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Minnesota · Private foundation

Mersky 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.

$136k
Granted FY2025(still arriving)
34
Grants FY2025
36
Organizations funded FY2024
3%
First-time grantees FY2024
Read the full brief
Median grant, FY2025
$2,500
Largest grant, FY2025
$32,500
Organizations funded a year
1 to 46
FY2018 to FY2024
States reached, FY2025
4
Total assets, FY2025
$3.3M
Applications
Preselected organizations only
Per its most recent filing; check its own site

How open it is to new grantees

In FY2024, 3% of the organizations Mersky Family Foundation funded were first-time grantees, receiving 1% of its grant dollars.

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 99% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $2k went to new ones.

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

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

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
Arts & CultureEducationHuman ServicesHealthYouth DevelopmentInternationalOther
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.
The numbers by year
Fiscal yearOrganizations fundedTo those organizationsFirst-time grantees
FY2025still arriving34$136k12%
FY202436$157k3%
FY202337$164k14%
FY202239$172k31%
FY20211$1k100%
FY202035$140k11%
FY201930$138k27%
FY201846$87k22%
98% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Arts & Culture$426kHousing & Shelter$158kHuman Services$106kYouth Development$94kEducation$82kHealth$81kInternational$77kPhilanthropy$30kOther$0

Where its grants go

Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.

Which US states its grants reach

ND
MN
WI
NY
OR
IA
NJ
CO
KY
TN
DC
TX

Top grantees

Largest recipients by total granted, FY2017 to FY2025, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.

Show all 68 grantees
All grantees of Mersky Family Foundation by total granted
GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Minneapolis Society of Fine Arts Dba Minneapolis Institute of Arts$72,82250%
Carbondale Clay Center$67,50042%
United States Fund for Unicef$37,50070%
Sholom Foundation$36,30070%
North Dakota Museum of Art$35,84070%
Project Success$34,10060%
Aeon$32,50050%
Jewish Family Service of St Paul$32,50050%
Walker Art Center$30,00080%
Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity$29,50070%
Commonbond Communities$29,40060%
Highpoint Center for Printmaking$29,00061%
The Bridge for Youth$28,10070%
Minnesota Museum of American Art$22,72260%
Jewish Family and Children's Service of Minneapolis$21,00030%
West Side Community Health Services Inc$20,70080%
Guthrie Theater Foundation$20,50070%
Minnesota Orchestral Association$20,00060%
Gather1$19,50032%
Guild$19,00070%
Minnesota Public Radio American Public Media$17,50070%
Homes Fit for Heroes Inc$17,00071%
Project for Pride in Living Inc$16,80030%
Teach for America Inc$16,80040%
Kids in Need Foundation$15,45070%
Boys and Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities$15,30030%
Hennepin Theatre Trust$15,00060%
Washburn Center for Children$14,70040%
Summit Academy Oic$14,00040%
Second Harvest Heartland$13,50020%
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities$12,30020%
Hennepin Health Foundation$12,00060%
Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas$11,00020%
Humor to Fight the Tumor Foundation$11,0002n/a
Youthlink$10,00010%
Cristo Rey Jesuit High School$9,5004n/a
St Paul Academy and Summit School$8,50030%
Twin Cities Public Television Inc$7,00040%
Six Points Theater$6,50040%
Jeremiah Program$6,50030%
Northside Achievement Zone$6,00040%
Saint Paul Central Scholarship Fund$5,50024%
Salvation Army$5,0003n/a
Agate Housing & Services Inc$4,00010%
Free Arts Minnesota$3,0001n/a
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra Society$3,00010%
Penumbra Theatre Company Inc$3,00030%
Northern Clay Center$3,00020%
Achieve Twin Cities$2,50010%
Platteforum$2,50011%
One Acre Fund$2,00020%
Students Today Leaders Forever$2,00010%
Graywolf Press$2,00020%
Metro Meals on Wheels Inc$1,55030%
Minnesota Jewish Community Center$1,0001n/a
Hennepin Arts$1,00010%
National Parks Conservation Association$1,00020%
Chai Lifeline Inc$1,00010%
Midway Contemporary Art$70020%
Midwest Special Services Inc$60020%
Domestic Abuse Project Inc$60020%
Friends of the Hennepin County Library$55020%
Museum of Arts and Design$40020%
Camp Courageous of Iowa$30020%
Minnesotans' Military Appreciation Fund$25010%
Creative Capital Foundation$25010%
Avivo$20020%
Bill and Bonnie Daniels Firefighter$10020%

What it could do for these grantees

Plus 30 recipients with no EIN on record ($163k), not named here.

Where it is load-bearing

Each grantee by its size and the share of its budget Mersky Family Foundation supplied at peak.

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetMinneapolis Society of Fine Arts Dba Minneapolis Institute of Arts: $72,822 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetCarbondale Clay Center: $67,500 over 4y, 2.0% of budgetUnited States Fund for Unicef: $37,500 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetSholom Foundation: $36,300 over 7y, 0.3% of budgetNorth Dakota Museum of Art: $35,840 over 7y, 0.5% of budgetProject Success: $34,100 over 6y, 0.2% of budgetAeon: $32,500 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetJewish Family Service of St Paul: $32,500 over 5y, 0.3% of budgetWalker Art Center: $30,000 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetTwin Cities Habitat for Humanity: $29,500 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetCommonbond Communities: $29,400 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetHighpoint Center for Printmaking: $29,000 over 6y, 1.4% of budgetThe Bridge for Youth: $28,100 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetMinnesota Museum of American Art: $22,722 over 6y, 0.2% of budgetJewish Family and Children's Service of Minneapolis: $21,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetWest Side Community Health Services Inc: $20,700 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetGuthrie Theater Foundation: $20,500 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetMinnesota Orchestral Association: $20,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetGather1: $19,500 over 3y, 1.5% of budgetGuild: $19,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetMinnesota Public Radio American Public Media: $17,500 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetHomes Fit for Heroes Inc: $17,000 over 7y, 0.8% of budgetProject for Pride in Living Inc: $16,800 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetTeach for America Inc: $16,800 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetKids in Need Foundation: $15,450 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetBoys and Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities: $15,300 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetHennepin Theatre Trust: $15,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetWashburn Center for Children: $14,700 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetSummit Academy Oic: $14,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetSecond Harvest Heartland: $13,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetBig Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities: $12,300 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetHennepin Health Foundation: $12,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetJewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas: $11,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetYouthlink: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetSt Paul Academy and Summit School: $8,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetTwin Cities Public Television Inc: $7,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetSix Points Theater: $6,500 over 4y, 0.4% of budgetJeremiah Program: $6,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetNorthside Achievement Zone: $6,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetSaint Paul Central Scholarship Fund: $5,500 over 2y, 4.4% of budgetAgate Housing & Services Inc: $4,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetThe Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra Society: $3,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPenumbra Theatre Company Inc: $3,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetNorthern Clay Center: $3,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetAchieve Twin Cities: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPlatteforum: $2,500 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetOne Acre Fund: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetStudents Today Leaders Forever: $2,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budget

Tap a dot to name the grantee.

How this is measured
Share of budget is the funder’s grant in a year over the grantee’s total revenue that year, at its highest across the years we hold; revenue is from all sources. Only grantees confirmed against their own filings, whose grants do not exceed their revenue, are plotted: the largest 63.

Nonprofits that may fit its grantmaking

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 Minneapolis FoundationMN42.4× affinity23 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Minneapolis Foundation · Otto Bremer Trust · Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation · The McKnight Foundation · Mightycause Charitable Foundation · Target Foundation · The Richard M Schulze Family Foundation · Fr Bigelow Foundation · Xcel Energy Foundation · Greater Twin Cities United Way · The K Foundation · Patrick and Aimee Butler Family

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.

Compare Mersky Family Foundation with peer funders

About Mersky Family Foundation

How much does Mersky Family Foundation give?
Mersky Family Foundation reported 34 grants totaling $135,500 in its FY2025 IRS filing. It funded between 1 and 46 organizations a year over FY2018 to FY2024.
What does Mersky Family Foundation fund?
By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2025, its largest causes are Arts & Culture (39%), Housing & Shelter (14%), Human Services (10%).
Who are Mersky Family Foundation's largest grantees?
By total granted over FY2017 to FY2025: Minneapolis Society of Fine Arts Dba Minneapolis Institute of Arts ($73k), Carbondale Clay Center ($68k), United States Fund for Unicef ($38k).
Does Mersky Family Foundation fund new organizations?
In FY2024, 3% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
Does Mersky Family Foundation accept unsolicited applications?
Its most recent filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and does not take unsolicited requests. Check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.
Which funders back the same organizations as Mersky Family Foundation?
Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include The Minneapolis Foundation, Otto Bremer Trust, Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation.
Where is Mersky Family Foundation based?
Mersky Family Foundation is based in MN.

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 99 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

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