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Backus Family Foundation Inc at a glance

· Private foundation

Backus Family Foundation Inc

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.

$27k
Granted FY2024still arriving
48
Grants FY2024still arriving
13
States reached
$10k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0197% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2024.

Health$19kAnimals$14kEducation$10kPublic Safety & Disaster$10kReligion$10kHuman Services$8kPhilanthropy$7kInternational$3kOther$0
02FY2024 · 48 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k47 grants · $17k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $10k
$250
Median grant
13
States reached
$475k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
NANOSTEAD FOUNDATION DBA MARSHALL RELIEF ALLIANCE$10,000
GALE ETRICK TREMPELEAU SCHOOL DISTRICT$1,000
Individual grant recipient$1,000
MIDWEST HORSE WELFARE FOUNDATION$1,000
FAITH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH$1,000
MERCY CHEFS$521
GUNDERSEN LUTHERAN MEDICAL FOUNDATION INC$518
THREE PILLARS SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITIES$515
WISCONSIN MASONIC CENTER FOUNDATION INC$515
INTERNATIONAL CRANE FOUNDATION$515
DAVE THOMAS FOUNDATION FOR ADOPTION$514
UNITED PENTECOSTAL CHURCH OF STOUGHTON$500
STOUGHTON HOSPITAL FOUNDATION$500
Individual grant recipient$500
HELP THE LEAST OF THESE$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 (FY21–24, $2k) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 79% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%MINGUS MOUNTAIN ESTATE RESIDENT CENTER INC: $750 → 14%MERCY CHEFS: $521 → 20%MINGUS MOUNTAIN ESTATE RESIDENT CENTER INC: $250 → 14%CENTRICA CARE NAVIGATORS: $200 → 12%CENTRICA CARE NAVIGATORS: $200 → 12%WISCONSIN MASONIC HOME: $500 → 5%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

WA
MN
IL
WI
MI
NY
MA
OR
IA
IN
OH
CA
UT
VA
MD
AZ
TN
NC
DC
OK
GA
TX
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.

63%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$61k · 57 repeat orgs$37k to everyone else

57 repeat relationships: 29 still active in FY2024, 28 since wound down; 17 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

57
51

Total granted

$61k
$19k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+34%
+43%

Still filing today

60%
37%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 35% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $17k went to new ones.

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

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

’20’21’22’23’24
AnimalsHealthPhilanthropyHuman ServicesEducationHousing & ShelterOther
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

  • INTERNATIONAL CRANE FOUNDATION INC
    5× · 2020–2024 · $3k · revenue +14%
  • HT
    HELP THE LEAST OF THESE INC
    5× · 2020–2024 · $3k · revenue +13%
  • SH
    Stoughton Hospital Foundation Inc
    4× · 2021–2024 · $2k · revenue +175%

Funded once

  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2020 · $3k
  • ES
    EVANS SCHOLARS FOUNDATIONgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $1k · revenue +48%
  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2021 · $1k
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
Michigan Humane Society

To improve and save lives through compassionate care, community engagement and advocacy for animals.

Animals
2
Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States Inc

The fsmb serves as the voice for state medical boards, supporting them through education, assessment, research and advocacy while providing services and initiatives that promote patient safety, quality health care and regulatory best…

Health
3
American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation

The mission of the akc canine health foundation, inc. is to fund, advance, and communicate canine health research and science through knowledge and discovery.

Animals
4
Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit

The friends are dedicated to the rescue, protection, and adoption of companion animals in need while inspiring the human-animal bond. we meet our mission by:-saving 100% of healthy and treatable animals.-providing high-quality animal care…

Animals
5
Worldwide Vets Incorporated

Our goal is to sustainably improve animal welfare, provide veterinary care, and improve veterinary education globally. in order to achieve this goal, we work in over 10 countries, across 5 continents, supporting local people and animals,…

Animals
6
Marin Humane Society

Marin humane transforms lives through exceptional animal care, humane education, and advocacy. every day, marin humane inspires compassion and positive relationships between people and animals.

Animals
7
The Humane Society for Seattleking County

Seattle humane promotes the human-animal bond by saving and serving pets in need, regardless of age, ability, circumstance or geography.

Animals
8
Wisconsin Humane Society

The mission of the Wisconsin Humane Society is to make a difference for animals and the people who love them.

Animals
9
Minnesota Medical Association

To be the leading voice of medicine to make minnesota the healthiest state and the best place to practice.

—
10
Shield of Faith Missions

Sof is called to empower warriors to find purpose, be resilient, and live well. we develop and provide customized treatment plans for veterans through our national network of partners.

Religion
11
Good Samaritan Foundation

Partnering for healing and a healthy future through philanthropy.

—
12
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
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Shelter From the Storm Animal Rescue Inc; the most unlike its peers is Guardian Angels of Naples 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

66 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. 66 of the 130 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)
5
Early backer (in before they grew)
66/66
Grantees still filing
43/66
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

NANOSTEAD FOUNDATION DBA MARSHALL RELIEF ALLIANCE: $10,000 · OtherNANOSTEAD FOUNDATION DBA MARSHALL RELIEF ALLIANCEFAITH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH: $4,000 · OtherFAITH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHGUNDERSON MEDICAL FOUNDATION: $3,518 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $2,500 · OtherGALE-ETTRICK-TREMPEALEAU EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION: $2,500 · Other+82 more: $46,454 · Other+82 moreINTERNATIONAL CRANE FOUNDATION INC: $2,530 · AnimalsINTERNATIO…GULF COAST HUMANE SOCIETY INC: $1,270 · AnimalsGULF COAST…ANGEL'S WISH INCORPORATED: $1,006 · AnimalsANGEL'S WI…MIDWEST HORSE WELFARE FOUNDATION INC: $1,000 · AnimalsMIDWEST HO…ALTER-ATIONS INC: $1,000 · AnimalsALTER-ATIO…HAVEN ON EARTH ANIMAL LEAGUE INC: $600 · AnimalsHAVEN ON E…HUMANE SOCIETY OF HURON VALLEY: $450 · AnimalsBEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SOCIETY: $420 · AnimalsPeaceful Valley Donkey Rescue Inc: $400 · Animals+3 more: $708 · Animals+3 moreStoughton Hospital Foundation Inc: $2,000 · PhilanthropyLEE MEMORIAL HEALTH SYSTEM FOUNDATION INC: $1,750 · PhilanthropyWISCONSIN MASONIC CENTER FOUNDATION INC: $515 · PhilanthropyTHE OREGON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $500 · PhilanthropyCHILDREN'S DYSLEXIA CENTERS INC: $500 · PhilanthropyVision Charitable Trust: $450 · PhilanthropyGARY SINISE FOUNDATION: $207 · PhilanthropyARIZONA HEMOPHILIA ASSOCIATION INC: $1,100 · HealthBLOOD CANCER UNITED INC: $870 · HealthCANCER RESEARCH FUND OF THE DAMON RUNYON-WALTER WINCHELL FOUNDATION: $808 · HealthCARCINOID CANCER FOUNDATION: $600 · HealthGundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation Inc: $518 · HealthMIDWEST ATHLETES AGAINST CHILDHOOD CANCER INC: $500 · HealthCaringBridge: $400 · HealthTHE SHRINERS' HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN: $300 · HealthBronson Health Foundation: $250 · HealthTHE MICHAEL J FOX FOUNDATION FOR PARKINSON'S RESEARCH: $206 · HealthWISCONSIN MASONIC FOUNDATION: $1,500 · EducationEVANS SCHOLARS FOUNDATION: $1,260 · EducationFOLDS OF HONOR FOUNDATION: $1,206 · EducationMADISON PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOUNDATION INC: $500 · EducationConservative Partnership Institute: $250 · EducationAMERICAN CORNERSTONE INSTITUTE INC: $200 · EducationMINGUS MOUNTAIN ESTATE RESIDENTIAL: $1,000 · Human ServicesGUIDE DOGS FOR THE BLIND INC: $816 · Human ServicesMERCY CHEFS INC: $521 · Human ServicesWISCONSIN MASONIC HOME INC: $500 · Human ServicesHospice Care of Southwest Michigan: $400 · Human ServicesHELP THE LEAST OF THESE INC: $2,500 · InternationalWORLD VISION INC: $535 · International+1 more: $100 · International
Other$68,972Animals$9,384Philanthropy$5,922Health$5,552Education$4,916Human Services$3,237International$3,135

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 budgetINTERNATIONAL CRANE FOUNDATION INC: $2,530 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetHELP THE LEAST OF THESE INC: $2,500 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetStoughton Hospital Foundation Inc: $2,000 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetDAVE THOMAS FOUNDATION FOR ADOPTION: $1,678 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetWISCONSIN MASONIC FOUNDATION: $1,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetGULF COAST HUMANE SOCIETY INC: $1,270 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetEVANS SCHOLARS FOUNDATION: $1,260 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFOLDS OF HONOR FOUNDATION: $1,206 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetFlorida Sheriffs Youth Ranches Inc: $1,150 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetYoung America's Foundation: $1,100 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetARIZONA HEMOPHILIA ASSOCIATION INC: $1,100 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetANGEL'S WISH INCORPORATED: $1,006 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetMINGUS MOUNTAIN ESTATE RESIDENTIAL: $1,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMIDWEST HORSE WELFARE FOUNDATION INC: $1,000 over 1y, 1.1% of budgetALTER-ATIONS INC: $1,000 over 4y, 0.4% of budgetSTARLIGHT CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetHOMES FOR OUR TROOPS INC: $905 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetST MATTHEWS HOUSE INC: $878 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetBLOOD CANCER UNITED INC: $870 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetGUIDE DOGS FOR THE BLIND INC: $816 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetBIG BROTHERS AND BIG SISTERS OF DANE COUNTY INC: $812 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetCANCER RESEARCH FUND OF THE DAMON RUNYON-WALTER WINCHELL FOUNDATION: $808 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetOLBRICH BOTANICAL SOCIETY INC: $706 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetALLIANCE DEFENDING FREEDOM: $702 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetMADISON PARKS FOUNDATION INC: $612 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetCARCINOID CANCER FOUNDATION: $600 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetHAVEN ON EARTH ANIMAL LEAGUE INC: $600 over 3y, 0.7% of budgetWORLD VISION INC: $535 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMERCY CHEFS INC: $521 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation Inc: $518 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWISCONSIN MASONIC CENTER FOUNDATION INC: $515 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMIDWEST ATHLETES AGAINST CHILDHOOD CANCER INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWISCONSIN MASONIC HOME INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE OREGON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCHILDREN'S DYSLEXIA CENTERS INC: $500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetFLORIDA STATE GOLF ASSOCIATION INC: $500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMADISON PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOUNDATION INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHUMANE SOCIETY OF HURON VALLEY: $450 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetVision Charitable Trust: $450 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SOCIETY: $420 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCaringBridge: $400 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetGUARDIAN ANGELS OF NAPLES FOUNDATION: $400 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetPeaceful Valley Donkey Rescue Inc: $400 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetHospice Care of Southwest Michigan: $400 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMUTTS WITH A MISSION: $300 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHOMAS MORE SOCIETY: $300 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTREMPEALEAU COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY: $300 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetUNITED WAY OF DANE COUNTY INC: $300 over 1y, 0.0% 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 INTERNATIONAL CRANE FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds HELP THE LEAST OF THESE INC ↗
  • Who funds Stoughton Hospital Foundation Inc ↗
  • Who funds LEE MEMORIAL HEALTH SYSTEM FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds DAVE THOMAS FOUNDATION FOR ADOPTION ↗
  • Who funds WISCONSIN MASONIC FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds GULF COAST HUMANE SOCIETY INC ↗
  • Who funds EVANS SCHOLARS FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds FOLDS OF HONOR FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches Inc ↗
  • Who funds Young America's Foundation ↗
  • Who funds ARIZONA HEMOPHILIA ASSOCIATION INC ↗
  • Who funds ANGEL'S WISH INCORPORATED ↗
  • Who funds MINGUS MOUNTAIN ESTATE RESIDENTIAL ↗
  • Who funds MIDWEST HORSE WELFARE FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds ALTER-ATIONS INC ↗
  • Who funds STARLIGHT CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds HOMES FOR OUR TROOPS INC ↗
  • Who funds ST MATTHEWS HOUSE INC ↗
  • Who funds BLOOD CANCER UNITED INC ↗
  • Who funds GUIDE DOGS FOR THE BLIND 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.

Alliant Energy Founda…Herbert H Kohl Charit…United Way of Dane Co…Madison Community Fou…Green Bay Packers Fou…Endres Manufacturing …The Evjue Foundation …Petsmart Charities IncMadison Gas and Elect…Greater Green Bay Com…Edward Jones Foundati…The Pfizer Foundation…
Alliant Energy Foundation IncWI19.5× affinity8 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Alliant Energy Foundation Inc · Herbert H Kohl Charities Inc · United Way of Dane County Inc · Madison Community Foundation · Green Bay Packers Foundation · Endres Manufacturing Foundation Inc · The Evjue Foundation Inc · Petsmart Charities Inc · Madison Gas and Electric Foundation Inc · Greater Green Bay Community Foundation Inc · Edward Jones Foundation · The Pfizer 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 Backus Family Foundation Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Backus Family Foundation Inc. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 90%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%13%25%38%50%share of the org’s income from government →median 6%
  • The Shriners' Hospital for Children: 6% of income from government
  • The Oregon Community Foundation: 2% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
9get no government money at all
9report 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.

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 130 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 Backus 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