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Aplin Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Aplin Family Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$29k
Granted FY2025still arriving
2
Grants FY2025still arriving
1
States reached
$28k
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, FY2019 to 2025.

Education$211kHousing & Shelter$40kCommunity Improvement$31kHealth$22kHuman Services$19kReligion$13kFood & Nutrition$12kYouth Development$10kOther$0
02FY2025 · 2 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k1 grant · $500
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $28k
$28,200
Median grant
1
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOUNDATION$28,200
MAYO CLINIC$500
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 (FY19–24, $17k) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 8%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 8%SHARING CARING HANDS: $5k → 11%FORWARD HEALTH FOUNDATION: $5k → 11%SHARING CARING HANDS: $5k → 11%FORWARD HEALTH FOUNDATION: $1k → 11%SHARING CARING HANDS: $500 → 11%SHARING CARING HANDS: $240 → 11%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.

93%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$345k · 11 repeat orgs$28k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +57% since the first grant, against -6% for those funded once.

11 repeat relationships: 1 still active in FY2025, 10 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

11
4

Total granted

$345k
$28k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+57%
-6%

Still filing today

82%
75%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 went to new ones.

50%100%’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
EducationHuman ServicesEnvironmentHealthFood & NutritionArts & CultureOther
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

  • UO
    UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOUNDATION
    6× · 2020–2025 · $209k · revenue +137%
  • BI
    Bridging Inc
    4× · 2021–2024 · $40k · revenue +35%
  • SA
    SHARING AND CARING HANDS INC
    4× · 2019–2024 · $11k · revenue +22%

Funded once

  • SH
    SECOND HARVEST HEARTLAND
    one grant, 2024 · $12k · revenue -10%
  • TL
    THEATER LATTE DA
    one grant, 2023 · $10k · revenue -6%
  • RG
    RUFFED GROUSE SOCIETY
    one grant, 2021 · $5k · revenue +10%
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
Augsburg University

Augsburg university educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders.the augsburg experience is supported by an engaged community that is committed to intentional diversity in its…

Education
2
Second Harvest North Central Food Bank

Engaging the community to end hunger

—
3
Sanford Group Return

Sanford health is committed to the healthcare needs of communities throughout the upper midwest. sanford health provides a full range of primary and specialty healthcare services and strives to be the premier rural health system in the…

—
4
The Good Acre

We connect and strengthen farmers, food makers, and communities through good food. the good acre is the largest nonprofit food hub in minnesota. we play a critical role in creating market access for farmers in our region. for 2023, with…

Food & Nutrition
5
Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless

Since 1986, open your heart to the hungry and homeless has worked to ensureevery minnesotan is free from hunger and homelessness. by partnering with organizations serving those in need, we grow donor engagement and raise awareness to…

—
6
Minnesota Business Partnership

The minnesota business partnership's mission is to maintain a high quality of life for all minnesotans by ensuring that the state's economy remains strong, globally competitive and its prospects for growth bright by working with elected…

—
7
The Open Door

The open door is a leading hunger-relief organization serving dakota county, minnesota, where food insecurity is a growing challenge. the open door is dedicated to ending local hunger by providing access to healthy, fresh, and nutritious…

Food & Nutrition
8
University of Minnesota Foundation Investment Advisors

To provide the highest level of stewardship for university donors through professional management and oversight of the university of minnesota foundation's assets by creating a focused investment environment with clarity of purpose,…

Education
9
University of Minnesota Physicians

University of minnesota physicians serves as the integrated group practice for the university of minnesota medical school full-time faculty to provide the highest quality healthcare to patients and their families.university of minnesota…

Health
10
Minnesota Grocers Association

The minnesota grocers association advances the common interest of those engaged in all aspects of the food industry of mn as a leadership resource. the mga encourages and sponsors educational seminars, conventions and fosters the exchange…

—
11
United Hospital Foundation

United hospital foundation exists to enhance the health of united hospital patients and the wellness of the community we serve. the foundation, year after year, has proven that a true partnership between community and hospital guarantees…

—
12
Madonna Meadows of Rochester

We are a catholic, faith-based organization entrusted with advancing the life-enhancing senior care ministry of the benedictine sisters of duluth, minnesota. we witness to god's love by creating inclusive communities, supporting those we…

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is University of Minnesota Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Theater Latte Da. 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

13 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. 13 of the 16 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.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
3
Early backer (in before they grew)
13/13
Grantees still filing
10/13
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOUNDATION: $208,750 · EducationUNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOUNDATIONBolder Options: $10,000 · EducationTEE IT UP FOR THE TROOPS INC: $8,500 · Education+1 more: $2,700 · EducationBridging Inc: $40,000 · OtherBridging IncDEER RIVER AREA COMMUNITY FOUNDATIO: $31,000 · OtherDEER RIVER AREA COMMUNITY…ST ANDREW LUTHERAN CHURCH: $11,500 · OtherST ANDREW LUTHERAN CHURCH+2 more: $1,740 · OtherSHARING AND CARING HANDS INC: $10,740 · Human ServicesFORWARD HEALTH FOUNDATION: $6,000 · Human ServicesTREEHOUSE INC: $15,000 · Health+1 more: $500 · HealthSECOND HARVEST HEARTLAND: $12,000 · Food & NutritionTHEATER LATTE DA: $10,000 · Arts & CultureRUFFED GROUSE SOCIETY: $5,000 · Environment
Education$229,950Other$84,240Human Services$16,740Health$15,500Food & Nutrition$12,000Arts & Culture$10,000Environment$5,000

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

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetUNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOUNDATION: $208,750 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetBridging Inc: $40,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetTREEHOUSE INC: $15,000 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetSECOND HARVEST HEARTLAND: $12,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSHARING AND CARING HANDS INC: $10,740 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetTHEATER LATTE DA: $10,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetBolder Options: $10,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetTEE IT UP FOR THE TROOPS INC: $8,500 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetFORWARD HEALTH FOUNDATION: $6,000 over 2y, 3.2% of budgetRUFFED GROUSE SOCIETY: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetST OLAF COLLEGE: $2,700 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetUNION GOSPEL MISSION INC: $1,240 over 2y, 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.

Xcel Energy FoundationMightycause Charitabl…The Blackbaud Giving …Charities Aid Foundat…Vanguard Charitable E…American Endowment Fo…American Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Xcel Energy FoundationMN15.2× affinity5 shared granteesties to 9 of 9Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Xcel Energy Foundation · Mightycause Charitable Foundation · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · Charities Aid Foundation America · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · American Endowment Foundation · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile Foundation

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 Aplin Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Aplin Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%13%25%38%50%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    2report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–50%
    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 Aplin Family Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Aplin Family Foundation 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 16 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 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Aplin Family’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