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Athene Charitable Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Athene Charitable Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$3.5M
Granted FY2025still arriving
59
Grants FY2025still arriving
5
States reached
$1.5M
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, FY2020 to 2024.

Philanthropy$5.1MEnvironment$2.3MPublic Benefit$1.5MHealth$462kEducation$453kHousing & Shelter$350kHuman Services$263kFood & Nutrition$90kOther$0
02FY2025 · 59 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k32 grants · $109k
  • $10k–50k17 grants · $209k
  • $50k–250k6 grants · $687k
  • $250k+4 grants · $2.5M
$7,256
Median grant
5
States reached
$6.4M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL IOWA$1,510,894
GREAT OUTDOORS FOUNDATION$375,000
CHILDSERVE FOUNDATION$333,333
AMERICAN ONLINE GIVING FOUNDATION$254,750
GREATER DES MOINES HABITAT FOR HUMANITY$166,667
SCHOLARSHIP AMERICA$125,000
EASTER SEALS OF IOWA$115,000
WESLEYLIFE FOUNDATION$100,000
GREAT OUTDOORS FOUNDATION$100,000
GREENWICH UNITED WAY$80,050
DMARC FOOD PANTRY$20,000
BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF CENTRAL IOWA$20,000
YOUTH & SHELTER SERVICES INC$20,000
JEWELS ACADEMY$15,000
GREATER DES MOINES HABITAT FOR HUMANITY$12,500
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 (FY20–25, $898k) land where the poverty rate runs at 10%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 95% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%DES MOINES REFUGEE SUPPORT: $8k → 6%LUTHERAN SERVICES IN IOWA: $5k → 7%YOUTH & SHELTER SERVICES INC: $20k → 17%LUTHERAN SERVICES IN IOWA: $5k → 7%IWLC: $7k → 9%LATINO RESOURCES INC: $10k → 10%LUTHERAN SERVICES IN IOWA: $2k → 7%IWLC: $7k → 9%LATINO RESOURCES INC: $5k → 10%LUTHERAN SERVICES IN IOWA: $2k → 7%Latino Resources Inc: $5k → 10%LATINO RESOURCES INC: $2k → 10%HARMONY CLOTHING CLOSET: $2k → 17%DES MOINES COUNCIL OF ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY: $8k → 10%HARMONY CLOTHING CLOSET: $2k → 17%CAPITAL CITY PRIDE: $3k → 10%WAUKEE ROTARY CLUB FOUNDATION: $2k → 5%WAUKEE ROTARY CLUB FOUNDATION: $2k → 5%CAPITAL CITY PRIDE: $3k → 10%Young Women's Resource Center: $3k → 10%YOUNG WOMEN'S RESOURCE CENTER: $3k → 10%YOUNG WOMENS RESOURCE CENTER: $2k → 10%YOUNG WOMENS RESOURCE CENTER: $2k → 10%JOPPA: $1k → 10%JOPPA: $1k → 10%WEST DES MOINES HUMAN SERVICES FRIENDS FOUNDATION: $1k → 10%WEST DES MOINES HUMAN SERVICES FRIENDS FOUNDATION: $1k → 10%WEST DES MOINES HUMAN SERVICES FRIENDS FOUNDATION: $1k → 10%WEST DES MOINES HUMAN SERVICES FRIENDS FOUNDATION: $1k → 10%WEST DES MOINES HUMAN SERVICES FRIENDS FOUNDATION: $780 → 10%WEST DES MOINES HUMAN SERVICES FRIENDS FOUNDATION: $500 → 10%West Des Moines Human Services Friends Foundation: $500 → 10%WEST DES MOINES HUMAN SERVICES FRIENDS FOUNDATION: $500 → 10%CAPITAL CITY PRIDE: $8k → 10%PROJECT IOWA: $3k → 10%CAPITAL CITY PRIDE: $3k → 10%Capital City Pride: $3k → 10%ChildServe Foundation: $333k → 10%CHILDSERVE FOUNDATION: $333k → 10%CHILDSERVE FOUNDATION: $10k → 10%URBAN DREAMS: $70k → 10%Oakridge Neighborhood Services: $5k → 10%OAKRIDGE NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES: $5k → 10%URBAN DREAMS: $2k → 10%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $5k → 10%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $750 → 10%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $750 → 10%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $750 → 10%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.

Which US states its grants reach

ME
ID
MN
MI
NY
MA
IA
PA
NJ
CT
CA
CO
MO
VA
TN
NC
LA
FL
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.

87%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$12M · 85 repeat orgs$1.8M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +20% since the first grant, against +16% for those funded once.

85 repeat relationships: 29 still active in FY2025, 56 since wound down; 17 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

85
73

Total granted

$12M
$1.6M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+20%
+16%

Still filing today

71%
68%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 97% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $103k went to new ones.

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

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

’20’21’22’23’24’25
EducationHuman ServicesHealthPhilanthropyAnimalsArts & 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

  • GD
    GREATER DES MOINES HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INC
    3× · 2023–2025 · $515k · revenue +27%
  • UW
    UNITED WAY OF GREENWICH INC
    2× · 2024–2025 · $154k · revenue +8%
  • BB
    BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF CENTRAL IOWA
    5× · 2020–2025 · $80k · revenue +67%

Funded once

  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2024 · $1.2M
  • AO
    AMERICAN ONLINE GIVING ASSOCIATION
    one grant, 2023 · $144k
  • UD
    URBAN DREAMS
    one grant, 2022 · $72k · revenue -55%
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
Common Good Iowa

Common good iowa engages iowans to create and advocate for research-based public policy that makes life better and more equitable for all who make iowa home.

—
2
The Foundation for the Iowa City Community School District

The foundation for the iowa city community school district connects the community with our schools to ensure every student has extraordinary learning experiences. together we empower teachers and district staff and inspire students to…

—
3
United Way of East Central Iowa

Unite the caring power of communities to invest in effective solutions to improve people's lives.

Philanthropy
4
Iowa Medical Society

Our mission is to advance the practice of medicine through advocacy, education, and engagement with physicians throughout iowa to ensure the highest quality of care for the patients they serve.

—
5
Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce

Our mission is to inspire the iowa city area to be greater by: 1) elevating business, 2) investing in strategic initiatives, and 3) advocating for the economic resiliency of the greater community.

—
6
Iowa College Foundation

The foundation is organized to further the growth and development of private colleges and universities of higher education in iowa.

—
7
State University of Iowa Alumni Association

Our mission is to strengthen the university of iowa through alumni engagement. we do this through our communications, alumni programs, and events.

—
8
Iowa 4-H Foundation

The iowa 4-h foundation provides financial resources for youth development through 4-h.

—
9
Iowa Soybean Association

The iowa soybean association (isa) is driven to deliver increased soybean demand through market development and new uses, farmer-focused research and results, timely information and know-how, and policy initiatives enabling farmers and the…

—
10
Iowa Association of Business and Industry

To nurture a favorable business, economic, governmental, and social climate within the state of iowa so our citizens can have the opportunity to enjoy the highest possible quality of life.

—
11
United Way of North Central Iowa

Seeking to build a stronger, more caring community by forming partnerships with businesses, community experts, education & health & human service agencies to achieve targeted outcomes & sustained changes in community conditions which will…

Philanthropy
12
Iowa Association of Business and Industry Foundation

To deliver programs and to conduct research for the benefit of students, educators, emerging leaders and employers that expand their knowledge and enhance their individual responsibility and leadership skills.

Youth Development
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Meals From the Heartland Inc; the most unlike its peers is Jesse J Sanctuary Foundation. 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

128 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

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 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 128 of the 179 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.

1
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
23
Early backer (in before they grew)
126/128
Grantees still filing
82/128
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL IOWA: $6,026,610 · OtherUNITED WAY OF CENTRAL IOWAIndividual grant recipient: $1,218,333 · OtherIndividual grant recipientSCHOLARSHIP AMERICA INC: $472,500 · OtherEASTER SEALS OF IOWA: $357,500 · Other+104 more: $918,234 · Other+104 moreGREAT OUTDOORS FOUNDATION: $2,799,166 · AnimalsGREAT OUTDOORS FOUNDAT…+7 more: $5,588 · AnimalsCHILDSERVE FOUNDATION INC: $676,667 · Human ServicesURBAN DREAMS: $72,000 · Human Services+17 more: $152,456 · Human ServicesAMERICAN ONLINE GIVING FOUNDATION INC: $495,069 · PhilanthropyWESLEYLIFE FOUNDATION: $200,000 · PhilanthropyUNITED JEWISH APPEAL-FEDERATION OF JEWISH PHILANTHROPIES OF NEW YORK INC: $36,000 · Philanthropy+8 more: $33,218 · PhilanthropyGREATER DES MOINES HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INC: $514,761 · Housing & Shelter+4 more: $20,315 · Housing & ShelterJEWELS ACADEMY: $41,000 · EducationIOWA ASIAN ALLIANCE FOUNDATION: $23,460 · EducationTHE NEW CANAAN COUNTRY SCHOOL INCORPORATED: $20,000 · EducationSTATE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA FOUNDATION: $10,500 · EducationEVERYBODY WINS - IOWA: $10,000 · EducationINVESTING IN MY FUTURE INC: $9,530 · EducationISHA FOUNDATION INC: $6,000 · Education+17 more: $19,925 · EducationFOOD BANK OF IOWA: $76,669 · Food & NutritionMEALS FROM THE HEARTLAND INC: $3,000 · Food & Nutrition+2 more: $803 · Food & Nutrition
Other$8,993,177Animals$2,804,754Human Services$901,123Philanthropy$764,287Housing & Shelter$535,076Education$140,415Food & Nutrition$80,472

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 budgetUNITED WAY OF CENTRAL IOWA: $6,026,610 over 6y, 6.3% of budgetGREAT OUTDOORS FOUNDATION: $2,799,166 over 4y, 38% of budgetCHILDSERVE FOUNDATION INC: $676,667 over 2y, 4.3% of budgetGREATER DES MOINES HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INC: $514,761 over 3y, 0.7% of budgetAMERICAN ONLINE GIVING FOUNDATION INC: $495,069 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetWESLEYLIFE FOUNDATION: $200,000 over 2y, 2.5% of budgetUNITED WAY OF GREENWICH INC: $154,179 over 2y, 2.9% of budgetBIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF CENTRAL IOWA: $79,750 over 5y, 1.5% of budgetFOOD BANK OF IOWA: $76,669 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetURBAN DREAMS: $72,000 over 1y, 3.4% of budgetJEWELS ACADEMY: $41,000 over 5y, 8.6% of budgetUNITED JEWISH APPEAL-FEDERATION OF JEWISH PHILANTHROPIES OF NEW YORK INC: $36,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMAINFRAME STUDIOS: $25,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetHIP-HOPE INC: $24,500 over 4y, 4.4% of budgetIOWA ASIAN ALLIANCE FOUNDATION: $23,460 over 4y, 2.2% of budgetLATINO RESOURCES INC: $21,650 over 4y, 3.0% of budgetCAPITAL CITY PRIDE: $20,000 over 6y, 1.1% of budgetYOUTH AND SHELTER SERVICES INC: $20,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE NEW CANAAN COUNTRY SCHOOL INCORPORATED: $20,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetFriends of Bermuda Community Foundation: $17,985 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetAmerican Heart Association Inc: $16,830 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetSLEEP IN HEAVENLY PEACE INC: $15,500 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetCHILDREN'S CANCER CONNECTION: $15,100 over 2y, 1.1% of budgetHEALTHY BIRTH DAY INC: $15,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetLUTHERAN SERVICES IN IOWA INC: $14,636 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetIWLC: $14,500 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetONE IOWA: $12,779 over 4y, 0.6% of budgetPROTEUS INC: $11,940 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetTECH JOURNEY INC: $11,000 over 3y, 4.5% of budgetSTATE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA FOUNDATION: $10,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetIOWA HEALTHIEST STATE INITIATIVE: $10,000 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetTHE SUPPLY HIVE: $10,000 over 1y, 7.7% of budgetEVERYBODY WINS - IOWA: $10,000 over 1y, 5.5% of budgetENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHOMES OF OAKRIDGE HUMAN SERVICES: $10,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetLINK ASSOCIATES: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetNATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS-IOWA INC: $9,600 over 5y, 0.3% of budgetINVESTING IN MY FUTURE INC: $9,530 over 4y, 3.1% of budgetYOUNG WOMEN'S RESOURCE CENTER: $9,140 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetDES MOINES COUNCIL OF ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY: $7,500 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetDes Moines Refugee Support: $7,500 over 1y, 2.4% of budgetAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $7,250 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetWEST DES MOINES HUMAN SERVICES FRIENDS FOUNDATION: $6,670 over 6y, 1.1% of budgetISHA FOUNDATION INC: $6,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE YOUNG MENS CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF GREATER DES MOINES: $5,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetVARIETY - THE CHILDREN'S CHARITY OF IOWA: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCULTUREALL INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetTHE FORT DES MOINES BLACK OFFICERS MEMORIAL INC: $5,000 over 1y, 1.5% 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.

  • Who funds UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL IOWA ↗
  • Who funds GREAT OUTDOORS FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds CHILDSERVE FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds GREATER DES MOINES HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INC ↗
  • Who funds AMERICAN ONLINE GIVING FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds WESLEYLIFE FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds UNITED WAY OF GREENWICH INC ↗
  • Who funds BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF CENTRAL IOWA ↗
  • Who funds FOOD BANK OF IOWA ↗
  • Who funds URBAN DREAMS ↗
  • Who funds JEWELS ACADEMY ↗
  • Who funds UNITED JEWISH APPEAL-FEDERATION OF JEWISH PHILANTHROPIES OF NEW YORK INC ↗
  • Who funds MAINFRAME STUDIOS ↗
  • Who funds HIP-HOPE INC ↗
  • Who funds IOWA ASIAN ALLIANCE FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds LATINO RESOURCES INC ↗
  • Who funds CAPITAL CITY PRIDE ↗
  • Who funds YOUTH AND SHELTER SERVICES INC ↗
  • Who funds THE NEW CANAAN COUNTRY SCHOOL INCORPORATED ↗
  • Who funds Friends of Bermuda Community Foundation ↗
  • Who funds American Heart Association Inc ↗
  • Who funds SLEEP IN HEAVENLY PEACE INC ↗
  • Who funds CHILDREN'S CANCER CONNECTION ↗
  • Who funds HEALTHY BIRTH DAY INC ↗
  • Who funds LUTHERAN SERVICES IN IOWA INC ↗
  • Who funds IWLC ↗
  • Who funds ONE IOWA ↗
  • Who funds PROTEUS INC ↗

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.

Prairie Meadows Race …Community Fdn of Grea…The Merchants Bonding…Ita Group FoundationEMC Insurance Foundat…United Way of Central…Meredith Corporation …GreenState Credit Uni…Lsb FoundationVariety - the Childre…William C Knapp Chari…The West Bancorporati…
Prairie Meadows Race Track and Casino IncIA76.7× affinity38 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Prairie Meadows Race Track and Casino Inc · Community Fdn of Greater Des Moines F/K/A Greater Des Moines Community Fdn · The Merchants Bonding Company Foundation · Ita Group Foundation · EMC Insurance Foundation · United Way of Central Iowa · Meredith Corporation Foundation · GreenState Credit Union · Lsb Foundation · Variety - the Children's Charity of Iowa · William C Knapp Charitable Fdn · The West Bancorporation Foundation Inc

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

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 40%3%10%23%40%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 10%
  • United Way of Hunterdon County: 10% of income from government
  • President and Fellows of Harvard College: 7% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
4get no government money at all
26report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
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 Athene Charitable Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Athene Charitable 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 179 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 Athene’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