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· Public charity

Blaze Credit Union Foundation

Passionately providing resources to enhance the overall wellness of the community.

$259k
Granted FY2024still arriving
14
Grants FY2024still arriving
3
States reached
$22k
Largest
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2021 to 2024.

Health$93kHuman Services$74kPhilanthropy$64kEducation$52kYouth Development$36kEmployment$30kCommunity Improvement$10kInternational$9kOther$0
02FY2024 · 14 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 14 grants below total $154,780, the rows itemized in this filing. The $259,180 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $104,400 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k1 grant · $10k
  • $10k–50k13 grants · $145k
$10,000
Median grant
3
States reached
$218k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
GILLETTE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION$21,700
SAINT PAUL PUBLIC SCHOOLS$12,500
BLAZE CREDIT UNION$11,000
WESTERN COMMUNITIES ACTION NETWORK INC$10,000
TREE TRUST$10,000
CONSTRUCTION CAREERS FOUNDATION$10,000
PEOPLE RESPONDING IN SOCIAL MINISTRY$10,000
MODEL CITIES OF ST PAUL INC$10,000
SMALL SUMS DBA AT HOME GROUP INC$10,000
OPEN DOOR OUTREACH CENTER INC$10,000
CARS FOR NEIGHBORS INC$10,000
THINK SMALL$10,000
OUR SAVIOUR'S COMMUNITY SERVICE$10,000
BANZAI INC$9,580
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, $50k) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 7%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 7%OPEN DOOR OUTREACH CENTER INC: $10k → 8%WESTERN COMMUNITIES ACTION NETWORK INC: $10k → 11%PEOPLE RESPONDING IN SOCIAL MINISTRY: $10k → 11%MODEL CITIES OF ST PAUL INC: $10k → 14%THINK SMALL: $10k → 14%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.

20%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$75k · 3 repeat orgs$301k to everyone else

3 repeat relationships: 2 still active in FY2024, 1 since wound down; 12 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

3
9

Total granted

$75k
$169k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

-62%
-3%

Still filing today

33%
89%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 14% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $133k went to new ones.

50%100%’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’21’22’23’24
Human ServicesPhilanthropyYouth DevelopmentEducationInternationalCommunity 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

  • BI
    BANZAI INC
    3× · 2022–2024 · $29k
  • SP
    SAINT PAUL PUBLIC SCHOOLS
    2× · 2023–2024 · $28k
  • KI
    KIDS IN NEED FOUNDATION
    2× · 2021–2023 · $19k · revenue -62%

Funded once

  • CM
    CHILDREN'S MIRACLE NETWORKgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $40k · revenue +29%
  • MC
    MINNESOTA CREDIT UNION FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2023 · $40k · revenue -3%
  • MC
    MINNESOTA CREDIT UNION NETWORK
    one grant, 2021 · $32k · revenue +3%
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
Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and Industry

The minnesota chamber of commerce proactively leads the business community statewide to: advance pro-business, responsible minnesota public policy that creates jobs and grows the econony; provde member services to address evolving business…

—
2
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…

—
3
Minnesota Council on Foundations

MCF is a vibrant philanthropic community connecting, strengthening and mobilizing the power of philanthropy to advance prosperity and equity.

—
4
Community Neighborhood Housing Services

Our mission is "empowering individuals and communities by helping people, buy, fix and keep their homes". to further this work, we provide homeownership education and advising as well as residential community lending programs to families…

Housing & Shelter
5
Central Minnesota Jobs and Training Services Inc

Strengthen central mn communities through leadership in workforce excellence.

—
6
United Way of Ne Minnesota

United way of northeastern minnesota invests in nonprofits, programs, and collaborations that equip and empower, creating opportunities for people to thrive in our communities.

—
7
African Development Center

Grow businesses, build wealth and increase reinvestement in the african communities of minnesota

Human Services
8
Neighborhood Housing Services of Duluth One Roof Lending

To provide financing that will help people of lower income find, purchase, and fix their homes, for both single family homes as well as rental housing situations.

Community Improvement
9
Mn Community Measurement

Mn community measurement empowers stakeholders with meaningful information to drive improvement.

Health
10
Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce

Creating powerful advocacy to enhance economic vitality in the minneapolis-st. paul region.

—
11
Minnesota Chamber Foundation

The organization's mission is to bring stakeholders together to promote prosperity and long-term growth of minnesota's economy.

Public Benefit
12
Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Inc

The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits informs, promotes, connects and strengthens individual nonprofits and the nonprofit sector.

Philanthropy
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Children's Miracle Network; the most unlike its peers is Achieve Twin Cities. 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

21 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. 21 of the 24 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)
0
Early backer (in before they grew)
21/21
Grantees still filing
7/21
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

CHILDREN'S MIRACLE NETWORK: $39,512 · OtherCHILDREN'S MIRACLE NETWORKMINNESOTA CREDIT UNION NETWORK: $32,000 · OtherMINNESOTA CREDIT UNION NETWORKBANZAI INC: $28,740 · OtherBANZAI INCSAINT PAUL PUBLIC SCHOOLS: $27,500 · OtherSAINT PAUL PUBLIC SCHOOLSSAINT PAUL YELLOW RIBBON NETWORK: $14,000 · OtherSAINT PAUL YELLOW RIBBON NETWORKNATIONAL CREDIT UNION FOUNDATION: $13,125 · OtherNATIONAL CREDIT UNION FOUNDATIONBLAZE CREDIT UNION: $11,000 · OtherBLAZE CREDIT UNIONTree Trust: $10,000 · OtherOUR SAVIOUR'S COMMUNITY SERVICES: $10,000 · OtherWORLDWIDE FOUNDATION FOR CREDIT UNIONS INC: $9,223 · OtherNEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE: $9,000 · OtherThink Small: $10,000 · Human ServicesThink SmallWESTERN COMMUNITIES ACTION NETWORK INC: $10,000 · Human ServicesWESTERN COMMUNI…PEOPLE RESPONDING IN SOCIAL MINISTRY: $10,000 · Human ServicesPEOPLE RESPONDI…OPEN DOOR OUTREACH CENTER INC: $10,000 · Human ServicesOPEN DOOR OUTRE…MODEL CITIES OF ST PAUL INC: $10,000 · Human ServicesMODEL CITIES OF…MINNESOTA CREDIT UNION FOUNDATION: $39,500 · PhilanthropyMINNESOTA CRED…CARS FOR NEIGHBORS INC: $10,000 · PhilanthropyCARS FOR NEIGH…KIDS IN NEED FOUNDATION: $19,000 · EducationHmong College Prep Academy: $5,300 · EducationGillette Children's Hospital Foundation: $21,700 · HealthCONSTRUCTION CAREERS FOUNDATION: $10,000 · Youth DevelopmentACHIEVE TWIN CITIES: $7,000 · Youth DevelopmentAT HOME GROUP: $10,000 · Employment
Other$204,100Human Services$50,000Philanthropy$49,500Education$24,300Health$21,700Youth Development$17,000Employment$10,000

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 budgetCHILDREN'S MIRACLE NETWORK: $39,512 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMINNESOTA CREDIT UNION FOUNDATION: $39,500 over 1y, 8.6% of budgetMINNESOTA CREDIT UNION NETWORK: $32,000 over 1y, 1.2% of budgetGillette Children's Hospital Foundation: $21,700 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetKIDS IN NEED FOUNDATION: $19,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL CREDIT UNION FOUNDATION: $13,125 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetBLAZE CREDIT UNION: $11,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetThink Small: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWESTERN COMMUNITIES ACTION NETWORK INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetCONSTRUCTION CAREERS FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetPEOPLE RESPONDING IN SOCIAL MINISTRY: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetTree Trust: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCARS FOR NEIGHBORS INC: $10,000 over 1y, 3.4% of budgetOPEN DOOR OUTREACH CENTER INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetMODEL CITIES OF ST PAUL INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetOUR SAVIOUR'S COMMUNITY SERVICES: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetAT HOME GROUP: $10,000 over 1y, 1.9% of budgetWORLDWIDE FOUNDATION FOR CREDIT UNIONS INC: $9,223 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetNEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE: $9,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetACHIEVE TWIN CITIES: $7,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetHmong College Prep Academy: $5,300 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.

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.

Otto Bremer TrustMN26.7× affinity11 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Otto Bremer Trust · The Richard M Schulze Family Foundation · Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation · The Minneapolis Foundation · The Walser Foundation · Allina Health System · Andersen Corporate Foundation · Fr Bigelow Foundation · Xcel Energy Foundation · Wem Foundation · Hardenbergh Foundation · Target 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 Blaze Credit Union Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Blaze Credit Union Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%8%15%22%30%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    8report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–30%
    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 Blaze Credit Union Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Blaze Credit Union 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 24 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 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

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