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The Mehlum Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Mehlum 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.

$198k
Granted FY2025still arriving
35
Grants FY2025still arriving
8
States reached
$75k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0199% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2022 to 2025.

Philanthropy$181kArts & Culture$103kHealth$54kEducation$46kHuman Services$44kFood & Nutrition$30kYouth Development$20kInternational$17kOther$0
02FY2025 · 35 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k29 grants · $69k
  • $10k–50k5 grants · $54k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $75k
$2,500
Median grant
8
States reached
$3.2M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
UNITED WAY OF LANE COUNTY$75,417
WESTERN LANE COUNTY FOUNDATION$14,000
LANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION$10,000
THE JOHN G SHEDD INSTITUTE FOR THE ARTS$10,000
SIUSLAW PIONEER MUSEUM ASSOCIATION INC$10,000
WESTERN LANE COUNTY FOUNDATION$10,000
SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL OF THE AMERICAS INC$5,000
CENTER FOR COMMUNITY COUNSELING$5,000
Individual grant recipient$5,000
PACIFIC LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY INC$5,000
FOOD FOR LANE COUNTY$5,000
SPRINGFIELD ROTARY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION$5,000
BRIGHTFOCUS FOUNDATION$2,500
OPHELIAS PLACE$2,500
OREGON COAST HUMANE SOCIETY$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 (FY23–25, $7k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 87% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%WITH LOVE OREGON: $1k → 8%Bags of Love: $1k → 15%SPRINGFIELD ROTARY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION: $5k → 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
NY
OR
IA
OH
CA
MD
AZ
DC
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.

76%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$379k · 25 repeat orgs$117k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +19% since the first grant, against +17% for those funded once.

25 repeat relationships: 9 still active in FY2025, 16 since wound down; 24 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

25
14

Total granted

$379k
$51k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+19%
+17%

Still filing today

60%
29%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 62% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $66k went to new ones.

50%100%’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’22’23’24’25
HealthYouth DevelopmentHuman ServicesEducationInternationalAnimalsOther
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

  • UW
    UNITED WAY OF LANE COUNTY
    4× · 2022–2025 · $142k · revenue +46%
  • EM
    Eisenhower Medical Center
    2× · 2022–2024 · $15k · revenue +24%
  • CF
    CENTER FOR COMMUNITY COUNSELING
    3× · 2023–2025 · $15k · revenue +60%

Funded once

  • V
    Various
    one grant, 2024 · $7k
  • RC
    Roberts College of Instanbul
    one grant, 2024 · $5k
  • RC
    Roberts College
    one grant, 2023 · $5k
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
Linn Benton Food Share

To eliminate hunger

Food & Nutrition
2
Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association

Orla serves as the leading industry advocate, striving to protect, improve and promote oregon hospitality.

—
3
Oregon Agricultural Trust

Oregon agricultural trust partners with farmers and ranchers to protect agricultural lands for the benefit of oregons economy, communities, and landscapes.

Environment
4
Catholic Community Services of Lane County Inc

Responding to christ's message to love our neighbors as ourselves, catholic community services offers immediate help by providing food and other assistance to anyone in need and seeks to instill hope by helping lane county individuals and…

Human Services
5
Food Share of Lincoln County

To alleviate hunger in lincoln county by soliciting, collecting, and distributing food through a network of agencies. to provide temporary services to individuals and families in time of need. to assist clients to become more…

Food & Nutrition
6
Lane Community College Education Association

Lane Community College Education Association is the union that represents 200 full-time and 375 part-time faculty members at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon. LCCEA is an affiliated unit of the Oregon Education Association (OEA)…

—
7
Food Forward Inc

Food forward fights hunger and prevents food waste by rescuing fresh surplus produce, connecting this abundance with people experiencing food insecurity, and inspiring others to do the same.

Food & Nutrition
8
Lane County Community Foundation

The mission of Lane County Community Foundation (the Foundation) is to improve the quality of life in Lane County, Kansas and communities within Lane County, and to ensure that the communities in and around Lane County will forever remain…

Philanthropy
9
Port Angeles Food Bank

Nourishing our community. the port angeles food bank is the main food bank in clallam county, providing food to 13 other area pantries and meal programs as well as providing food to over 5,000 individuals per month.

Food & Nutrition
10
Gleaners of Clackamas County Inc

Provide food to low income families.

—
11
Oregon Research Institute

Oregon research institute is an independent behavioral sciences research center dedicated to understanding human behavior and improving the quality of human life through the prevention and treatment of health, educational, and social…

Social Science
12
Rescuing Leftover Cuisine Inc

The mission of rescuing leftover cuisine ("rlc") is to redistribute excess food for the benefit of people experiencing food insecurity.

Food & Nutrition
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Food for Lane County; the most unlike its peers is Brightfocus Foundation. 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

41 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. 41 of the 64 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)
6
Early backer (in before they grew)
39/41
Grantees still filing
17/41
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

WESTERN LANE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $34,000 · OtherWESTERN LANE COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONSiuslaw Pioneer Museum: $32,500 · OtherSiuslaw Pioneer MuseumThe Shedd Institute: $17,500 · OtherThe Shedd InstituteCENTER FOR COMMUNITY COUNSELING: $15,000 · OtherKLCC: $15,000 · OtherFOOD FOR LANE COUNTY: $13,500 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $12,500 · OtherRELIEF NURSERY INC: $12,500 · OtherCascade Health: $10,100 · Other+37 more: $139,246 · Other+37 moreUNITED WAY OF LANE COUNTY: $141,917 · PhilanthropyUNITED WAY OF LANE COUNTY+1 more: $1,000 · PhilanthropyEisenhower Medical Center: $15,000 · HealthBRIGHTFOCUS FOUNDATION: $7,500 · HealthAMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY INC: $2,000 · HealthCLAREMATRIX: $1,000 · HealthLANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION: $15,000 · EducationPacific Lutheran University: $5,000 · EducationEugene Christian School: $2,000 · EducationTHE JOHN G SHEDD INSTITUTE FOR THE ARTS: $10,000 · Arts & CultureEUGENE BALLET COMPANY: $5,000 · Arts & CultureOPHELIA'S PLACE: $6,000 · Youth DevelopmentPACIFIC CREST COUNCIL INC BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA: $3,500 · Youth DevelopmentBOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF CORVALLIS INC: $2,000 · Youth DevelopmentCALDERA: $1,000 · Youth DevelopmentGREENHILL HUMANE SOCIETY SPCA: $5,000 · AnimalsOREGON COAST HUMANE SOCIETY: $5,000 · AnimalsOREGON HUMANE SOCIETY: $1,000 · Animals
Other$301,846Philanthropy$142,917Health$25,500Education$22,000Arts & Culture$15,000Youth Development$12,500Animals$11,000

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 budgetUNITED WAY OF LANE COUNTY: $141,917 over 4y, 1.1% of budgetWESTERN LANE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $34,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetEisenhower Medical Center: $15,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetLANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION: $15,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetCENTER FOR COMMUNITY COUNSELING: $15,000 over 3y, 3.2% of budgetFOOD FOR LANE COUNTY: $13,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetRELIEF NURSERY INC: $12,500 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetMAPLETON FOOD SHARE: $7,500 over 2y, 2.4% of budgetFLORENCE FOOD SHARE: $7,500 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetBRIGHTFOCUS FOUNDATION: $7,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetOPHELIA'S PLACE: $6,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetGREENHILL HUMANE SOCIETY SPCA: $5,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetSPRINGFIELD ROTARY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION: $5,000 over 1y, 9.3% of budgetPacific Lutheran University: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetOREGON COAST HUMANE SOCIETY: $5,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetEUGENE BALLET COMPANY: $5,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetOBA EDUCATION FOUNDATION: $5,000 over 1y, 5.0% of budgetPACIFIC CREST COUNCIL INC BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA: $3,500 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetROTARY CLUB OF FLORENCE: $3,000 over 2y, 1.3% of budgetAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetARC OF LANE COUNTY: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTRUSTEES OF ROBERT COLLEGE OF ISTANBUL: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF CORVALLIS INC: $2,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetAMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY INC: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetEMERALD KIDSPORTS: $2,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetEugene Christian School: $2,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBAGS OF LOVE: $1,450 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetWITH LOVE OREGON INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetONE TAIL AT A TIME - PDX: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetOREGON HUMANE SOCIETY: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSouthern California Area Assembly of AA: $1,000 over 1y, 1.5% of budgetSECOND HARVEST INLAND NORTHWEST: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCLAREMATRIX: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCALDERA: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetROTARY CLUB OF FLORENCE FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 1y, 1.7% 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 Oregon Community …Chambers Family Found…The Ford Family Found…United Way of Lane Co…The Autzen FoundationMarie Lamfrom Charita…The Woodard Family Fo…Alton F Baker Family …The Coeta and Donald …Braemar Charitable Tr…M J Murdock Charitabl…Giustina Foundation
The Oregon Community FoundationOR38.6× affinity21 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Oregon Community Foundation · Chambers Family Foundation · The Ford Family Foundation · United Way of Lane County · The Autzen Foundation · Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation Trust · The Woodard Family Foundation · Alton F Baker Family Foundation · The Coeta and Donald Barker Foundation · Braemar Charitable Trust · M J Murdock Charitable Trust · Giustina 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 Mehlum Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Mehlum Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 130%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 16%
  • Arc of Lane County: 79% of income from government
  • United Way of Lane County: 31% of income from government
  • Relief Nursery Inc: 30% of income from government
  • Ophelia's Place: 22% of income from government
  • With Love Oregon Inc: 16% of income from government
  • Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis Inc: 16% of income from government
  • Food for Lane County: 5% of income from government
  • Greenhill Humane Society Spca: 1% of income from government
  • Caldera: 1% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
13get no government money at all
9report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
1rely on government for over half their income
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 Mehlum Family Foundation?

Find your warmest path to The Mehlum 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 64 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 Mehlum 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