Skip to content
Marier Cunningham Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Marier Cunningham 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.

$268k
Granted FY2024still arriving
5
Grants FY2024still arriving
3
States reached
$185k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0197% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Education$1.3MInternational$195kArts & Culture$100kEnvironment$54kPublic Benefit$52kHealth$37kReligion$25kCivil Rights$15kOther$0
02FY2024 · 5 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k1 grant · $3k
  • $10k–50k2 grants · $30k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $235k
$15,335
Median grant
3
States reached
$1.1M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
RICE MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL$184,995
HANDS TOGETHER$50,000
MATER CHRISTI SCHOOL$15,335
VERMONT YOUTH ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATION$15,000
ADIRONDACK MOUNTAIN CLUB$3,000
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 (FY17–24) land where the poverty rate runs at 10%, against an area that typically sits at 7%. 100% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 7%Primary Source: $50k → 8%The Charlie Cart Project: $10k → 10%Adirondack Mountain Club: $25k → 10%ADIRONDACK MOUNTAIN CLUB: $3k → 13%University of Georgia Foundation: $60k → 27%Everybody Wins: $15k → 9%RICE MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL: $400k → 10%Battenkill Valley Health Ctr: $25k → 11%Four Winds Nature Institute: $13k → 12%PRIMARY SOURCE: $1k → 8%Adirondack Mountain Club: $5k → 10%Everybody Wins: $5k → 9%RICE MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL: $325k → 10%BATTENKILL VALLEY HEALTH CTR: $10k → 11%Primary Source: $1k → 8%Adirondack Mountain Club: $5k → 10%RICE MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL: $185k → 10%Battenkill Valley Health Ctr: $1k → 11%ADIRONDACK MOUNTAIN CLUB: $3k → 10%Rice Memorial High School: $127k → 10%Battenkill Valley Health Ctr: $500 → 11%Rice Memorial High School: $50k → 10%MATER CHRISTI SCHOOL: $62k → 10%Edmunds Elementary School: $56k → 10%Mater Christi School: $50k → 10%MATER CHRISTI SCHOOL: $15k → 10%Burlington School District: $10k → 10%College St Church: $4k → 10%College St Church: $4k → 10%COLLEGE ST CHURCH: $4k → 10%College St Church: $4k → 10%College St Church: $4k → 10%COLLEGE ST CHURCH: $4k → 10%Edmunds Elementary School: $3k → 10%College St Church: $3k → 10%Edmunds Middle School PTO: $3k → 10%Edmunds Elementary PTO Inc: $2k → 10%Edmunds Middle School PTO: $2k → 10%Boys and Girls Club of Burlington: $1k → 10%Burlington School District: $911 → 10%Vermont Youth Orchestra Association: $27k → 10%VERMONT YOUTH ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATION: $15k → 10%Vermont Youth Orchestra Association: $15k → 10%Vermont Youth Orchestra Association: $15k → 10%VERMONT YOUTH ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATION: $15k → 10%Vermont Youth Orchestra Association: $3k → 10%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.

94%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.7M · 12 repeat orgs$116k to everyone else

12 repeat relationships: 5 still active in FY2024, 7 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

12
8

Total granted

$1.7M
$116k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+21%
+68%

Still filing today

50%
75%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 went to new ones.

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

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
EducationArts & CultureEnvironmentYouth DevelopmentInternationalCrime & LegalOther
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

  • VY
    VERMONT YOUTH ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATION INC
    6× · 2018–2024 · $90k · revenue +75%
  • AM
    ADIRONDACK MOUNTAIN CLUB INC
    5× · 2019–2024 · $41k · revenue +21%
  • BV
    Battenkill Valley Health Center Inc
    4× · 2019–2022 · $37k · revenue +41%

Funded once

  • TU
    THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA FOUNDATIONgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $60k · revenue +160%
  • G
    GUNSENSEVT
    one grant, 2018 · $15k
  • FW
    FOUR WINDS NATURE INSTITUTE INC
    one grant, 2019 · $13k · revenue -1%
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 Catamount Institute

Catamount Institute is dedicated to connecting kids to the outdoors through environmental education and outdoor adventures.

Human Services
2
Alliance for a Better Vermont

Conducts and coordinates research of critical issues affecting vermonters. also conducts public opinion research.

—
3
Vermont Humanities Council

Using the humanities, we connect with people across vermont to create just, vibrant, and resilient communities, and to inspire a lifelong love of learning.

—
4
Vermont Council On World Affairs Inc

See schedule othe mission of the vermont council on world affairs is to promote awareness and understanding of the world and its people, places and cultures through education and engagement. the future of vermont depends upon the world…

—
5
Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility Research & Edu Fdn

To provide research and education on issues of importance to the natural, human, and economic environments of vermont citizens.

Education
6
Vermont Public Co

Vermont public informs, educates, and entertains through public service journalism and enlightening content rooted in vermont. our storytelling enriches lives and fosters community connection and understanding.

Arts & Culture
7
Vermont Wilderness School

Provide nature-based education and mentoring to youth and adults in southern vermont and western massachusetts.

Environment
8
Voices for Vermonts Children

To promote public policy that enhances the lives of children and youth in vermont.

—
9
The Vermont Center for Ecostudies Inc

The vermont center for ecostudies advances the conservation of wildlife across the americas through research, monitoring, and citizen engagement.

Environment
10
The Vermont River Conservancy Inc

Protect land along rivers, lakes and wetlands of vt; protect public access, wildlife habitat, scenic natural beauty, and ecological integrity.

Human Services
11
Boys and Girls Club of Brattleboro Inc

To inspire and enable all young people to realize their full potential productive, responsible and caring citizens.

Youth Development
12
American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont Inc

The ACLU of Vermont is a membership organization that protects civil liberties. Its work includes communication and advocacy with regards to rights guaranteed by the U.S. and State Constitutions.

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Boys and Girls Club of Burlington Inc; the most unlike its peers is Gunsensevt. 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 20 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)
3
Early backer (in before they grew)
12/12
Grantees still filing
7/12
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

RICE MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL: $1,086,543 · OtherRICE MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOLMater Christi School: $126,910 · OtherMater Christi SchoolEdmunds Elementary School: $59,623 · OtherPRIMARY SOURCE INC: $52,000 · Other+7 more: $69,434 · OtherHands Together Inc: $195,000 · InternationalHands Toget…VERMONT YOUTH ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATION INC: $90,000 · Arts & CultureETHAN ALLEN INSTITUTE: $5,000 · Arts & CultureTHE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA FOUNDATION: $60,000 · EducationThe Charlie Cart Project: $10,000 · EducationADIRONDACK MOUNTAIN CLUB INC: $41,000 · EnvironmentFOUR WINDS NATURE INSTITUTE INC: $12,500 · EnvironmentBattenkill Valley Health Center Inc: $36,500 · HealthGUNSENSEVT: $15,000 · Civil Rights
Other$1,394,510International$195,000Arts & Culture$95,000Education$70,000Environment$53,500Health$36,500Civil Rights$15,000

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 budgetHands Together Inc: $195,000 over 7y, 1.6% of budgetVERMONT YOUTH ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATION INC: $90,000 over 6y, 3.6% of budgetTHE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA FOUNDATION: $60,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetPRIMARY SOURCE INC: $52,000 over 3y, 5.5% of budgetADIRONDACK MOUNTAIN CLUB INC: $41,000 over 5y, 0.5% of budgetBattenkill Valley Health Center Inc: $36,500 over 4y, 0.7% of budgetFOUR WINDS NATURE INSTITUTE INC: $12,500 over 1y, 4.5% of budgetThe Charlie Cart Project: $10,000 over 1y, 1.1% of budgetBISHOPACCOUNTABILITYORG: $6,000 over 3y, 0.5% of budgetBOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF BURLINGTON INC: $1,000 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.

  • Who funds Hands Together Inc ↗
  • Who funds VERMONT YOUTH ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATION INC ↗
  • Who funds THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds PRIMARY SOURCE INC ↗
  • Who funds ADIRONDACK MOUNTAIN CLUB INC ↗
  • Who funds Battenkill Valley Health Center Inc ↗
  • Who funds GUNSENSEVT ↗
  • Who funds FOUR WINDS NATURE INSTITUTE INC ↗
  • Who funds The Charlie Cart Project ↗
  • Who funds BISHOPACCOUNTABILITYORG ↗
  • Who funds ETHAN ALLEN INSTITUTE ↗
  • Who funds BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF BURLINGTON INC ↗

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 Vermont Community…Ge Aerospace Foundati…Morgan Stanley Global…Vanguard Charitable E…National Philanthropi…Donor Advised Charita…American Online Givin…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
The Vermont Community FoundationVT15.1× affinity5 shared granteesties to 8 of 8Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Vermont Community Foundation · Ge Aerospace Foundation · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · National Philanthropic Trust · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · American Online Giving Foundation 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 Marier Cunningham Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Marier Cunningham Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 40%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%19%38%56%75%share of the org’s income from government →median 23%
  • Battenkill Valley Health Center Inc: 33% of income from government
  • Primary Source Inc: 23% of income from government
  • Boys and Girls Club of Burlington Inc: 16% of income from government
  • Vermont Youth Orchestra Association Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
4get no government money at all
1report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–75%
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.

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 20 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.

Possibly out of date. A more recent filing (FY2025) is on record and reports no grant expense, so the figures above are from FY2024, the most recent year this funder made grants.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Marier Cunningham’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