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Brownell Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Brownell 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.

$427k
Granted FY2025still arriving
21
Grants FY2025still arriving
10
States reached
$102k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0192% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2019 to 2025.

Arts & Culture$836kCivil Rights$790kHuman Services$600kPhilanthropy$220kHousing & Shelter$200kScience & Tech$125kAnimals$106kEducation$105kOther$0
02FY2025 · 21 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k12 grants · $44k
  • $10k–50k6 grants · $123k
  • $50k–250k3 grants · $260k
$5,000
Median grant
10
States reached
$2.0M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Gun Owners of America Inc$102,309
SOWW$82,502
Des Moines Metro Opera$75,000
Claude W & Dolly Ahrens Foundation$27,500
Second Amendment Foundation$25,335
Iowa Firearms Coalition$25,335
Boone and Crockett Club Foundation Inc$20,000
Linn County Izaak Walton League$15,000
Individual grant recipient$10,000
Command and General Staff College Foundation Inc$5,000
Greater Powesehiek Community Foundation$5,000
GRinnell-Newburg Community School District$5,000
Iowa College Foundation$5,000
USA Clay Target League Inc$4,350
Trinidad State College Foundation$4,000
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 (FY21–25, $446k) 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%SOWW: $126k → 9%SOWW: $111k → 13%SOWW: $104k → 13%SOWW: $83k → 9%PUPPY JAKE FOUNDATION: $5k → 10%LINK INC: $15k → 9%LINK Inc: $3k → 9%LINK: $150 → 9%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
ID
MT
MN
NY
NV
IA
PA
CA
UT
CO
MO
VA
NM
KS
NC
SC
DC
OK
GA
TX
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.

58%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$2.0M · 18 repeat orgs$1.4M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +29% since the first grant, against -1% for those funded once.

18 repeat relationships: 13 still active in FY2025, 5 since wound down; 7 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

18
43

Total granted

$2.0M
$1.4M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+29%
-1%

Still filing today

78%
28%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 89% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $44k 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
Civil RightsEducationArts & CultureHuman ServicesRecreation & SportsYouth DevelopmentOther
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

  • DM
    DES MOINES METRO OPERA INC
    6× · 2019–2025 · $550k · revenue +83%
  • SC
    SOWW Corp
    4× · 2022–2025 · $423k · revenue +29%
  • SA
    SECOND AMENDMENT FOUNDATION
    4× · 2022–2025 · $161k · revenue +32%

Funded once

  • IH
    INDELIBLE HOUSING INC
    one grant, 2021 · $200k · revenue -96%
  • SC
    SOWW CHARITY
    one grant, 2021 · $137k
  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2022 · $120k
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
Ames Collegiate Shooting Sports
Recreation & Sports
2
Dmacc Foundation

Receive donations for dmacc.

Education
3
Iowa Gun Owners

To advocate for the second amendment rights of all law abiding iowa citizens

Community Improvement
4
Iowa Grocers Education Foundation

Provide educational scholarships

—
5
Minneapolis Community & Technical College Foundation

The minneapolis community & technical college foundation helps solve issues of affordability and access to higher education through funds and provides part or all of the funding to the college to develop technical college foundation…

Education
6
Iowa Western Community College Foundation

None

Education
7
Iowa First Fund

Iowa first fund was organized for the purpose of educating and informing iowa voters about limited government and expanding economic opportunity.

—
8
Dakota County Technical College Foundation

The dctc foundation's mission is to foster student success and elevate the academic experience at dakota county technical college by securing resources through strong partnerships with employers, alumni, and the community.

—
9
Grayson County College Foundation

The foundation's mission is "fulfilling donor wishes for the student success." it serves grayson college through the development of public understanding and philanthropic support. the foundation encourages mutually beneficial relationships…

Education
10
Iowa Scholastic Clay Target Program

To establish and support school-based clay target shooting programs in iowa

Recreation & Sports
11
Grand Lodge of Iowa Af & Am

To conduct fraternal, educational, and charitable activities and to providestudent scholarships

—
12
Pine Technical & Community College Foundation

The pine technical and community college foundation is a partner with the college in providing leadership in education in the region. the foundation will become a collaborator in building programs, services and facilities that benefit…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Second Amendment Foundation; the most unlike its peers is The Double D Foundation 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

29 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. 29 of the 69 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.

3
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
5
Early backer (in before they grew)
29/29
Grantees still filing
15/29
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

SOWW CHARITY: $137,000 · OtherSOWW CHARITYIndividual grant recipient: $120,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipientSOLUTIONARY INC: $120,000 · OtherSOLUTIONARY INCTHE DOUBLE D FOUNDATION INC: $100,000 · OtherTHE DOUBLE D FOUNDATION INC1791 Alliance: $100,000 · Other1791 AllianceAIMING FOR THE TRUTH: $100,000 · OtherAIMING FOR THE TRUTHWHITTINGTON CENTER: $75,000 · OtherWHITTINGTON CENTERBOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB FOUNDATION INC: $80,000 · OtherBOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB FOUNDATION INC+46 more: $399,632 · Other+46 moreFPC ACTION FOUNDATION: $207,222 · Civil RightsFPC ACTION FOUNDATIONSECOND AMENDMENT FOUNDATION: $161,486 · Civil RightsSECOND AMENDMENT FOUND…GUN OWNERS OF AMERICA INC: $156,354 · Civil RightsGUN OWNERS OF AMERICA …THE CYLINDER INC: $95,000 · Civil RightsTHE CYLINDER INCIOWA FIREARMS COALITION: $69,779 · Civil RightsIOWA FIREARMS COALITIO…DES MOINES METRO OPERA INC: $550,000 · Arts & CultureDES MOINES METRO OPER…GRINNELL SCHOOL OF MUSIC INC: $100,000 · Arts & CultureGRINNELL SCHOOL OF MU…+1 more: $5,000 · Arts & CultureSOWW Corp: $422,945 · Human ServicesSOWW CorpLINK Inc: $18,000 · Human Services+1 more: $5,000 · Human ServicesINDELIBLE HOUSING INC: $200,000 · Housing & ShelterGreater Poweshiek Community Foundation: $118,000 · PhilanthropyClaude W & Dolly Ahrens Foundation: $81,000 · PhilanthropyAMERICAN SUPPRESSOR ASSOCIATION: $100,000 · Employment
Other$1,231,632Civil Rights$689,841Arts & Culture$655,000Human Services$445,945Housing & Shelter$200,000Philanthropy$199,000Employment$100,000

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

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetDES MOINES METRO OPERA INC: $550,000 over 6y, 3.1% of budgetSOWW Corp: $422,945 over 4y, 16% of budgetFPC ACTION FOUNDATION: $207,222 over 2y, 13% of budgetINDELIBLE HOUSING INC: $200,000 over 1y, 23% of budgetSECOND AMENDMENT FOUNDATION: $161,486 over 4y, 1.2% of budgetGUN OWNERS OF AMERICA INC: $156,354 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetGreater Poweshiek Community Foundation: $118,000 over 4y, 4.3% of budgetGRINNELL SCHOOL OF MUSIC INC: $100,000 over 2y, 12% of budgetAMERICAN SUPPRESSOR ASSOCIATION: $100,000 over 1y, 10% of budgetTHE DOUBLE D FOUNDATION INC: $100,000 over 1y, 6.0% of budget1791 Alliance: $100,000 over 1y, 33% of budgetTHE CYLINDER INC: $95,000 over 1y, 39% of budgetClaude W & Dolly Ahrens Foundation: $81,000 over 4y, 2.7% of budgetBOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB FOUNDATION INC: $80,000 over 4y, 1.5% of budgetIOWA FIREARMS COALITION: $69,779 over 3y, 29% of budgetCOMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC: $38,730 over 5y, 1.7% of budgetLINK Inc: $18,000 over 3y, 6.0% of budgetMID-IOWA COUNCIL OF BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetGrinnell Area Arts Council DBA Grinnell Community TheatreTurlachUr: $8,500 over 1y, 1.9% of budgetTRINIDAD STATE COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC: $8,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetMURRAY STATE COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC: $8,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetMONTGOMERY COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC: $8,000 over 2y, 0.6% of budgetNAVY SEAL FOUNDATION INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPUPPY JAKE FOUNDATION: $5,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetIOWA COLLEGE FOUNDATION: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetMARSHALLTOWN COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATIO: $4,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetWILLIAM PENN UNIVERSITY: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetIOWA STATE FAIR FOUNDATION: $1,000 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.

The Trustees of Grinn…Grinnell Mutual Group…Community Fdn of Grea…The Merchants Bonding…Pella Rolscreen Found…National Rifle Associ…Greater Poweshiek Com…Prairie Meadows Race …The Blackbaud Giving …American Endowment Fo…Vanguard Charitable E…National Philanthropi…
The Trustees of Grinnell CollegeIA17.9× affinity6 shared granteesties to 10 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Trustees of Grinnell College · Grinnell Mutual Group Foundation · Community Fdn of Greater Des Moines F/K/A Greater Des Moines Community Fdn · The Merchants Bonding Company Foundation · Pella Rolscreen Foundation · National Rifle Association of America · Greater Poweshiek Community Foundation · Prairie Meadows Race Track and Casino Inc · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · American Endowment Foundation · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · National Philanthropic Trust

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

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%4%8%11%15%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get no government money at all
    3report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–15%
    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 Brownell Family Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Brownell 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 69 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 Brownell 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