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Hanson Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Hanson 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.

$352k
Granted FY2017
26
Grants FY2017
2
States reached
$172k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead

Read this first · the figures below need context

100% of Hanson Family Foundation’s FY2025 grant dollars went to Berrien Community Foundation Inc, not to grantees.

Its money now reaches organizations through that sponsor, which does not report who recommended each grant. FY2025 names 0 organizations directly, so a portfolio cannot be read from it. Everything below is therefore FY2017, the last year Hanson Family Foundation named its own grantees at scale: 19 organizations, $352k. It is dated, not current.

Organizations named directly on the return

19
’17
8
’18
0
’21
0
’22
0
’25

Amber years are those where most dollars went to a sponsor.

01What it funds
0198% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2022.

Philanthropy$4.9MHealth$227kEducation$185kArts & Culture$59kYouth Development$30kHuman Services$29kAnimals$25kScience & Tech$13kOther$0
02FY2017 · 26 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2017

  • Under $10k19 grants · $42k
  • $10k–50k5 grants · $83k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $227k
$3,000
Median grant
2
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
LAKELAND HEALTH FOUNDATION$171,667
HOSPICE AT HOME$55,000
LAKE MICHIGAN COLLEGE FOUNDATION$25,000
YOUNG LIFE WESTERN GREAT LAKES REGION$24,000
SOUTHWEST MI SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA$13,950
COLOMA COMMUNITY SCHOOLS$10,150
LAKESHORE EXCELLENCE FOUNDATION$10,000
CURIOUS KIDS MUSEUM$5,500
BERRIEN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION$5,000
STUDEBAKER NATIONAL MUSEUM$5,000
LAKESHORE YOUTH BASEBALL & SOFTBALL$3,500
BERRIEN CO COUNCIL FOR CHILDREN$3,500
BENTON HARBOR GIRLS ASSOC FOR LEARNING AND SELF ESTEEM$3,000
ST JOSEPH PUBLIC SCHOOLS$3,000
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF BENTON HARBOR$2,500
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 (FY17–18, $1k) land where the poverty rate runs at 15%, against an area that typically sits at 12%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 12%READINESS CENTER INC: $500 → 15%READINESS CENTER INC: $500 → 15%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.

21%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$126k · 5 repeat orgs$478k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +38% since the first grant, against +22% for those funded once.

5 repeat relationships: 5 still active in FY2017, 0 since wound down; 27 grantees were first funded in FY2017 (too recent to call). Read against FY2017, the last year this funder named its own grantees directly; its giving has since run through a sponsor, which reports no donor behind each grant.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

5
27

Total granted

$126k
$478k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+38%
+22%

Still filing today

60%
48%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2021, 0% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $26k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’21
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’21
Arts & CultureYouth DevelopmentRecreation & SportsHealthPhilanthropyHuman ServicesOther
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

  • LM
    LAKE MICHIGAN COLLEGE FOUNDATION
    2× · 2017–2018 · $50k · revenue -7%
  • SM
    SOUTHWEST MI SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
    2× · 2017–2018 · $44k
  • LE
    LAKESHORE EXCELLENCE FOUNDATION
    2× · 2017–2018 · $20k · revenue +41%

Funded once

  • LH
    LAKELAND HEALTH FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2017 · $172k
  • SJ
    ST JOSEPH PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2018 · $100k · revenue -28%
  • HA
    Hospice at Home Inc
    one grant, 2017 · $55k · revenue +18%
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
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
2
Michigan Science Center

The mission of the michigan science center is to inspire curious minds of all ages to discover, explore and appreciate science, technology, engineering and math in a creative, dynamic learning environment.

Education
3
South Bend Museum of Art

To promote the education and advancement of art in the city of south bend, st. joseph county, and surrounding areas.

Arts & Culture
4
South Buffalo Charter School

South buffalo charter school provides elementary education to students in grades kindergarten through eighth grade. we are a professional learning community. our focus on learning is driven by research, data and collaborative reflection to…

Education
5
The Children's Museum Inc

Education of children in a five county area in a museum setting.

Arts & Culture
6
Lincoln Children's Museum

The lincoln children's museum invites children to create, discover and learn through the power of play.

Arts & Culture
7
Greater Muskegon Catholic Schools

Educate each student in spirit, mind and body by fostering personal excellence within the Catholic tradition.

—
8
Business Leaders for Michigan Foundation

Business leaders for michigan is a nonprofit, nonpartisan statewide organization driven by ceos from the state's leading employers, all working toward a shared goal: making michigan a top 10 state for jobs, talent and a thriving economy.…

Community Improvement
9
Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce

To be a catalyst for economic and community progress within the great lakes bay region.

—
10
The Bement School Inc

The bement school provides an education based on time-honored school traditions and values for children in kindergarten through ninth grade, day and boarding. from the classrooms to the dorms, we live and learn as a family, while…

Education
11
Communities in Schools of Benton-Frankli

To surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.

Education
12
The Childrens Museum of Siouxland Inc

Provide an interactive learning environment for children to foster imagination and creativity while inspiring life-long learning

Arts & Culture
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Berrien Community Foundation Inc; the most unlike its peers is Saint Joseph Baseball & Softball Association. 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

18 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. 18 of the 33 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)
4
Early backer (in before they grew)
17/18
Grantees still filing
12/18
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

BERRIEN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC: $5,081,440 · PhilanthropyBERRIEN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC+1 more: $20,000 · PhilanthropyLAKELAND HEALTH FOUNDATION: $171,667 · OtherLAKELAND H…ST JOSEPH PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOUNDATION: $100,000 · OtherST JOSEPH …LAKE MICHIGAN COLLEGE FOUNDATION: $50,000 · OtherLAKE MICHI…SOUTHWEST MI SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: $43,950 · OtherSOUTHWEST …FLYWHEEL: $25,750 · OtherYOUNG MENS CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF GREATER MICHIANA INC: $25,000 · OtherBCF HUMANE SOCIETY CHALLENGE FUND: $25,000 · OtherYOUNG LIFE WESTERN GREAT LAKES REGION: $24,000 · Other+11 more: $38,550 · Other+11 moreHospice at Home Inc: $55,000 · HealthCURIOUS KIDS MUSEUM: $5,500 · Arts & CultureSTUDEBAKER NATIONAL MUSEUM INC: $5,000 · Arts & CultureMICHIANA PUBLIC BROADCASTING CORPORATION: $2,500 · Arts & CultureTHE HERITAGE MUSEUM AND CULTURAL CENTER: $1,500 · Arts & CultureTHE BENTON HARBOR GIRLS ASSOCIATION FOR LEARNING & SELF-ESTEEM: $3,000 · Youth DevelopmentBOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF GREATER SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN: $2,500 · Youth DevelopmentFIVE PINES MINISTRIES: $1,500 · Youth DevelopmentSAINT JOSEPH BASEBALL & SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION: $1,000 · Recreation & SportsTHE FIRST TEE OF BENTON HARBOR INC: $1,000 · Recreation & SportsREADINESS CENTER INC: $1,000 · Human ServicesBRIDGMAN FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE: $500 · Education
Philanthropy$5,101,440Other$503,917Health$55,000Arts & Culture$14,500Youth Development$7,000Recreation & Sports$2,000Human Services$1,000Education$500

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 budgetBERRIEN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC: $5,081,440 over 5y, 19% of budgetST JOSEPH PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOUNDATION: $100,000 over 1y, 5.1% of budgetHospice at Home Inc: $55,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetLAKE MICHIGAN COLLEGE FOUNDATION: $50,000 over 2y, 1.6% of budgetYOUNG MENS CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF GREATER MICHIANA INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetLAKESHORE EXCELLENCE FOUNDATION: $20,000 over 2y, 1.9% of budgetCURIOUS KIDS MUSEUM: $5,500 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetSTUDEBAKER NATIONAL MUSEUM INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetBERRIEN COUNTY COUNCIL FOR CHILDREN: $3,500 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetTHE BENTON HARBOR GIRLS ASSOCIATION FOR LEARNING & SELF-ESTEEM: $3,000 over 1y, 4.3% of budgetBOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF GREATER SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMICHIANA PUBLIC BROADCASTING CORPORATION: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE HERITAGE MUSEUM AND CULTURAL CENTER: $1,500 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetFIVE PINES MINISTRIES: $1,500 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetSAINT JOSEPH BASEBALL & SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION: $1,000 over 1y, 1.0% of budgetREADINESS CENTER INC: $1,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetTHE FIRST TEE OF BENTON HARBOR INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetBRIDGMAN FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE: $500 over 1y, 0.4% 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.

Berrien Community Fou…The Covia FoundationWhirlpool FoundationThe Marzke Family Fou…Degroot Family Founda…Fettig Family Foundat…Ronald and Eva Kinney…1st Source Bank Found…The Thomas and Maria …The McLoughlin Family…The Schalon FoundationThe Pokagon Fund Inc
Berrien Community Foundation IncMI44.6× affinity19 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Berrien Community Foundation Inc · The Covia Foundation · Whirlpool Foundation · The Marzke Family Foundation · Degroot Family Foundation · Fettig Family Foundation · Ronald and Eva Kinney Family Foundation · 1st Source Bank Foundation Inc Xxx-Xx-Xxxx · The Thomas and Maria Yeager Family Foundation · The McLoughlin Family Foundation · The Schalon Foundation · The Pokagon Fund Inc

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 Hanson Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Hanson Family 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%5%10%15%20%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 · 0–20%
    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 Hanson Family Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Hanson 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 33 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 2017, released 2017. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Hanson 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