Skip to content
Plinth
Foundation DossiersMostly funded, not a grantmaker — see who funds it →
Plinth

· Private foundation

Joy in Blue Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$1.0M
Granted FY2024still arriving
31
Grants FY2024still arriving
9
States reached
$100k
Largest
01What you fundRead
02The needRead
03Your edgeRead
04Your fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What you fund
01100% classified

What you funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year — across FY2019–2024.

Education$1.0MArts & Culture$585kCrime & Legal$554kHousing & Shelter$469kAnimals$345kCivil Rights$305kEnvironment$295kFood & Nutrition$250kOther$0
02FY2024 · 31 grants

Where the money goes

Your grants by size, and where they go.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k1 grant · $2k
  • $10k–50k27 grants · $760k
  • $50k–250k3 grants · $250k
$30,000
Median grant
9
States reached
$28M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
BOSTON COLLEGE TRUSTEES$100,000
NATIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY MEDALS FOUNDATION$100,000
SUSTAINAFEST INC$50,000
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOUNDATION$40,000
WOMEN'S ADVOCATES$40,000
MINNPOST$40,000
HELPING PAWS INC$35,000
THE SANNEH FOUNDATION INC$35,000
PENUMBRA THEATRE COMPANY INC$35,000
SOLID GROUND$34,000
FOR THE GOOD$30,000
INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MINNESOTA$30,000
GREAT RIVER GREENING$30,000
BAIL PROJECT INC$30,000
ANIMAL HUMANE SOCIETY$30,000
02The need
03

Do your dollars go where the need is?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, then read against the area’s typical level.

show:

Your human-services grants (FY19–24, $692k) land where the poverty rate runs at 12%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 65% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of your grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%CHARTING CAREERS INC: $50k → 6%SOLID GROUND: $76k → 14%SOLID GROUND: $48k → 14%SOLID GROUND: $41k → 14%SOLID GROUND: $41k → 14%SOLID GROUND: $41k → 14%SOLID GROUND: $34k → 14%SOLID GROUND: $8k → 14%HELPING PAWS INC: $35k → 11%HELPING PAWS INC: $25k → 11%INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MINNESOTA: $30k → 14%HELPING PAWS INC: $25k → 11%INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MINNESOTA: $30k → 14%HELPING PAWS INC: $25k → 11%HELPING PAWS OF MINNESOTA INC: $20k → 11%INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MINNESOTA: $30k → 14%HELPING PAWS OF MINNESOTA INC: $20k → 11%HELPING PAWS INC: $15k → 11%INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MINNESOTA: $30k → 14%INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MINNESOTA: $30k → 14%INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MINNESOTA: $8k → 14%AMERICAN NATIONAL RED CROSS: $30k → 11%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount

Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty linein the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP; grantee ZIP can differ from where services are delivered.

Which US states your grants reach

MN
IL
NY
MA
CT
CA
CO
VA
MD
DC
GA
TX

US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are actually delivered. Need from public data — U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA — shown as context about the area, never attributed to your giving.

03Your edge
repeat funding

Who you back again

Which organizations you funded more than once, and which you funded a single time. Each grantee is matched to its own filings.

88%of every dollar goes to organizations you’ve funded before.
$4.4M · 34 repeat orgs$626k to everyone else

34 repeat relationships — 25 still active in FY2024, 9 since wound down; 2 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

34
13

Total granted

$4.4M
$476k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+27%
+46%

Still filing today

97%
92%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 85% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $150k went to new ones.

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

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

’19’20’21’22’23’24
EducationHuman ServicesArts & CultureCivil RightsInternationalRecreation & SportsOther

First-time = a grantee’s first year in your filing window; renewed = funded in an earlier year too. As a portfolio matures the renewed share naturally climbs — once funded, an org stays “renewable” — so the signal is the years that buck it (a new-grantee intake wave). 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 MINNESOTA FOUNDATION
    6× · 2019–2024 · $650k · revenue +111%
  • SG
    Solid Ground
    6× · 2019–2024 · $289k · revenue +349%
  • Feeding America
    5× · 2020–2024 · $250k · revenue +40%

Funded once

  • AS
    ATHLETES SERVING ATHLETESgraduated
    one grant, 2023 · $75k · revenue +46%
  • SI
    SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION OFFICE OF SPONSORED PROJECTS
    one grant, 2021 · $60k
  • MH
    MARYLAND HALL FOR THE CREATIVE ARTS INCgraduated
    one grant, 2021 · $50k · revenue +164%

Repeat = funded in two or more distinct years; growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Your field

The map has a center of gravity: the average direction from the rest of the sector toward the organizations the foundation funds — the shape of its giving. Scoring every nonprofit along that direction surfaces the ones that look most like the portfolio. These are the closest matchesthat aren’t grantees — a resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The mission of mit is to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century.

Education
2
Boston Architectural College

The bac is committed to provide excellence in design education grounded in practice and accessible to diverse communities.

—
3
Minnesota Business Partnership

The minnesota business partnership's mission is to maintain a high quality of life for all minnesotans by ensuring that the state's economy remains strong, globally competitive and its prospects for growth bright by working with elected…

—
4
The George Washington University

The mission of the george washington university (gw) is to educate individuals in liberal arts, languages, sciences, learned professions, and other courses and subjects of study, and to conduct scholarly research and publish the findings…

Education
5
United States Naval Institute

Provide an independent forum for those who dare to read, think, speak, and write to advance the professional, literary, and scientific understanding of sea power and other issues critical to global security.

—
6
The Common Application Inc

The common application is a not-for-profit membership organization of over 1,100 colleges and universities across the globe committed to access, equity, and integrity in the college admission process. every year, over 1.5 million students…

Education
7
Augustana College

Rooted in the liberal arts & sciences & lutheran expression of the christian faith, & is committed to offering a challenging education that develops qualities of mind, spirit, & body necessary for a rewarding life of leadership & service…

Education
8
Central Indiana Corporate Partnership Inc

Central indiana corporate partnership (cicp) is an alliance of indiana's business and research university leaders coming together to foster long-term prosperity for the region. cicp's mission is to transform the economy of indiana in order…

Community Improvement
9
University of New Haven

The University of New Haven is a student-centered comprehensive university with an emphasis on excellence in liberal arts and professional education. Our mission is to prepare our students to lead purposeful and fulfilling lives in a…

Education
10
American Association for the Advancement of Science

Advance science, engineering, and innovation throughout the world for the benefit of all. the world's largest multidisciplinary scientific society and a leading publisher of cutting-edge research through its science family of journals,…

Science & Tech
11
Npr Foundation

The npr foundation ("foundation") is organized and operated exclusively for the benefit of its sole supported organization, national public radio, inc. ("npr inc."). the foundation supports npr inc. through various activities such as…

—
12
Furman University

The primary mission of furman as a liberal arts institution is to provide a distinctive education in fine arts, humanities, social sciences, mathematics and the sciences, as well as selected professional disciplines.

Education

For reference, the grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta Inc and the most unlike its peers is National Science and Technology Medals 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.

For each theme you fund, this compares how the sector’s money is shifting with how your own giving is shifting.

← shrinkinggrowing →↓ leaning in → pulling backsteadyCommunity FoundationsYouth Sports ProgramsDomestic Violence ServicesSchool District FoundationsIndependent K-12 SchoolsFaith-Based Liberal Arts Co…Animal Rescue and ShelterElementary Literacy TutoringCommunity Arts CentersImmigrant Worker SupportCommunity College Foundatio…Women & Girls Leadership De…Environmental Conservation …Community FoundationsFood Banks and PantriesPolicy Research and Advocacy
the sector your giving your giving is ahead of the sector the sector’s ahead of you· dot size = how much the theme matters to each side
Ordered by the change in your giving — leaning in on top, pulling back at the bottom. The bar between the two dots is how out of step you are with the sector. Hover any row for detail.

Sector change and giving change are each shown relative to their own range, growing (right) or shrinking (left); both normalized, so inflation isn’t mistaken for growth.

Your grantees are a median of 36 years old; the field is 16. You back the established end — and your money leans older still.

THE FIELDby orgYOUR GRANTEESby number22%0%<5yr14%9%5–10yr19%21%10–20yr16%14%20–35yr13%35%35–55yr16%21%55yr+
THE FIELDby orgYOUR MONEYby value22%0%<5yr14%7%5–10yr19%14%10–20yr16%11%20–35yr13%40%35–55yr16%29%55yr+

The field is 22% startups (under 5 years old) — 0% of your grantees by number, and just 0% of your money.

Closures · last 5 years

The orgs you fund almost never close — 0.0% lost their exemption, against 13% of the field you don’t fund.

orgs you fund
0.0%0/48
the rest of the field
13%
240,396/1,819,517

Age = years since IRS exemption (a founding proxy). “Closed” = auto-revocation for 3 years of non-filing — a floor on closure, not proof, and bigger established orgs lapse least. Association, not causation.

04the grantee network

47 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each one resolved to its own IRS returns and tracked year by year — your grant beside their revenue from every source. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

Counted here: distinct organizations you funded across 2017–2025, not grant rows in a single year — so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 47 of the 50 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile; the rest are funded organizations whose filings we could not track year by year.

1
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
9
Early backer (in before they grew)
47/47
Grantees still filing
33/47
Grew since you first funded

Where your money sits — by cause, then by grantee

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOUNDATION — $649,708 · EducationUNIVERSITY OF MINNESO…TRUSTEES OF BOSTON COLLEGE — $160,000 · EducationTRUSTEES OF BOSTON CO…THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA FOUNDATION — $60,000 · EducationTHE UNIVERSITY OF GEO…+4 more — $105,000 · Education+4 moreSolid Ground — $289,000 · Human ServicesSolid GroundHELPING PAWS INC — $165,000 · Human ServicesHELPING PAWS INCINTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MINNESOTA — $158,000 · Human ServicesINTERNATIONAL IN…CANINE COMPANIONS FOR INDEPENDENCE INC — $60,000 · Human ServicesCANINE COMPANION…CHARTING CAREERS INC — $50,000 · Human ServicesCHARTING CAREERS…American National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches — $30,000 · Human ServicesMINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA — $170,000 · Arts & CultureMINNESOTA PUBL…PENUMBRA THEATRE COMPANY INC — $150,000 · Arts & CulturePENUMBRA THEAT…THE BARACK OBAMA FOUNDATION — $122,000 · Arts & CultureTHE BARACK OBA…THE HISTORY THEATRE INC — $110,000 · Arts & CultureTHE HISTORY TH…MARYLAND HALL FOR THE CREATIVE ARTS INC — $50,000 · Arts & CultureMARYLAND HALL …MinnPost — $45,124 · Arts & CultureMinnPostTHE BAIL PROJECT INC — $499,000 · Crime & LegalTHE BAIL P…NATIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY MEDALS FOUNDATION INC — $100,000 · OtherNATIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY MEDALS…TOGETHER RISING — $100,000 · OtherTOGETHER RISINGSMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION OFFICE OF SPONSORED PROJECTS — $60,000 · OtherFeeding America — $250,000 · OtherFeeding AmericaGREAT RIVER GREENING — $120,000 · OtherGREAT RIVER GREENINGAnimal Humane Society — $120,000 · OtherAnimal Humane SocietyWOMEN'S ADVOCATES INC — $180,000 · OtherWOMEN'S ADVOCATES INCTHE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR GREATER ATLANTA INC — $105,000 · OtherTHE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR GREATER A…THE SANNEH FOUNDATION — $100,000 · OtherTHE SANNEH FOUNDATIONATHLETES SERVING ATHLETES — $75,000 · OtherCENTER FOR ECOTECHNOLOGY INC — $125,000 · OtherCENTER FOR ECOTECHNOLOGY INC+12 more — $431,612 · Other+12 moreFor The Good — $160,000 · InternationalWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC — $80,000 · InternationalSave The Children Federation Inc — $40,000 · InternationalPOLICING EQUITY — $100,000 · Civil RightsBVM CAPACITY BUILDING INSTITUTE INC — $90,000 · Civil RightsREFUGEE & IMMIGRANT CENTER FOR EDUCATION & LEGAL SERVICES — $55,000 · Civil RightsAMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION INC — $15,000 · Civil Rights
Education$974,708Human Services$752,000Arts & Culture$647,124Crime & Legal$499,000Other$1,766,612International$280,000Civil Rights$260,000

Each org by its size and your share of it — top-left is where you’re load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ your share of their budgetUNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOUNDATION — $649,708 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetTHE BAIL PROJECT INC — $499,000 over 5y, 0.7% of budgetSolid Ground — $289,000 over 6y, 4.7% of budgetFeeding America — $250,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetWOMEN'S ADVOCATES INC — $180,000 over 5y, 1.2% of budgetMINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA — $170,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetHELPING PAWS INC — $165,000 over 6y, 3.3% of budgetTRUSTEES OF BOSTON COLLEGE — $160,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetFor The Good — $160,000 over 6y, 20% of budgetINTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MINNESOTA — $158,000 over 6y, 0.5% of budgetPENUMBRA THEATRE COMPANY INC — $150,000 over 5y, 1.7% of budgetCENTER FOR ECOTECHNOLOGY INC — $125,000 over 4y, 0.7% of budgetTHE BARACK OBAMA FOUNDATION — $122,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetGREAT RIVER GREENING — $120,000 over 5y, 0.9% of budgetAnimal Humane Society — $120,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetTHE HISTORY THEATRE INC — $110,000 over 5y, 1.8% of budgetTHE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR GREATER ATLANTA INC — $105,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetNATIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY MEDALS FOUNDATION INC — $100,000 over 1y, 5.1% of budgetTOGETHER RISING — $100,000 over 2y, 0.8% of budgetTHE SANNEH FOUNDATION — $100,000 over 3y, 0.5% of budgetPOLICING EQUITY — $100,000 over 5y, 0.2% of budgetBVM CAPACITY BUILDING INSTITUTE INC — $90,000 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC — $80,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetATHLETES SERVING ATHLETES — $75,000 over 1y, 12% of budgetCANINE COMPANIONS FOR INDEPENDENCE INC — $60,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetTHE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA FOUNDATION — $60,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetCROSSROADS FUND INC — $55,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetREFUGEE & IMMIGRANT CENTER FOR EDUCATION & LEGAL SERVICES — $55,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetACHIEVE TWIN CITIES — $50,112 over 2y, 0.8% of budgetMARYLAND HALL FOR THE CREATIVE ARTS INC — $50,000 over 1y, 2.9% of budgetLIVE WATER CO — $50,000 over 1y, 33% of budgetCHARTING CAREERS INC — $50,000 over 1y, 15% of budgetTHE CONNECTION INC — $50,000 over 1y, 14% of budgetMinnPost — $45,124 over 3y, 1.2% of budgetBABY2BABY — $40,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetEDUCATION FOUNDATION OF ANNE ARUNDEL — $40,000 over 1y, 12% of budgetVISION TO LEARN — $40,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetSave The Children Federation Inc — $40,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetJOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY — $30,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches — $30,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBOOKS FOR KEEPS INC — $30,000 over 2y, 3.1% of budgetWYE RIVER UPPER SCHOOL INC — $25,000 over 1y, 1.2% of budgetRED LAKE NATION COLLEGE — $20,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetAMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION INC — $15,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCHESAPEAKE REGION ACCESSIBLE BOATING INC — $10,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetASSOCIATION OF SMALL FOUNDATIONS — $5,500 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetASSOCIATION OF BLACK FOUNDATION EXECUTIVES INC — $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budget
Go grantee by grantee — a decade per org, and how each moved after you funded them

A decade per grantee — revenue shaded, your grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

The grantmakers whose grantees overlap with yours far more than size alone predicts. Each orbits closer the stronger the alignment; the arcs between them show where they also fund each other. Here it reads as a tightly interlocked camp — most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

Hardenbergh FoundationFr Bigelow FoundationSaint Paul & Minnesot…Mightycause Charitabl…Otto Bremer TrustXcel Energy FoundationThe McKnight Foundati…Rathmann Family Found…Hugh J Andersen Found…The Minneapolis Found…The Keith Campbell Fo…Margaret a Cargill Fo…
Hardenbergh FoundationMN19.8× affinity7 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Hardenbergh Foundation · Fr Bigelow Foundation · Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation · Mightycause Charitable Foundation · Otto Bremer Trust · Xcel Energy Foundation · The McKnight Foundation · Rathmann Family Foundation · Hugh J Andersen Foundation · The Minneapolis Foundation · The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment Inc · Margaret a Cargill Foundation

Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. A research starting point: overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

Government reliance of your grantees

Every dot is one organization Joy in Blue Foundation funds. Left–right is the share of its income from government; up–down is the share from you. Bigger dots raise more. Filter to federal, a single department, or state — and drag the year to watch it move.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 50%3%10%23%40%your share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 12%
  • Save the Children Federation Inc — 30% of income from government
  • Charting Careers Inc — 22% of income from government
  • Johns Hopkins University — 12% of income from government
  • Center for Ecotechnology Inc — 9% of income from government
  • Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts Inc — 3% of income from government
  • Trustees of Boston College — 3% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
5get no government money at all
6report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
typical government reliance, FY20–25

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 your grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first — a floor, not 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 12–24 months.

05Through Plinth

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to Joy in Blue Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Joy in Blue 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 directly from IRS e-file XML — your own 990/990-PF and the multi-year returns of the 50 grantees we resolved across every year we hold, several hundred filings in all (a different count from the grant rows on the cover, which are one fiscal year)— each linked to its source. Grantee achievements and outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III); we read these as association with sustained funding — the foundation is one of several forces — suppress low-confidence name matches rather than guess, and say so where a figure rests on a single grant or filing. Not everything on this page is a filed figure, and the difference matters. Filed is what you reported on your 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. How we build these →

Generated from your IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

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 camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home
State money flows
the interactive map of money crossing state lines