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Donald and Lorena Meier Fdn at a glance

· Private foundation

Donald and Lorena Meier Fdn

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.

$490k
Granted FY2025still arriving
8
Grants FY2025still arriving
5
States reached
$306k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
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 2025.

Education$2.1MHealth$119kArts & Culture$93kReligion$80kAnimals$50kPhilanthropy$30kOther$0
02FY2025 · 8 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • $10k–50k6 grants · $104k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $80k
  • $250k+1 grant · $306k
$20,000
Median grant
5
States reached
$9.9M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA FOUNDATION$305,611
COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION$80,000
KEARNEY AREA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION$25,000
HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF ROYALSTON$20,000
LITTLE HEROES LEAGUE$15,000
MISSION COMPASSION PAW INC$15,000
MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY$15,000
HAVE DREAMS$14,291
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:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY20–25) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 12%. 97% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 12%HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF ROYALSTON: $20k → 11%UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA FOUNDATION: $411k → 13%ROWE SANCTUARY: $75k → 13%NATIONAL AUDOBON SOCIETY: $25k → 17%Mount Hope Lutheran Church: $34k → 5%LITTLE HEROES LEAGUE: $23k → 14%University of Nebraska Foundation: $398k → 13%KEARNEY AREA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $25k → 13%Mount Hope Lutheran Church: $16k → 5%LITTLE HEROES LEAGUE: $15k → 14%UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA FOUNDATION: $348k → 13%KEARNEY AREA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $5k → 13%LITTLE HEROES LEAGUE: $13k → 14%UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA FOUNDATION: $306k → 13%DePaul University: $100k → 14%UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA FOUNDATION: $196k → 13%NORTHFIELD COMMUNITY CHURCH: $30k → 14%University of Nebraska Foundation: $50k → 13%LE BALLET PETIT SCHOOL OF DANCE: $13k → 14%Nebraska Public Media Foundation Inc: $10k → 13%LE BALLET PETIT SCHOOL OF DANCE: $13k → 14%LE BALLET PETIT SCHOOL OF DANCE: $13k → 14%ERIE ELEMENTARY CHARTER SCHOOL: $12k → 14%MERIT SCHOOL OF MUSIC: $25k → 14%MISSION COMPASSION PAW INC: $15k → 14%MISSION COMPASSION PAW INC: $10k → 14%UIC John Marshall Law School: $100k → 14%HAVE DREAMS: $26k → 14%HAVE DREAMS: $15k → 14%HAVE DREAMS: $14k → 14%HAVE DREAMS: $13k → 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.

84%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$2.2M · 8 repeat orgs$397k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +17% since the first grant, against +7% for those funded once.

8 repeat relationships: 6 still active in FY2025, 2 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

8
8

Total granted

$2.2M
$377k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+17%
+7%

Still filing today

75%
63%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 96% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $20k went to new ones.

50%100%’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’20’21’22’23’24’25
EducationArts & CultureEmploymentPhilanthropyAnimalsEnvironmentOther
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

  • UO
    UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA FOUNDATION
    6× · 2020–2025 · $1.7M · revenue +31%
  • HD
    HAVE DREAMS
    4× · 2022–2025 · $69k · revenue +17%
  • LH
    Little Heroes League
    3× · 2023–2025 · $50k · revenue +16%

Funded once

  • UJ
    UIC John Marshall Law School
    one grant, 2020 · $100k
  • DU
    DEPAUL UNIVERSITY
    one grant, 2020 · $100k · revenue +7%
  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2023 · $75k
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
Saint Xavier University

Saint xavier university, a catholic institution inspired by the heritage of the sisters of mercy, educates persons to search for truth, think critically, communicate effectively and serve wisely and compassionately in support of human…

Education
2
The Northern Michigan University Foundation

The nmu foundation will establish and foster relationships to generate resources that benefit the strategic goals of northern michigan university.

Education
3
Nebraska Wesleyan University

Nebraska wesleyan university is an academic community dedicated to intellectual and personal growth within the context of a liberal arts education and in an environment of christian concern.

Education
4
Manhattanville University

To educate students to be ethical and socially responsible leaders in a global community.

Education
5
DePauw University

Depauw university develops leaders the world needs through an uncommon commitment to the liberal arts. depauw's diverse and inclusive learning and living experience, distinctive in its rigorous intellectual engagement and its global and…

Education
6
Avila University

Avila university, a catholic university sponsored by saint joseph educational ministries, a ministerial public juridic person of the catholic church (sjem), is a values-based community of learning providing liberal arts, professional,…

Education
7
Mount Mary University Inc

Mount mary university, an urban catholic university for women sponsored by the school sisters of notre dame, provides an environment for the development of the whole person. the university encourages leadership, integrity, and a deep sense…

—
8
Northern Illinois University Foundation

The niu foundation's mission is to energize and connect the private sector with the niu community to secure and steward resources that support the future and growth of niu.

Education
9
Claremont Lincoln University

Delivers affordable, accessible, and relevant higher education programs.

Education
10
Manhattan University

Manhattan university is an independent catholic instituion of higher learning that embraces qualified men and women of all faiths, cultures, and traditions. the mission of manhattan university is to provide a contemporary, person-centered…

Education
11
Drury University

Drury University is an independent university, church-related, grounded in the liberal arts tradition and committed to personalized education in a community of scholars who value the arts of teaching and learning. (Continued on Schedule O)

Education
12
Benedictine University

Benedictine University is an inclusive academic community dedicated to teaching and learning, scholarship and service, truth and justice, as inspired by the Catholic intellectual tradition, the social teaching of the Church, and the…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is University of Nebraska Foundation; the most unlike its peers is National Audubon Society 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

12 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. 12 of the 18 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)
1
Early backer (in before they grew)
12/12
Grantees still filing
9/12
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA FOUNDATION: $1,707,431 · EducationUNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA FOUNDATIONCOLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $195,000 · EducationCOLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATIONDEPAUL UNIVERSITY: $100,000 · Education+2 more: $36,572 · EducationUIC John Marshall Law School: $100,000 · OtherUIC John Mars…Individual grant recipient: $75,000 · OtherIndividual gr…Mount Hope Lutheran Church: $50,000 · OtherMount Hope Lu…LE BALLET PETIT SCHOOL OF DANCE: $37,500 · OtherLE BALLET PET…NORTHFIELD COMMUNITY CHURCH: $30,000 · OtherNORTHFIELD CO…HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF ROYALSTON: $20,000 · OtherHISTORICAL SO…Little Heroes League: $50,000 · PhilanthropyKEARNEY AREA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $30,000 · PhilanthropyHAVE DREAMS: $69,078 · EmploymentMERIT SCHOOL OF MUSIC: $25,000 · Arts & CultureNEBRASKA PUBLIC MEDIA FOUNDATION INC: $10,000 · Arts & CultureMISSION COMPASSION PAW INC: $25,000 · AnimalsNATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY INC: $25,000 · Environment
Education$2,039,003Other$312,500Philanthropy$80,000Employment$69,078Arts & Culture$35,000Animals$25,000Environment$25,000

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 budgetUNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA FOUNDATION: $1,707,431 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetCOLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $195,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetDEPAUL UNIVERSITY: $100,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHAVE DREAMS: $69,078 over 4y, 1.3% of budgetLittle Heroes League: $50,000 over 3y, 1.7% of budgetKEARNEY AREA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $30,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetMISSION COMPASSION PAW INC: $25,000 over 2y, 1.9% of budgetMERIT SCHOOL OF MUSIC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetNATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMarquette University: $25,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetERIE ELEMENTARY CHARTER SCHOOL: $11,572 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetNEBRASKA PUBLIC MEDIA FOUNDATION INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% 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.

American Endowment Fo…National Philanthropi…American Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
American Endowment FoundationOH9.7× affinity4 shared granteesties to 5 of 5Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: American Endowment Foundation · National Philanthropic Trust · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · 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 Donald and Lorena Meier Fdn funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Donald and Lorena Meier Fdn. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%3%5%8%10%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    4report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–10%
    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 Donald and Lorena Meier Fdn?

    Find your warmest path to Donald and Lorena Meier Fdn 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 18 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 Donald and Lorena Meier Fdn’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