The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation Inc
Historical FunderMilwaukee, Wisconsin · EIN 39-6037928 · Private foundation · Website
Grants paid (2024)$56.5M
Organizations funded361
Typical grant$100,000
Total assets$993.4M
Half of its grants to organizations were between $40,000 and $165,000.
From the return
How to apply
The foundation filed the following application information (Form 990-PF Part XV, tax year 2024):
| Contact | Program Team |
|---|---|
| Address | 1400 N Water St, Milwaukee WI 53202 |
| Phone | 4142919915 |
| Form and materials | The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation accepts applications solely through its online grants-management system. A virtual letter of inquiry (LOI) should briefly describe the project for which support is being sought. If the project falls within the Foundation's current program interests, the organization may be invited to submit a full application. If the LOI is approved, a full application should include the following information: A thorough description of the project, its objectives and significance, and the qualifications and roles of participants The organization's: most current IRS exemption determination letter, current-year annual budget, project budget, if applicable, list of board directors and officers, most recent audited financial statements, most recent IRS Form 990, and any additional materials the applicant thinks will strengthen the case for support - reports, studies, or brochures, for example - which may be uploaded at the end of the application form |
| Deadlines | Full applications are due quarterly: February 15, May 15, August 15 and November 15. |
| Restrictions | The Bradley Foundation can only support organizations that are exempt from federal taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and publicly supported under Section 509 (a)(1), (2), or (3), cannot provide grants to individuals and will not fund overhead or indirect costs. |
Copied as filed. Deadlines on a tax return describe the foundation's usual process; they are not confirmation of a current open cycle.
What it funds
Share of grant lines on the latest return, classified from the purpose each grant states.
Where it gives
65% of grants went outside Wisconsin.
Grants paid in tax year 2024
| Recipient | Location | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Caroline D Bradley Association of Scholars | Pasadena, CA | To support the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship program | $6,620,000 |
| Bradley Impact Fund Inc | Milwaukee, WI | To support general operations | $3,200,000 |
| Historic Haymarket Milwaukee I Inc | Milwaukee, WI | To support a capital campaign | $2,000,000 |
| Encounter for Culture and Education Inc | New York, NY | To support Encounter Books | $1,000,000 |
| Foundation for Excellence in Higher Education | Princeton, NJ | To support educational institutes, centers, and programs at universities | $800,000 |
| Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty Inc | Milwaukee, WI | To support general operations | $750,000 |
| Foundation for the Constitution | Washington, DC | To support the Center for the Constitution | $685,000 |
| American Legislative Exchange Council | Arlington, VA | To support general operations | $500,000 |
| Center for Urban Teaching | Milwaukee, WI | To support expansion | $500,000 |
| Concordia University Wisconsin Foundation | Mequon, WI | To support the Free Enterprise Center | $500,000 |
| Evergreen Freedom Foundation | Olympia, WA | To support general operations | $500,000 |
| Foundation for Government Accountability | Naples, FL | To support general operations | $500,000 |
| Manhattan Institute for Policy Research Inc | New York, NY | To support economic policy and urban policy | $500,000 |
| State Financial Officers Foundation Inc | Shawnee, KS | To support general operations | $500,000 |
| Barry Goldwater Institute For Public Policy Research | Phoenix, AZ | To support general operations | $475,000 |
| Mackinac Center for Public Policy | Midland, MI | To support general operations | $450,000 |
| New Civil Liberties Alliance | Arlington, VA | To support general operations | $450,000 |
| Kingdom Prep Lutheran High School | Wauwatosa, WI | To support building organizational capacity | $400,000 |
| Philanthropy Roundtable | Washington, DC | To support general operations | $400,000 |
| The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies | Washington, DC | To support general operations | $400,000 |
| Lincoln Network Inc | San Francisco, CA | To support development of a website | $395,000 |
| Badger Institute | Milwaukee, WI | To support general operations | $350,000 |
| Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation Inc | Plymouth, VT | To support a publication and a conference | $350,000 |
| Cato Institute | Washington, DC | To support the Project to Defend the Free Economy | $350,000 |
| Public Interest Legal Foundation Inc | Alexandria, VA | To support general operations | $350,000 |
| The Buckeye Institute | Columbus, OH | To support general operations | $350,000 |
| Bradley Impact Fund Inc | Milwaukee, WI | To support a donor advised fund | $347,500 |
| National Review Institute | New York, NY | To support the Capital Matters initiative and the Thomas L. Rhodes Journalism Fellowship | $338,500 |
| Sagamore Institute | Indianapolis, IN | To support the Secretaries' Innovation Group | $325,000 |
| American Institute for Economic Research Inc | Great Barrington, MA | To support general operations | $300,000 |
| Beacon Center of Tennessee | Nashville, TN | To support general operations | $300,000 |
| Capital Research Center | Washington, DC | To support general operations | $300,000 |
| City On A Hill Inc | Milwaukee, WI | To support capital project | $300,000 |
| Competitive Enterprise Institute | Washington, DC | To support general operations | $300,000 |
| Franklin News Foundation | Chicago, IL | To support general operations | $300,000 |
| Georgia Center for Opportunity Inc | Norcross, GA | To support general operations | $300,000 |
| Leadership Program of the Rockies | Denver, CO | To support general operations | $300,000 |
| Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Inc | Milwaukee, WI | To support general operations | $300,000 |
| Montana Community Choice Schools Commission | Helena, MT | To support general operations | $300,000 |
| National Taxpayers Union Foundation | Washington, DC | To support general operations | $300,000 |
| The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University | Stanford, CA | To support the Economic Policy Working Group | $300,000 |
| The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University | Stanford, CA | To support the Monetary Policy in Practice Project | $300,000 |
| The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University | Stanford, CA | To support the Role of Military History in Contemporary Conflict Working Group | $300,000 |
| Institute for Educational Advancement | Pasadena, CA | To support general operations | $275,000 |
| Pabst Mansion Inc | Milwaukee, WI | To support a capital campaign | $275,000 |
| The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System | Madison, WI | To support the Center for Research on the Wisconsin Economy | $275,000 |
| The Fund for American Studies | Washington, DC | To support education programs in journalism and free enterprise | $275,000 |
| American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research | Washington, DC | To support the program in Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies | $250,000 |
| Center for Urban Teaching | Milwaukee, WI | To support general operations | $250,000 |
| Clemson University Foundation | Clemson, SC | To support the Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism | $250,000 |
| Collateral Global | London, UK | To support general operations | $250,000 |
| Economic Policy Innovation Center Inc | Arlington, VA | To support general operations | $250,000 |
| Ethics and Public Policy Center Inc | Washington, DC | To support general operations | $250,000 |
| Foundation for Individual Rights in Education Inc | Philadelphia, PA | To support general operations | $250,000 |
| George Mason University Foundation Inc | Fairfax, VA | To support the C. Boyden Gray Center for the Study of the Administrative State | $250,000 |
| Parent Choice Inc | West Allis, WI | To support general operations | $250,000 |
| Real Clear Foundation | Washington, DC | To support general operations | $250,000 |
| Seton Catholic Schools Inc | Milwaukee, WI | To support a capital campaign | $250,000 |
| Stem Academy Inc | Brookfield, WI | To support general operations | $250,000 |
| VMTS Education Inc | Brooklyn, NY | To support general operations | $250,000 |
Showing the 60 largest of 361 grants to organizations.
Grants approved for future payment
| Recipient | Location | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Caroline D Bradley Association of Scholars | Pasadena, CA | To support the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship program | $6,340,000 |
| Bradley Impact Fund | Milwaukee, WI | To support 2024 operations | $3,360,000 |
| Encounter for Culture and Education | New York, NY | To support Encounter Books for 2025 | $1,000,000 |
| Collateral Global | New York, NY | To support Collateral Global | $700,000 |
| Lutheran High School Association of Greater Milwaukee | West Allis, WI | To support a capital campaign | $300,000 |
| Milwaukee Academy of Science | Milwaukee, WI | To support school expansion | $300,000 |
| The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System | Madison, WI | To support the Center for Research on the Wisconsin Economy | $275,000 |
| The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System | Madison, WI | To support the Center for the Study of the American Constitution | $170,000 |
| Arizona State University | Tempe, AZ | To support the Center for American Institutions | $150,000 |
| Milwaukee Academy of Science | Milwaukee, WI | To support general operations | $150,000 |
| Institute for Humane Studies | Charlotte, NC | To support general operations | $125,000 |
| University of Chicago | Chicago, IL | To support the 2024-2025 Bradley Graduate and Post-Graduate Fellowship Program | $100,000 |
| David Horowitz Freedom Center | Valencia, CA | To support the work of Bruce Thornton | $93,750 |
| Donors Trust | Alexandria, VA | To support the Galen Institute at Donors Trust | $75,000 |
| Harvard University | Cambridge, MA | To support the 2024-2025 Bradley Graduate and Post-Graduate Fellowship Program | $50,000 |
| National Center on Sexual Exploitation | Washington, DC | To support general operations | $50,000 |
| University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | To support the 2024-2025 Bradley Graduate and Post-Graduate Fellowship Program | $50,000 |
| The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System | Madison, WI | To support the 2024-2025 Bradley Graduate and Post-Graduate Fellowship Program | $50,000 |
| Aurora Health Care Foundation | Milwaukee, WI | To support the Healing Center | $25,000 |
| Boston College | Chestnut Hill, MA | To support the 2024-2025 Bradley Graduate and Post-Graduate Fellowship Program | $25,000 |
| College Possible Milwaukee | Saint Paul, MN | To support general operations | $25,000 |
| Columbia University | Naples, FL | To support the 2024-2025 Bradley Graduate and Post-Graduate Fellowship Program | $25,000 |
| George Mason University Foundation | Fairfax, VA | To support the 2024-2025 Bradley Graduate and Post-Graduate Fellowship Program | $25,000 |
| Georgetown University | Washington, DC | To support the 2024-2025 Bradley Graduate and Post-Graduate Fellowship Program | $25,000 |
| Hillsdale College | Hillsdale, MI | To support the 2024-2025 Bradley Graduate and Post-Graduate Fellowship Program | $25,000 |
| La Union de Padres | Santa Ana, CA | To support general operations | $25,000 |
| New York University | New York, NY | To support the 2024-2025 Bradley Graduate and Post-Graduate Fellowship Program | $25,000 |
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants paid | Grant lines |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $56,482,360 | 388 |
| 2023 | $54,127,095 | 380 |
Sources
- IRS Form 990-PF, tax year 2024, filed Nov 17, 2025 - IRS e-file batch, object ID 202523219349106577
- IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search for EIN 39-6037928
- Profile updated Nov 4, 2026
Facts on this page come from the foundation's own IRS Form 990-PF filings as published by the IRS. Grantvello does not know whether a foundation is accepting proposals right now: a past grant is not an open opportunity. Always confirm current guidelines with the funder before applying.