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The Margaret Ellen Nielsen Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Margaret Ellen Nielsen 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.

$803k
Granted FY2025still arriving
14
Grants FY2025still arriving
8
States reached
$250k
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, FY2017 to 2025.

Religion$1.7MYouth Development$358kEducation$266kPhilanthropy$260kCommunity Improvement$240kInternational$111kPublic Benefit$80kHuman Services$25kOther$0
02FY2025 · 14 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k2 grants · $8k
  • $10k–50k6 grants · $105k
  • $50k–250k5 grants · $440k
  • $250k+1 grant · $250k
$25,000
Median grant
8
States reached
$38M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND$250,000
WILLIAMS COLLEGE$150,000
URBAN YOUTH IMPACT INC$125,000
INTERVARSITY CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP- USA$65,000
LEVER INC$50,000
URBAN YOUTH IMPACT INC$50,000
SOUTHWICK CIVIC FUND INC$25,000
SIM USA INCORPORATED$25,000
YOUTH VOLUNTEER CORPS$20,000
INTERVARSITY CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP- USA$15,000
HUCKLEBERRY SPRINGS CHURCH$10,000
HEIFER PROJECT INTERNATIONAL$10,000
INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP OF EVANGELICAL STUDENTS U$5,000
INTERVARSITY CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP- USA$2,500
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 (FY22–25, $108k) land where the poverty rate runs at 15%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%YOUTH VOLUNTEER CORPS: $35k → 15%MISERICORDIA FOUNDATION: $25k → 14%YOUTH VOLUNTEER CORPS: $20k → 15%YOUTH VOLUNTEER CORPS: $20k → 15%YOUTH VOLUNTEER CORPS: $8k → 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.

Which US states its grants reach

WA
MN
IL
WI
MA
OH
NJ
MO
MD
AR
TN
NC
AL
GA
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 26% of The Margaret Ellen Nielsen Foundation’s grant dollars are earmarked for a different county than the recipient’s own address.

The Margaret Ellen Nielsen Foundationlessmore of its giving
Placed by recipient address
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.

85%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$2.4M · 12 repeat orgs$409k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +24% since the first grant, against +21% for those funded once.

12 repeat relationships: 6 still active in FY2025, 6 since wound down; 4 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

12
10

Total granted

$2.4M
$214k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+24%
+21%

Still filing today

67%
80%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 65% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $195k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
ReligionInternationalEducationHealthHuman ServicesCommunity ImprovementOther
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

  • UY
    Urban Youth Impact Inc
    3× · 2019–2025 · $275k · revenue +24%
  • LI
    LEVER INC
    5× · 2021–2025 · $240k · revenue +26%
  • YV
    Youth Volunteer Corps
    4× · 2022–2025 · $83k · revenue +37%

Funded once

  • SA
    SCHOLARSHIP AMERICA INC
    one grant, 2020 · $86k
  • SC
    SOUTHWICK CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
    one grant, 2023 · $60k
  • MISERICORDIA FOUNDATIONgraduated
    one grant, 2023 · $25k · revenue +52%
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
Christianity Today International

Christianity Today is a global community inspired by evangelical conviction to advance the stories and ideas of the kingdom of God. Our mission is to elevate the storytellers and sages of the global church.

Religion
2
Youth for Christ International Ministries

As part of the body of Christ, to see that every young person in every people group in every nation has the opportunity to make an informed decision to be a follower of Jesus Christ and become a part of the local church.

Religion
3
Jewish Voice Ministries Intl

To proclaim the gospel, grow the messianic jewish community and engage the church concerning israel and the jewish people. this is done through education, evangelism and being a movement leader, all with excellence in order to transform…

—
4
Dallas International University

As a christian university, we provide education and research opportunities preparing global leaders to partner with local communities.

Education
5
Corus International Inc

TO MANAGE AN INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, HEALTH, AND RELIEF FOCUSED FAMILY OF ORGANIZATIONS HELPING PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES LIFT THEMSELVES OUT OF POVERTY, SUPPORT WELL-BEING OF INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES, AND PROVIDE…

Human Services
6
Christel House International Inc

Chi prepares graduates of the christel house schools operated by its affiliated entities, which chi funds and oversees, to achieve upward economic mobility, demonstrate good citizenship, and become empowered to identify and realize their…

International
7
International Leadership Institute

The international leadership institute (ili) changes history by accelerating the spread of the gospel through training and mobilizing leaders of leaders to reach their nations. ili accomplishes this purpose through cutting edge leadership…

Religion
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
Central Indiana Corporate Partnership Inc

Central indiana corporate partnership (cicp) is an alliance of indiana's business and research university leaders coming together to foster long-term prosperity for the region. cicp's mission is to transform the economy of indiana in order…

Community Improvement
10
Devworks International

Devworks international is dedicated to a society where all people enjoy the freedom to pursue their own sustainable development. we contribute to this by strengthening the capacity of local organizations.

Human Services
11
International Development Enterprises

See schedule o for a more detailed description of ide's mission statement and achievements.

International
12
Evangel University

Evangel is a comprehensive christian university that is committed to excellence in educating and equipping students to become spirit empowered servants of god who will impact the church and society globally.

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Heifer International Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Partners in Health a Nonprofit Corporation. 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

22 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. 22 of the 29 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)
21/22
Grantees still filing
17/22
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN NORTH PALM BEACH INC: $854,500 · OtherFIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN NORTH PALM BE…SCHOLARSHIP AMERICA INC: $86,000 · OtherSCHOLARSHIP AMERICA INCSOUTHWICK CIVIC FUND INC: $80,000 · OtherSOUTHWICK CIVIC FUND INCSOUTHWICK CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH: $60,000 · Other+7 more: $77,000 · Other+7 moreInterVarsity Christian FellowshipUSA: $672,000 · ReligionInterVarsity Christian FellowshipUSAUrban Youth Impact Inc: $275,000 · ReligionUrban Youth Impact IncINTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP OF EVANGELICAL STUDENTS USA INC: $45,000 · ReligionWORLDWIDE DISCIPLESHIP ASSOCIATION: $41,800 · Religion+1 more: $1,000 · ReligionFIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND: $250,000 · Community ImprovementFIDELITY INVESTMEN…LEVER INC: $240,000 · Community ImprovementLEVER INCWilliams College: $150,000 · EducationRUTGERS UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $25,000 · EducationYouth Volunteer Corps: $82,500 · Human ServicesMISERICORDIA FOUNDATION: $25,000 · Human ServicesWORLD VISION INC: $40,000 · InternationalWOMEN IN THE WINDOW INTERNATIONAL INC: $11,000 · InternationalHEIFER INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION: $10,000 · InternationalHEIFER PROJECT INTERNATIONAL: $10,000 · InternationalMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $10,000 · InternationalPARTNERS IN HEALTH A NONPROFIT CORPORATION: $20,000 · HealthThe Children's Hospital of Alabama: $10,000 · Health
Other$1,157,500Religion$1,034,800Community Improvement$490,000Education$175,000Human Services$107,500International$81,000Health$30,000

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 budgetInterVarsity Christian FellowshipUSA: $672,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetUrban Youth Impact Inc: $275,000 over 3y, 4.7% of budgetFIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND: $250,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLEVER INC: $240,000 over 5y, 7.8% of budgetWilliams College: $150,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetYouth Volunteer Corps: $82,500 over 4y, 6.0% of budgetINTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP OF EVANGELICAL STUDENTS USA INC: $45,000 over 4y, 0.6% of budgetWORLDWIDE DISCIPLESHIP ASSOCIATION: $41,800 over 3y, 1.0% of budgetWORLD VISION INC: $40,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetRUTGERS UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $25,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMISERICORDIA FOUNDATION: $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetPARTNERS IN HEALTH A NONPROFIT CORPORATION: $20,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetWOMEN IN THE WINDOW INTERNATIONAL INC: $11,000 over 2y, 2.9% of budgetHEIFER INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetJEWISH FEDERATION OF PALM BEACH COUNTY INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHEIFER PROJECT INTERNATIONAL: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetThe Children's Hospital of Alabama: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetJUPITER CHRISTIAN SCHOOL INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHousing Partnership Inc: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCHRISTIANS FOR BIBLICAL EQUALITY: $2,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetChristians Reaching Out To Society 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.

Natl Christian Charit…Morgan Stanley Global…National Philanthropi…The Bank of America C…Fidelity Investments …Donor Advised Charita…Amazonsmile Foundation
Natl Christian Charitable Fdn IncGA10.5× affinity8 shared granteesties to 6 of 6Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Natl Christian Charitable Fdn Inc · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · 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 Margaret Ellen Nielsen Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Margaret Ellen Nielsen Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 30%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%5%10%15%20%share of the org’s income from government →median 0%
  • Lever Inc: 10% of income from government
  • Partners in Health a Nonprofit Corporation: 0% of income from government
  • Rutgers University Foundation: 0% of income from government
  • Williams College: 0% of income from government
  • Housing Partnership Inc: 0% of 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 · 0–20%
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.

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 29 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 Margaret Ellen Nielsen’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