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· Private foundation

The Musser Fund

Its FY2024 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$905k
Granted FY2024still arriving
90
Grants FY2024still arriving
7
States reached
$35k
Largest
01What you fundRead
02The needRead
03Your edgeRead
04Your fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What you fund
0195% classified

What you funded, over time

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

Arts & Culture$1.4MEnvironment$816kHuman Services$320kCommunity Improvement$305kEducation$233kYouth Development$214kFood & Nutrition$203kRecreation & Sports$145kOther$0
02FY2024 · 90 grants

Where the money goes

Your grants by size, and where they go.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k44 grants · $135k
  • $10k–50k46 grants · $770k
$10,000
Median grant
7
States reached
$18M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
NORTH SHORE COMMUNITY LAND TRUST$35,000
TEXAS CONSERVATION ALLIANCE$34,800
FRIENDS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER$30,000
MOVE FOR AMERICA$25,000
YAMPA VALLEY STREAM IMPROVEMENT CHARITAB$25,000
NEW HOPE FOR IMMIGRANTS$25,000
Individual grant recipient$25,000
MA KA HANA KA IKE$25,000
IRAQI AND AMERICAN RECONCILIATION PROJEC$25,000
PROJECT FINE$25,000
RED WING ART ASSOCIATION$25,000
ROSHNI$25,000
FEEDING OUR COMMUNITIES PARTNERS$24,300
VOLUNTEERS FOR OUTDOOR COLORADO$22,000
TEXAS FOLKLIFE RESOURCES INC$20,000
02The need
03

Do your dollars go where the need is?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, then read against the area’s typical level.

show:

Your human-services grants (FY20–24, $239k) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 84% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of your grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%CONEXIONES: $6k → 11%NEW HOPE FOR IMMIGRANTS: $25k → 11%CANINE COMPANIONS: $3k → 11%BEAUTIFUL REDEMPTION: $25k → 9%GRASSROOTS FOUNDATION INC: $25k → 13%RURAL COMMUNITIES RESOURCE CENTER: $3k → 13%NORTH FORK SENIOR CONNECTIONS: $5k → 15%RURAL COMMUNITIES RESOURCE CENTER: $2k → 13%RURAL COMMUNITIES RESOURCE CENTER: $2k → 13%RURAL COMMUNITIES RESOURCE CENTER: $2k → 13%NATIVE GOVERNANCE CENTER: $18k → 14%URBAN LEAGUE TWIN CITIES: $25k → 11%HOKULANI CHILDREN'S THEATRE OF MOLOKAI: $12k → 9%WEST HAWAII MEDIATION CENTER: $5k → 15%OASIS CENTRAL MINNESOTA: $10k → 10%OASIS CENTRAL MINNESOTA: $10k → 10%A LITTLE HELP: $25k → 12%A LITTLE HELP: $19k → 12%OASIS CENTRAL MINNESOTA: $10k → 10%OASIS CENTRAL MINNESOTA: $9k → 10%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount

Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty linein the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP; grantee ZIP can differ from where services are delivered.

Which US states your grants reach

VT
ID
MN
NY
WY
CA
CO
VA
DE
DC
HI
TX

US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are actually delivered. Need from public data — U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA — shown as context about the area, never attributed to your giving.

03Your edge
repeat funding

Who you back again

Which organizations you funded more than once, and which you funded a single time. Each grantee is matched to its own filings.

55%of every dollar goes to organizations you’ve funded before.
$2.4M · 95 repeat orgs$1.9M to everyone else

And the relationships you keep tend to grow: grantees you re-up on have seen median revenue of +50% since the first grant, against +23% for the ones you funded once.

95 repeat relationships — 54 still active in FY2024, 41 since wound down; 35 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

95
130

Total granted

$2.4M
$1.6M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+50%
+23%

Still filing today

81%
56%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 60% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $361k 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
Arts & CultureEnvironmentEducationHuman ServicesFood & NutritionAnimalsOther

First-time = a grantee’s first year in your filing window; renewed = funded in an earlier year too. As a portfolio matures the renewed share naturally climbs — once funded, an org stays “renewable” — so the signal is the years that buck it (a new-grantee intake wave). 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

  • PF
    PROJECT FINE
    5× · 2020–2024 · $125k · revenue +74%
  • MK
    MA KA HANA KA IKE BUILDING PROGRAM
    4× · 2020–2024 · $100k · revenue +180%
  • FO
    FRIENDS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
    4× · 2021–2024 · $91k · revenue +40%

Funded once

  • SC
    SHERIDAN COMMUNITY LAND TRUST
    one grant, 2022 · $45k · revenue +9%
  • AV
    ASPEN VALLEY LAND TRUST
    one grant, 2023 · $35k · revenue -3%
  • LP
    LOWER PHALEN CREEK PROJECTgraduated
    one grant, 2023 · $35k · revenue +212%

Repeat = funded in two or more distinct years; growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Your field

The map has a center of gravity: the average direction from the rest of the sector toward the organizations the foundation funds — the shape of its giving. Scoring every nonprofit along that direction surfaces the ones that look most like the portfolio. These are the closest matchesthat aren’t grantees — a resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Museum of Western Colorado Inc

The museum of western colorado is an educational institution that collects, preserves, and interprets artifacts, specimens, and information concerning the cultural and natural history of western colorado and the contiguous area. we enhance…

Arts & Culture
2
Creede Repertory Theatre

From its rocky mountain roots, creede repertory theatre serves as an artistic home to our rural community and beyond, through the creation of repertory seasons, dynamic educational programs, and compelling new works.

Arts & Culture
3
Wind River Valley Artist Guild
—
4
Colorado Open Lands

Colorado open lands' mission is to preserve the significant open lands and natural heritage of colorado through private and public partnerships, innovative land conservation, and strategic leadership.

Environment
5
Fort Collins Mural Project

Our mission is to collaborate with local artists and businesses to promote contemporary art in public spaces in Fort Collins, Colorado. FCMP is focused on providing opportunities for underrepresented and emerging artists in Colorado.

Arts & Culture
6
Western Montana Creative Initiatives

To strengthen the creative capacity of western montana and foster dialogue and experiences that are culturally vibrant, healthy, and intellectually vigorous. we focus on fostering collaboration, creative placemaking, artist-community…

Arts & Culture
7
The Center for the Arts

The center for arts, a home for arts and culture, offers engaging opportunities and educational experiences to enrich and expand the life of our community.

Arts & Culture
8
Mountain Area Land Trust

Mountain area land trust's mission is to save natural areas, wildlife habitat, streams and rivers, working ranches and historic lands, for the benefit of the community and as a legacy for future generations.

Environment
9
Boulder Watershed Collective

The Boulder Watershed Collective is a 501c3 non-profit stakeholder-driven organization established to address forested watershed health,resiliency and stewardship. We have three program areas: ClimateAdaptation and Resilience Watershed…

Environment
10
Greater Yellowstone Coalition

Greater yellowstone coalition works with all people to protect the lands, waters, and wildlife of the greater yellowstone ecosystem, now and for future generations.

Environment
11
Grand Canyon Conservancy

As the official philanthropic and collaborative partner of the grand canyon national park, grand canyon conservancy's mission is to inspire generations of park champions to cherish and support the natural and cultural wonder of the grand…

Environment
12
Montana Center for the Arts

Montana center for the arts purpose is to nurture, promote and expand cultural engagement and opportunity in our region. through collaboration with the community at large, and in partnership with the area's diverse cultural and educational…

Arts & Culture

For reference, the grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Elys Historic State Theater and the most unlike its peers is Nene Research and Conservation. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.

For each theme you fund, this compares how the sector’s money is shifting with how your own giving is shifting.

← shrinkinggrowing →↓ leaning in → pulling backsteadyEnvironmental Conservation …Orchestra and Ensemble Perf…Community FoundationsUnited Way AffiliatesChild Abuse Advocacy Servic…Local Food System Organizat…Dance Arts OrganizationsEquine Therapy ProgramsAnimal Rescue and ShelterIndependent K-12 SchoolsDomestic Violence ServicesAddiction Recovery ServicesCommunity College Foundatio…Faith-Based Liberal Arts Co…Senior Support ServicesLocal History MuseumsFood Banks and PantriesCommunity Arts CentersYouth Development ServicesPublic Library OperationsImmigrant Worker Support
the sector your giving your giving is ahead of the sector the sector’s ahead of you· dot size = how much the theme matters to each side
Ordered by the change in your giving — leaning in on top, pulling back at the bottom. The bar between the two dots is how out of step you are with the sector. Hover any row for detail.

Sector change and giving change are each shown relative to their own range, growing (right) or shrinking (left); both normalized, so inflation isn’t mistaken for growth.

Your grantees are a median of 23 years old; the field is 16. You back the established end — and your money leans older still.

THE FIELDby orgYOUR GRANTEESby number22%4%<5yr14%17%5–10yr19%22%10–20yr16%28%20–35yr13%17%35–55yr16%13%55yr+
THE FIELDby orgYOUR MONEYby value22%3%<5yr14%18%5–10yr19%23%10–20yr16%34%20–35yr13%15%35–55yr16%8%55yr+

The field is 22% startups (under 5 years old) — 4% of your grantees by number, and just 3% of your money.

Closures · last 5 years

The orgs you fund almost never close — 0.5% lost their exemption, against 13% of the field you don’t fund.

orgs you fund
0.5%1/199
the rest of the field
13%
240,395/1,819,366

Age = years since IRS exemption (a founding proxy). “Closed” = auto-revocation for 3 years of non-filing — a floor on closure, not proof, and bigger established orgs lapse least. Association, not causation.

04the grantee network

181 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each one resolved to its own IRS returns and tracked year by year — your grant beside their revenue from every source. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

Counted here: distinct organizations you funded across 2017–2025, not grant rows in a single year — so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 181 of the 262 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile; the rest are funded organizations whose filings we could not track year by year.

9
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
58
Early backer (in before they grew)
176/181
Grantees still filing
126/181
Grew since you first funded

Where your money sits — by cause, then by grantee

+108 more — $1,891,821 · Other+108 moreRoshni — $89,000 · Arts & CultureRoshniPRATTSVILLE ART PROJECT INC — $54,000 · Arts & CulturePiney Woods Fine Arts Association — $54,000 · Arts & CultureMALAMA PUPUKEA-WAIMEA — $42,900 · Arts & CultureFRIENDS OF LINDEN HILL INC — $40,000 · Arts & CultureBRENHAM CHILDRENS CHORUS INC — $36,000 · Arts & Culture+41 more — $738,575 · Arts & Culture+41 moreFRIENDS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER — $91,250 · EnvironmentFRIENDS OF TH…PILOT HILL INC — $73,000 · EnvironmentPILOT HILL IN…THE NORTH SHORE COMMUNITY LAND TRUST — $60,000 · EnvironmentTHE NORTH SHO…SHERIDAN COMMUNITY LAND TRUST — $45,000 · EnvironmentSHERIDAN COMM…ASPEN VALLEY LAND TRUST — $35,000 · EnvironmentASPEN VALLEY …LOWER PHALEN CREEK PROJECT — $35,000 · EnvironmentLOWER PHALEN …CONTINENTAL DIVIDE TRAIL COALITION — $34,940 · EnvironmentCONTINENTAL D…American Forests — $25,000 · EnvironmentLAND STEWARDSHIP PROJECT — $25,000 · EnvironmentMONTEZUMA LAND CONSERVANCY — $20,000 · Environment+8 more — $48,980 · Environment+8 moreA LITTLE HELP — $43,500 · Human ServicesOASIS CENTRAL MINNESOTA INC — $39,000 · Human ServicesGRASSROOTS FOUNDATION INC — $25,000 · Human ServicesNEW HOPE FOR IMMIGRANTS — $25,000 · Human ServicesBEAUTIFUL REDEMPTION — $25,000 · Human ServicesURBAN LEAGUE TWIN CITIES — $25,000 · Human ServicesNATIVE GOVERNANCE CENTER — $18,200 · Human ServicesHOKULANI CHILDREN'S THEATRE OF MOLOKAI — $12,000 · Human Services+5 more — $27,500 · Human ServicesPROJECT FINE — $125,000 · Community ImprovementKAULUAKALANA — $35,000 · Community ImprovementWIND RIVER DEVELOPMENT FUND — $21,500 · Community ImprovementSULLIVAN COUNTY LAND BANK CORPORATION — $10,000 · Community ImprovementLARAMIE MAIN STREET ALLIANCE — $7,800 · Community Improvement+1 more — $5,000 · Community ImprovementMA KA HANA KA IKE BUILDING PROGRAM — $100,000 · Youth DevelopmentLANAI ACADEMY OF PERFORMING ARTS IN — $34,000 · Youth DevelopmentThe Pinhead Institute — $19,000 · Youth DevelopmentTexas Conservation Alliance — $42,800 · AnimalsGREAT RIVER GREENING — $35,000 · AnimalsWYOMING WILDLIFE FEDERATION — $25,309 · AnimalsWYOMING WILDERNESS ASSOCIATION — $25,000 · AnimalsMORRISON COUNTY ANIMAL HUMANE SOCIETY — $10,000 · Animals
Other$1,891,821Arts & Culture$1,054,475Environment$493,170Human Services$240,200Community Improvement$204,300Youth Development$153,000Animals$138,109

Showing your 200 largest grantees by grant value.

Each org by its size and your share of it — top-left is where you’re load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ your share of their budgetPROJECT FINE — $125,000 over 5y, 3.7% of budgetMA KA HANA KA IKE BUILDING PROGRAM — $100,000 over 4y, 2.7% of budgetFRIENDS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER — $91,250 over 4y, 1.2% of budgetRoshni — $89,000 over 4y, 70% of budgetPILOT HILL INC — $73,000 over 3y, 6.2% of budgetTHE NORTH SHORE COMMUNITY LAND TRUST — $60,000 over 2y, 8.5% of budgetVOLUNTEERS FOR OUTDOOR COLORADO — $58,500 over 5y, 1.1% of budgetPRATTSVILLE ART PROJECT INC — $54,000 over 5y, 28% of budgetPiney Woods Fine Arts Association — $54,000 over 5y, 3.7% of budgetSPRING INSTITUTE FOR INTERCULTURAL LEARNING — $49,955 over 2y, 1.3% of budgetSHERIDAN COMMUNITY LAND TRUST — $45,000 over 1y, 4.9% of budgetHEARTLAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA — $45,000 over 5y, 21% of budgetA LITTLE HELP — $43,500 over 2y, 2.1% of budgetMALAMA PUPUKEA-WAIMEA — $42,900 over 2y, 16% of budgetTexas Conservation Alliance — $42,800 over 2y, 3.3% of budgetFRIENDS OF LINDEN HILL INC — $40,000 over 4y, 4.8% of budgetFeeding Our Communities Partners — $39,740 over 2y, 2.6% of budgetOASIS CENTRAL MINNESOTA INC — $39,000 over 4y, 5.8% of budgetBRENHAM CHILDRENS CHORUS INC — $36,000 over 3y, 11% of budgetASPEN VALLEY LAND TRUST — $35,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetLOWER PHALEN CREEK PROJECT — $35,000 over 1y, 1.5% of budgetKAULUAKALANA — $35,000 over 1y, 11% of budgetKINSHIP OF MORRISON COUNTY INC — $35,000 over 4y, 12% of budgetURBAN ROOTS MN — $35,000 over 2y, 1.2% of budgetGREAT RIVER GREENING — $35,000 over 1y, 1.2% of budgetCONTINENTAL DIVIDE TRAIL COALITION — $34,940 over 2y, 2.7% of budgetLANAI ACADEMY OF PERFORMING ARTS IN — $34,000 over 3y, 10% of budgetHAWAII CHILDRENS THEATRE — $34,000 over 3y, 12% of budgetLANDER ART CENTER — $32,000 over 3y, 11% of budgetPLAZA DIANE - COMMUNITY CENTER FOR THE ARTS — $32,000 over 3y, 16% of budgetZTP — $30,000 over 2y, 7.4% of budgetMORRISON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY — $30,000 over 3y, 4.6% of budgetEMPLOYMENT ENTERPRISES INC — $29,000 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetBAROQUE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA OF COLORADO — $28,000 over 5y, 2.7% of budgetWYOMING WILDLIFE FEDERATION — $25,309 over 2y, 3.1% of budgetGRASSROOTS FOUNDATION INC — $25,000 over 1y, 26% of budgetMOVE FOR AMERICA — $25,000 over 1y, 9.7% of budgetIraqi and American Reconciliation Project — $25,000 over 1y, 31% of budgetBEAUTIFUL REDEMPTION — $25,000 over 1y, 4.2% of budgetAmerican Forests — $25,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetLAND STEWARDSHIP PROJECT — $25,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetYAMPA VALLEY STREAM IMPROVEMENT CHARITABLE TRUST — $25,000 over 1y, 20% of budgetRed Wing Arts Association — $25,000 over 1y, 2.6% of budgetGREAT RIVER SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL — $25,000 over 1y, 2.2% of budgetMONTEZUMA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY — $25,000 over 1y, 42% of budgetUNITED WAY OF CENTRAL MINNESOTA — $25,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetURBAN LEAGUE TWIN CITIES — $25,000 over 1y, 2.3% of budgetHouston Symphony Society — $25,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budget
Go grantee by grantee — a decade per org, and how each moved after you funded them

A decade per grantee — revenue shaded, your grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

The grantmakers whose grantees overlap with yours far more than size alone predicts. Each orbits closer the stronger the alignment; the arcs between them show where they also fund each other. Here it reads as a loosely connected circle, clustered around a few shared anchors.

Wyoming Community Fou…Atherton Family Found…El Pomar FoundationColorado Gives Founda…Gates Family Foundati…Wyoming Assn of Non P…Hughes Charitable Fou…Wyoming Humanities Co…Minnesota Humanities …Mardag FoundationAnschutz Family Found…The Colorado Health F…
Wyoming Community FoundationWY35.8× affinity18 shared granteesties to 8 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Wyoming Community Foundation · Atherton Family Foundation · El Pomar Foundation · Colorado Gives Foundation · Gates Family Foundation · Wyoming Assn of Non Profit Organizations dba Wyoming Nonprofit Network · Hughes Charitable Foundation · Wyoming Humanities Council · Minnesota Humanities Center · Mardag Foundation · Anschutz Family Foundation · The Colorado Health Foundation

Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. A research starting point: overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

Government reliance of your grantees

Every dot is one organization The Musser Fund funds. Left–right is the share of its income from government; up–down is the share from you. Bigger dots raise more. Filter to federal or a single department — and drag the year to watch it move.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%5%19%42%75%your share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 0%
  • St Anne's Episcopal School — 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
58report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
typical government reliance, FY20–25

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 your grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first — a floor, not 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 12–24 months.

05Through Plinth

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to The Musser Fund?

Find your warmest path to The Musser Fund 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 directly from IRS e-file XML — your own 990/990-PF and the multi-year returns of the 262 grantees we resolved across every year we hold, several hundred filings in all (a different count from the grant rows on the cover, which are one fiscal year)— each linked to its source. Grantee achievements and outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III); we read these as association with sustained funding — the foundation is one of several forces — suppress low-confidence name matches rather than guess, and say so where a figure rests on a single grant or filing. Not everything on this page is a filed figure, and the difference matters. Filed is what you reported on your 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. How we build these →

Generated from your IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

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