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The Kipp Nelson Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Kipp Nelson 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.

$70k
Granted FY2024still arriving
3
Grants FY2024still arriving
2
States reached
$55k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0170% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Recreation & Sports$407kEducation$152kArts & Culture$135kPhilanthropy$10kYouth Development$3kHealth$2kHuman Services$1kOther$0
02FY2024 · 3 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k1 grant · $1k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $14k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $55k
$13,829
Median grant
2
States reached
$765k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
UNITED STATES SKI ASSOCIATION$55,000
WORLD CUP DREAMS FOUNDATION$13,829
APU NORDIC SKI CENTER$1,000
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 (FY19–19, $1k) land where the poverty rate runs at 7%, against an area that typically sits at 8%. 0% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 8%BALD MOUNTAIN RESCUE FUND: $1k → 7%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

AK
VT
ID
NY
MA
UT
CO
VA
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.

96%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$2.0M · 7 repeat orgs$76k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +33% since the first grant, against +12% for those funded once.

7 repeat relationships: 2 still active in FY2024, 5 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

7
12

Total granted

$2.0M
$62k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+33%
+12%

Still filing today

57%
75%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 80% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $14k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
Recreation & SportsEducationArts & CulturePhilanthropyHealthHuman ServicesOther
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

  • U
    USSA
    6× · 2017–2022 · $837k
  • S
    SVSEF
    4× · 2017–2022 · $477k
  • US
    United States Ski Association
    2× · 2023–2024 · $339k · revenue +33%

Funded once

  • HG
    HIGHER GROUND USA INCgraduated
    one grant, 2019 · $25k · revenue +26%
  • JF
    Jazz Foundation of America Inc
    one grant, 2017 · $10k · revenue -42%
  • CC
    Club Champions League Inc
    one grant, 2022 · $9k · revenue -64%
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
United States Ski Team Foundation

Operates for the benefit and support of world-class skiing and snowboarding, including coaching and training athletes in these sports.

Recreation & Sports
2
Vail International Pro Am
Recreation & Sports
3
The International Water Ski Racing Association Inc
Recreation & Sports
4
Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club Inc

To create champions on and off the mountain by developing life skills and providing growth opportunities through participation in sports.

—
5
Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation Inc

The sun valley ski education foundation, inc. is dedicated to providing winter sports programs for the youth of the wood river valley, to include all ability and interest levels, regardless of each participant's economic level. the primary…

—
6
Ussa Investment Fund

Operates exclusively to manage the investment of endowment gifts made for the benefit of supporting the development, training, and competition of elite national, international, and development athletes in skiing and snowboarding.

Recreation & Sports
7
Stevens Pass Alpine Club

The Organization is a competitive alpine sports club, fostering the development of alpine athletes of every age, with each athlete representing the highest level of sportsmanship, teamwork, leadership, and personal responsibility.

Recreation & Sports
8
Silverfork Skimo Foundation

None

Recreation & Sports
9
Team Breckenridge Sports Club Inc

It is our mission to provide this community with an athletic environment that allows each athlete to reach their potential and pursue their life's goals through through snow sports.

Recreation & Sports
10
Big Sky Ski Education Foundation

Big Sky Ski Education Foundation offers competitive Alpine, Freeride, and Nordic skiing programs.

—
11
United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboa Uscsa

To be the Nationally Governing Body of Team Ski and Snowboard Competition at the Collegiate Level and provide competition and development opportunities for student activities in a team atmosphere. Determining National Championships in each…

—
12
United States Skiing Foundation

United states skiing foundation is engaged in not-for-profit membership, competition, training, development, and educational activities related to amateur skiers and snowboarders who are, or aspire to become, members of the u.s. ski and…

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Sun Valley Center for the Arts Inc; the most unlike its peers is Sarasota Boxing Club 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

14 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. 14 of the 20 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)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
14/14
Grantees still filing
8/14
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

USSA: $837,030 · OtherUSSASVSEF: $476,852 · OtherSVSEFSUN VALLEY CENTER FOR THE ARTS INC: $84,955 · OtherSUN VALLEY CENTER FOR THE ARTS INC+6 more: $25,000 · OtherUnited States Ski Association: $339,233 · Recreation & SportsUnited States Ski Ass…HIGHER GROUND USA INC: $25,000 · Recreation & SportsHIGHER GROUND USA INCWORLD CUP DREAMS FOUNDATION FKA SFI FOUNDATION: $13,829 · Recreation & Sports+2 more: $11,484 · Recreation & SportsSun Valley Community School Inc: $150,000 · EducationSUN VALLEY PERFORMING ARTS INC: $50,000 · Arts & CultureJazz Foundation of America Inc: $10,000 · PhilanthropySARASOTA BOXING CLUB INC: $3,000 · Youth DevelopmentBald Mountain Rescue Fund: $1,000 · Human ServicesBREAKTHROUGH T1D: $1,000 · Health
Other$1,423,837Recreation & Sports$389,546Education$150,000Arts & Culture$50,000Philanthropy$10,000Youth Development$3,000Human Services$1,000Health$1,000

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 budgetUnited States Ski Association: $339,233 over 2y, 0.9% of budgetSun Valley Community School Inc: $150,000 over 2y, 0.9% of budgetSUN VALLEY CENTER FOR THE ARTS INC: $84,955 over 3y, 1.1% of budgetSUN VALLEY PERFORMING ARTS INC: $50,000 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetHIGHER GROUND USA INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetWORLD CUP DREAMS FOUNDATION FKA SFI FOUNDATION: $13,829 over 1y, 2.5% of budgetJazz Foundation of America Inc: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetClub Champions League Inc: $9,484 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetCOCHRANS SKI AREA INC: $2,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetBald Mountain Rescue Fund: $1,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetBREAKTHROUGH T1D: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBOB BEATTIE SKI FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 1y, 1.5% of budgetPAN-MASSACHUSETTS CHALLENGE INC: $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.

Morgan Stanley Global…The Quinn Family Foun…Heinz Family Foundati…Argyros Family Founda…Bny Mellon Charitable…American Endowment Fo…National Philanthropi…Vanguard Charitable E…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …
Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust IncIN13.8× affinity8 shared granteesties to 9 of 9Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · The Quinn Family Foundation Inc · Heinz Family Foundation · Argyros Family Foundation · Bny Mellon Charitable Gift Fund · American Endowment Foundation · National Philanthropic Trust · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund

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 Kipp Nelson Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Kipp Nelson Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 20%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%5%10%15%20%share of the org’s income from government →median 0%
  • Pan-Massachusetts Challenge Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
2get no government money at all
2report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–20%
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 Kipp Nelson Foundation?

Find your warmest path to The Kipp Nelson 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 20 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

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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