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Michael and Laura Brader-Araje Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Michael and Laura Brader-Araje 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.

$249k
Granted FY2024still arriving
12
Grants FY2024still arriving
3
States reached
$60k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Education$562kArts & Culture$369kRecreation & Sports$171kHealth$171kScience & Tech$78kHuman Services$63kYouth Development$59kPublic Benefit$58kOther$0
02FY2024 · 12 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k3 grants · $15k
  • $10k–50k7 grants · $125k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $110k
$17,500
Median grant
3
States reached
$5.3M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
CHAPEL HILL-CARRBORO CHILDREN'S MUSEUM DBA KIDZU CHILDREN'S MUSEUM$60,000
UNC HEALTH FOUNDATION$50,000
Individual grant recipient$30,000
PLANNED PARENTHOOD - SOUTH ATLANTIC$20,000
LILLIAN'S LIST FOUNDATION$20,000
MOREHEAD PLANETARIUM & SCIENCE CENTER$17,500
TRIANGLE ULTIMATE$15,000
DUKE UNIVERSITY$12,000
LAFAYETTE COLLEGE$10,000
ELON UNIVERSITY$7,500
JUST TRYAN IT$5,000
DTH MEDIA CORP$2,000
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 11%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 75% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%LAFAYETTE COLLEGE: $50k → 11%MS FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN: $25k → 20%WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: $60k → 11%PLANNED PARENTHOOD - SOUTH ATLANTIC: $20k → 8%WUNC RADIO: $30k → 9%KIDZNOTES: $30k → 11%ELON UNIVERSITY: $10k → 13%THE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION: $50k → 13%LAFAYETTE COLLEGE: $25k → 11%WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: $50k → 11%PLANNED PARENTHOOD - SOUTH ATLANTIC: $10k → 8%WUNC RADIO: $26k → 9%KIDZNOTES: $10k → 11%THE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION: $50k → 13%LAFAYETTE COLLEGE: $18k → 11%WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: $10k → 11%PLANNED PARENTHOOD - SOUTH ATLANTIC: $10k → 8%WUNC RADIO: $25k → 9%KIDZNOTES: $10k → 11%LAFAYETTE COLLEGE: $10k → 11%WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: $10k → 11%WUNC RADIO: $25k → 9%CAROLINA FRIENDS SCHOOL: $75k → 11%CHAPEL HILL-CARRBORO CHILDREN'S MUSEUM DBA KIDZU CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $60k → 13%LAFAYETTE COLLEGE: $10k → 11%WUNC RADIO: $25k → 9%CAROLINA FRIENDS SCHOOL: $26k → 11%CHAPEL HILL-CARRBORO CHILDREN'S MUSEUM DBA KIDZU CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $50k → 13%WUNC RADIO: $25k → 9%DUKE UNIVERSITY: $12k → 11%FRIENDS OF CHAPEL HILL PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT: $25k → 13%WUNC RADIO: $25k → 9%CAROLINA FRIENDS SCHOOL: $11k → 11%KIDZU CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $20k → 13%TRIANGLE VOLLEYBALL CLUB: $26k → 8%MOREHEAD PLANETARIUM: $20k → 13%TRIANGLE ULTIMATE: $25k → 8%UNC CHAPEL HILL PUBLIC HEALTH FOUNDATION: $20k → 13%TRIANGLE ULTIMATE: $15k → 8%MOREHEAD PLANETARIUM & SCIENCE CENTER: $18k → 13%MOREHEAD PLANETARIUM: $15k → 13%TRIANGLE UNITED SOCCER: $15k → 13%LILLIAN'S LIST FOUNDATION: $20k → 8%LILLIAN'S LIST FOUNDATION: $20k → 8%INTER-FAITH COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL SERVICE: $25k → 13%INTER-FAITH COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL SERVICE: $25k → 13%UNC HEALTH FOUNDATION: $50k → 13%UNC HEALTH FOUNDATION: $25k → 13%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.

89%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.4M · 24 repeat orgs$169k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +28% since the first grant, against +10% for those funded once.

24 repeat relationships: 11 still active in FY2024, 13 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

24
19

Total granted

$1.4M
$157k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+28%
+10%

Still filing today

71%
53%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 95% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $12k 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
EducationHealthArts & CultureRecreation & SportsCivil RightsYouth DevelopmentOther
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

  • LC
    LAFAYETTE COLLEGE
    7× · 2017–2024 · $133k · revenue +28%
  • WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
    4× · 2020–2023 · $130k · revenue +16%
  • CF
    CAROLINA FRIENDS SCHOOL
    5× · 2017–2023 · $125k · revenue +30%

Funded once

  • MS FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN INCgraduated
    one grant, 2019 · $25k · revenue +112%
  • FO
    Friends of Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation Department
    one grant, 2017 · $25k · revenue -98%
  • TU
    THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL PUBLIC HEALTH FOUNDATION INC
    one grant, 2019 · $20k · revenue +10%
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
Barton College

Founded in 1902, barton college is a four-year, private, liberal arts college located in wilson, n.c. the barton experience focuses on academic excellence within a wide range of professional and liberal arts programs leading to…

Education
2
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
3
Foundation of the University of North Carolina At Charlotte

The foundation of unc charlotte receives contributions to promote and develop the academic and educational purpose of unc charlotte by providing support for operations, educational programs, and scholarships for the university and its…

—
4
Triangle Global Health Consortium Inc

The mission of the north carolina global health alliance is to advance north carolina as an international center for research, training, education, advocacy and business dedicated to improving the health of the world's communities. we…

Health
5
North Carolina State University College of Sciences Foundation Inc

Provide financial support for all types of education and research within the college of sciences at north carolina state university.

Philanthropy
6
Student U

Our mission is to empower and equip first-generation college students in durham public schools, their families, and educators to become the leaders that will transform our city.

Education
7
Columbia College

Columbia college provides educational opportunities that develop students' capacity for critical thought and expression, life-long learning, acceptance of personal responsibilty, and commitment to service and social justice.

Education
8
Lehigh University

The university's goal in the coming decade is to advance learning through the integration of teaching, research and service to others. the core of this goal is to prepare graduates to engage with the world and lead lives of meaning. to do…

Education
9
The Montessori School of Raleigh Inc

The montessori school of raleigh (msr) and carolina preparatory academy (carolina prep) are the triangle's modern embodiment and mindful practice of the time-proven montessori philosophy and the world-renowned international baccalaureate…

Education
10
Greensboro College

Greensboro College provides a liberal arts education grounded in the traditions of the United Methodist Church and fosters the intellectual, social, and spiritual development of all students while supporting their individual needs.

Education
11
North Carolina Biotechnology Center

The north carolina biotechnology center aids the biotechnology-related efforts of researchers, businesses, state and federal governments, and other agencies primarily through awards of grants and loans related to specific programs and…

Science & Tech
12
North Carolina State University Foundation Inc

Supports, by financial assistance and otherwise, the various colleges within the university, the libraries, and other university-connected functions.

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The Educational Foundation Inc; the most unlike its peers is Carolina Swims Foundation. 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

28 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. 28 of the 44 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)
7
Early backer (in before they grew)
28/28
Grantees still filing
21/28
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Individual grant recipient: $181,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipientCAROLINA FRIENDS SCHOOL: $124,645 · OtherCAROLINA FRIENDS SCHOOLCHAPEL HILL-CARRBORO CHILDREN'S MUSEUM DBA KIDZU CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $110,000 · OtherCHAPEL HILL-CARRBORO CHILDREN'S MUSEUM DBA KIDZU CHILDREN'S MUSE…THE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION INC: $106,000 · OtherTHE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION INCINTER-FAITH COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL SERVICE INC: $63,000 · OtherINTER-FAITH COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL SERVICE INCTHE NORTH CAROLINA CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $50,000 · OtherTHE NORTH CAROLINA CHILDREN'S MUSEUMIndividual grant recipient: $50,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipientCHAPEL HILL-CARRBORO YMCA: $45,000 · Other+19 more: $187,222 · Other+19 moreLAFAYETTE COLLEGE: $133,250 · EducationLAFAYETTE COLLEGEWASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: $130,000 · EducationWASHINGTON UNIVERSITYUNC HEALTH FOUNDATION INC: $87,500 · EducationUNC HEALTH FOUNDATION INCElon University: $17,500 · Education+3 more: $18,600 · EducationLillian's List Foundation: $54,000 · Civil RightsMS FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN INC: $25,000 · Civil RightsPLANNED PARENTHOOD SOUTH ATLANTIC INC: $52,000 · HealthCLUB NOVA COMMUNITY INC: $10,000 · HealthORANGE COUNTY RAPE CRISIS CENTER: $10,000 · HealthTRIANGLE FLYING DISC ASSOCIATION: $40,000 · Recreation & SportsTRIANGLE VOLLEYBALL CLUB INC: $29,000 · Recreation & SportsKIDZNOTES INC: $50,000 · Arts & CultureFRANKLIN STREET ARTS COLLECTIVE D/B/A FRANK GALLERY: $7,500 · Arts & CultureJUST TRYAN IT INC: $20,400 · Philanthropy
Other$916,867Education$386,850Civil Rights$79,000Health$72,000Recreation & Sports$69,000Arts & Culture$57,500Philanthropy$20,400

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 budgetLAFAYETTE COLLEGE: $133,250 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetWASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: $130,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetCAROLINA FRIENDS SCHOOL: $124,645 over 5y, 0.5% of budgetTHE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION INC: $106,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetUNC HEALTH FOUNDATION INC: $87,500 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetINTER-FAITH COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL SERVICE INC: $63,000 over 4y, 1.1% of budgetLillian's List Foundation: $54,000 over 4y, 9.1% of budgetPLANNED PARENTHOOD SOUTH ATLANTIC INC: $52,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetKIDZNOTES INC: $50,000 over 3y, 2.8% of budgetTHE NORTH CAROLINA CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $50,000 over 4y, 3.4% of budgetTRIANGLE FLYING DISC ASSOCIATION: $40,000 over 2y, 3.7% of budgetTRIANGLE VOLLEYBALL CLUB INC: $29,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetMS FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetFriends of Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation Department: $25,000 over 1y, 2.7% of budgetJUST TRYAN IT INC: $20,400 over 6y, 0.9% of budgetTHE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL PUBLIC HEALTH FOUNDATION INC: $20,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetDTH MEDIA CORPORATION: $18,000 over 5y, 0.9% of budgetElon University: $17,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetDUKE UNIVERSITY: $12,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCLUB NOVA COMMUNITY INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetORANGE COUNTY RAPE CRISIS CENTER: $10,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetFRANKLIN STREET ARTS COLLECTIVE D/B/A FRANK GALLERY: $7,500 over 2y, 2.5% of budgetFOOD BANK OF CENTRAL & EASTERN NC INC: $5,700 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTRIANGLE BIKEWORKS INC: $5,000 over 1y, 2.4% of budgetCAROLINA SWIMS FOUNDATION: $2,522 over 3y, 19% of budgetOLD BALDY FOUNDATION INC: $2,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetMONTESSORI COMMUNITY SCHOOL INC: $1,600 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetVOICES TOGETHER 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.

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.

Triangle Community Fo…Strowd Roses IncDuke Energy FoundationBertsch Family Charit…The Mary Duke Biddle …United Way of the Gre…Z Smith Reynolds Foun…Ge Aerospace Foundati…Raymond James Charita…The Pfizer Foundation…Morgan Stanley Global…National Philanthropi…
Triangle Community Foundation IncNC27× affinity11 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Triangle Community Foundation Inc · Strowd Roses Inc · Duke Energy Foundation · Bertsch Family Charitable Foundation Inc · The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation Missionpost Pmb #101 · United Way of the Greater Triangle Inc · Z Smith Reynolds Foundation Inc · Ge Aerospace Foundation · Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund · The Pfizer Foundation Inc · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · National Philanthropic Trust

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 Michael and Laura Brader-Araje Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Michael and Laura Brader-Araje Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%1%5%11%20%funder's share of their income ↑0%8%15%22%30%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get no government money at all
    7report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–30%
    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 44 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 Michael and Laura Brader-Araje’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