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Albert and Janice Meister Family Foundat at a glance

· Private foundation

Albert and Janice Meister Family Foundat

Its FY2024 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$846k
Granted FY2024still arriving
15
Grants FY2024still arriving
4
States reached
$150k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Civil Rights$1.1MEducation$635kArts & Culture$546kPhilanthropy$470kEnvironment$260kPublic Benefit$115kInternational$66kAnimals$35kOther$0
02FY2024 · 15 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • $10k–50k7 grants · $180k
  • $50k–250k8 grants · $666k
$50,000
Median grant
4
States reached
$20M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Individual grant recipient$150,000
WOMEN'S REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS ASSISTANCE PROJECT$100,000
CLIMATE EMERGENCY FUND$100,000
FLIGHT PATH DANCE FOUNDATION$80,000
FREEDOM TO READ FOUNDATION$75,000
COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISM$60,500
4PT0 SCHOOLS$50,000
ROGER BALDWIN FOUNDATION$50,000
EAST BAY SPCA$35,000
ELECTRONIC FRONTEIR FOUNDATION$35,000
FREEDOM OF THE PRESS FOUNDATION$25,000
BLOCK CLUB CHICAGO$25,000
CITY REPORT$25,000
KEEP OAKLAND BEAUTIFUL$25,000
CREATIVE COMMONS CORPORATION$10,000
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY24–24, $25k) land where the poverty rate runs at 20%, against an area that typically sits at 12%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 12%FREEDOM OF THE PRESS FOUNDATION: $25k → 20%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

74%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$2.3M · 10 repeat orgs$797k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +34% since the first grant, against +14% for those funded once.

10 repeat relationships: 6 still active in FY2024, 4 since wound down; 9 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

10
8

Total granted

$2.3M
$506k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+34%
+14%

Still filing today

70%
75%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 66% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $291k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
EducationInternationalEnvironmentArts & CultureHealthCivil RightsOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • University of Chicago
    3× · 2021–2023 · $410k · revenue +34%
  • GIFFORDS LAW CENTER TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE
    2× · 2022–2023 · $260k · revenue +1%
  • FP
    FLIGHT PATH DANCE FOUNDATION INC
    3× · 2022–2024 · $210k · revenue +221% · 41% of their budget

Funded once

  • UD
    UBS DONOR ADVISED FUND
    one grant, 2021 · $265k
  • Northwestern Universitygraduated
    one grant, 2023 · $50k · revenue +26%
  • TR
    THE ROGER BALDWIN FOUNATION OF ACLU OF ILLINOIS
    one grant, 2017 · $42k
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Npr Foundation

The npr foundation ("foundation") is organized and operated exclusively for the benefit of its sole supported organization, national public radio, inc. ("npr inc."). the foundation supports npr inc. through various activities such as…

—
2
National Opinion Research Center

See schedule onorc at the university of chicago conducts research and data science on critical societal issues to guide decision-making and the development of programs and public policy. our experts identify relationships and trends, and…

Social Science
3
The Water Research Foundation

The purpose of the water research foundation (wrf) is a definitive research organization to advance the science of all things water to better meet the evolving needs of its subscribers and the water sector. to engage exclusively in…

Environment
4
Pro Publica Inc

Pro publica is an independent, non-profit, pulitzer prize-winning newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. our work focuses exclusively on truly important stories. [see continuation on schedule o] we produce…

Arts & Culture
5
National Public Radio Inc

National public radio, inc. ("npr") works collaboratively with member public radio station licensees ("member stations") to create a more informed public, one that is challenged and invigorated by a deeper understanding and appreciation of…

Arts & Culture
6
Kqed Inc

See schedule okqed serves the people of northern california with a community-supported alternative to commercial media, providing the knowledge needed to make informed decisions; convening community dialogue; bringing the arts to everyone;…

Arts & Culture
7
America's Newspapers

Providing research, education and practical information all aimed at optimizing newspapers' business operations, deepening their community engagement and enhancing the quality of their journalism.

Employment
8
Public Knowledge

Public knowledge promotes freedom of expression, an open internet, and access to affordable communications tools and creative works. we work to shape policy on behalf of the public interest.

Public Benefit
9
The Union of Concerned Scientists Inc

The union of concerned scientists puts rigorous, independent science into action, developing solutions and advocating for a healthy, safe, and just future.

International
10
Npr International Operations Inc

Npr international operations, inc. ("nprio") supports the international newsgathering activities of national public radio, inc. through bureaus and offices established locally in foreign countries.

—
11
American Flood Coalition Inc

To drive transformational adaptation to protect communities across the country from higher seas, stronger storms, and more frequent flooding.

Environment
12
Pew Research Center

Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan "fact tank" that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. Pew Research Center generates a foundation of facts that enriches the public dialogue and…

Social Science
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Wikimedia Foundation Inc; the most unlike its peers is International Rescue Committee Inc. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

22 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 22 of the 29 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

2
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
1
Early backer (in before they grew)
22/22
Grantees still filing
10/22
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

THE ROGER BALDWIN FOUNDATION OF ACLU OF ILLINOIS: $314,219 · OtherTHE ROGER BALDWIN FOUNDATION OF ACLU OF ILLINOISUBS DONOR ADVISED FUND: $265,000 · OtherUBS DONOR ADVISED FUNDIndividual grant recipient: $200,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipientROGER BALDWIN FOUNDATION: $150,000 · OtherROGER BALDWIN FOUNDATIONFreedom to Read Foundation: $115,000 · OtherFreedom to Read FoundationCOMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISM: $60,500 · Other4PT0 SCHOOLS: $50,000 · OtherNorthwestern University: $50,000 · Other+8 more: $246,000 · Other+8 moreUniversity of Chicago: $410,000 · EducationUniversity of Chicag…The New York Public Library Astor Lenox and Tilden Foundations: $100,000 · EducationThe New York Public …WIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION INC: $40,000 · EducationWIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION…BLOCK CLUB CHICAGO NFP: $25,000 · Education+1 more: $10,000 · EducationWomen's Reproductive Rights Assistance Project: $290,000 · HealthWomen's Re…GIFFORDS LAW CENTER TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE: $260,000 · Civil RightsCLIMATE EMERGENCY FUND: $235,000 · EnvironmentKeep Oakland Beautiful: $25,000 · EnvironmentFLIGHT PATH DANCE FOUNDATION INC: $210,000 · Arts & CultureCity Report Inc: $25,000 · Arts & CulturePHILANTHROPIC VENTURES FOUNDATION: $180,000 · PhilanthropyCOMMUNITY FOUNDATION SANTA CRUZ COUNTY: $25,000 · Philanthropy
Other$1,450,719Education$585,000Health$290,000Civil Rights$260,000Environment$260,000Arts & Culture$235,000Philanthropy$205,000

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetUniversity of Chicago: $410,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetWomen's Reproductive Rights Assistance Project: $290,000 over 3y, 3.1% of budgetGIFFORDS LAW CENTER TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE: $260,000 over 2y, 1.4% of budgetCLIMATE EMERGENCY FUND: $235,000 over 3y, 1.8% of budgetFLIGHT PATH DANCE FOUNDATION INC: $210,000 over 3y, 41% of budgetPHILANTHROPIC VENTURES FOUNDATION: $180,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetFreedom to Read Foundation: $115,000 over 2y, 13% of budgetThe New York Public Library Astor Lenox and Tilden Foundations: $100,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNorthwestern University: $50,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION INC: $40,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetElectronic Frontier Foundation Inc: $35,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetEAST BAY SPCA: $35,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetInternational Rescue Committee INC: $33,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $33,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $33,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCity Report Inc: $25,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetCOMMUNITY FOUNDATION SANTA CRUZ COUNTY: $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBLOCK CLUB CHICAGO NFP: $25,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetKeep Oakland Beautiful: $25,000 over 1y, 49% of budgetFREEDOM OF THE PRESS FOUNDATION: $25,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetCREATIVE COMMONS CORPORATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetBRADY CENTER TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

John S and James L Kn…John D and Catherine …Silicon Valley Commun…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…Morgan Stanley Global…National Philanthropi…American Endowment Fo…Vanguard Charitable E…American Online Givin…Paypal Charitable Giv…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …
John S and James L Knight FoundationFL13.4× affinity4 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: John S and James L Knight Foundation · John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation · Silicon Valley Community Foundation · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · American Endowment Foundation · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Paypal Charitable Giving Fund · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization Albert and Janice Meister Family Foundat funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Albert and Janice Meister Family Foundat. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%3%13%28%50%funder's share of their income ↑0%10%20%30%40%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    6report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–40%
    typical government reliance, FY20–25
    How this is measured
    Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.
    05Through Plinth

    Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

    How do I get to Albert and Janice Meister Family Foundat?

    Find your warmest path to Albert and Janice Meister Family Foundat through trustees and officers whose names appear on both boards. Search for your organization and Plinth traces the shortest route it can evidence.

    Each link is a name appearing on two organizations’ public IRS 990 filings, matched on that name and, where the filings support it, on location. A same-state match has geographic support, which is a second matching feature rather than confirmation that the two are one person; a cross-state one is the likeliest to be two people who share a name. Every hop shows its tier, low-confidence and distant paths are held back rather than guessed, and it is worth confirming the person before you use the introduction.

    On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 29 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

    How this is measured
    Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

    Generated from the IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Albert and Janice Meister Family Foundat’s filings →

    More from the funding graph

    The unnamed billions
    grants reported with no recipient in the public record
    The regranting layer
    51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
    The DAF merry-go-round
    $9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
    The endowment market
    who holds foundation money, and what just moved
    The camps
    funders cluster by geography, not ideology
    By state
    where grant money is based, and what stays home