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David J Nelson Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

David J Nelson Family Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$22k
Granted FY2024still arriving
27
Grants FY2024still arriving
7
States reached
$2k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0196% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Food & Nutrition$11kHuman Services$11kHealth$10kHousing & Shelter$8kAnimals$3kEducation$2kReligion$2kRecreation & Sports$1kOther$0
02FY2024 · 27 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$512
Median grant
7
States reached
$562k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
UTAH FOOD BANK$2,000
RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE$2,000
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY$2,000
UNIVERSITY OF UTAH$1,840
THE CHILDREN'S CENTER$1,200
PRIMARY CHILDRENS HOSPITAL$1,100
YWCA OF UTAH$1,000
ST JUDES HOSPITAL$1,000
THE ROAD HOME$1,000
ALZHIEMER ASSOCIATION$1,000
SHRINER'S HOSPITAL OF UTAH$1,000
ALTA CLUB FOUNDATION$1,000
TRACY AVIARY$800
WORLD VISION$512
PARKINSON'S FOUNDATION$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 (FY22–24, $2k) land where the poverty rate runs at 8%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 0% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%THE ROAD HOME: $1k → 8%THE ROAD HOME: $500 → 8%THE ROAD HOME: $500 → 8%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
IL
NY
IA
UT
TN
DC
GA
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.

78%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$38k · 15 repeat orgs$11k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +32% since the first grant, against -74% for those funded once.

15 repeat relationships: 12 still active in FY2024, 3 since wound down; 13 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

15
2

Total granted

$38k
$2k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+32%
-74%

Still filing today

40%
50%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 58% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $9k 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
HealthAnimalsHuman ServicesYouth DevelopmentEducationArts & 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

  • UF
    UTAH FOOD BANK
    4× · 2020–2024 · $11k · revenue +53%
  • RM
    Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Intermountain Area Inc
    2× · 2023–2024 · $7k · revenue +9%
  • TR
    THE ROAD HOME
    3× · 2022–2024 · $2k · revenue +57%

Funded once

  • HF
    HOPE FOR HENRY FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2021 · $1k · revenue -74%
  • RM
    RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE
    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
House of Hope

Treating substance use disorders, rebuilding lives, strengthening families, and empowering women.

—
2
Utah Partners for Health

Utah partners for health provides compassionate, comprehensive, quality care to empower underserved individuals, families, and communities in a patient-centered medical home.

Health
3
Utah Foundation

Utah foundation's mission is to produce objective, thorough and well- reasoned research and analysis that promotes the effective use of public resources, a thriving economy, a well-prepared workforce and a high quality of life for utahns.…

Public Benefit
4
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

The children's hospital of philadelphia, the oldest hospital in the united states dedicated exclusively to pediatrics, strives to be the world leader in the advancement of health care for children by integrating excellent patient care,…

Health
5
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

Fred hutch cancer center ("fred hutch") unites innovative research and compassionate care to prevent and eliminate cancer and infectious disease. continued on schedule o

Health
6
Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah

Heal utah's mission is to protect utah's environment and its people by promoting clean air, clean energy, and comprehensive solutions to radioactive and toxic waste.

Environment
7
Utah Public Health Association

The Utah Public Health Association (UPHA) is a statewide membership organization dedicated to improving the health of Utah communities by supporting and representing the public health workforce. UPHA advances public health through…

Health
8
Children's Health Care

We champion the health needs of children and families. we are committed to improving children's health by providing the highest-quality, family centered care, advanced through research and education.

Health
9
Utah Zoological Society

Utah's hogle zoo creates champions for wildlife and is our community's gateway to animals, connecting our visitors with the natural world and engaging them in wildlife conservation action locally and worldwide.

Animals
10
Phoenix Children's Hospital Foundation

Phoenix children's hospital foundation supports phoenix children's hospital through fundraising ensuring that the hospital continues to stay on the leading edge of pediatric medicine and is equipped to fulfill its mission to advance hope,…

Health
11
The Community Foundation of Utah

We are utah's partner in philanthropy, pioneering innovation and collaboration to invest in our community today for a brighter tomorrow.

Philanthropy
12
Children's Health System of Texas

With more than 1 million patient visits each year, Children's Health is North Texas' leading pediatric health system and among the largest in the nation. For more than a century, our mission has been clear: make life better for children.…

Health
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Young Women's Christian Association of Utah; the most unlike its peers is Town Club Preservation 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

16 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. 16 of the 31 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)
15/16
Grantees still filing
11/16
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

UTAH FOOD BANK: $10,500 · OtherUTAH FOOD BANKHABITAT FOR HUMANITY: $3,250 · OtherHABITAT FOR HUMANITYTHE CHILDREN'S CENTER UTAH: $2,200 · OtherTHE CHILDREN'S CENTER UTAHHUNTSMAN CANCER INSTITUTE: $2,190 · OtherHUNTSMAN CANCER INSTITUTEPRIMARY CHILDRENS HOSPITAL: $2,100 · OtherPRIMARY CHILDRENS HOSPITALALZHIEMER ASSOCIATION: $2,000 · OtherALZHIEMER ASSOCIATIONUNIVERSITY OF UTAH: $1,990 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF UTAHVOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA UTAH: $1,500 · OtherSALVATION ARMY: $1,500 · Other+10 more: $7,450 · Other+10 moreRonald McDonald House Charities of the Intermountain Area Inc: $7,000 · HealthRonald McDonald House …ST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC: $1,000 · HealthST JUDE CHILDREN'S RES…HOPE FOR HENRY FOUNDATION: $1,000 · HealthHOPE FOR HENRY FOUNDAT…PARKINSON'S FOUNDATION INC: $500 · HealthLYMPHOMA RESEARCH FOUNDATION: $500 · HealthTHE ROAD HOME: $2,000 · Human ServicesFRIENDS OF TRACY AVIARY: $800 · AnimalsBEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SOCIETY: $750 · AnimalsWORLD VISION INC: $512 · InternationalGIRL SCOUTS OF UTAH: $500 · Youth DevelopmentPEO Foundation: $400 · EducationTOWN CLUB PRESERVATION FOUNDATION INC: $250 · Arts & Culture
Other$34,680Health$10,000Human Services$2,000Animals$1,550International$512Youth Development$500Education$400Arts & Culture$250

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

25%50%75%100%$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetUTAH FOOD BANK: $10,500 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetRonald McDonald House Charities of the Intermountain Area Inc: $7,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetTHE CHILDREN'S CENTER UTAH: $2,200 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE ROAD HOME: $2,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetVOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA UTAH: $1,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHOPE FOR HENRY FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetYoung Women's Christian Association of Utah: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFRIENDS OF TRACY AVIARY: $800 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SOCIETY: $750 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetWORLD VISION INC: $512 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPARKINSON'S FOUNDATION INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGIRL SCOUTS OF UTAH: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLYMPHOMA RESEARCH FOUNDATION: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPEO Foundation: $400 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.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization David J Nelson Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from David J Nelson Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2025
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%10%20%30%40%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get 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 · 0–40%
    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 David J Nelson Family Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to David J Nelson 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 31 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 David J Nelson 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