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Strive Fund at a glance

· Private foundation

Strive Fund

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.

$238k
Granted FY2025still arriving
10
Grants FY2025still arriving
2
States reached
$83k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0193% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2025.

Arts & Culture$607kEducation$338kHuman Services$60kInternational$55kAnimals$50kYouth Development$10kHealth$10kCrime & Legal$10kOther$0
02FY2025 · 10 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k2 grants · $10k
  • $10k–50k7 grants · $145k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $83k
$15,000
Median grant
2
States reached
$4.6M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
COUNTERPUBLIC$83,333
CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM ST LOUIS$45,000
WHITFIELD SCHOOL$30,000
ST LOUIS DANCE THEATRE$25,000
SAINT LOUIS ART MUSEUM$15,000
ARCH CITY DEFENDERS$10,000
URBAN LEAGUE OF METROPOLITAN ST LOUIS$10,000
THE WILSON SCHOOL$10,000
THE EHLERS-DANLOS SOCIETY$5,000
NATIONAL EATING DISORDERS ASSOCIATION$5,000
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 (FY20–23, $60k) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, 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%30 FOR THE KIDS INC: $25k → 11%30 FOR THE KIDS INC: $20k → 11%30 FOR THE KIDS INC: $15k → 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.

84%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.2M · 11 repeat orgs$231k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +66% since the first grant, against +22% for those funded once.

11 repeat relationships: 3 still active in FY2025, 8 since wound down; 7 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

11
10

Total granted

$1.2M
$78k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+66%
+22%

Still filing today

73%
80%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 36% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $153k went to new ones.

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

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

’20’21’22’23’24’25
Arts & CultureEducationHuman ServicesAnimalsCrime & LegalHealthOther
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

  • CA
    CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM ST LOUIS
    6× · 2020–2025 · $275k · revenue +66%
  • TW
    THE WILSON SCHOOL
    5× · 2020–2025 · $120k · revenue +43%
  • SL
    ST LOUIS SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL
    5× · 2020–2024 · $114k · revenue +184%

Funded once

  • SL
    ST LOUIS ART MUSEUM
    one grant, 2024 · $15k
  • SL
    ST LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO
    one grant, 2020 · $10k
  • M
    MINDLEAPSgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $10k · revenue +56%
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
Thomas Jefferson School

Thomas jefferson school engages its students in the education necessary to live as responsible citizens of the world. through the strongest possible college-prepatory program and within a nurturing community, students develop a…

—
2
The St Louis Children's Choirs

Transforming lives through musical excellence. the goal of the st. louis children's choirs is to empower the youth of st. louis through a rich choral program that helps each young singer realize their full potential - as a musician and as…

—
3
St Louis Voices Academy of Media Arts

The mission of st. louis voices academy of media arts is to leverage media arts and storytelling to equip students with the agency to excel academically, author their own futures, and make meaningful contributions in their communities.

Education
4
La Salle Charter Schools Inc

La salle middle school is a public charter school located in st. louis. la salle is committed to transforming children and our community through innovative education. students at la salle are pushed to achieve excellence academically,…

Education
5
Mission St Louis

Mission: st. louis empowers individuals for social and economic growth through relationships and opportunity.

Community Improvement
6
Siue Charter School

The mission of the siue east st. louis charter high school is to prepare sudents, who are career - and college - ready, upon graduation.

Education
7
Museum of Arts and Design

To collect, display and interpret objects in craft art and design.

Arts & Culture
8
Jazz St Louis

Jazz st louis is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to lead our community in advancing the uniquely american art of jazz through performance, education, and community engagement.

Arts & Culture
9
Capitol Hill Day School

Capitol Hill Day School is a co-educational independent school serving students from pre-kindergarten through 8th grade. Capitol Hill Day School deeply engages a diverse community of students in connecting the classroom with the larger…

Education
10
Teach St Louis

Founded In 2018, Teach St. Louis (formerly St. Louis Teacher Residency) launched to improve teacher quality and retention in St. Louis, a city where 40% of new teachers exit the classroom in their first three years. Teach St. Louis…

Education
11
Greater St Louis Inc

Greater st. louis, inc. brings together business and civic leaders to create jobs, drive inclusive economic growth, and increase the st. louis metro area's global competitiveness. we speak with a unified voice, lead with a bold agenda, and…

Community Improvement
12
Webster University

Founded in 1915, webster is a private non-profit and global university that is committed to delivering high-quality learning experiences that transform students for global citizenship and individual excellence.

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is St Louis Dance Theatre; the most unlike its peers is Niche Employee 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 28 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.

1
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
5
Early backer (in before they grew)
22/22
Grantees still filing
13/22
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

COCA: $270,000 · OtherCOCAWHITFIELD SCHOOL INC: $70,000 · OtherWHITFIELD SCHOOL INCGRINNELL COLLEGE: $65,000 · OtherGRINNELL COLLEGETHE BIG MUDDY DANCE COMPANY: $55,000 · OtherTHE BIG MUDDY DANCE COMPANY+9 more: $77,500 · Other+9 moreCONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM ST LOUIS: $275,000 · Arts & CultureCONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM ST LOUISST LOUIS SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL: $114,000 · Arts & CultureST LOUIS SHAKESPEARE FESTIVALCOUNTERPUBLIC: $83,333 · Arts & CultureCOUNTERPUBLICST LOUIS DANCE THEATRE: $25,000 · Arts & Culture+3 more: $25,000 · Arts & CultureTHE WILSON SCHOOL: $120,000 · EducationTHE WILSON SCHO…JOHN BURROUGHS SCHOOL: $65,000 · EducationJOHN BURROUGHS …+2 more: $10,000 · Education30 FOR THE KIDS INC: $60,000 · Human ServicesBrace for Impact 46 Inc: $55,000 · InternationalTHE SAINT LOUIS ZOO ASSOCIATION: $50,000 · AnimalsARCHCITY DEFENDERS: $10,000 · Crime & Legal
Other$537,500Arts & Culture$522,333Education$195,000Human Services$60,000International$55,000Animals$50,000Crime & Legal$10,000

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 budgetCONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM ST LOUIS: $275,000 over 6y, 1.7% of budgetTHE WILSON SCHOOL: $120,000 over 5y, 0.7% of budgetST LOUIS SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL: $114,000 over 5y, 1.5% of budgetCOUNTERPUBLIC: $83,333 over 1y, 2.3% of budgetWHITFIELD SCHOOL INC: $70,000 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetJOHN BURROUGHS SCHOOL: $65,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budget30 FOR THE KIDS INC: $60,000 over 3y, 9.2% of budgetBrace for Impact 46 Inc: $55,000 over 2y, 3.0% of budgetTHE SAINT LOUIS ZOO ASSOCIATION: $50,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetST LOUIS DANCE THEATRE: $25,000 over 1y, 2.0% of budgetMINDLEAPS: $10,000 over 1y, 1.5% of budget4theVille: $10,000 over 1y, 3.3% of budgetARCHCITY DEFENDERS: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetKIPP ST LOUIS: $7,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetEHLERS-DANLOS SOCIETY: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSAINT LOUIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNICHE EMPLOYEE FOUNDATION: $5,000 over 1y, 43% of budgetCITY ACADEMY INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMISSOURI APPLESEED: $5,000 over 1y, 1.8% 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.

St Louis Community Fo…William T Kemper Foun…St Louis Community Fo…Edward Jones Foundati…The John and Alison F…Regional Cultural and…World Wide Technology…The Blackbaud Giving …The Crawford Taylor F…Jordan Mary R & Ettie…Trio Foundation of St…Edward Jones Foundati…
St Louis Community Foundation IncMO19.1× affinity7 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: St Louis Community Foundation Inc · William T Kemper Foundation Commerce Bank Trustee · St Louis Community Foundation · Edward Jones Foundation · The John and Alison Ferring Family Foundation · Regional Cultural and Performing Arts Development Commission · World Wide Technology Foundation · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · The Crawford Taylor Foundation · Jordan Mary R & Ettie a Charitable · Trio Foundation of St Louis · Edward Jones 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 Strive Fund funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Strive Fund. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%3%13%28%50%funder's share of their income ↑0%10%20%30%40%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    4report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–40%
    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 Strive Fund?

    Find your warmest path to Strive Fund 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 28 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 Strive’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