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The Harper Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Harper Family 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.

$5.6M
Granted FY2017
45
Grants FY2017
9
States reached
$2.5M
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead

Read this first · the figures below need context

100% of The Harper Family Foundation’s FY2024 grant dollars went to Omaha Community Foundation, not to grantees.

Its money now reaches organizations through that sponsor, which does not report who recommended each grant. FY2024 names 0 organizations directly, so a portfolio cannot be read from it. Everything below is therefore FY2017, the last year The Harper Family Foundation named its own grantees at scale: 24 organizations, $6M. It is dated, not current.

Organizations named directly on the return

24
’17
2
’18
0
’19
0
’20
0
’21
0
’22
0
’23
0
’24

Amber years are those where most dollars went to a sponsor.

01What it funds
0194% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Philanthropy$57MHuman Services$2.6MHealth$2.2MRecreation & Sports$1.1MEducation$721kHousing & Shelter$593kArts & Culture$133kYouth Development$111kOther$0
02FY2017 · 45 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2017

  • Under $10k25 grants · $88k
  • $10k–50k10 grants · $174k
  • $50k–250k5 grants · $425k
  • $250k+5 grants · $4.9M
$5,000
Median grant
9
States reached
$169M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE$2,514,616
UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME$1,110,000
CENTER CITY HOUSING CORP$593,210
THE PINKY SWEAR FOUNDATION$337,500
CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY$333,000
BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF ROCHESTER$100,744
CHILDREN'S MINNESOTA FOUNDATION$100,000
METHODIST HOSPITAL FOUNDATION$87,500
PATRIOTIC PRODUCTIONS$86,500
CMMF ANGEL FUND$50,000
THRIFT AMERICA & CYSTIC FIBROSIS FOUNDATION OF NE$47,388
THE SHELBURNE MUSEUM$25,000
ANNANDALE HIGH SCHOOL$20,000
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF ROCHESTER$15,000
BELLEVUE UNIVERSITY$15,000
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 (FY17–17, $353k) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 9%. 96% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 9%THE FREE STORE: $5k → 5%ALMOST HOME KIDS: $10k → 7%THE PINKY SWEAR FOUNDATION: $338k → 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.

Which US states its grants reach

VT
MN
IL
NY
IA
IN
NE
NM
TX
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
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
Nebraska Methodist Hospital

Nebraska methodist hospital (commonly know as "methodist hospital") is an acute care facility dedicated to bringing high quality care for the mind, body and spirit of every person. we provide community-based health care, health education…

Health
2
The Northern Michigan University Foundation

The nmu foundation will establish and foster relationships to generate resources that benefit the strategic goals of northern michigan university.

Education
3
University Hospital & Clinics Inc

The organization provides medical care to improve, maintain, and restore the health of the people in the communities we serve.

Health
4
The Foundation for Health Care Continuums

The mission of the foundation for health care continuums is to strengthen each community we serve by providing a wide spectrum of housing and health care services that honor the evolving, aging population.

Health
5
University Health Inc

Primary functions are the coordination and delivery of health care resources and services, health care education for the hospital service area, long range analysis of health care needs and development of programs, and arranging for…

—
6
University Family Physicians Inc

Engage actively and continuously in medical research, education and training in the practice of medicine in conjunction with the department of family medicine of the indiana university school of medicine and indiana university…

—
7
Union Health System

To serve our communities by provding innovative and compassionate healthcare.

Health
8
Mercy Health

Mercy Health will provide assistance, support and direction to all of the health care institutions and activities operated and maintained by its Subsidiaries. The mission of Mercy Health in performing these activities shall be to provide a…

—
9
Northwest Community Healthcare

NORTHWEST COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE follows the mission of Endeavor Health. The mission of Endeavor Health is to "help everyone in our communities be their best." Central to this mission is a commitment to providing clinical programs and…

Health
10
North Shore Health System Medical Faculty Group Practice

North shore health system medical faculty group practice (the corporation) functions as an extension of the northwell health hospitals by bringing medical care to community settings, providing care to medicare, medicaid, and other…

Health
11
Indiana University Health North Hospital Inc

Lead the transformation of healthcare through quality, innovation & education, and make Indiana one of the nation's healthiest states.

Health
12
University of New Haven

The University of New Haven is a student-centered comprehensive university with an emphasis on excellence in liberal arts and professional education. Our mission is to prepare our students to lead purposeful and fulfilling lives in a…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Nebraska Methodist Hospital Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Freestore. 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

23 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. 23 of the 46 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)
1
Early backer (in before they grew)
23/23
Grantees still filing
19/23
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Omaha Community Foundation: $57,351,865 · PhilanthropyOmaha Community Foundation+3 more: $7,000 · PhilanthropyRONALD MCDONALD HOUSE: $2,514,616 · OtherCENTER CITY HOUSING CORP: $593,210 · Other+24 more: $404,632 · OtherUniversity of Notre Dame du Lac: $1,110,000 · EducationCreighton University: $666,780 · Education+1 more: $15,000 · EducationNEBRASKA METHODIST HOSPITAL FOUNDATION: $1,737,500 · Health+4 more: $18,500 · HealthPINKY SWEAR FOUNDATION: $337,500 · Human Services+2 more: $15,000 · Human ServicesPATRIOTIC PRODUCTIONS INC: $86,500 · Arts & CultureSHELBURNE MUSEUM INC: $25,000 · Arts & CultureTHE DURHAM MUSEUM: $11,200 · Arts & CultureOLD TOWN SCHOOL OF FOLK MUSIC: $10,000 · Arts & CultureThe Cara Program: $6,000 · Employment
Philanthropy$57,358,865Other$3,512,458Education$1,791,780Health$1,756,000Human Services$352,500Arts & Culture$132,700Employment$6,000

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 budgetOmaha Community Foundation: $57,351,865 over 7y, 7.7% of budgetNEBRASKA METHODIST HOSPITAL FOUNDATION: $1,737,500 over 2y, 10% of budgetUniversity of Notre Dame du Lac: $1,110,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCreighton University: $666,780 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetCENTER CITY HOUSING CORP: $593,210 over 1y, 7.6% of budgetPINKY SWEAR FOUNDATION: $337,500 over 1y, 12% of budgetPATRIOTIC PRODUCTIONS INC: $86,500 over 1y, 7.2% of budgetSHELBURNE MUSEUM INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetBellevue University: $15,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE DURHAM MUSEUM: $11,200 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetAlmost Home Kids: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetOLD TOWN SCHOOL OF FOLK MUSIC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetThe Cara Program: $6,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetHARBOR HOUSE: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetANNANDALE YOUTH FIRST INC: $5,000 over 1y, 6.5% of budgetGIFT OF LIFE INC: $4,500 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetJOIN THE JOURNEY: $4,500 over 1y, 4.6% of budgetSEASONS HOSPICE: $4,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetUNITED WAY OF THE MIDLANDS: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUNITED WAY OF SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetNEBRASKA HUMANE SOCIETY: $1,000 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.

Dr C C and Mabel L Cr…Gilbert M and Martha …The Hawks FoundationOtto Bremer TrustMorgan Stanley Global…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…Vanguard Charitable E…The Bank of America C…Donor Advised Charita…American Endowment Fo…Fidelity Investments …American Online Givin…
Dr C C and Mabel L Criss MemorialWI13.6× affinity4 shared granteesties to 10 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Dr C C and Mabel L Criss Memorial · Gilbert M and Martha H Hitchcock Foundation · The Hawks Foundation · Otto Bremer Trust · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · American Endowment Foundation · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · American Online Giving Foundation Inc

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 Harper Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Harper 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 9%
  • Shelburne Museum Inc: 9% of 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 · 0–15%
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.
05Through Plinth

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to The Harper Family Foundation?

Find your warmest path to The Harper Family 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 46 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 2017, released 2017. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Harper 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