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Nate and Elissa Lowery Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Nate and Elissa Lowery 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.

$72k
Granted FY2023
9
Grants FY2023
5
States reached
$34k
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 2023.

Health$145kEducation$120kCommunity Improvement$78kPublic Benefit$61kInternational$55kPhilanthropy$50kFood & Nutrition$45kHuman Services$10kOther$0
02FY2023 · 9 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2023

  • Under $10k7 grants · $23k
  • $10k–50k2 grants · $49k
$5,000
Median grant
5
States reached
$72k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
INSTITUTE FOR CULTURAL EVOLUTION$34,000
PARTNERS RELIEF & DEVELOPMENT$15,000
UNITED WAY OF WASHTENAW COUNTY$5,000
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY$5,000
GROWING HOPE INC$5,000
WEST MICHIGAN AVIATION ACADEMY FOUNDATION$3,000
FRACTURED ATLAS INC$2,500
HELEN DEVOS CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION$1,000
PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE$1,000
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 (FY20–23) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 95% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE: $1k → 8%FRACTURED ATLAS INC: $3k → 17%EDUCATE GIRLS: $10k → 10%COMMUNITY ACTION HOUSE: $10k → 10%WEST MICHIGAN AVIATION ACADEMY FOUNDATION: $20k → 11%UNITED WAY OF WASHTENAW COUNTY: $40k → 14%ENDEAVOR DETROIT: $28k → 21%INSTITUTE FOR CULTURAL EVOLUTION: $34k → 12%TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: $10k → 11%INADCURE FOUNDATION: $5k → 16%PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE: $1k → 8%FRACTURED ATLAS INC: $3k → 17%WEST MICHIGAN AVIATION ACADEMY FOUNDATION: $15k → 11%UNITED WAY OF WASHTENAW COUNTY: $5k → 14%ENDEAVOR DETROIT: $25k → 21%INSTITUTE FOR CULTURAL EVOLUTION: $17k → 12%PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE: $1k → 8%FRACTURED ATLAS INC: $3k → 17%WEST MICHIGAN AVIATION ACADEMY FOUNDATION: $15k → 11%ANN ARBOR SPARK FOUNDATION: $5k → 14%ENDEAVOR DETROIT: $25k → 21%INSTITUTE FOR CULTURAL EVOLUTION: $10k → 12%AMERICAN INDIA FOUNDATION: $10k → 17%WEST MICHIGAN AVIATION ACADEMY FOUNDATION: $3k → 11%GROWING HOPE INC: $25k → 14%WEST MICHIGAN AVIATION ACADEMY FOUNDATION: $3k → 11%REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: $130k → 14%WEST MICHIGAN AVIATION ACADEMY FOUNDATION: $3k → 11%GROWING HOPE INC: $5k → 14%WEST MICHIGAN AVIATION ACADEMY: $3k → 11%GALENS MEDICAL SOCIETY: $500 → 14%SAINT MARY'S FOUNDATION: $3k → 11%GROWING HOPE INC: $5k → 14%SAINT MARYS FOUNDATION: $3k → 11%REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: $250 → 14%HELEN DEVOS CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION: $1k → 11%GROWING HOPE INC: $5k → 14%SPECTRUM HEALTH FOUNDATION: $1k → 11%SPECTRUM HEALTH FOUNDATION: $1k → 11%HELEN DEVOS CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION: $1k → 11%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.

91%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$520k · 13 repeat orgs$49k to everyone else

13 repeat relationships: 8 still active in FY2023, 5 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

13
8

Total granted

$520k
$49k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+15%
+28%

Still filing today

77%
88%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2023, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 went to new ones.

50%100%’20’21’22’23
RenewedFirst-time

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

’20’21’22’23
HealthEducationPhilanthropyCommunity ImprovementSocial ScienceYouth 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

  • ED
    ENDEAVOR DETROIT
    3× · 2020–2022 · $78k · revenue +113%
  • TI
    THE INSTITUTE FOR CULTURAL EVOLUTION
    3× · 2020–2023 · $61k · revenue +15%
  • GH
    GROWING HOPE INC
    3× · 2020–2023 · $40k · revenue +15%

Funded once

  • CA
    COMMUNITY ACTION HOUSEgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $10k · revenue +177%
  • EG
    EDUCATE GIRLS
    one grant, 2021 · $10k · revenue -19%
  • TA
    THE AMERICAN INDIA FOUNDATIONgraduated
    one grant, 2021 · $10k · revenue +68%
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
Alumni Association of the University of Michigan

The Association is an independent worldwide organization that nurtures lifelong relationships with and among current and future Michigan alumni. As a committed partner of the University the Association offers programs of relevance and…

Education
2
The Northern Michigan University Foundation

The nmu foundation will establish and foster relationships to generate resources that benefit the strategic goals of northern michigan university.

Education
3
Detroit Historical Society

The Detroit Historical Society tells Detroit's stories and why they matter through its exhibits, programs, outreach, and the preservation and dissemination of its artifacts and collections.

Arts & Culture
4
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The mission of mit is to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century.

Education
5
Business Leaders for Michigan Foundation

Business leaders for michigan is a nonprofit, nonpartisan statewide organization driven by ceos from the state's leading employers, all working toward a shared goal: making michigan a top 10 state for jobs, talent and a thriving economy.…

Community Improvement
6
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…

—
7
Arbor Research Collaborative for Health

Arbor research collaborative for health is committed to improving patient care through research that shapes medical policies and practice. in particular, arbor research conducts health outcomes research on chronic disease and end-stage…

Health
8
Harvard Club of Washington Dc

To inform and enrich the intellectual lives of 20,000 alumni of harvard university in the washington, dc area and to assist harvard university with respect to applicants and undergraduates from the dc area.

Education
9
Business Leaders for Michigan

Business leaders for michigan is a nonprofit, nonpartisan statewide organization driven by ceos from the state's leading employers, all working toward a shared goal: making michigan a top 10 state for jobs, talent and a thriving economy.…

—
10
Ucsf Foundation Investment Company

The organization provides professional investment management services for endowed gifts and financial assets entrusted to the ucsf foundation.

Education
11
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
12
Iit Research Institute

Perform basic research and preclinical efficacy assessments of new molecular entities being developed for the prevention and treatment of cancer and infectious disease. Discover new pathways and targets for the design and development of…

Science & Tech
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Saint Mary's Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Galens Medical Society. 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

18 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. 18 of the 22 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)
18/18
Grantees still filing
11/18
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: $130,250 · OtherREGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGANUNITED WAY OF WASHTENAW COUNTY: $45,000 · OtherUNITED WAY OF WASHTENAW COUNTYTRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: $30,000 · OtherTRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITYCOMMUNITY ACTION HOUSE: $10,000 · OtherEDUCATE GIRLS: $10,000 · OtherTHE AMERICAN INDIA FOUNDATION: $10,000 · Other+4 more: $17,500 · Other+4 moreWEST MICHIGAN AVIATION ACADEMY FOUNDATION: $59,000 · EducationWEST MICHIGAN AVI…The Trustees of Princeton University: $25,000 · EducationThe Trustees of P…President and Fellows of Harvard College: $3,000 · EducationENDEAVOR DETROIT: $77,950 · Community ImprovementENDEAVOR DETROI…THE INSTITUTE FOR CULTURAL EVOLUTION: $61,000 · Social ScienceTHE INSTITUT…GROWING HOPE INC: $40,000 · Youth DevelopmentPARTNERS RELIEF & DEVELOPMENT: $35,000 · PhilanthropyAnn Arbor Spark Foundation: $5,000 · PhilanthropyINADCURE FOUNDATION INC: $5,250 · HealthSAINT MARY'S FOUNDATION: $5,000 · HealthCOREWELL HEALTH FOUNDATION WEST MICHIGAN: $2,000 · HealthGALENS MEDICAL SOCIETY: $500 · Health
Other$252,750Education$87,000Community Improvement$77,950Social Science$61,000Youth Development$40,000Philanthropy$40,000Health$12,750

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 budgetENDEAVOR DETROIT: $77,950 over 3y, 4.5% of budgetTHE INSTITUTE FOR CULTURAL EVOLUTION: $61,000 over 3y, 12% of budgetWEST MICHIGAN AVIATION ACADEMY FOUNDATION: $59,000 over 4y, 0.8% of budgetUNITED WAY OF WASHTENAW COUNTY: $45,000 over 2y, 0.9% of budgetGROWING HOPE INC: $40,000 over 3y, 2.1% of budgetPARTNERS RELIEF & DEVELOPMENT: $35,000 over 3y, 0.5% of budgetThe Trustees of Princeton University: $25,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCOMMUNITY ACTION HOUSE: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetEDUCATE GIRLS: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE AMERICAN INDIA FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetFRACTURED ATLAS INC: $7,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetINADCURE FOUNDATION INC: $5,250 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetAnn Arbor Spark Foundation: $5,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetFOOD GATHERERS: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSAINT MARY'S FOUNDATION: $5,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetPresident and Fellows of Harvard College: $3,000 over 3y, 0.0% 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.

Dick and Betsy Devos …Jerry & Marcia Tuberg…Cdv5 FoundationFrey FoundationDTE Energy FoundationBaird Foundation IncGs Donor Advised Phil…American Endowment Fo…Charities Aid Foundat…Natl Christian Charit…American Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…
Dick and Betsy Devos Family FoundationMI22× affinity8 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Dick and Betsy Devos Family Foundation · Jerry & Marcia Tubergen Foundation · Cdv5 Foundation · Frey Foundation · DTE Energy Foundation · Baird Foundation Inc · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · American Endowment Foundation · Charities Aid Foundation America · Natl Christian Charitable Fdn Inc · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving 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 Nate and Elissa Lowery Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Nate and Elissa Lowery Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%1%4%8%15%funder's share of their income ↑0%5%10%15%20%share of the org’s income from government →median 11%
  • The Trustees of Princeton University: 11% of income from government
  • President and Fellows of Harvard College: 7% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
1get no government money at all
3report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–20%
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 Nate and Elissa Lowery Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Nate and Elissa Lowery 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 22 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 2023, released 2023. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Possibly out of date. A more recent filing (FY2024) is on record and reports no grant expense, so the figures above are from FY2023, the most recent year this funder made grants.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Nate and Elissa Lowery’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