Iversen Family Foundation

The Iversen Family Foundation operates as a deeply personal, preselected-only private foundation rooted in Six Mile, South Carolina — a small community in Pickens County in the Upstate region. Founded in September 2019 and funded entirely through family contributions ($7M at inception, $13M in FY2020, $5.3M in FY2024), this is not a broadly accessible grantmaking vehicle. IRS 990-PF filings across all years consistently state that the foundation 'only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.'

The foundation is entirely family-operated: Bernt G. Iversen II holds the combined roles of President, Secretary, and Treasurer simultaneously; Bonnie Iversen serves as Vice President; and daughters Chloe and Mackenzie Iversen serve as Directors. All four serve without any compensation, reflecting the intensely personal nature of their philanthropy. There are zero paid staff.

Giving philosophy centers on high-trust, long-term relationships rather than competitive or merit-based grantmaking. The Mill Church in Pickens, SC — the Iversens' apparent home faith community — has received cumulative grants exceeding $2.3M since 2020, invariably designated for general operating support. This reveals a foundation that believes in sustained, unrestricted support for institutions the family knows intimately, rather than project-based, responsive, or diversified grantmaking.

The addition of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation ($500,000) suggests the family also directs giving toward major healthcare institutions — likely reflecting a personal healthcare relationship, professional connection, or deeply held philanthropic conviction about health access rather than a formal healthcare strategy.

For grant seekers, the honest framing is this: traditional application pathways do not exist here. The path to funding runs entirely through personal relationship with the Iversen family. Geographic proximity matters — Pickens County and Upstate South Carolina are the core geography. Organizations with mission alignment in faith, healthcare, or youth development, and with an existing personal connection to the Iversen family or their community networks, have the strongest theoretical case — but only if that human relationship already exists or can be authentically cultivated.

The Iversen Family Foundation's grantmaking has followed a strikingly concentrated pattern across its five years of active giving. Annual distributions have grown steadily from $167,602 in FY2020 to approximately $1.0M per year in FY2021–FY2024:

• FY2020: $167,602 grants paid; $274,645 total giving
• FY2021: $716,702 grants paid; $986,170 total giving
• FY2022: $830,000 grants paid; $1,226,947 total giving
• FY2023: $992,806 grants paid; $1,210,663 total giving
• FY2024: ~$1,002,625 total giving (detailed grants-paid figure pending in latest 990)

Based on identified grantees across all available filings, typical grant size is very large by small-foundation standards. The range runs from $167,602 (Mentor Leaders, FY2020, general operating support) to $1.66M (The Mill Church, cumulative across two documented grants). The median single-year grant is estimated at $830,000–$1.0M given the foundation's pattern of 1–3 large grants per year rather than a distributed portfolio.

By recipient category and estimated share of total cumulative giving (FY2020–FY2024, approximately $3.7M documented): - Faith / religious organizations: ~75–80% (The Mill Church, Pickens, SC dominates) - Healthcare institutions: ~13–15% (Cleveland Clinic Foundation, $500K) - Youth development / mentorship: ~5% (Mentor Leaders, $167,602, FY2020 only)

Geographically, South Carolina commands the clear majority of giving by value, with Ohio (Cleveland Clinic) representing the sole known out-of-state major gift. Florida appears only in the earliest year (Mentor Leaders, $167,602 in FY2020).

All documented grants have been designated for general operating support — there is no evidence of project-specific, capital campaign, endowment, or multi-year pledge grants in the foundation's history. The total giving-to-assets ratio sits at approximately 4% ($1M / $24.5M), meeting the IRS minimum distribution requirement but leaving the foundation's capacity substantially underutilized relative to assets — suggesting either deliberate corpus-building or limited appetite to broaden the grantee base.

The following foundations were identified as asset-size peers, all holding approximately $24.5M in assets and classified under NTEE code T (Philanthropy & Grantmaking). None maintain public-facing websites, which limits available comparative data.

What distinguishes the Iversen Family Foundation within this peer group is not its asset size — which is entirely typical — but its unusual giving concentration. Foundations of this size typically distribute $1M–$1.5M across 10–30 grantees annually. Iversen directs effectively the same total amount to just 1–3 recipients per year, making individual grant sizes ($500K–$1M+) far larger than peer norms. Combined with its explicit preselected-only policy, the Iversen foundation is among the most access-restricted private foundations at this asset level — a useful calibration signal for grant seekers allocating prospecting time.

The defining development at the Iversen Family Foundation in the most recent reporting period is FY2024's asset surge. Total assets rose from $18.7M (FY2023) to $24.5M (FY2024), driven primarily by $5.3M in new family contributions — the largest single-year capital infusion since the $13M received in FY2020. Dividends of $542,510 and $1.25M in realized investment gains contributed additional growth. This suggests the Iversens have deliberately accelerated the foundation's capitalization, possibly in anticipation of expanded grantmaking in future years.

On the grantmaking side, FY2024 total charitable disbursements were approximately $1,002,625 — consistent with the prior two years ($992,806 in FY2023; $1,226,947 in FY2022). Grantmakers.io data indicates The Mill Church in Pickens, SC has received at least $2,322,806 cumulatively across multiple grants through 2024, making it the foundation's defining grantee relationship. The Cleveland Clinic Foundation (Independence, OH) received $500,000 in a documented year, representing the most significant expansion of the foundation's grantee set since Mentor Leaders received $167,602 in FY2020.

Leadership has been entirely stable since inception. Bernt G. Iversen II has continuously held the combined President/Secretary/Treasurer role across all five years of 990 filings. No leadership changes, transitions, or board expansions have been documented.

No press releases, grant announcements, or public communications from the foundation were found in web searches covering 2025–2026. The foundation's website (iversen.org) resolves to a web hosting provider's default placeholder page, confirming the foundation maintains a deliberately minimal public presence.

Given the Iversen Family Foundation's consistent and explicit preselected-only policy, conventional grant application strategies are not applicable. The following tips are tailored to the specific realities of this particular funder.

Understand the access structure first. Every 990-PF filed since 2019 states the foundation 'does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.' This is not a soft preference or a formality — it is the foundation's operating model. No amount of compelling proposals, timely submissions, or letter-of-inquiry campaigns will change this. The only path to funding is a relationship with the Iversen family.

Map your existing connection landscape. Bernt G. Iversen II and family are based at 105 Royal Oaks Court, Six Mile, SC — a residential address in Pickens County. The Mill Church in Pickens, SC is the foundation's strongest documented community anchor. Begin by auditing your board, donors, volunteers, and advisory network for any Pickens County connection, Upstate South Carolina business relationship, or link to The Mill Church congregation.

Align your language with documented values. The foundation's grants reveal three core values: sustained support for faith communities (general operating), major healthcare institutions, and youth character development. If your mission intersects these — particularly in Upstate South Carolina — articulate that alignment in any introductory conversation. Do not lead with a funding request; lead with shared values and community connection.

Never attempt cold outreach. The absence of a functional website, no public email address, and a residential mailing address signal that the Iversens actively protect their accessibility. A cold letter to 105 Royal Oaks Ct, or an unsolicited call to (864) 313-8585, is more likely to close the door than open it. Any contact should come through a credible mutual introduction.

Monitor 990-PF filings for intelligence. File alerts on ProPublica for the foundation's EIN (84-2849461). Each new 990-PF (typically available 12–18 months post-fiscal-year-close) may reveal new grantees — each a potential introduction node. A new grantee named alongside The Mill Church is a meaningful signal of relationship expansion.