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Earnest F & Edna P Aber Scholarship Fund at a glance

· Private foundation

Earnest F & Edna P Aber Scholarship Fund

Its FY2025 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$4k
Granted FY2025still arriving
6
Grants FY2025still arriving
3
States reached
$1k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Education$38kReligion$3k
02FY2025 · 6 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$500
Median grant
3
States reached
$65k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
CARROLL UNIVERSITY$1,000
CEDARVILLE UNIVERSITY$1,000
LORAS COLLEGE$500
VITERBO COLLEGE$500
MOUNT MARY UNIVERSITY$500
FAITH BAPTIST BIBLE COLLEGE$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:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY17–25) land where the poverty rate runs at 10%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 49% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants spread fairly evenly across need levels.

area typical 10%Grand Canyon University: $1k → 11%MARTIN LUTHER COLLER: $500 → 8%Villanova University: $500 → 10%MARTIN WHITTIER COLLEGE: $500 → 14%COE COLLEGE: $500 → 9%FAITH BAPTIST BIBLE COLLEGE: $1k → 10%Loras College: $500 → 11%CARROLL UNIVERSITY: $1k → 5%CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY: $500 → 6%MARANTHA BAPTIST BIBLE COLLEGE: $2k → 8%CARTHAGE COLLEGE: $1k → 10%ST NORBERT COLLEGE: $1k → 10%Edgewood College: $1k → 10%Viterbo University: $500 → 12%CARDINAL STRITCH UNIVERSITY: $500 → 17%OXFORD: $500 → 12%EMORY UNIVERSITY: $500 → 14%Cedarville University: $1k → 9%MOODY BIBLE INSTITUTE: $500 → 14%GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY: $500 → 11%MARTIN LUTHER COLLER: $500 → 8%MARTIN WHITTIER COLLEGE: $500 → 14%COE COLLEGE: $500 → 9%FAITH BAPTIST BIBLE COLLEGE: $1k → 10%LORAS COLLEGE: $500 → 11%CARROLL UNIVERSITY: $500 → 5%CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY: $500 → 6%MARANTHA BAPTIST BIBLE COLLEGE: $1k → 8%Carthage College: $500 → 10%ST NORBERT COLLEGE: $500 → 10%EDGEWOOD COLLEGE: $500 → 10%VITERBO: $500 → 12%CARDINAL STRITCH UNIVERSITY: $500 → 17%EMORY UNIVERSITY: $500 → 14%CEDARVILLE UNIVERSITY: $1k → 9%MOODY BIBLE INSTITUTE: $500 → 14%GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY: $500 → 11%COE COLLEGE: $500 → 9%FAITH BAPTIST BIBLE COLLEGE: $500 → 10%LORAS COLLEGE: $500 → 11%Carroll University: $500 → 5%CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY: $500 → 6%CARTHAGE COLLEGE: $500 → 10%ST NORBERT COLLEGE: $500 → 10%EDGEWOOD COLLEGE: $500 → 10%VITERBO COLLEGE: $500 → 12%CARDINAL STRITCH UNIVERSITY: $500 → 17%CEDARVILLE COLLEGE: $500 → 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

MN
IL
WI
IA
OH
PA
CA
AZ
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.

96%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$37k · 19 repeat orgs$2k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +9% since the first grant, against +6% for those funded once.

19 repeat relationships: 5 still active in FY2025, 14 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

19
2

Total granted

$37k
$1k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+9%
+6%

Still filing today

68%
50%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 88% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $500 went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time
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

  • FB
    Faith Baptist Bible College
    5× · 2018–2025 · $4k · revenue +89%
  • CARTHAGE COLLEGE
    5× · 2020–2024 · $3k · revenue +7%
  • GC
    Grand Canyon University
    4× · 2021–2024 · $3k · revenue +27%

Funded once

  • O
    OXFORD
    one grant, 2017 · $500
  • VU
    VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY
    one grant, 2024 · $500 · revenue +6%
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
California Lutheran University

The mission of the university is to educate leaders for a global society who are strong in character and judgment, confident in their identity and vocation, and committed to service and justice.

Education
2
St Marys University of Minnesota

Enriched by the lasallian catholic heritage, saint mary's university of minnesota awakens, nurtures, and empowers learners to ethical lives of service and leadership.

Education
3
Luther College

Founded by the norwegian evangelical lutheran church in 1861, luther college is a four-year, residential liberal arts institution. luther welcomes students of all backgrounds to engage in a way of learning that moves beyond immediate…

Education
4
The Catholic University of America

As the national university of the catholic church in the united states, founded and sponsored by the bishops of the country with the approval of the holy see, the catholic university of america is committed to being a comprehensive…

Education
5
John Carroll University

As a jesuit catholic university committed to academic rigor, inclusive excellence, and care for the whole person, john carroll university inspires individuals of intellect and character to learn, lead and serve in the community and…

Education
6
St Mary's University

St. marys university, as a catholic marianist university, fosters the formation of people in faith and educates leaders for the common good through community, integrated liberal arts and professional education, and academic excellence.

—
7
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
8
Saint John's University

To foster the vitality of community through learning and the pursuit of wisdom.

—
9
Augsburg University

Augsburg university educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders.the augsburg experience is supported by an engaged community that is committed to intentional diversity in its…

Education
10
Dordt University

As an institution of higher education committed to the reformed christian perspective, dordt university equips students, alumni, and the broader community to work effectively toward christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary…

Education
11
John Brown University

John brown university (jbu) provides christ-centered education that prepares students to honor god and serve others by developing their intellectual, spiritual, and professional lives. (continued on schedule o)jbu serves traditional…

Education
12
Calvin University

The mission of calvin university is to equip students to think deeply, to act justly, and to live wholeheartedly as christ's agents of renewal in the world.

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is St Norbert College Inc; the most unlike its peers is Coe College. 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 23 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)
16/16
Grantees still filing
12/16
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Faith Baptist Bible College: $3,500 · EducationFaith Baptist Bible CollegeCARTHAGE COLLEGE: $3,000 · EducationCARTHAGE COLLEGEST NORBERT COLLEGE INC: $3,000 · EducationST NORBERT COLLEGE INCGrand Canyon University: $2,500 · EducationGrand Canyon UniversityMarquette University: $2,500 · EducationMarquette UniversityThe Moody Bible Institute of Chicago: $2,000 · EducationThe Moody Bible Institute of ChicagoCedarville University: $2,000 · EducationCedarville UniversityEDGEWOOD UNIVERSITY INC: $2,000 · EducationEDGEWOOD UNIVERSITY INCCONCORDIA UNIVERSITY INC: $2,000 · EducationCONCORDIA UNIVERSITY INCCARROLL UNIVERSITY INC: $2,000 · EducationCARROLL UNIVERSITY INCCARDINAL STRITCH UNIVERSITY INC: $1,500 · EducationCOE COLLEGE: $1,500 · EducationVITERBO UNIVERSITY: $1,000 · Education+1 more: $500 · EducationMARANTHA BAPTIST BIBLE COLLEGE: $3,000 · OtherMARANTHA BAPTIST BIBLE COLLEGELORAS COLLEGE: $2,000 · OtherLORAS COLLEGECEDARVILLE COLLEGE: $1,500 · OtherCEDARVILLE COLLEGEMARTIN LUTHER COLLEGE: $1,000 · OtherMARTIN LUTHER COLLEGEMARTIN WHITTIER COLLEGE: $1,000 · OtherMARTIN WHITTIER COLLEGEVITERBO: $1,000 · OtherVITERBOEMORY UNIVERSITY: $1,000 · OtherEMORY UNIVERSITYOXFORD: $500 · OtherMOUNT MARY UNIVERSITY INC: $500 · Other
Education$29,000Other$11,500

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

25%50%75%100%$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetFaith Baptist Bible College: $3,500 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetCARTHAGE COLLEGE: $3,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetST NORBERT COLLEGE INC: $3,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetGrand Canyon University: $2,500 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetMarquette University: $2,500 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetThe Moody Bible Institute of Chicago: $2,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetCedarville University: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetEDGEWOOD UNIVERSITY INC: $2,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetLORAS COLLEGE: $2,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetCONCORDIA UNIVERSITY INC: $2,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetCARROLL UNIVERSITY INC: $2,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetCARDINAL STRITCH UNIVERSITY INC: $1,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetCOE COLLEGE: $1,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetVITERBO UNIVERSITY: $1,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMOUNT MARY UNIVERSITY INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetVILLANOVA UNIVERSITY: $500 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 Alice Aber Smith …Herb Kohl Educational…Ascendium Education S…American Endowment Fo…Vanguard Charitable E…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
The Alice Aber Smith Scholarship FundWI13.6× affinity4 shared granteesties to 7 of 7Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Alice Aber Smith Scholarship Fund · Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Inc · Ascendium Education Solutions Inc · American Endowment Foundation · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · 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 Earnest F & Edna P Aber Scholarship Fund funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Earnest F & Edna P Aber Scholarship Fund. 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%6%13%19%25%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 · 0–25%
    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 Earnest F & Edna P Aber Scholarship Fund?

    Find your warmest path to Earnest F & Edna P Aber Scholarship Fund 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 23 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 Earnest F & Edna P Aber Scholarship’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