as the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Greater Chicago Food Depository. Organizations embedded in these networks through board membership, major donor relationships, volunteer leadership, or collaborative programming are positioned to receive a natural introduction.

Lead with Lutheran affiliation or healthcare research credentials if applicable. Faith-based alignment — particularly Lutheran — resonates strongly with this funder; four of the top ten grantees are Lutheran churches or Lutheran-affiliated service organizations. Ties to Northwestern Memorial Foundation (which receives grants for "research and education") also suggest that academic medical or clinical research programs with Northwestern connections would be highly relevant.

Target the $2,500–$12,000 secondary grant tier through Chicago civic engagement. Secondary grantees — Mercy Home for Boys & Girls, Grace Place for Children and Families, Greater Chicago Food Depository — are consistent with active civic participation. Visibility through their galas, boards, or volunteer programs may generate organic introductions to the Bechthold family.

Act in the 2025–2026 window. The foundation's new $19.25M asset base triggers a minimum distribution requirement of ~$962,570/year — nearly double 2025 actual giving of $554,441. The Bechthold family will need to substantially increase grantmaking to maintain IRS compliance, creating a meaningful opportunity for organizations already in their network.

If contact is made: Send a single concise letter (maximum one page) to Ellen Bechthold (President and Treasurer) c/o Denasha A. Scott, 1200 N Mayfair Road, Suite 430, Milwaukee, WI 53226. Emphasize mission alignment, Lutheran values if applicable, community ties to existing grantees, and Chicago-area geographic presence. Offer a conversation rather than making a direct funding request.