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Stairstep Foundation at a glanceMostly funded, not a grantmaker: see who funds it →

· Public charity

Stairstep Foundation

The Organization's purpose is to reinforce community values, create community building models and to facilitate community building activities by and with others.

$305k
Granted FY2021
19
Grants FY2021
1
States reached
$24k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its fieldRead
01What it funds
01FY2021 · 19 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 19 grants below total $262,065, the rows itemized in this filing. The $304,904 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $42,839 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2021

  • Under $10k9 grants · $78k
  • $10k–50k10 grants · $184k
$10,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$1.1M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Islamic Association of North America Inc$24,000
African Career Education & Resource Inc$24,000
Hmong American Partnership$21,500
Rainbow Health Minnesota$21,000
Comunidades Organizando El Poder Y la Accion Latina-COPAL$21,000
CAPI USA$18,000
Vietnamese Social Services of Minnesota$18,000
WellShare International$15,065
Hispanic Advocacy and Community Empowerment through Research$11,500
American Indian Community Housing Organization$10,000
The Cultural Wellness Center$9,000
Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio Inc$9,000
Briva Health$9,000
Phyllis Wheatley Community Center Inc$9,000
Tserha Aryam Kidist Selassie Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church$9,000
02The need
02

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 (FY21–21, $36k) land where the poverty rate runs at 12%, against an area that typically sits at 8%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 8%African Immigrants Community Services: $9k → 11%Vietnamese Social Services of Minnesota: $18k → 14%Phyllis Wheatley Community Center Inc: $9k → 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 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
Chinese Community Center
Community Improvement
2
Coalition of Asian American Leaders

The Coalition of Asian American Leaders (CAAL) is a network organization of Asian Minnesotan leaders harnessing our collective power to improve the lives of community.

Arts & Culture
3
African Community Services

To assist new americans arriving from africa become productive and well-adjusted citizens.

Education
4
Minneapolis American Indian Center

Services provided include education, community development, youth programs, employment assistance, information dissemination, health and wellness programs, elder services, and child welfare.

Human Services
5
Intercultural Mutual Assistance Association of Southeastern Minnesota

Intercultural mutual assistance association builds bridges between cultures by providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services.

Human Services
6
Lao Assistance Center of Minnesota

Lao Assistance Centers mission is to harness the power of a united Lao voice to improve the quality of life for the Lao American community in Minnesota as we work to advance equity through a united, engaged and resilient AAPI community.

—
7
The Asian Americans for Community Involvement of Santa Clara County Inc

To strengthen the resilience and hope of our diverse community members by improving their health and well-being.

Health
8
Open Path Resources

Open path resources seeks to bring about positive change for the state of minnesota through organizing practicies with the east african community. building understanding upon key public issues affecting current and future success of east…

Religion
9
African Development Center

Grow businesses, build wealth and increase reinvestement in the african communities of minnesota

Human Services
10
Open Cities Health Center Inc

Open Cities Health Center is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) whose mission is to provide culturally competent primary and preventive healthcare services to a largely underserved population in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

Health
11
Phumulani

Preventing domestic violence and sexual abuse in communities of color throughout minnesota and the nation. by providing culturally-specific resources to women and girls of african descent, we hope to change the cycle of gender-based abuse…

Social Science
12
The Tiwahe Foundation

Our mission is to strengthen indigenous leadership and cultural identity.

Human Services
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Hispanic Advocacy and Community Empowerment Through Research; the most unlike its peers is Capi Usa. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
03the grantee network

15 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. 15 of the 19 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)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
14/15
Grantees still filing
7/15
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

ISLAMIC ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA INC: $24,000 · OtherISLAMIC ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMER…TSERHA ARYAM KIDIST SELASSIE ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX TEWAHEDO CHURCH: $9,000 · OtherTSERHA ARYAM KIDIST SELASSIE ETHI…Briva Health: $9,000 · OtherBriva HealthINTERFAITH ACTION OF GREATER SAINT PAUL: $9,000 · OtherINTERFAITH ACTION OF GREATER SAIN…NORTHWEST INDIAN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CENTER NWICDC: $6,000 · OtherNORTHWEST INDIAN COMMUNITY DEVELO…HISPANIC ADVOCACY AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT THROUGH RESEARCH: $11,500 · OtherHISPANIC ADVOCACY AND COMMUNITY E…AMERICAN INDIAN COMMUNITY HOUSING ORGANIZATION: $10,000 · OtherAMERICAN INDIAN COMMUNITY HOUSING…RAINBOW HEALTH MINNESOTA: $21,000 · HealthRAINBOW HEALTH M…CULTURAL WELLNESS CENTER: $9,000 · HealthCULTURAL WELLNES…LIGHTHOUSE CENTER FOR VITAL LIVING: $9,000 · HealthLIGHTHOUSE CENTE…VIETNAMESE SOCIAL SERVICES OF MINNESOTA: $18,000 · Human ServicesVIETNAMESE SOCI…Phyllis Wheatley Community Center Inc: $9,000 · Human ServicesPhyllis Wheatle…AFRICAN IMMIGRANTS COMMUNITY SERVIC: $9,000 · Human ServicesAFRICAN IMMIGRA…CAPI USA: $18,000 · InternationalCAPI USAWELLSHARE INTERNATIONAL: $15,065 · InternationalWELLSHARE INTE…HMONG AMERICAN PARTNERSHIP: $21,500 · EmploymentHMONG AMERICA…COMMUNIDADES LATINAS UNIDAS EN SERVICO INC: $9,000 · EmploymentCOMMUNIDADES …AFRICAN CAREER EDUCATION & RESOURCES IN: $24,000 · EducationAFRICAN CA…COPAL COMMUNIDADES ORGANIZANDO EL PODER Y LA A: $21,000 · Civil RightsCOPAL COM…
Other$78,500Health$39,000Human Services$36,000International$33,065Employment$30,500Education$24,000Civil Rights$21,000

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

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetAFRICAN CAREER EDUCATION & RESOURCES IN: $24,000 over 1y, 1.3% of budgetHMONG AMERICAN PARTNERSHIP: $21,500 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetRAINBOW HEALTH MINNESOTA: $21,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetCOPAL COMMUNIDADES ORGANIZANDO EL PODER Y LA A: $21,000 over 1y, 15% of budgetVIETNAMESE SOCIAL SERVICES OF MINNESOTA: $18,000 over 1y, 1.1% of budgetCAPI USA: $18,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetWELLSHARE INTERNATIONAL: $15,065 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetHISPANIC ADVOCACY AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT THROUGH RESEARCH: $11,500 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetAMERICAN INDIAN COMMUNITY HOUSING ORGANIZATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetCOMMUNIDADES LATINAS UNIDAS EN SERVICO INC: $9,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetPhyllis Wheatley Community Center Inc: $9,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetCULTURAL WELLNESS CENTER: $9,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetLIGHTHOUSE CENTER FOR VITAL LIVING: $9,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetAFRICAN IMMIGRANTS COMMUNITY SERVIC: $9,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetNORTHWEST INDIAN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CENTER NWICDC: $6,000 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.

Otto Bremer TrustThe Minneapolis Found…Greater Twin Cities U…Saint Paul & Minnesot…Medica FoundationTarget FoundationNorthwest Area Founda…The McKnight Foundati…Women's Foundation of…Fr Bigelow FoundationMortenson Family Foun…Mardag Foundation
Otto Bremer TrustMN34.6× affinity15 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Otto Bremer Trust · The Minneapolis Foundation · Greater Twin Cities United Way · Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation · Medica Foundation · Target Foundation · Northwest Area Foundation · The McKnight Foundation · Women's Foundation of Minnesota · Fr Bigelow Foundation · Mortenson Family Foundation · Mardag Foundation

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

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%1%5%11%20%funder's share of their income ↑0%6%13%19%25%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    8report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–25%
    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 19 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 e-file return for fiscal year 2021, released 2021. 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 FY2021, the most recent year this funder made grants.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Stairstep’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