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The Jensen Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Jensen 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.

$10k
Granted FY2025still arriving
9
Grants FY2025still arriving
4
States reached
$5k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2019 to 2024.

Health$7kHuman Services$5kRecreation & Sports$4kCivil Rights$3kReligion$2kAnimals$2kEducation$1kCrime & Legal$1kOther$0
02FY2025 · 9 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$500
Median grant
4
States reached
$14k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
HERO TO A CHILD$4,568
SWARM$2,500
SHENANDOAH IOWA ATHLETIC BOOSTER CL$1,000
MOTESSORI SCHOOL OF IOWA CITY$600
UNITY$500
KAIROS PRISON MINISTRY INTERNATIONA$200
BETHANY LUTHERAN CHURCH$100
ATHLETES IN ACTION$100
LUTHERAN CHURCH OF HOPE$50
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 (FY19–21, $300) land where the poverty rate runs at 10%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 67% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%MANE GAIT: $100 → 5%WOUNDED VETERANS RELIEF FUND: $50 → 11%MAINSTREAM LIVING: $50 → 17%SWEET BABIES: $100 → 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

WA
MN
IL
MI
NY
SD
IA
OH
CA
CO
MO
TN
DC
AL
TX
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.
04

Where the work is directed

The same grants placed two ways: where each recipient sits, and where its stated purpose sends the money.

About 21% of The Jensen Family Foundation’s grant dollars are earmarked for a different county than the recipient’s own address.

The Jensen Family Foundationlessmore of its giving
Placed by recipient address · 18% directed abroad (not shown)
How this is measured
Recipient view: each grant at its grantee’s ZIP, mapped to a county. Directed view: each grant at the county its stated purpose names, falling back to the recipient’s county when the purpose names no place; US grants only. A county shows only if it carries the top 95% of that view’s dollars. Purposes are read from the funder’s own 990 grant descriptions.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

48%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$18k · 8 repeat orgs$19k to everyone else

8 repeat relationships: 5 still active in FY2025, 3 since wound down; 4 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

8
39

Total granted

$18k
$16k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+10%
+36%

Still filing today

38%
38%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 62% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $4k went to new ones.

50%100%’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
HealthHuman ServicesAnimalsEmploymentPhilanthropyEnvironmentOther
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

  • HT
    Hero To A Child Inc
    3× · 2023–2025 · $10k · revenue +10%
  • MS
    MONTESSORI SCHOOL OF IOWA CITY INC
    2× · 2024–2025 · $800 · revenue +7%
  • ST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC
    2× · 2022–2023 · $550 · revenue +59%

Funded once

  • AS
    AARON SCHAFFER JENSEN FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2021 · $5k
  • TS
    THE SWARM COLLECTIVE INC
    one grant, 2023 · $3k · revenue -8%
  • UA
    UNITY AT THE LAKES
    one grant, 2019 · $2k
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
Children's Health Care

We champion the health needs of children and families. we are committed to improving children's health by providing the highest-quality, family centered care, advanced through research and education.

Health
2
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago

SRAlab is dedicated to providing the best patient outcomes through the highest-quality clinical care, translational research, scientific discovery and education.

Health
3
Hero Dogs Inc

Hero Dogs improves the quality of life of our nations heroes and enhances the services of community organizations by placing assistance dogs with customized training & lifetime support.

Human Services
4
Companions for Heroes

To champion public awareness of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and challenges confronting our countrys heroes and rally support for shelter animal adoption by connecting heroes and companions.

Human Services
5
Aerial Recovery

Aerial recovery's mission is to save lives and stop evil. through the creation and deployment of humanitarian special operators, aerial recovery brings together selected veterans, first responders, and mission-qualified civilians who,…

—
6
Stop Soldier Suicide Inc

Stop soldier suicide's mission is to reduce service member & veteran suicide using enhanced data insights, focused client acquisition, and suicide-specific intervention services.

Health
7
Warriors Ascent

Empower Those Who Serve to Heal and Thrive

Health
8
Pets for Vets Inc

Pets for Vets enriches the lives of veterans by creating a life-changing Super Bond with expertly selected and trained shelter or rescue pets. It provides ongoing expert support to ensure a reciprocal and thriving partnership at no cost to…

Public Benefit
9
Safe Kids Worldwide

Safe kids worldwide is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing childhood injuries.

Health
10
The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation Inc

The multiple myeloma research foundation (mmrf) is the largest nonprofit in the world solely focused on accelerating a cure for each and every multiple myeloma patient. we drive the development and delivery of next-generation therapies,…

Health
11
Conquering Congenital Heart Disease

At conquering chd we exist to conquerin the most common birth defect. we engage, listen, learn, and act. we create visibility and empower all impacted by chd. we accomplish this through awareness, knowledge, community and research.

Health
12
Patriot K9S of Wisconsininc

Provide service dogs for qualified disabled military veterans diagnosed with ptsd, tbi or msi located in the state of wisconsin.

Public Benefit
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Clearwater for Youth Inc; the most unlike its peers is World Wildlife Fund Inc. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
05the grantee network

18 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. 18 of the 51 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)
18/18
Grantees still filing
14/18
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Hero To A Child Inc: $9,568 · OtherHero To A Child IncAARON SCHAFFER JENSEN FOUNDATION: $5,000 · OtherAARON SCHAFFER JENSEN FOUNDATIONSWARM: $2,500 · OtherSWARMGIVE 'EM THE BIRD INC: $2,000 · OtherGIVE 'EM THE BIRD INCUNITY AT THE LAKES: $1,800 · OtherUNITY AT THE LAKESUNITY: $1,700 · OtherBETHLEHEM LUTHERAN CHURCH: $1,500 · OtherKAIROS PRISON MINISTRY INTERNATIONA: $1,500 · Other+29 more: $6,870 · Other+29 moreTHE SWARM COLLECTIVE INC: $2,500 · PhilanthropyBABIES OF HOMELESSNESS: $1,000 · Housing & ShelterST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC: $550 · HealthSAVE A WARRIOR INC: $250 · HealthAmerican Heart Association Inc: $100 · HealthCaringBridge: $50 · HealthMane Gait: $100 · Human ServicesSweet Babies: $100 · Human ServicesMAINSTREAM LIVING INC: $50 · Human ServicesWOUNDED VETERANS RELIEF FUND INC: $50 · Human ServicesRESTORATION OF HOPE PROJECT: $250 · EmploymentMDRC: $25 · EmploymentMILOS DOG RESCUE OF SOUTH FLORIDA INC: $100 · AnimalsPROJECT K9 HERO: $50 · Animals
Other$32,438Philanthropy$2,500Housing & Shelter$1,000Health$950Human Services$300Employment$275Animals$150

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 budgetHero To A Child Inc: $9,568 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetTHE SWARM COLLECTIVE INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBABIES OF HOMELESSNESS: $1,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetMONTESSORI SCHOOL OF IOWA CITY INC: $800 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC: $550 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSAVE A WARRIOR INC: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWORLD WILDLIFE FUND INC: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMane Gait: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMILOS DOG RESCUE OF SOUTH FLORIDA INC: $100 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSweet Babies: $100 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetAmerican Heart Association Inc: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPROJECT K9 HERO: $50 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCaringBridge: $50 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMAINSTREAM LIVING INC: $50 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWOUNDED VETERANS RELIEF FUND INC: $50 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMDRC: $25 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCLEARWATER FOR YOUTH INC: $25 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.

  • Who funds Hero To A Child Inc ↗
  • Who funds THE SWARM COLLECTIVE INC ↗
  • Who funds BABIES OF HOMELESSNESS ↗
  • Who funds MONTESSORI SCHOOL OF IOWA CITY INC ↗
  • Who funds ST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC ↗
  • Who funds RESTORATION OF HOPE PROJECT ↗
  • Who funds SAVE A WARRIOR INC ↗
  • Who funds WORLD WILDLIFE FUND INC ↗
  • Who funds Mane Gait ↗
  • Who funds MILOS DOG RESCUE OF SOUTH FLORIDA INC ↗
  • Who funds Sweet Babies ↗
  • Who funds American Heart Association Inc ↗
  • Who funds PROJECT K9 HERO ↗

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.

Natl Christian Charit…The Blackbaud Giving …Charities Aid Foundat…American Endowment Fo…The Bank of America C…Donor Advised Charita…American Online Givin…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Natl Christian Charitable Fdn IncGA8.5× affinity7 shared granteesties to 8 of 8Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Natl Christian Charitable Fdn Inc · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · Charities Aid Foundation America · American Endowment Foundation · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile 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 The Jensen Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Jensen Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 30%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%23%45%68%90%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    3get 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 · 0–90%
    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 51 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 Jensen 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