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The Mendell Family Fund Inc at a glance

· Private foundation

The Mendell Family Fund Inc

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.

$300k
Granted FY2025still arriving
29
Grants FY2025still arriving
11
States reached
$50k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0195% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2025.

Youth Development$347kEducation$206kHealth$120kInternational$83kHuman Services$71kCivil Rights$40kArts & Culture$39kReligion$35kOther$0
02FY2025 · 29 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k19 grants · $70k
  • $10k–50k9 grants · $180k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $50k
$5,000
Median grant
11
States reached
$2.6M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
COMMON GROUND CENTER$50,000
MOUNT VERNON LADIES ASSOCIATION$25,000
THE HOUSE DC INC$25,000
THE JED FOUNDATION$25,000
CANCER RESEARCH INSTITUTE$25,000
THE NATIONAL MENTORING PARTNERSHIP$25,000
THE BENJAMIN SCHOOL$20,000
MENTORING PARTNERSHIP OF NEW YORK$15,000
ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE$10,000
WACO SYMPHONY ASSOCIATION INC$10,000
RIGHTS ACTION$6,000
CENTRAL TEXAS FOOD BANK$5,000
LOUISE HERRINGTON SCHOOL OF NURSING$5,000
SUPREME COURT HISTORICAL SOCIETY$5,000
SKIDMORE COLLEGE$5,000
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 (FY20–21, $10k) land where the poverty rate runs at 12%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%GO4THEGOAL FOUNDATION: $5k → 12%GO4THEGOAL FOUNDATION: $5k → 12%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

VT
NY
MA
NJ
CA
CO
VA
MD
DC
AL
TX
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.

82%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$921k · 31 repeat orgs$207k to everyone else

31 repeat relationships: 21 still active in FY2025, 10 since wound down; 8 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

31
6

Total granted

$921k
$116k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+25%
+32%

Still filing today

81%
50%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 70% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $92k went to new ones.

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

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

’20’21’22’23’24’25
EducationInternationalYouth DevelopmentCivil RightsArts & CultureFood & NutritionOther
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

  • CG
    COMMON GROUND CENTER INC
    6× · 2020–2025 · $175k · revenue +169%
  • TH
    The House DC
    6× · 2020–2025 · $150k · revenue +4%
  • CR
    CANCER RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC
    2× · 2024–2025 · $50k · revenue +48%

Funded once

  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2021 · $50k
  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2020 · $50k
  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2020 · $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
The Rand Corporation

Help improve policy and decision making through research and analysis.

Public Benefit
2
The Common Application Inc

The common application is a not-for-profit membership organization of over 1,100 colleges and universities across the globe committed to access, equity, and integrity in the college admission process. every year, over 1.5 million students…

Education
3
Open Markets Institute

The open markets institute works to help people relearn how to use competition policy to build stronger democracies, more just and equitable societies, more innovative and sustainable economies, and a more secure and peaceful world.

Education
4
The Union of Concerned Scientists Inc

The union of concerned scientists puts rigorous, independent science into action, developing solutions and advocating for a healthy, safe, and just future.

International
5
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The mission of mit is to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century.

Education
6
Foreign Policy Research Institute

The foreign policy research institute (frpi) is dedicated to producing the highest quality scholarship and nonpartisan policy analysis focused on crucial foreign policy and national security challenges facing the united states. we educate…

International
7
Environmental Investigation Agency

To establish and promote programs to protect the global climate, forests, wildlife and the natural environment, through research, advocacy, and investigation.

International
8
American Civil Liberties Union Fund of the District of Columbia

Preservation of civil liberties through litigation and public education.

—
9
Pact Institute

Pact institute works to achieve strategic objectives that improve the lives of people around the world who are poor and marginalized through innovation, the exploration of new approaches and partnerships, and funding diversification. it is…

—
10
World Resources Institute

Wri is committed to creating change that improves people's lives and ensures the natural world can thrive. (see schedule o)wri's bold vision requires a formula for success we call "count it. change it. scale it.":- count it: our work is…

International
11
Manhattan Institute for Policy Research Inc

The manhattan institute is a community of scholars, journalists, activists, and civic leaders dedicated to advancing opportunity, individual liberty, and the rule of law in america and its great cities.

Public Benefit
12
Boston Architectural College

The bac is committed to provide excellence in design education grounded in practice and accessible to diverse communities.

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Resist Inc; the most unlike its peers is Earthjustice. 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

36 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. 36 of the 45 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)
8
Early backer (in before they grew)
36/36
Grantees still filing
21/36
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

The House DC: $150,000 · OtherThe House DCIndividual grant recipient: $50,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipientIndividual grant recipient: $50,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipientMOUNT VERNON LADIES ASSOCIATION: $50,000 · OtherMOUNT VERNON LADIES ASSOCIATIONJILLS HOUSE INC: $35,000 · OtherJILLS HOUSE INC+17 more: $142,000 · Other+17 moreCOMMON GROUND CENTER INC: $175,000 · EducationCOMMON GROUND CENTER …THE BENJAMIN PRIVATE SCHOOL INC: $20,000 · EducationTHE BENJAMIN PRIVATE …+4 more: $20,000 · Education+4 moreTHE NATIONAL MENTORING PARTNERSHIP INC: $175,000 · Youth DevelopmentTHE NATIONAL MENTOR…MENTORING PARTNERSHIP OF NEW YORK INC: $15,000 · Youth DevelopmentMENTORING PARTNERSH…+1 more: $6,000 · Youth DevelopmentCANCER RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC: $50,000 · HealthCANCER RE…THE JED FOUNDATION: $25,000 · HealthTHE JED F…PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC: $16,000 · HealthPLANNED P…RIGHTS ACTION INC: $31,000 · InternationalAdvocates International Inc: $30,000 · InternationalMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $16,500 · InternationalWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $5,500 · InternationalWELLS MOUNTAIN INITIATIVE INC: $5,000 · InternationalAMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION INC: $15,000 · Civil RightsANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: $10,000 · Civil RightsTREVOR PROJECT INC: $6,000 · Civil RightsNATIONAL YOUNG FARMERS COALITION INC: $12,000 · Food & NutritionCentral Texas Food Bank Inc: $10,000 · Food & NutritionVERMONT FOODBANK: $7,500 · Food & Nutrition
Other$477,000Education$215,000Youth Development$196,000Health$91,000International$88,000Civil Rights$31,000Food & Nutrition$29,500

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 budgetTHE NATIONAL MENTORING PARTNERSHIP INC: $175,000 over 4y, 0.7% of budgetCOMMON GROUND CENTER INC: $175,000 over 6y, 9.2% of budgetThe House DC: $150,000 over 6y, 2.2% of budgetCANCER RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC: $50,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetRIGHTS ACTION INC: $31,000 over 6y, 3.8% of budgetAdvocates International Inc: $30,000 over 2y, 8.4% of budgetTHE BENJAMIN PRIVATE SCHOOL INC: $20,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $16,500 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetPLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC: $16,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetMCLEAN PROJECT FOR THE ARTS: $15,000 over 3y, 0.8% of budgetTALITHA KOUM INSTITUTE: $15,000 over 3y, 0.7% of budgetAMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION INC: $15,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL YOUNG FARMERS COALITION INC: $12,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetSOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER INC: $11,500 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetCentral Texas Food Bank Inc: $10,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetWACO SYMPHONY ASSOCIATION INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetCAMERON PARK ZOOLOGICAL & BOTANICAL SOCIETY: $10,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetGO4THEGOAL FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 2y, 1.7% of budgetTHE SUPREME COURT HISTORICAL SOCIETY: $10,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetVERMONT FOODBANK: $7,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMENTOR Vermont Inc: $7,000 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetLET'S GROW KIDS INC: $6,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetEARTHJUSTICE: $6,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTREVOR PROJECT INC: $6,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $5,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetWILLIAM J BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE INC: $5,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetWELLS MOUNTAIN INITIATIVE INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetSKIDMORE COLLEGE: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetEarth Guardians: $4,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetRESIST INC: $3,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetVERMONT LAND TRUST INC: $3,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBaylor College of Medicine: $2,500 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 Vermont Community…Morgan Stanley Global…Vanguard Charitable E…The Ayco Charitable F…The Bank of America C…National Philanthropi…The Blackbaud Giving …Charities Aid Foundat…American Endowment Fo…American Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…Network for Good
The Vermont Community FoundationVT12.9× affinity4 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Vermont Community Foundation · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · The Ayco Charitable Foundation · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · Charities Aid Foundation America · American Endowment Foundation · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Network for Good

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 Mendell Family Fund Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Mendell Family Fund Inc. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 50%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 13%
  • Mentor Vermont Inc: 58% of income from government
  • Vermont Land Trust Inc: 42% of income from government
  • Vermont Foodbank: 13% of income from government
  • Common Ground Center Inc: 9% of income from government
  • Resist Inc: 2% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
5get no government money at all
7report 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 Mendell Family Fund Inc?

Find your warmest path to The Mendell Family Fund Inc 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 45 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 Mendell 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