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The Little Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Little 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.

$50k
Granted FY2021
10
Grants FY2021
7
States reached
$14k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead

Read this first · the figures below need context

100% of The Little Family Foundation’s FY2024 grant dollars went to Mayo Clinic, 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 FY2021, the last year The Little Family Foundation named its own grantees at scale: 7 organizations, $50k. It is dated, not current.

Organizations named directly on the return

0
’17
15
’18
5
’20
7
’21
2
’22
0
’24

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

01What it funds
0198% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Health$2.1MPublic Safety & Disaster$60kFood & Nutrition$50kHuman Services$15kInternational$13kPhilanthropy$10kHousing & Shelter$9kEducation$9kOther$0
02FY2021 · 10 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2021

  • Under $10k9 grants · $36k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $14k
$5,000
Median grant
7
States reached
$2.4M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
INTERFAITH OUTREACH FOOD SHELF$14,000
FEEDING SOUTH DAKOTA$7,000
SECOND HARVEST HEARTLAND$7,000
MAYO CLINIC$6,000
SAMARITAN CENTER SIMI VALLEY$5,000
MEALS ON WHEELS AMERICA$3,500
ANGELS AND SPARROWS$3,500
SEWA INTERNATIONAL$2,000
FEEDING AMERICA$1,000
ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION$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 (FY18–18, $7k) land where the poverty rate runs at 12%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 86% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%SENIOR COMMUNITY SERVICES: $4k → 11%WESTERN YOUTH NETWORK: $1k → 21%RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE OF CHARLOTTE: $1k → 10%CRESCENT COVE: $1k → 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

MN
IL
NY
SD
CA
VA
NC
DC
GA
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
repeat funding

Who it funds again

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

47%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$89k · 4 repeat orgs$100k to everyone else

4 repeat relationships: 3 still active in FY2021, 1 since wound down; 7 grantees were first funded in FY2021 (too recent to call). Read against FY2021, the last year this funder named its own grantees directly; its giving has since run through a sponsor, which reports no donor behind each grant.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

4
23

Total granted

$89k
$70k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+21%
+49%

Still filing today

75%
74%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2022, 71% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $10k went to new ones.

50%100%’18’20’21’22
RenewedFirst-time

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

’18’20’21’22
Food & NutritionHuman ServicesInternationalHealthHousing & ShelterPublic BenefitOther
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

  • WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC
    2× · 2020–2022 · $55k · revenue +21%
  • SH
    SECOND HARVEST HEARTLAND
    2× · 2020–2021 · $11k · revenue +17%
  • AS
    ANGELS & SPARROWS SOUP KITCHEN INC
    2× · 2020–2021 · $7k · revenue +59%

Funded once

  • TF
    THE FINTRY WEST FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2018 · $10k
  • SC
    SPEARFISH COMMUNITY PANTRY INC
    one grant, 2020 · $7k · revenue -34%
  • WS
    World Savvygraduated
    one grant, 2018 · $4k · revenue +213%
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
Great Plains Food Bank

End hunger together.

Food & Nutrition
2
Midwest Dairy Association

Midwest dairy works with others to give consumers an excellent dairy experience increasing sales, fostering innovation, and inspiring consumer confidence of dairy products and practices.

—
3
Regional West Health Services

Health care services for the people of western nebraska and eastern wyoming.

Health
4
Food & Water Watch

Food & water watch conducts extensive research and public education to ensure the food and water we consume is safe, accessible and sustainably produced. so we can all enjoy and trust in what we eat and drink, we help people take charge of…

Food & Nutrition
5
Women's Foodservice Forum

Accelerate the advancement of women leaders in the food industry. we believe in limitless opportunity for all women.

Food & Nutrition
6
Second Harvest North Central Food Bank

Engaging the community to end hunger

—
7
Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States Inc

The fsmb serves as the voice for state medical boards, supporting them through education, assessment, research and advocacy while providing services and initiatives that promote patient safety, quality health care and regulatory best…

Health
8
Feeding San Diego

On a mission to connect every person facing hunger with nutritious meals by maximizing food rescue. through direct service and community partnerships, feeding san diego provides more than 26 million meals each year to children, families,…

Food & Nutrition
9
The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri

The food bank for central & northeast missouri is a regional disaster and hunger relief network that acquires and distributes millions of meals each year to help neighbors get the food they need to thrive. (continued on schedule o)the…

Food & Nutrition
10
Homeward Bound Inc

Providing innovative and life-enriching services for children, adolescents, and adults with disabilities.

Human Services
11
Marin Humane Society

Marin humane transforms lives through exceptional animal care, humane education, and advocacy. every day, marin humane inspires compassion and positive relationships between people and animals.

Animals
12
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…

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Meals On Wheels America; the most unlike its peers is Western Hills Humane Society. 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

27 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

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 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 27 of the 35 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)
9
Early backer (in before they grew)
27/27
Grantees still filing
22/27
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

MAYO CLINIC: $2,111,000 · HealthMAYO CLINIC+4 more: $13,455 · HealthWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $55,000 · InternationalMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $10,000 · InternationalWorld Savvy: $4,285 · International+1 more: $1,000 · InternationalINTERFAITH OUTREACH FOOD SHELF: $16,500 · OtherTHE FINTRY WEST FOUNDATION: $10,000 · OtherHABITAT FOR HUMANITY AMERICA: $4,285 · OtherDELASALLE HIGH SCHOOL: $4,285 · OtherTHE JAMES STOREHOUSE INCORPORATED: $3,000 · OtherWestern Hills Humane Society: $3,000 · OtherINTERFAITH OUTREACH AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS: $3,000 · OtherPRISM FOOD SHELF: $2,500 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $2,000 · Other+2 more: $2,000 · OtherSECOND HARVEST HEARTLAND: $11,000 · Food & NutritionFEEDING SOUTH DAKOTA: $7,000 · Food & NutritionSPEARFISH COMMUNITY PANTRY INC: $7,000 · Food & NutritionANGELS & SPARROWS SOUP KITCHEN INC: $6,500 · Food & NutritionMEALS ON WHEELS AMERICA: $3,500 · Food & Nutrition+1 more: $1,000 · Food & NutritionSENIOR COMMUNITY SERVICES: $4,285 · Human ServicesSewa International Inc: $2,000 · Human ServicesThe Western Youth Network Inc: $1,000 · Human ServicesRonald McDonald House Charities of Greater Charlotte Inc: $1,000 · Human ServicesCRESCENT COVE: $1,000 · Human ServicesThe Samaritan Center-Simi Valley: $5,000 · Housing & ShelterJEREMIAH PROGRAM: $2,000 · Housing & ShelterAIR & SPACE FORCES AID SOCIETY INC: $1,000 · Public BenefitTHE BOND BETWEEN: $1,000 · Animals
Health$2,124,455International$70,285Other$50,570Food & Nutrition$36,000Human Services$9,285Housing & Shelter$7,000Public Benefit$1,000Animals$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 budgetMAYO CLINIC: $2,111,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $55,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSECOND HARVEST HEARTLAND: $11,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFEEDING SOUTH DAKOTA: $7,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSPEARFISH COMMUNITY PANTRY INC: $7,000 over 1y, 3.3% of budgetANGELS & SPARROWS SOUP KITCHEN INC: $6,500 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetThe Samaritan Center-Simi Valley: $5,000 over 1y, 1.3% of budgetWorld Savvy: $4,285 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetFOUNDATION FOR PRADER-WILLI RESEARCH INC: $4,285 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSENIOR COMMUNITY SERVICES: $4,285 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetBRAIN SUPPORT NETWORK: $4,285 over 1y, 2.6% of budgetMEALS ON WHEELS AMERICA: $3,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE JAMES STOREHOUSE INCORPORATED: $3,000 over 1y, 1.2% of budgetWestern Hills Humane Society: $3,000 over 1y, 1.1% of budgetINTERFAITH OUTREACH AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS: $3,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSewa International Inc: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetJEREMIAH PROGRAM: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetThe Western Youth Network Inc: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetRonald McDonald House Charities of Greater Charlotte Inc: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetAIR & SPACE FORCES AID SOCIETY INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCRESCENT COVE: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE BOND BETWEEN: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFeeding America: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetALZHEIMER'S DISEASE & RELATED DISORDERS ASSOCIATION INC: $600 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.

The Richard M Schulze…Xcel Energy FoundationThe Minneapolis Found…The Bank of America C…United Way WorldwideThe US Charitable Gif…Mightycause Charitabl…Charities Aid Foundat…Baird Foundation IncJpmorgan Chase Founda…The Blackbaud Giving …Morgan Stanley Global…
The Richard M Schulze Family FoundationMN12.7× affinity4 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Richard M Schulze Family Foundation · Xcel Energy Foundation · The Minneapolis Foundation · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · United Way Worldwide · The US Charitable Gift Trust · Mightycause Charitable Foundation · Charities Aid Foundation America · Baird Foundation Inc · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust 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 Little Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Little Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%15%30%45%60%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    7report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–60%
    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 35 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 2021, released 2021. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Little 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