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Marlu Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Marlu 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.

$376k
Granted FY2024still arriving
7
Grants FY2024still arriving
5
States reached
$200k
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, FY2020 to 2024.

Philanthropy$200kArts & Culture$170kEducation$165kHuman Services$155kFood & Nutrition$100kEnvironment$77kRecreation & Sports$50kHealth$50kOther$0
02FY2024 · 7 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • $10k–50k5 grants · $100k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $277k
$25,000
Median grant
5
States reached
$3.8M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
PLUMIER FOUNDATION$200,000
DUCKS UNLIMITED$76,531
EMPOWER ME ACADEMY$25,000
PLAY ON PHILLY$25,000
ALK POSITIVE$24,963
TEDDY MALONEY FOUNDATION$15,000
SULLIVAN COUNTY SCHOLARSHIP ASSOCIATION$10,000
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:

Its human-services grants (FY20–24, $180k) land where the poverty rate runs at 7%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 6% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%AMERICAN CORPORATE PARTNERS: $10k → 17%THIRD OPTION FOUNDATION: $80k → 6%TEDDY MALONEY FOUNDATION: $25k → 9%THIRD OPTION FOUNDATION: $50k → 6%TEDDY MALONEY FOUNDATION: $15k → 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

IL
NY
PA
CT
CA
VA
MD
TN
DC
GA
TX
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.

32%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$311k · 4 repeat orgs$667k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +39% since the first grant, against +4% for those funded once.

4 repeat relationships: 2 still active in FY2024, 2 since wound down; 5 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

4
9

Total granted

$311k
$330k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+39%
+4%

Still filing today

100%
44%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 11% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $336k went to new ones.

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

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

’20’21’22’23’24
Arts & CultureHuman ServicesPhilanthropyEnvironmentEducationRecreation & SportsOther
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

  • TO
    THIRD OPTION FOUNDATION
    2× · 2020–2021 · $130k · revenue +623%
  • BS
    BRUNSWICK SCHOOL INC
    3× · 2020–2022 · $90k · revenue +39%
  • TM
    TEDDY MALONEY FOUNDATION INC
    2× · 2023–2024 · $40k · revenue +37% · 42% of their budget

Funded once

  • NAVY SEAL FOUNDATION INC
    one grant, 2023 · $100k · revenue -7%
  • FJ
    Farm Journal Agricultural Foundationgraduated
    one grant, 2023 · $100k · revenue +408%
  • EM
    EAGLES MERE HISTORIC VILLAGE INC
    one grant, 2021 · $35k · revenue -64%
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
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.

—
2
Us Naval Academy Foundation Inc

To support, promote, and advance the mission of the naval academy.

Education
3
The Graduate School of the Stowers Institute for Medical Research

The graduate school of the stowers institute for medical research ("gssimr") exempt purpose is to provide graduate education that will prepare scholars for scientific research in the biological sciences.

Education
4
The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel

Enhance the ability of actec members to provide the most efficient and highest quality services to their clients; develop qualified trust and estate counselors; improve and reform probate, trust and tax laws, procedures, and standards of…

Community Improvement
5
Dolphin Scholarship Foundation

The dolphin scholarship foundation (dsf) believes that enhancement of both human potential and quality of life is achievable through education. many sons, daughters, and spouses of u.s. navy submariners face financial obstacles while…

Education
6
The Kimmy Duong Foundation
Philanthropy
7
American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research

The american enterprise institute is a community of scholars and supporters committed to expanding liberty, increasing individual opportunity, and strengthening free enterprise. aei pursues these ideals through independent thinking and the…

Social Science
8
Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School

Wyoming seminary inspires students to lead lives of integrity, purpose, and excellence by developing the critical skills and spirit of community necessary to succeed and serve in a global society.

Education
9
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
10
Naval Postgraduate School Foundation Inc

Our mission is to support the naval postgraduate school by providing funding and programmatic support for education, research, technology development, institutional initiatives, and community programs that advance national security and…

Education
11
Governor Dummer Academy the Governor's Academy

Together, we teach and learn skills that foster the courage to discover our voices, develop old and new passions, practice balance in the pursuit of excellence, and collaborate in building vibrant,inclusive, and sustainable communities.

Education
12
Pat Tillman Foundation

In 2002, pat tillman proudly put his nfl career with the arizona cardinals on hold to serve his country. family and friends established the pat tillman foundation following pat's death in april 2004 while serving with the 75th ranger…

Philanthropy
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Navy Seal Foundation Inc; the most unlike its peers is Sullivan County Scholarship Association 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

13 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. 13 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.

1
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
13/13
Grantees still filing
6/13
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

PLUMIER FOUNDATION INC: $200,000 · PhilanthropyPLUMIER FOUNDATION INCFarm Journal Agricultural Foundation: $100,000 · PhilanthropyFarm Journal Agricultural Foundati…THIRD OPTION FOUNDATION: $130,210 · Human ServicesTHIRD OPTION FOUNDAT…TEDDY MALONEY FOUNDATION INC: $40,000 · Human ServicesTEDDY MALONEY FOUNDA…AMERICAN CORPORATE PARTNERS: $10,000 · Human ServicesAMERICAN CORPORATE P…NAVY SEAL FOUNDATION INC: $100,000 · Arts & CultureNAVY SEAL FOUNDATI…EAGLES MERE HISTORIC VILLAGE INC: $35,000 · Arts & CultureEAGLES MERE HISTOR…PLAY ON PHILLY: $25,000 · Arts & CulturePLAY ON PHILLYROBERT PACKARD CENTER FOR ALS: $25,000 · OtherROBERT PACKAR…EPISCOPAL CHARITIES: $25,000 · OtherEPISCOPAL CHA…COW HOLLOW SCHOOL: $25,000 · OtherCOW HOLLOW SC…ALK POSITIVE INC: $24,963 · OtherALK POSITIVE …EAGLES MERE MUSEUM: $10,000 · OtherEAGLES MERE M…SULLIVAN COUNTY SCHOLARSHIP ASSOCIATION INC: $10,000 · OtherSULLIVAN COUN…+1 more: $17 · OtherBRUNSWICK SCHOOL INC: $90,363 · EducationBRUNSWICK …Ducks Unlimited Inc: $76,531 · EnvironmentEmpower Me Academy: $50,000 · Recreation & Sports
Philanthropy$300,000Human Services$180,210Arts & Culture$160,000Other$119,980Education$90,363Environment$76,531Recreation & Sports$50,000

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

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetPLUMIER FOUNDATION INC: $200,000 over 1y, 21% of budgetTHIRD OPTION FOUNDATION: $130,210 over 2y, 2.8% of budgetNAVY SEAL FOUNDATION INC: $100,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetFarm Journal Agricultural Foundation: $100,000 over 1y, 7.8% of budgetBRUNSWICK SCHOOL INC: $90,363 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetDucks Unlimited Inc: $76,531 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetEmpower Me Academy: $50,000 over 2y, 1.5% of budgetTEDDY MALONEY FOUNDATION INC: $40,000 over 2y, 42% of budgetEAGLES MERE HISTORIC VILLAGE INC: $35,000 over 1y, 10% of budgetPLAY ON PHILLY: $25,000 over 1y, 1.1% of budgetALK POSITIVE INC: $24,963 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetSULLIVAN COUNTY SCHOLARSHIP ASSOCIATION INC: $10,000 over 1y, 13% of budgetAMERICAN CORPORATE PARTNERS: $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.

National Philanthropi…Morgan Stanley Global…The Bank of America C…Fidelity Investments …Donor Advised Charita…Amazonsmile Foundation
National Philanthropic TrustPA8.8× affinity5 shared granteesties to 5 of 5Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: National Philanthropic Trust · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · 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 Marlu Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Marlu Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 30%3%13%28%50%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    3get no government money at all
    2report 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
    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 Marlu Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Marlu 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 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 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Marlu’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