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Messer Construction Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Messer Construction 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.

$553k
Granted FY2025still arriving
13
Grants FY2025still arriving
4
States reached
$150k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0193% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2024 to 2025.

Health$413kHuman Services$124kArts & Culture$85kEducation$50kEmployment$25kFood & Nutrition$25kYouth Development$25kHousing & Shelter$11kOther$0
02FY2025 · 13 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k2 grants · $8k
  • $10k–50k6 grants · $130k
  • $50k–250k5 grants · $415k
$25,000
Median grant
4
States reached
$625k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
UC Foundation$150,000
Norton Healthcare Foundation$85,000
Cincinnati Childrens Medical Center$70,000
Americas River Roots Experience$60,000
Ohio Health Foundation$50,000
Project HOPE Foundation$25,000
Wesley House Community Center$25,000
Lexington Hearing Speech Center$25,000
Childrens Home of Northern KY$25,000
University of Louisville Foundation$20,000
Depauw University$10,000
BLOC Ministries$3,750
Habitat for Humanity Johnson County$3,750
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 (FY24–25, $50k) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 50% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants spread fairly evenly across need levels.

area typical 11%Shepherd Community Center: $25k → 16%Project HOPE Foundation: $25k → 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.
04

Where the work is directed

The same grants placed two ways: where each recipient sits, and where its stated purpose sends the money.

About 8% of Messer Construction Foundation’s grant dollars are earmarked for a different county than the recipient’s own address. By recipient address, 52% of the giving stays in OH; by stated purpose, 58%.

Messer Construction Foundationlessmore of its giving
Placed by recipient address
How this is measured
Recipient view: each grant at its grantee’s ZIP, mapped to a county. Directed view: each grant at the county its stated purpose names, falling back to the recipient’s county when the purpose names no place; US grants only. A county shows only if it carries the top 95% of that view’s dollars. Purposes are read from the funder’s own 990 grant descriptions.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

43%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$435k · 3 repeat orgs$577k to everyone else

3 repeat relationships: 3 still active in FY2025, 0 since wound down; 10 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

3
12

Total granted

$435k
$279k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

0%
0%

Still filing today

67%
75%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 46% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $298k went to new ones.

50%100%’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’24’25
HealthEducationHuman ServicesHousing & ShelterFood & NutritionEmploymentOther
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

  • UF
    UC Foundation
    2× · 2024–2025 · $250k
  • NH
    NORTON HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION INC
    2× · 2024–2025 · $145k · revenue 0%
  • UO
    UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE FOUNDATION INC
    2× · 2024–2025 · $40k · revenue -26%

Funded once

  • CH
    CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER
    2× · 2024–2025 · $60k · revenue +4%
  • ES
    EasterSeals Servicing Grater Cincinnati
    2× · 2024–2025 · $49k
  • NF
    NASHVILLE FOOD PROJECT INC
    2× · 2024–2025 · $25k · revenue 0%
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
University Family Physicians Inc

Engage actively and continuously in medical research, education and training in the practice of medicine in conjunction with the department of family medicine of the indiana university school of medicine and indiana university…

—
2
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
3
Indiana University Health Frankfort Inc

Lead the transformation of healthcare through quality, innovation & education, and make Indiana one of the nation's healthiest states.

Health
4
Indiana University Health West Hospital Inc

Lead the transformation of healthcare through quality, innovation & education, and make Indiana one of the nation's healthiest states.

Health
5
Indiana University Health Bedford Inc

Lead the transformation of healthcare through quality, innovation & education, and make Indiana one of the nation's healthiest states.

Health
6
Union Health System

To serve our communities by provding innovative and compassionate healthcare.

Health
7
Indiana University Health Bloomington Inc

Lead the transformation of healthcare through quality, innovation & education, and make Indiana one of the nation's healthiest states.

Health
8
University Hospital & Clinics Inc

The organization provides medical care to improve, maintain, and restore the health of the people in the communities we serve.

Health
9
Indiana University Health Care Associates Inc

To deliver preeminent medical care and service to our patients and communities through outstanding and innovative medical leadership and practice, while participating in and supporting excellence in education and research. We achieve this…

Health
10
Indiana University Health Jay Inc

Lead the transformation of healthcare through quality, innovation & education, and make Indiana one of the nation's healthiest states.

Health
11
Indiana University Health North Hospital Inc

Lead the transformation of healthcare through quality, innovation & education, and make Indiana one of the nation's healthiest states.

Health
12
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Inc

To make kids better today and healthier tomorrow.

Health
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Children's Hospital Medical Center; the most unlike its peers is Lexington Hearing & Speech Center Inc Dba the Hearing & Speech Center Inc. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
05the grantee network

16 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. 16 of the 25 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)
1
Early backer (in before they grew)
16/16
Grantees still filing
5/16
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

UC Foundation: $250,000 · OtherUC FoundationCincinnati Childrens Medical Center: $70,000 · OtherCincinnati Childrens Medical CenterAmericas River Roots Experience: $60,000 · OtherAmericas River Roots ExperienceOHIOHEALTH CORPORATION: $50,000 · OtherOHIOHEALTH CORPORATIONEasterSeals Servicing Grater Cincinnati: $49,000 · OtherEasterSeals Servicing Grater CincinnatiLEXINGTON HEARING & SPEECH CENTER INC DBA THE HEARING & SPEECH CENTER INC: $25,000 · OtherChildrens Home of Northern KY: $25,000 · OtherBOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF INDIANAPOLIS INC: $25,000 · OtherWesley House Community Center: $25,000 · OtherSt Elizabeth Health Care Foundation: $22,500 · Other+5 more: $25,000 · OtherNORTON HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION INC: $145,000 · HealthNORTON HEALTHCARE FOUND…CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER: $60,000 · HealthCHILDREN'S HOSPITAL MED…+1 more: $5,000 · HealthUNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE FOUNDATION INC: $40,000 · EducationDePauw University: $10,000 · EducationPROJECT HOPE FOUNDATION INC: $25,000 · Human ServicesShepherd Community Inc: $25,000 · Human ServicesNASHVILLE FOOD PROJECT INC: $25,000 · Food & NutritionGOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF THE SOUTHERN PIEDMONT INC: $25,000 · EmploymentSOUTH CAROLINA CHILDREN'S THEATRE: $25,000 · Arts & Culture
Other$626,500Health$210,000Education$50,000Human Services$50,000Food & Nutrition$25,000Employment$25,000Arts & Culture$25,000

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

25%50%75%100%$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetNORTON HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION INC: $145,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetCHILDREN'S HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER: $60,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE FOUNDATION INC: $40,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNASHVILLE FOOD PROJECT INC: $25,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetPROJECT HOPE FOUNDATION INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetLEXINGTON HEARING & SPEECH CENTER INC DBA THE HEARING & SPEECH CENTER INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetGOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF THE SOUTHERN PIEDMONT INC: $25,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetBOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF INDIANAPOLIS INC: $25,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetShepherd Community Inc: $25,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetSOUTH CAROLINA CHILDREN'S THEATRE: $25,000 over 2y, 1.7% of budgetDePauw University: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUNIVERSITY HEALTH SYSTEM INC: $5,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCORNERSTONE RENTER EQUITY INC: $3,750 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetHabitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati: $3,750 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetHABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF JOHNSON COUNTY: $3,750 over 1y, 0.3% 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.

Charities Aid Foundat…Truist Foundation IncDuke Energy FoundationEnterprise Holdings F…The Blackbaud Giving …Morgan Stanley Global…National Philanthropi…The Bank of America C…Natl Christian Charit…Donor Advised Charita…Vanguard Charitable E…American Online Givin…
Charities Aid Foundation AmericaVA13.2× affinity7 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Charities Aid Foundation America · Truist Foundation Inc · Duke Energy Foundation · Enterprise Holdings Foundation · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Natl Christian Charitable Fdn Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · American Online Giving Foundation 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 Messer Construction Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Messer Construction Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%3%5%8%10%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get 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
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–10%
    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 Messer Construction Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Messer Construction 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 25 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

    Play a game based on Messer Construction’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