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The Mehring Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Mehring 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.

$680k
Granted FY2024still arriving
20
Grants FY2024still arriving
4
States reached
$311k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0189% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2024.

Education$1.2MHuman Services$1.1MCommunity Improvement$270kInternational$20kRecreation & Sports$20kHealth$19kReligion$14kFood & Nutrition$4kOther$0
02FY2024 · 20 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k12 grants · $18k
  • $10k–50k5 grants · $112k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $239k
  • $250k+1 grant · $311k
$2,500
Median grant
4
States reached
$926k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
IMPACT CHRISTIAN SCHOOL$311,250
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN FOUNDATION$183,000
Individual grant recipient$56,400
BRIDGE TO BRIGHTER INC$35,000
ST MARCUS SCHOOL$25,350
GLOBAL LEADERSHIP NETWORK$19,500
LIVING HOPE INTERNATIONAL$17,060
MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL$15,000
PATHWAYS HIGH SCHOOL$3,000
DOXA CHURCH$2,500
WORLD VISION$2,048
100 MEN$2,000
Individual grant recipient$2,000
365 MEDIA FOUNDATION$2,000
CLEAN LAKE ALLIANCE$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 (FY21–24, $991k) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 3% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%HOME 4 THE HEART INC: $30k → 17%GILDA'S CLUB MADISON: $250 → 10%BRIDGE TO BRIGHTER INC: $522k → 10%BRIDGE TO BRIGHTER INC: $195k → 10%BRIDGE TO BRIGHTER INC: $118k → 10%BRIDGE TO BRIGHTER INC: $90k → 10%BRIDGE TO BRIGHTER INC: $35k → 10%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.
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.

94%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$2.6M · 16 repeat orgs$164k to everyone else

16 repeat relationships: 12 still active in FY2024, 4 since wound down; 7 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

16
11

Total granted

$2.6M
$84k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

-8%
+33%

Still filing today

38%
73%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 88% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $79k went to new ones.

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

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

’20’21’22’23’24
EducationHuman ServicesPhilanthropyInternationalHousing & ShelterCivil RightsOther
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

  • BT
    BRIDGE TO BRIGHTER INC
    4× · 2021–2024 · $961k · revenue -17% · 90% of their budget
  • IC
    IMPACT CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS INC
    4× · 2020–2024 · $675k
  • UO
    UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN FOUNDATION
    4× · 2021–2024 · $418k · revenue -8%

Funded once

  • H4
    HOME 4 THE HEART INCgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $30k · revenue +36%
  • SA
    SAINT ANN SCHOOL FOUNDATION INC
    one grant, 2021 · $18k · revenue -90%
  • SS
    ST SEBASTIAN CATHOLIC SCHOOL
    one grant, 2021 · $10k
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
Madison Media Fund

Curating films that respect timeless values and avoid divisive ideologies. While our original work explores stories that unite within issues that divide, our platform connects audiences with content that uplifts and inspires without agenda.

Human Services
2
Chosen Inc of Wisconsin

Chosen exists to foster forever families by living the gospel, so that all children can experience a safe & loving home.

Human Services
3
Glad World Inc

Missionary work

Religion
4
Fund for Wisconsin Scholars Inc
Philanthropy
5
Watotoworld Inc

To provide the gift of love, hope and sustainability to orphans in kenya.

Youth Development
6
Pure Water for All Foundation Inc

Provide safe drinking water to third world countries.

International
7
Girls Hope Rescue Mission

To rescue Kenyan Girls from GBV

Human Services
8
The Madison Waldorf School Ltd

The madison waldorf school is an independent day school located in madison wisconsin, and a developing member of the association of waldorf schools of north america.

Education
9
Global Mission

To bring the gospel of jesus christ to those who have never heard it and take care of orphans

Religion
10
Milford Schools Foundation

Support milford public schools

Philanthropy
11
Global Leadership Inc

Education of young leaders.

Religion
12
Impact Africa Network Inc

Ensuring young talented Africans participate in the digital transformation of Africa as creators and owners.

Employment
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Feed My Starving Children Inc; the most unlike its peers is Taso Foundation 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

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 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.

2
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
18/18
Grantees still filing
6/18
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

IMPACT CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS INC: $675,000 · OtherIMPACT CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS INCGLOBAL LEADERSHIP NETWORK: $269,500 · OtherGLOBAL LEADERSHIP NETWORKOneHope27 Inc: $131,000 · OtherOneHope27 IncIndividual grant recipient: $56,400 · OtherST MARCUS LUTHERAN CHURCH: $53,080 · Other+17 more: $98,900 · Other+17 moreBRIDGE TO BRIGHTER INC: $960,868 · Human ServicesBRIDGE TO BRIGHTER INC+2 more: $30,250 · Human ServicesUNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN FOUNDATION: $417,880 · EducationUNIVERSITY OF WIS…+3 more: $12,320 · EducationLIVING HOPE INTERNATIONAL INC: $17,060 · Housing & ShelterFEED MY STARVING CHILDREN INC: $3,576 · InternationalWORLD VISION INC: $2,048 · InternationalGREYWOLF FOUNDATION INC: $3,000 · PhilanthropyCHILDRENS WORLD IMPACT INC: $525 · PhilanthropyCLEAN LAKES ALLIANCE INC: $2,000 · Environment
Other$1,283,880Human Services$991,118Education$430,200Housing & Shelter$17,060International$5,624Philanthropy$3,525Environment$2,000

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 budgetBRIDGE TO BRIGHTER INC: $960,868 over 4y, 90% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN FOUNDATION: $417,880 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetOneHope27 Inc: $131,000 over 3y, 37% of budgetHOME 4 THE HEART INC: $30,000 over 1y, 2.8% of budgetSAINT ANN SCHOOL FOUNDATION INC: $17,500 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetLIVING HOPE INTERNATIONAL INC: $17,060 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetOregon Athletic Booster Club Inc: $6,570 over 1y, 6.7% of budgetPATHWAYS HIGH INC: $5,500 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetFEED MY STARVING CHILDREN INC: $3,576 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetGREYWOLF FOUNDATION INC: $3,000 over 1y, 2.5% of budgetWORLD VISION INC: $2,048 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCLEAN LAKES ALLIANCE INC: $2,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budget365 Media Foundation Inc: $2,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetFRIENDS OF CARS CURING KIDS INC: $1,000 over 1y, 1.2% of budgetCHILDRENS WORLD IMPACT INC: $525 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF NORTHWESTERN - ST PAUL: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGILDA'S CLUB MADISON WISCONSIN INC: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTASO FOUNDATION INC: $250 over 1y, 0.6% 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 BRIDGE TO BRIGHTER INC ↗
  • Who funds UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds OneHope27 Inc ↗
  • Who funds HOME 4 THE HEART INC ↗
  • Who funds SAINT ANN SCHOOL FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds LIVING HOPE INTERNATIONAL INC ↗
  • Who funds Oregon Athletic Booster Club Inc ↗
  • Who funds PATHWAYS HIGH INC ↗
  • Who funds FEED MY STARVING CHILDREN INC ↗
  • Who funds GREYWOLF FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds WORLD VISION INC ↗
  • Who funds CLEAN LAKES ALLIANCE INC ↗
  • Who funds 365 Media Foundation Inc ↗
  • Who funds FRIENDS OF CARS CURING KIDS INC ↗
  • Who funds CHILDRENS WORLD IMPACT INC ↗
  • Who funds UNIVERSITY OF NORTHWESTERN - ST PAUL ↗
  • Who funds GILDA'S CLUB MADISON WISCONSIN INC ↗
  • Who funds TASO FOUNDATION INC ↗

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.

Baird Foundation IncCedar Street Charitab…United Way of Greater…Greater Milwaukee Fou…Green Bay Packers Fou…American Endowment Fo…Natl Christian Charit…The Blackbaud Giving …Raymond James Charita…National Philanthropi…Vanguard Charitable E…Donor Advised Charita…
Baird Foundation IncWI15× affinity7 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Baird Foundation Inc · Cedar Street Charitable Foundation Inc · United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County Inc · Greater Milwaukee Foundation Inc · Green Bay Packers Foundation · American Endowment Foundation · Natl Christian Charitable Fdn Inc · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund · National Philanthropic Trust · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Donor Advised Charitable Giving 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 Mehring Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Mehring Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2023
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%6%23%51%90%funder's share of their income ↑0%4%8%11%15%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get no government money at all
    3report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–15%
    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 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Mehring 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