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Besser Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Besser Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$1.2M
Granted FY2024still arriving
16
Grants FY2024still arriving
1
States reached
$344k
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, FY2017 to 2024.

Arts & Culture$3.0MYouth Development$1.7MEducation$1.4MHealth$939kHuman Services$459kCrime & Legal$290kHousing & Shelter$248kPhilanthropy$184kOther$0
02FY2024 · 16 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k4 grants · $27k
  • $10k–50k8 grants · $198k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $100k
  • $250k+3 grants · $854k
$22,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$17M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
BESSER MUSEUM$343,554
BESSER MUSEUM$260,000
BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF ALPENA$250,000
THUNDER BAY THEATRE$100,000
BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF ALPENA$44,000
ALPENA PUBLIC SCHOOLS$39,645
CHILD & FAMILY SERVICES$25,000
BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF ALPENA$22,000
ALPENA PUBLIC SCHOOLS$20,000
BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF ALPENA$19,000
CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER$15,000
AMA EDUCATIONAL SERVICE DISTRICT$13,500
HOPE SHORES ALLIANCE$9,000
BESSER MUSEUM$7,500
BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA$5,000
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 (FY17–24, $139k) land where the poverty rate runs at 16%, against an area that typically sits at 6%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 6%CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER: $15k → 16%CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER: $15k → 16%CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER: $15k → 16%CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER: $15k → 16%CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER: $15k → 16%CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER: $15k → 16%CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER: $15k → 16%FRIENDS TOGETHER: $10k → 16%FRIENDS TOGETHER: $10k → 16%FRIENDS TOGETHER: $8k → 16%HOSPICE OF MICHIGAN: $6k → 16%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.

97%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$8.5M · 28 repeat orgs$257k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +69% since the first grant, against +24% for those funded once.

28 repeat relationships: 10 still active in FY2024, 18 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

28
22

Total granted

$8.5M
$257k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+69%
+24%

Still filing today

32%
23%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 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
Human ServicesArts & CulturePhilanthropyHousing & ShelterHealthCommunity ImprovementOther
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

  • BA
    BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF ALPENA
    8× · 2017–2024 · $1.7M · revenue +348% · 52% of their budget
  • NM
    NORTHEAST MICHIGAN FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER INC
    8× · 2017–2024 · $315k · revenue +51%
  • MM
    MYMICHIGAN MEDICAL CENTER ALPENA
    3× · 2020–2022 · $300k · revenue +149%

Funded once

  • TB
    THUNDER BAY MARINE SANCTUARY
    one grant, 2017 · $100k
  • PI
    PROJECT INTERCONNECTIONS
    one grant, 2018 · $30k
  • GS
    GIRL SCOUTS
    one grant, 2017 · $25k
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
Harbor Country Chamber of Commerce

To promote business and economic development for eight towns in southwest michigan.

—
2
Michigan Chamber of Commerce

To promote conditions favorable to job creation and business success in michigan.

—
3
Great Lakes Center for the Arts

The Center's mission is to inspire, entertain, educate, and serve all in Northern Michigan year-round by presenting exceptional experiences across the full spectrum of the performing arts and offering impactful educational opportunities.

Arts & Culture
4
Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce

To be a catalyst for economic and community progress within the great lakes bay region.

—
5
Northwest Minnesota Arts Council

Support and enhance the development of the arts in northwestern minnesota. facilitate and encourage the creation and appreciation of the arts.

Arts & Culture
6
Allegan County Agricultural Society

The allegan county agricultural society presents various events during the year which provide entertainment, educational and work opportunities for the youth groups such as 4-h.

—
7
Mymichigan Medical Group

Creating healthy communities - together

Health
8
Northwest Michigan Community Action

The organization's mission is to foster positive change by providing opportunities that promote self-sufficiency, improving the quality of life and building stronger, more connected communitites. northwest michigan community action agency,…

Human Services
9
Michigan Legacy Art Park

Inspire awareness, appreciation and passion for michigan's history and stories, culture and environment through the arts.

Arts & Culture
10
Michigan Assoc of Community Mental Health Boards

Assisting the community mental health boards of michigan in developing methods for mental health planning, care and treatment.

—
11
Macomb County Chamber of Commerce

The organization's mission is to promote a healthy business climate for its members and all businesses in macomb county, michigan.

Unclassified
12
Northwest Michigan Arts & Culture Network

The mission of the northwest michigan arts & culture network ("the network") is to harness the collective power of the creative sector to cultivate vibrant communities by strengthening the regional ecosystem that supports arts and culture.…

Arts & Culture
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Mymichigan Medical Center Alpena; the most unlike its peers is Thunder Bay Theatre 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

14 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. 14 of the 50 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)
7
Early backer (in before they grew)
14/14
Grantees still filing
11/14
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

BESSER MUSEUM: $2,780,251 · OtherBESSER MUSEUMBOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF ALPENA: $1,680,000 · OtherBOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF ALPENAALPENA PUBLIC SCHOOLS: $1,153,502 · OtherALPENA PUBLIC SCHOOLSALPENA COMM COLLEGE: $787,000 · OtherALPENA COMM COLLEGENORTHEAST MICHIGAN FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER INC: $315,250 · OtherHOPE SHORES ALLIANCE: $280,000 · Other+34 more: $993,742 · Other+34 moreMYMICHIGAN MEDICAL CENTER ALPENA: $300,000 · HealthHABITAT FOR HUMANITY: $247,516 · Housing & ShelterCHILD ADVOCACY CENTER OF LAPEER CO: $105,000 · Human ServicesFRIENDS TOGETHER: $28,432 · Human ServicesHospice of Michigan Inc: $6,000 · Human ServicesTHUNDER BAY ARTS COUNCIL: $92,956 · Arts & CultureNORTHEAST MICHIGAN CENTER FOR FINE ARTS INC: $7,500 · Arts & CultureCOUNCIL OF MICHIGAN FOUNDATIONS: $15,400 · PhilanthropyUNITED WAY OF NORTHEAST MICHIGAN: $5,000 · PhilanthropyTARGET ALPENA DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION: $2,000 · Community Improvement
Other$7,989,745Health$300,000Housing & Shelter$247,516Human Services$139,432Arts & Culture$100,456Philanthropy$20,400Community Improvement$2,000

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 budgetBOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF ALPENA: $1,680,000 over 8y, 52% of budgetNORTHEAST MICHIGAN FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER INC: $315,250 over 8y, 9.0% of budgetMYMICHIGAN MEDICAL CENTER ALPENA: $300,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetHABITAT FOR HUMANITY: $247,516 over 7y, 24% of budgetTHUNDER BAY THEATRE INC: $133,000 over 3y, 45% of budgetCHILD ADVOCACY CENTER OF LAPEER CO: $105,000 over 7y, 4.6% of budgetTHUNDER BAY ARTS COUNCIL: $92,956 over 8y, 21% of budgetFRIENDS TOGETHER: $28,432 over 3y, 3.3% of budgetCOUNCIL OF MICHIGAN FOUNDATIONS: $15,400 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetNORTHEAST MICHIGAN CENTER FOR FINE ARTS INC: $7,500 over 1y, 3.4% of budgetHospice of Michigan Inc: $6,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUNITED WAY OF NORTHEAST MICHIGAN: $5,000 over 1y, 2.1% of budgetTARGET ALPENA DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION: $2,000 over 1y, 1.5% of budgetALPENA FIGURE SKATING CLUB: $2,000 over 1y, 5.6% 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 BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF ALPENA ↗
  • Who funds NORTHEAST MICHIGAN FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER INC ↗
  • Who funds MYMICHIGAN MEDICAL CENTER ALPENA ↗
  • Who funds HABITAT FOR HUMANITY ↗
  • Who funds THUNDER BAY THEATRE INC ↗
  • Who funds CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER OF LAPEER CO ↗
  • Who funds THUNDER BAY ARTS COUNCIL ↗
  • Who funds FRIENDS TOGETHER ↗
  • Who funds COUNCIL OF MICHIGAN FOUNDATIONS ↗
  • Who funds NORTHEAST MICHIGAN CENTER FOR FINE ARTS INC ↗
  • Who funds Hospice of Michigan Inc ↗
  • Who funds UNITED WAY OF NORTHEAST MICHIGAN ↗

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.

First Federal of Nort…Natl Christian Charit…Amazonsmile Foundation
First Federal of Northern Michigan Legacy FoundationMI20× affinity7 shared granteesties to 2 of 2Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: First Federal of Northern Michigan Legacy Foundation · Natl Christian Charitable Fdn Inc · 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 Besser Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Besser Foundation. 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%1%3%4%5%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    7report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–5%
    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 50 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 Besser’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