Huisking Foundation Inc.

The Huisking Foundation Inc. operates as a tightly family-controlled private foundation built on director nominations rather than open solicitation — a distinction that shapes every element of the grant-seeking strategy. Founded in 1948 as the Frank R. Huisking Foundation to honor Lt. Frank R. Huisking, a WWII B-24 co-pilot killed over Italy in 1944, the foundation has maintained a broad philanthropic mandate for more than seven decades. With approximately $32-34 million in assets and $1.6-1.9 million in annual grants across 200+ awards, it occupies a mid-tier niche: substantial enough to make meaningful awards, small enough to be entirely relationship-driven.

The board consists primarily of Huisking family members and close associates: William W. Huisking (President), Frank R. Huisking (Treasurer), Clairemarie Field (Vice President), plus Paul, Constance, Charles, and Jean Huisking among other long-serving directors. No professional program staff or external reviewers are involved. According to The Grantsmanship Center's documentation, projects are 'reviewed and recommended by specific directors of the foundation who have knowledge of the project or program.' This is the defining feature: grants flow where directors have personal relationships, not where proposals are strongest.

The top-50 grantee list confirms a pattern of deep, multi-year commitments. Americares has received 3 grants totaling $303,000; Make-A-Wish of Georgia 3 grants totaling $253,000; Asolo Repertory Theatre 3 grants totaling $165,000; St. Jude's 3 grants totaling $163,500. These are not one-time awards — they represent ongoing relationships where initial small grants of $10,000-$25,000 grow into $75,000-$100,000+ commitments as trust deepens over 3-6 years.

For first-time applicants, the path is clear: identify which board member has a personal connection to your mission area and geography, and cultivate that relationship before asking for funding. Cold proposals mailed to a general address are extremely unlikely to succeed. Organizations in Sarasota, FL and the Guilford/Bridgeport, CT corridor have the strongest built-in geographic alignment given the density of existing grantees in both markets. The foundation accepts no external contributions (zero contributions received across all years on file), meaning it operates entirely off investment returns and makes all grant decisions through internal board consensus.

The Huisking Foundation distributes grants with remarkable consistency: annual giving has ranged from $1.5M to $1.9M for more than a decade, with no single year deviating more than 20% from the long-run mean. The 10-year band runs from $1,494,000 (FY2011) to $1,905,000 (FY2021). The foundation's $32-34 million endowment generates sufficient investment income to sustain this pace regardless of market conditions — in FY2022, when net investment income fell to just $648,272, the foundation still distributed $1,674,000 in grants by drawing on accumulated reserves.

Grant sizing is highly bimodal. The median grant across documented history is $5,000 and the average is $7,565, but awards range from $2,000 to $121,000. Roughly 70% of individual grants likely fall below $15,000, while a cohort of 15-20 anchor relationships receives $30,000-$100,000+ annually. FY2024's three largest single-year awards were AmeriCares ($87,000), Make-A-Wish of Georgia ($84,000), and St. Jude's ($60,000).

Breaking down the portfolio by program area based on top-50 grantee analysis: - Human services and children's welfare (~28%): Americares, Make-A-Wish, Easter Seals, St. Jude's, Children First, Manna Food Bank, Woods Services Foundation - Arts and culture (~22%): Asolo Repertory Theatre, Sarasota Orchestra, Ringling Museum, Van Wezel Foundation, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Fairfield Theater, Hermitage Artist Retreat, Ringling College - Religious institutions and faith-based organizations (~18%): Ministry of Caring, Good Shepherd Church, Our Lady of Assumption, Diocese of Bridgeport, Little Sisters of the Poor, St. Joseph Indian School - Education and scholarships (~17%): University of Notre Dame, Florida State University, Maclay School, Elon University, American Indian Education Foundation, Institute for International Education of Students - Health and medical research (~15%): National MS Society, Alzheimer's of New Jersey, Gaylord Hospital, Danbury Hospital, Sound Start Foundation, A Leg to Stand On

Geographically, Connecticut leads with 138 documented awards in the DB, followed by Florida (108), North Carolina (56), Delaware (52), Alabama (46), New York (37), and New Jersey (27). The Sarasota, FL arts cluster is particularly dense — at least six Sarasota-area organizations appear in the top-50 grantee list — reflecting deep personal engagement of one or more directors with that community. The Bridgeport/Guilford, CT corridor shows strong representation in religious and healthcare grantees.

Comparable private family foundations with broad mandates and similar asset ranges (all peer figures are approximate, drawn from publicly available 990-PF filings and foundation directories; verify against current records before citing):

The Huisking Foundation's most distinctive feature relative to peers is its complete absence of a public-facing application process. The Selby Foundation and Hyde and Watson both maintain published guidelines, staff contacts, and stated deadlines. The Huisking Foundation has none of these, making it more comparable to ultra-private family foundations where board relationships are the only point of entry. On a per-grant basis, Huisking's $7,565 average award is smaller than most peers in this asset tier, but its willingness to make 200+ individual grants per year makes it a higher-volume funder than foundations with similar total assets and annual giving levels — a feature that favors smaller organizations seeking modest initial awards.

No public announcements, press releases, or news coverage of the Huisking Foundation was identified for 2025 or 2026. The foundation maintains one of the lowest public profiles of any private foundation in its asset tier — no active foundation website, no social media accounts, and no participation in published philanthropy forums or directories beyond basic IRS filings.

The most recent verifiable activity comes from FY2024 990-PF data filed with the IRS: $1,864,000 in charitable disbursements (up from $1,645,800 in FY2023) across approximately 205 grants. The three largest single awards in FY2024 were AmeriCares ($87,000), Make-A-Wish Foundation of Georgia ($84,000), and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital ($60,000) — all multi-year grantee relationships.

A notable administrative change is the foundation's address shift from 291 Peddlers Road, Guilford, CT 06437 (historical contact address for Frank R. Huisking) to 10912 Brimfield Ct, Raleigh, NC 27614 in more recent filings. Leadership appears stable: William W. Huisking continues as President; Frank R. Huisking as Treasurer; Clairemarie Field as Vice President. Officer compensation declined to $0 in FY2024, compared to $35,000 paid to the Treasurer role in FY2019-2021, suggesting a change in board compensation policy. Asset levels have remained strong at $32.85 million as of the most recent filing, supported by net investment income of $5.92 million in FY2023.

Given the foundation's entirely relationship-driven model, standard grant-seeking tactics — online portals, form proposals, deadline calendars — are irrelevant here. These are the approaches most likely to succeed:

Identify your board connection before anything else. Determine which Huisking director has personal affinity for your mission. Frank R. Huisking (Treasurer, frh1027@live.com) handles day-to-day contact. Cross-reference your own board's networks against the foundation's directors before reaching out cold.

Leverage existing grantee relationships. Organizations that already receive Huisking funding — Asolo Repertory Theatre, Easter Seals of Southwest Florida, Manna Food Bank, Clatsop County Historical Society, Ministry of Caring, Hermitage Artist Retreat — can provide warm introductions. A peer-to-peer referral from an established grantee dramatically improves odds.

Start with a small, specific ask. The median grant is $5,000 and first-time awards rarely exceed $15,000-$25,000. A first-time request above $30,000 risks rejection even if you eventually qualify for larger support. Frame the first ask as a one-year introductory grant for a tangible purpose — 'operating support for our spring concert season' or 'scholarship fund for students with hearing loss' — rather than general capacity building.

Use their documented grant language. Actual Huisking grant purposes include 'children's benefit program,' 'nursing care,' 'digital archivist,' 'equine therapy program,' 'programming and education,' and 'emergency support fund.' This is concrete and programmatic. Avoid abstract framing around systems change, equity frameworks, or collective impact — none of which appear in the grantee record.

Honor the founding mission. The foundation was established to honor Lt. Huisking's memory and promote patriotism and community service. Military-connected organizations, Catholic institutions, youth-serving programs, and civic organizations embody this ethos naturally.

Align geographically. Connecticut (138 documented grants) and Florida (108) are the strongest markets. Sarasota-area arts organizations and Guilford/Bridgeport-area religious and healthcare organizations have the densest existing relationships. North Carolina (56), Delaware (52), and Alabama (46) are also well-represented.

Time outreach to the fall. For a calendar-year foundation, initial contact in September-November positions you for end-of-year grant decisions. January-March works for the following year's cycle.