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Steen Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Steen Family 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.

$92k
Granted FY2025still arriving
16
Grants FY2025still arriving
7
States reached
$23k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0199% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Religion$340kEducation$89kArts & Culture$50kHuman Services$49kHousing & Shelter$31kEnvironment$17kFood & Nutrition$7kPhilanthropy$1kOther$0
02FY2025 · 16 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k12 grants · $37k
  • $10k–50k4 grants · $55k
$5,000
Median grant
7
States reached
$985k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Bethlehem Lutheran Church Twin Cities$23,000
Lutheran Partners in Global Ministry Inc (LPGM)$12,000
Lutheran Social Services of MN$10,000
Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative$10,000
Wartburg College$7,000
Every Meal$6,000
Reef Discovery Center$6,000
A Peace of My Mind$5,000
St Olaf College$4,000
Sonoma Bach$3,500
Community Cloud Forest Conservation$1,500
St Johns Lutheran Church$1,000
Source Song Festival$1,000
Way to Grow$1,000
Boston University$500
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 (FY17–25, $49k) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 9%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 9%Holden Village: $4k → 9%Holden Village: $4k → 9%Holden Village: $2k → 9%Lutheran Social Services of MN: $10k → 14%Lutheran Social Services of MN: $8k → 14%Lutheran Social Services of MN: $5k → 14%Way to Grow: $1k → 11%Lutheran Social Services of MN: $5k → 14%Way to Grow: $1k → 11%Lutheran Social Services of MN: $5k → 14%Lutheran Social Services of MN: $5k → 14%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

WA
MN
MI
MA
IA
CA
NM
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.

95%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$555k · 23 repeat orgs$29k to everyone else

23 repeat relationships: 14 still active in FY2025, 9 since wound down; 2 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

23
7

Total granted

$555k
$5k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+15%
+143%

Still filing today

65%
57%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 74% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $24k 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
EducationHuman ServicesArts & CultureHousing & ShelterCommunity ImprovementEnvironmentOther
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

  • SO
    ST OLAF COLLEGE
    9× · 2017–2025 · $61k · revenue +56%
  • LS
    LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICE OF MINNESOTA
    6× · 2020–2025 · $38k · revenue +47%
  • AP
    A PEACE OF MY MIND INC
    5× · 2021–2025 · $30k · revenue +59%

Funded once

  • AS
    All Saints Episcopal Church
    one grant, 2023 · $1k
  • A
    AEONgraduated
    one grant, 2019 · $1k · revenue +193%
  • EB
    Edina Band Boosters
    one grant, 2020 · $1k · revenue -31%
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
Great Mn Schools

We believe that great schools are the cornerstone of a just and thriving community. ensuring that every child is able to attend a school that works is our moral and social imperative - our children deserve no less.

Education
2
Ecumen

We empower individuals and families to confidently navigate aging so that it is a purposeful journey filled with dignity and support.

—
3
Gustavus Adolphus College

Gustavus Adolphus College is a church-related, residential liberal arts college firmly rooted in its Swedish and Lutheran heritage. The College offers students of high aspiration and promise a liberal arts education of recognized…

Education
4
Minnesota Brass Inc

Minnesota Brass shares a unique passion for the live performing arts by producing ensembles and events that challenge our members to reach their full potential while inspiring our audiences.

Education
5
Benedictine University

Benedictine University is an inclusive academic community dedicated to teaching and learning, scholarship and service, truth and justice, as inspired by the Catholic intellectual tradition, the social teaching of the Church, and the…

Education
6
Madeline Island Chamber Music co Taft Stettinius & Hollister Llp

Music education programs in Minnesota and Wisconsin that include intense residential chamber music programs for talented young string players and talented young woodwind and horn players; a residency program in the Twin Cities, public…

—
7
United Way of Ne Minnesota

United way of northeastern minnesota invests in nonprofits, programs, and collaborations that equip and empower, creating opportunities for people to thrive in our communities.

—
8
Boston Architectural College

The bac is committed to provide excellence in design education grounded in practice and accessible to diverse communities.

—
9
Edina Education Fund

As an independent, mission-aligned partner with the edina public schools, the edina education fund secures incremental funding for district-wide programs and services that strengthen academic learning and support the whole person on their…

Education
10
Arts Midwest Incorporated

Arts Midwest works collaboratively with private and public arts supporters to support, inform, and celebrate arts organizations and creative communities across the Midwest. Our mission is to build unprecedented opportunity across the…

Arts & Culture
11
Grand View University

Engages, equips and empowers learners to explore their vocations, fulfill their potential and serve the world.

Education
12
MinnPost

MinnPost produces independent journalism to serve as a trusted guide for Minnesotans exploring the critical issues, challenges and opportunities facing our state.

Arts & Culture
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota; the most unlike its peers is Kgsa 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

22 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. 22 of the 33 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)
4
Early backer (in before they grew)
21/22
Grantees still filing
15/22
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Bethlehem Lutheran Church: $178,100 · OtherBethlehem Lutheran ChurchLutheran Partners in Global Ministry Inc (LPGM): $99,700 · OtherLutheran Partners in Global Ministry Inc (LPGM)A PEACE OF MY MIND INC: $30,000 · OtherA PEACE OF MY MIND INCBETHLEHEM LUTHERAN CHURCH TWIN CITIES: $23,000 · OtherBETHLEHEM LUTHERAN CHURCH TWIN CITIESSpring Hills Church: $22,000 · OtherSpring Hills Church+12 more: $37,505 · Other+12 moreST OLAF COLLEGE: $61,000 · EducationST OLAF COLLEGEWARTBURG COLLEGE: $23,000 · EducationWARTBURG COLLEGE+4 more: $3,100 · EducationLUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICE OF MINNESOTA: $37,500 · Human ServicesLUTHERAN …Holden Village: $9,160 · Human ServicesHolden Vi…WAY TO GROW: $2,000 · Human ServicesBEACON INTERFAITH HOUSING COLLABORATIVE: $22,500 · Community Improvement29 11 INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE: $9,000 · Arts & CultureSONOMA BACH: $4,500 · Arts & CultureSOURCE SONG FESTIVAL: $4,000 · Arts & CultureCOMMUNITY CLOUD FOREST CONSERVATION: $10,300 · EnvironmentHOUSING IN ACTION INC: $7,000 · Housing & ShelterAEON: $1,000 · Housing & Shelter
Other$390,305Education$87,100Human Services$48,660Community Improvement$22,500Arts & Culture$17,500Environment$10,300Housing & Shelter$8,000

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 budgetST OLAF COLLEGE: $61,000 over 9y, 0.0% of budgetLUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICE OF MINNESOTA: $37,500 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetA PEACE OF MY MIND INC: $30,000 over 5y, 7.5% of budgetWARTBURG COLLEGE: $23,000 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetBEACON INTERFAITH HOUSING COLLABORATIVE: $22,500 over 9y, 0.1% of budgetCOMMUNITY CLOUD FOREST CONSERVATION: $10,300 over 7y, 0.5% of budgetHolden Village: $9,160 over 3y, 0.2% of budget29 11 INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE: $9,000 over 3y, 0.9% of budgetHOUSING IN ACTION INC: $7,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetEVERY MEAL: $7,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetSONOMA BACH: $4,500 over 2y, 1.4% of budgetSOURCE SONG FESTIVAL: $4,000 over 4y, 1.6% of budgetGLOBAL HORIZONS INC: $3,200 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetWAY TO GROW: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetAEON: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE EDINA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetTRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY: $1,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetNew Mexico State Univ Fdn Inc: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetKGSA FOUNDATION: $500 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetEDINA GIVE AND GO: $100 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.

  • Who funds ST OLAF COLLEGE ↗
  • Who funds LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICE OF MINNESOTA ↗
  • Who funds A PEACE OF MY MIND INC ↗
  • Who funds WARTBURG COLLEGE ↗
  • Who funds BEACON INTERFAITH HOUSING COLLABORATIVE ↗
  • Who funds COMMUNITY CLOUD FOREST CONSERVATION ↗
  • Who funds Holden Village ↗
  • Who funds 29 11 INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE ↗
  • Who funds HOUSING IN ACTION INC ↗
  • Who funds EVERY MEAL ↗
  • Who funds SONOMA BACH ↗
  • Who funds SOURCE SONG FESTIVAL ↗
  • Who funds GLOBAL HORIZONS INC ↗
  • Who funds WAY TO GROW ↗
  • Who funds EDINA ORCHESTRA BOOSTERS ↗
  • Who funds AEON ↗
  • Who funds Edina Band Boosters ↗
  • Who funds THE EDINA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds New Mexico State Univ Fdn Inc ↗
  • Who funds KGSA FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds EDINA GIVE AND GO ↗

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 Minneapolis Found…Saint Paul & Minnesot…Mightycause Charitabl…Thrivent Charitable I…Thrivent Financial fo…The Douglass Brandenb…Frey FoundationJulie & Doug Baker Jr…The McKnight Foundati…Centerpoint Energy Fo…Otto Bremer TrustNational Philanthropi…
The Minneapolis FoundationMN19.8× affinity8 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Minneapolis Foundation · Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation · Mightycause Charitable Foundation · Thrivent Charitable Impact & Investing · Thrivent Financial for Lutherans · The Douglass Brandenborg Family Fdn · Frey Foundation · Julie & Doug Baker Jr Foundation · The McKnight Foundation · Centerpoint Energy Foundation Inc · Otto Bremer Trust · 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 Steen Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Steen Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%4%8%11%15%share of the org’s income from government →median 12%
  • Trustees of Boston University: 12% of 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 · 0–15%
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 33 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 Steen Family’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