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Robert Jensen Dau Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Robert Jensen Dau 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.

$128k
Granted FY2025still arriving
10
Grants FY2025still arriving
5
States reached
$52k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0191% 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$488kEnvironment$201kEducation$155kReligion$86kHealth$75kYouth Development$33kHousing & Shelter$25kCommunity Improvement$23kOther$0
02FY2025 · 10 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k7 grants · $23k
  • $10k–50k2 grants · $53k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $52k
$5,000
Median grant
5
States reached
$1.5M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
GREAT LAKES CENTER FOR THE ARTS$51,500
PEN AMERICA$33,000
CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN$20,000
CITY KIDS WILDERNESS PROJECT$5,000
CHURCH OF THE HOLY COMFORTER$5,000
BAY VIEW CHAMBER MUSIC$4,000
BAY VIEW ASSOCIATION$3,250
PETOSKEY HARBOR SPRINGS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION$3,000
Individual grant recipient$1,855
ST MARGARETS CHURCH$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:

Its human-services grants (FY20–20, $2k) land where the poverty rate runs at 7%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 0% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%ALIVE: $1k → 6%COURT WATCH MONTGOMERY: $1k → 8%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
MI
NY
MA
OH
CA
VA
MD
NC
DC
FL
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.

82%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$987k · 19 repeat orgs$224k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +24% since the first grant, against +17% for those funded once.

19 repeat relationships: 9 still active in FY2025, 10 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

19
28

Total granted

$987k
$220k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+24%
+17%

Still filing today

63%
64%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 97% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $4k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
EnvironmentEducationHealthArts & CultureHousing & ShelterYouth 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

  • PA
    PEN AMERICAN CENTER INC
    7× · 2017–2025 · $306k · revenue +110%
  • CH
    CHICAGO HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
    9× · 2017–2025 · $180k · revenue +37%
  • GL
    Great Lakes Center for the Arts
    5× · 2019–2025 · $143k · revenue +14%

Funded once

  • FF
    FERRIS FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2022 · $50k · revenue -3%
  • L
    LEWA
    one grant, 2019 · $41k
  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2017 · $29k
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
Association of Washington Cities

The association of washington cities builds connections between our state's diverse cities and towns, while providing our members with the support needed to thrive through delivery of data-driven education, nationally recognized pooling…

—
2
Council for Court Excellence

Council for court excellence's (cce's) mission is to bring people together to conduct research, educate, and advocate to make d.c.'s unique legal systems more just, equitable, and accountable to the community.

—
3
Denver Botanic Gardens Inc

The mission of denver botanic gardens is to connect people with plants, especially plants from the rocky mountain region and similar regions around the world, providing delight and enlightenment to everyone.

Environment
4
Civic Works Inc

Strengthening baltimore's communities through education, skills development and community service.

Education
5
The Cultural Landscape Foundation

A non-profit established in 1998, the cultural landscape foundation (tclf) connects people to places. tclf educates and engages the public to make our shared landscape heritage more visible, identify its value, and empower its stewards.…

Arts & Culture
6
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
7
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

Create a more accessible, sustainable, prosperous and livable national capital region by being a discussion forum, expert resource, issue advocate, and catalyst for action.

Public Benefit
8
Land Conservancy of West Michigan

Our mission is conserving West Michigans ecologically critical land. We protect land by creating public nature preserves, providing support to communities and local governments in creating natural areas, and helping private landowners…

Environment
9
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
10
Twin Cities Diversity in Practice

To attract, recruit, advance, and retain attorneys of color in the twin cities through education and collaboration with member organizations.

Community Improvement
11
American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia

Preservation of civil liberties through advocacy and lobbying.

—
12
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
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Council of Michigan Foundations; the most unlike its peers is KEEPSMILIN4ABBIE 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

31 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. 31 of the 49 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)
31/31
Grantees still filing
23/31
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

PEN AMERICAN CENTER INC: $306,000 · Arts & CulturePEN AMERICAN CENTER INCGreat Lakes Center for the Arts: $143,198 · Arts & CultureGreat Lakes Center for the ArtsPETOSKEY HARBOR SPRINGS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $70,000 · OtherPETOSKEY HARBOR SPRINGS COMMUNITY F…FERRIS FOUNDATION: $50,000 · OtherFERRIS FOUNDATIONLEWA: $40,563 · OtherLEWACHURCH OF THE HOLY COMFORTER: $30,000 · OtherCHURCH OF THE HOLY COMFORTERIndividual grant recipient: $29,250 · OtherIndividual grant recipientIndividual grant recipient: $24,355 · OtherIndividual grant recipientBAY VIEW ASSOCIATE: $23,000 · OtherBAY VIEW ASSOCIATEIndividual grant recipient: $16,900 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $15,000 · Other+26 more: $80,063 · Other+26 moreCHICAGO HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY: $180,000 · EnvironmentCHICAGO HORTICULTU…Little Traverse Conservancy Inc: $15,000 · EnvironmentLittle Traverse Co…+2 more: $6,000 · EnvironmentGreat Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice: $88,626 · EducationGreat Lak…DONORSCHOOSEORG: $8,420 · EducationDONORSCHO…DENISON UNIVERSITY: $5,000 · EducationTHE BAY VIEW ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: $37,250 · Community ImprovementCity Kids to Wilderness Project Inc: $20,000 · Youth DevelopmentCITY BLOSSOMS INC: $7,500 · Youth DevelopmentCULPEPPER GARDEN I INC: $10,000 · Housing & ShelterBRIDGES TO INDEPENDENCE: $10,000 · Housing & Shelter
Arts & Culture$449,198Other$379,131Environment$201,000Education$102,046Community Improvement$37,250Youth Development$27,500Housing & Shelter$20,000

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 budgetPEN AMERICAN CENTER INC: $306,000 over 7y, 0.6% of budgetCHICAGO HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY: $180,000 over 9y, 0.0% of budgetGreat Lakes Center for the Arts: $143,198 over 5y, 1.0% of budgetGreat Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice: $88,626 over 5y, 6.5% of budgetFERRIS FOUNDATION: $50,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetTHE BAY VIEW ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: $37,250 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetCity Kids to Wilderness Project Inc: $20,000 over 4y, 0.3% of budgetLittle Traverse Conservancy Inc: $15,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCULPEPPER GARDEN I INC: $10,000 over 2y, 3.3% of budgetBRIDGES TO INDEPENDENCE: $10,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetARLINGTON FREE CLINIC INC: $10,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetDONORSCHOOSEORG: $8,420 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCITY BLOSSOMS INC: $7,500 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetTRUE GROUND HOUSING PARTNERS INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAnimal Welfare League of Arlington: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetLIVING DESERT THE: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDESERT COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetDENISON UNIVERSITY: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFIRST SHIFT JUSTICE PROJECT: $5,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetHORTON'S KIDS INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetNORTHERN VIRGINIA ALLIANCE LEAGUE: $2,000 over 2y, 2.6% of budgetCOUNCIL OF MICHIGAN FOUNDATIONS: $1,550 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetKEEPSMILIN4ABBIE FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 1y, 1.9% of budgetTHE WILDERNESS SOCIETY: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMICHIGAN DYSLEXIA INSTITUTE INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetALIVE Inc: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBAY HARBOR FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetTHE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CHILDREN'S ADVOCACY CENTER: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSUNFLOWER BAKERY INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCourt Watch Montgomery Inc: $1,000 over 1y, 0.7% 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.

  • Who funds PEN AMERICAN CENTER INC ↗
  • Who funds CHICAGO HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ↗
  • Who funds Great Lakes Center for the Arts ↗
  • Who funds Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice ↗
  • Who funds FERRIS FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds THE BAY VIEW ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH ↗
  • Who funds City Kids to Wilderness Project Inc ↗
  • Who funds Little Traverse Conservancy Inc ↗
  • Who funds CULPEPPER GARDEN I INC ↗
  • Who funds BRIDGES TO INDEPENDENCE ↗
  • Who funds ARLINGTON FREE CLINIC INC ↗
  • Who funds DONORSCHOOSEORG ↗
  • Who funds CITY BLOSSOMS INC ↗
  • Who funds TRUE GROUND HOUSING PARTNERS INC ↗
  • Who funds Animal Welfare League of Arlington ↗
  • Who funds LIVING DESERT THE ↗
  • Who funds DESERT COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds DENISON UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds FIRST SHIFT JUSTICE PROJECT ↗
  • Who funds HORTON'S KIDS INC ↗
  • Who funds NORTHERN VIRGINIA ALLIANCE LEAGUE ↗
  • Who funds COUNCIL OF MICHIGAN FOUNDATIONS ↗
  • Who funds ROCK RECOVERY INC ↗
  • Who funds KEEPSMILIN4ABBIE FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY ↗

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 Morris and Gwendo…United Way of the Nat…Philip L Graham Fund …Greater Washington Co…Arlington Community F…The Community Foundat…Reinsch Pierce Family…Act for AlexandriaMorgan Stanley Global…Mightycause Charitabl…Verizon FoundationRaymond James Charita…
The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz FoundationDC21.6× affinity8 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation · United Way of the National Capital Area · Philip L Graham Fund co Graham Holdings Company · Greater Washington Community Foundation · Arlington Community Foundation · The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia Inc · Reinsch Pierce Family Foundation Inc · Act for Alexandria · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Mightycause Charitable Foundation · Verizon Foundation · Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund

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 Robert Jensen Dau Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Robert Jensen Dau Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 20%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%23%45%68%90%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    2get no government money at all
    12report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–90%
    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 Robert Jensen Dau Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Robert Jensen Dau 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 49 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 Robert Jensen Dau’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