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The Don & Jean Wagner Charitable Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Don & Jean Wagner Charitable 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.

$216k
Granted FY2024still arriving
28
Grants FY2024still arriving
5
States reached
$54k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0197% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2018 to 2024.

Education$345kAnimals$307kArts & Culture$199kCrime & Legal$181kRecreation & Sports$139kHealth$68kEnvironment$54kCommunity Improvement$40kOther$0
02FY2024 · 28 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k23 grants · $81k
  • $10k–50k4 grants · $81k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $54k
$5,000
Median grant
5
States reached
$5.5M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
THE KANSAS CITY ZOO$54,250
POLICE FOUNDATION OF KANSAS CITY$34,500
STARLIGHT THEATER$22,600
ALS ASSOCIATION$13,500
Individual grant recipient$10,000
TRUMAN LIBRARY INSTITUTE$9,985
ROYALS CHARITIES$7,850
POWER FOR PARKINSON'S$6,200
OPERATION BREAKTHROUGH$5,000
BOTAR$5,000
ST ANN CATHOLIC SCHOOL$5,000
WAYSIDE WAIFS$5,000
UMKC FOUNDATION$5,000
ST PAUL'S EPISCOPAL DAY SCHOOL$5,000
FOLLY THEATER$4,660
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 (FY18–24, $28k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 82% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%NORTH AMERICAN FAMILY INSTITUTE YOUTH AND POLICE INITIATIVE: $5k → 8%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $5k → 15%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $5k → 15%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $5k → 15%LEAD TO READ KC: $4k → 15%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $3k → 15%CORNERSTONES OF CARE: $500 → 15%CORNERSTONES OF CARE: $500 → 15%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.

95%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.4M · 38 repeat orgs$77k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +43% since the first grant, against +7% for those funded once.

38 repeat relationships: 21 still active in FY2024, 17 since wound down; 7 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

38
13

Total granted

$1.4M
$36k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+43%
+7%

Still filing today

68%
69%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 81% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $41k went to new ones.

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

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

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
EducationArts & CultureHealthHuman ServicesPhilanthropyAnimalsOther
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

  • FO
    FRIENDS OF THE ZOO INC OF KANSAS CITY MISSOURI C/O LINDA FALK
    4× · 2018–2024 · $288k · revenue +95%
  • PF
    POLICE FOUNDATION OF KANSAS CITY
    5× · 2018–2024 · $180k · revenue +235%
  • UF
    UMKC FOUNDATION
    5× · 2018–2024 · $126k · revenue +308%

Funded once

  • TM
    TRUMAN MEDICAL CENTER INCORPORATEDgraduated
    one grant, 2018 · $15k · revenue +51%
  • NA
    North American Family Institute Inc
    one grant, 2022 · $5k · revenue +6%
  • CU
    City Union Mission
    one grant, 2023 · $5k · revenue -4%
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
Park University

Park university's mission is to transform lives through accessible, student-centered, quality higher education.

Education
2
Kansas Wesleyan University

Kansas wesleyan university is a liberal arts college that promotes and integrates academic excellence, spiritual development, personal well-being, and social responsibility.

Education
3
Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City

Leading the way to the best kc region by convening innovative leaders, collaborating with like-minded organizations, advocating for positive change, and helping small businesses grow.

—
4
The Kansas University Alumni Association

We build lifelong relationships that strengthen the university of kansas and the legacy of excellence embodied by its students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends.

Education
5
Columbia College

Columbia college improves lives by providing quality education to both traditional and nontraditional students, helping them achieve their true potential.

Education
6
Jefferson Regional Foundation

The mission of the foundation is to improve the health and well-being of the communities served by jefferson hospital through engagement, community-driven research and grantmaking. there are three grantmaking priorities focused on the…

Health
7
Point Park University

Provides innovative education in a dynamic urban setting. dedicated to academic excellence and community engagement,we prepare students of diverse backgrounds with the knowledge, skill,and experience to lead meaningful lives as informed…

—
8
University of Kansas Memorial Corporation

The memorial unions function as a concessionaire to the university of kansas for the purpose of operating various enterprises within the kansas union building, the burge union, the debruce center, residential dining halls, and other…

Education
9
Kansas City Art Institute

The mission of KCAI is to educate artists and designers while honoring the distinct journeys of students. We forge a vibrant community that equips them to become leaders who leverage the creative process to transform the future.

Education
10
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
11
Kansas City Ballet Association

To inspire and engage through the beauty, power and passion of dance

Arts & Culture
12
Kansas Academy of Family Physicians

The mission of the kansas academy of family physicians is to empower and cultivate kansas family physicians to: serve as trusted and innovative leaders champion a diverse, sustainable and inclusive workforce advocate and collaborate for…

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Umkc Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Srq Healing Project Inc. 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

41 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. 41 of the 58 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)
6
Early backer (in before they grew)
41/41
Grantees still filing
29/41
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

STARLIGHT THEATER: $111,600 · OtherSTARLIGHT THEATERTHE NATURE CONSERVANCY: $40,000 · OtherTHE NATURE CONSERVANCYJAZZOO: $33,500 · OtherJAZZOOST PAULS EPISCOPAL DAY SCHOOL KANSAS CITY: $22,750 · OtherPLAZA ACADEMY: $21,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $19,660 · OtherGREENLIGHT FUND INC: $40,000 · OtherGREENLIGHT FUND INCAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $18,000 · Other+29 more: $154,580 · Other+29 moreFRIENDS OF THE ZOO INC OF KANSAS CITY MISSOURI C/O LINDA FALK: $287,750 · AnimalsFRIENDS OF THE ZOO INC O…WAYSIDE WAIFS INC: $18,300 · AnimalsWAYSIDE WAIFS INCUMKC FOUNDATION: $126,000 · EducationUMKC FOUNDATIONUMKC TRUSTEES: $69,000 · EducationUMKC TRUSTEESTHE HARRY S TRUMAN LIBRARY INSTITUTE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS: $49,705 · EducationTHE HARRY S TRUMAN LIB…PEMBROKE HILL SCHOOL: $12,500 · EducationSRQ HEALING PROJECT INC: $11,000 · EducationKANSAS CITY GIRLS PREPARATORY ACADEMY: $10,500 · Education+2 more: $8,000 · EducationPOLICE FOUNDATION OF KANSAS CITY: $179,580 · Crime & LegalPOLICE FOUNDAT…THOMAS S WATSON SUPPORTING FOUNDATION: $105,000 · Recreation & Sports+1 more: $1,000 · Recreation & SportsPERFORMING ARTS FOUNDATION OF KANSAS CITY: $36,220 · Arts & CultureTHE RABBIT HOLE KC: $12,000 · Arts & CultureNATIONAL WWI MUSEUM AND MEMORIAL: $4,500 · Arts & Culture+2 more: $1,000 · Arts & CultureTHE KANSAS CITY ROYALS FOUNDATION: $33,084 · PhilanthropyREDA EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION: $11,074 · PhilanthropyJEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF GREATER KANSAS CITY: $3,500 · Philanthropy
Other$461,090Animals$306,050Education$286,705Crime & Legal$179,580Recreation & Sports$106,000Arts & Culture$53,720Philanthropy$47,658

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 budgetFRIENDS OF THE ZOO INC OF KANSAS CITY MISSOURI C/O LINDA FALK: $287,750 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetPOLICE FOUNDATION OF KANSAS CITY: $179,580 over 5y, 5.1% of budgetUMKC FOUNDATION: $126,000 over 5y, 0.3% of budgetTHOMAS S WATSON SUPPORTING FOUNDATION: $105,000 over 2y, 19% of budgetUMKC TRUSTEES: $69,000 over 3y, 3.5% of budgetTHE HARRY S TRUMAN LIBRARY INSTITUTE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS: $49,705 over 6y, 0.3% of budgetGREENLIGHT FUND INC: $40,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetPERFORMING ARTS FOUNDATION OF KANSAS CITY: $36,220 over 7y, 0.5% of budgetTHE KANSAS CITY ROYALS FOUNDATION: $33,084 over 6y, 0.6% of budgetPLAZA ACADEMY: $21,000 over 4y, 0.6% of budgetWAYSIDE WAIFS INC: $18,300 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $18,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetTRUMAN MEDICAL CENTER INCORPORATED: $15,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPEMBROKE HILL SCHOOL: $12,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE RABBIT HOLE KC: $12,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetREDA EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION: $11,074 over 2y, 8.6% of budgetSaint Lukes Foundation: $11,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetSRQ HEALING PROJECT INC: $11,000 over 2y, 21% of budgetKANSAS CITY GIRLS PREPARATORY ACADEMY: $10,500 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetROSE BROOKS CENTER INC: $8,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetPOWER FOR PARKINSONS: $6,200 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetOPERATION BREAKTHROUGH INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNorth American Family Institute Inc: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCity Union Mission: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBOYS CLUB OF GREATER KANSAS CITY: $4,880 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL WWI MUSEUM AND MEMORIAL: $4,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetLEAD TO READ INC: $4,100 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetJEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF GREATER KANSAS CITY: $3,500 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetPARKINSON'S FOUNDATION INC: $3,250 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetWilliam Jewell College: $3,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetThe Children's Mercy Hospital: $2,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNEWHOUSE INC: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetKANSAS CITY METROPOLITAN CRIME COMMISSION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCORNERSTONES OF CARE: $1,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMIDWEST SECTION PGA FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetTHE COTERIE INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetKAUFFMAN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCRISTO REY KANSAS CITY SISTERS OF CHARI TY OF LEAVENWORTH HIGH SCHOOL: $500 over 1y, 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.

Greater Kansas City C…Marion and Henry Bloc…Ewing Marion Kauffman…The Francis Family Fo…William T Kemper Foun…The H & R Block Found…The Torosian Foundati…Muriel McBrien Kauffm…Jewish Community Foun…The Atterbury Family …Merriman FoundationRalph L Smith Foundat…
Greater Kansas City Community FoundationMO47.4× affinity24 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Greater Kansas City Community Foundation · Marion and Henry Bloch Family Foundation · Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation · The Francis Family Foundation · William T Kemper Foundation Commerce Bank Trustee · The H & R Block Foundation · The Torosian Foundation · Muriel McBrien Kauffman Family Foundation · Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Kansas City · The Atterbury Family Foundation · Merriman Foundation · Ralph L Smith Foundation 13952400

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 The Don & Jean Wagner Charitable Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Don & Jean Wagner Charitable Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 30%1%5%11%20%funder's share of their income ↑0%8%15%22%30%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    3get no government money at all
    10report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–30%
    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 The Don & Jean Wagner Charitable Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to The Don & Jean Wagner Charitable 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 58 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 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Don & Jean Wagner’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