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The Norman Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Norman 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.

$1.3M
Granted FY2025still arriving
2
Grants FY2025still arriving
1
States reached
$676k
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.

Philanthropy$1.3MEnvironment$133kHuman Services$94kHousing & Shelter$89kInternational$81kRecreation & Sports$62kHealth$58kEducation$57kOther$0
02FY2025 · 2 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$675,951
Median grant
1
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
MARGARET RUTH RADER DAF$675,951
NORMAN 2 FUND$662,813
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 (FY17–23, $84k) land where the poverty rate runs at 12%, 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%EMERGENCY FAMILY ASSISTANCE ASSOCIATION INC: $15k → 12%CATHOLIC SOCIAL SERVICES: $10k → 10%CATHOLIC SOCIAL SERVICES: $10k → 10%CATHOLIC SOCIAL SERVICES: $8k → 10%CATHOLIC SOCIAL SERVICES: $5k → 10%CATHOLIC SOCIAL SERVICES: $5k → 10%RESOURCE CENTER FOR PARENTS & CHILDREN: $5k → 21%EMERGENCY FAMILY ASSISTANCE ASSOCIATION INC: $5k → 12%CATHOLIC SOCIAL SERVICES: $5k → 10%RESOURCE CENTER FOR PARENTS & CHILDREN: $5k → 21%EMERGENCY FAMILY ASSISTANCE ASSOCIATION INC: $3k → 12%COVENANT HOUSE ALASKA: $5k → 10%ARTIST MENTORSHIP PROGRAM: $2k → 12%ARTIST MENTORSHIP PROGRAM: $2k → 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.
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.

30%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$602k · 37 repeat orgs$1.4M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +81% since the first grant, against +37% for those funded once.

37 repeat relationships: 0 still active in FY2025, 37 since wound down; 2 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

37
16

Total granted

$602k
$61k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+81%
+37%

Still filing today

84%
81%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 0% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $1.3M went to new ones.

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

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’25
EnvironmentHuman ServicesHousing & ShelterEducationRecreation & SportsArts & CultureOther
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

  • WORLD BICYCLE RELIEF NFP
    7× · 2017–2023 · $54k · revenue +81%
  • CS
    Catholic Social Services
    6× · 2018–2023 · $43k · revenue +221%
  • NS
    NORDIC SKI CLUB OF FAIRBANKS
    7× · 2017–2023 · $35k · revenue +21%

Funded once

  • NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL INCgraduated
    one grant, 2019 · $10k · revenue +37%
  • MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INCgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $7k · revenue +98%
  • BV
    BOULDER VALLEY WOMEN'S HEALTH CENTER INCgraduated
    one grant, 2023 · $5k · revenue +61%
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 Alaska Center

We engage, empower, and elect alaskans to stand up for our clean air and water, healthy communities, and a strong democracy.

Environment
2
Alaska Wildlife Alliance

Support ecosystem-based wildlife management by increasing public awareness of wildlife issues, responding to information requests, advocating for science-based wildlife habitat management through proposal and comment submissions, and…

Environment
3
Alaska Wilderness League

Protect alaska's wild lands and waters by inspiring broad support for federal policy action.

Environment
4
Alaska Farmers Market Association

to promote, support and advocate for Alaska agriculture

Education
5
Western Rivers Conservancy

Western rivers conservancy's mission is to protect outstanding river ecosystems in the western united states. continued on schedule o.we acquire land to conserve critical habitat, provide public access for compatible use and enjoyment, and…

Environment
6
Alaska Geographic Association

Connects people to alaska's public lands through the creation and delivery of educational products and programs.

Environment
7
Southeast Alaska Conservation Council Inc-Seacc

SEACC's mission is to protect the special places of the world's largest temperate rainforest, promote conservation, and advocate for sustainability in human use of natural resources. Inspired by the land, wildlife, cultures, and…

Environment
8
Western Conservation Foundation

Building leaders to protect the west's land, air, and water.

Environment
9
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
10
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
11
Aspen Valley Land Trust

Protecting the open land and special places of the roaring fork and middle colorado river valleys for wildlife, agriculture, and community forever.

Environment
12
Rural Alaska Community Action Program

To empower low-income alaskans through advocacy, education, affordable housing and direct services that respect our unique values and cultures.

Community Improvement
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Action Against Hunger - Usa; the most unlike its peers is Via Vita Health Project 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

46 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. 46 of the 56 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)
16
Early backer (in before they grew)
45/46
Grantees still filing
36/46
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

MARGARET RUTH RADER DAF: $675,951 · OtherMARGARET RUTH RADER DAFNORMAN 2 FUND: $662,813 · OtherNORMAN 2 FUND+26 more: $243,700 · Other+26 moreTHE COLORADO MOUNTAIN CLUB: $22,500 · EnvironmentTRUSTEES FOR ALASKA: $18,000 · EnvironmentCOLORADO MOUNTAIN CLUB FOUNDATION: $16,000 · EnvironmentALASKA CONSERVATION FOUNDATION: $15,000 · EnvironmentNATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL INC: $10,000 · Environment1000 FRIENDS OF OREGON: $8,000 · EnvironmentTHE ALASKA CENTER EDUCATION FUND: $5,000 · EnvironmentHIGH COUNTRY NEWS: $4,500 · Environment+3 more: $8,000 · EnvironmentCatholic Social Services: $42,500 · Human ServicesEMERGENCY FAMILY ASSISTANCE ASSOCIATION: $22,500 · Human ServicesALASKA WOMENS RESOURCE CENTER: $15,000 · Human ServicesRESOURCE CENTER FOR PARENTS AND CHILDREN INC: $10,000 · Human ServicesCOVENANT HOUSE ALASKA: $5,000 · Human ServicesARTIST MENTORSHIP PROGRAM: $4,000 · Human ServicesFAIRBANKS RESCUE MISSION INC: $28,500 · Housing & ShelterBeans Cafe Inc: $25,000 · Housing & ShelterBOULDER SHELTER FOR THE HOMELESS INC: $15,000 · Housing & ShelterPATH HOME: $11,000 · Housing & ShelterPEAR: $10,000 · Housing & ShelterWORLD BICYCLE RELIEF NFP: $54,000 · Public Safety & DisasterUNIVERSITY OF COLORADO FOUNDATION: $18,000 · EducationTHE NORTHWEST ACADEMY: $15,000 · EducationLITERACY COUNCIL OF ALASKA: $5,000 · EducationChildren's Cancer Association: $21,800 · Arts & CultureOREGON MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY: $13,000 · Arts & Culture
Other$1,582,464Environment$107,000Human Services$99,000Housing & Shelter$89,500Public Safety & Disaster$54,000Education$38,000Arts & Culture$34,800

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 budgetWORLD BICYCLE RELIEF NFP: $54,000 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetCatholic Social Services: $42,500 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetNORDIC SKI CLUB OF FAIRBANKS: $35,000 over 7y, 1.2% of budgetFAIRBANKS RESCUE MISSION INC: $28,500 over 6y, 0.3% of budgetBeans Cafe Inc: $25,000 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetTHE COLORADO MOUNTAIN CLUB: $22,500 over 4y, 0.4% of budgetEMERGENCY FAMILY ASSISTANCE ASSOCIATION: $22,500 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetChildren's Cancer Association: $21,800 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetBLACK UNITED FUND OF OREGON: $21,000 over 7y, 0.3% of budgetTransition Projects Inc: $19,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetTRUSTEES FOR ALASKA: $18,000 over 3y, 0.5% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF COLORADO FOUNDATION: $18,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetACTION AGAINST HUNGER - USA: $17,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetCOLORADO MOUNTAIN CLUB FOUNDATION: $16,000 over 2y, 5.5% of budgetALASKA CONSERVATION FOUNDATION: $15,000 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetTHE NORTHWEST ACADEMY: $15,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetALASKA WOMENS RESOURCE CENTER: $15,000 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetBOULDER SHELTER FOR THE HOMELESS INC: $15,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetOREGON MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY: $13,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetVIA VITA HEALTH PROJECT INC: $12,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetPATH HOME: $11,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetRESOURCE CENTER FOR PARENTS AND CHILDREN INC: $10,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetPEAR: $10,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetWestern Resource Advocates: $10,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetNATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetA FAMILY STORY: $10,000 over 2y, 8.7% of budgetVINE ALASKA INC: $8,000 over 3y, 0.9% of budget1000 FRIENDS OF OREGON: $8,000 over 7y, 0.2% of budgetPORTLAND TENNIS & EDUCATION: $8,000 over 6y, 0.3% of budgetFAIRBANKS COMMUNITY FOOD BANK SERVICE INC: $6,500 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $6,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBOULDER VALLEY WOMEN'S HEALTH CENTER INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetCOVENANT HOUSE ALASKA: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetAMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLITERACY COUNCIL OF ALASKA: $5,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetTHE ALASKA CENTER EDUCATION FUND: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetHIGH COUNTRY NEWS: $4,500 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetARTIST MENTORSHIP PROGRAM: $4,000 over 2y, 1.0% of budgetTHE BREAD LINE INC: $4,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetCONSERVATION COLORADO EDUCATION FUND: $3,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetLIFEWATER INC: $3,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE NATURE CONSERVANCY: $3,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWOUNDED WARRIOR OUTDOOR ADVENTURES INC: $2,000 over 1y, 5.1% of budgetECO-CYCLE INC: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAlaska Trails: $2,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetPixie Project Inc: $200 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 Alaska Community …Rasmuson FoundationThe Usibelli Foundati…The Oregon Community …M J Murdock Charitabl…Meyer Memorial TrustUnited Way of the Tan…Bill Stroecker Founda…Richard L and Diane M…The Harold & Arlene S…Community Foundation …Xcel Energy Foundation
The Alaska Community FoundationAK28× affinity12 shared granteesties to 10 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Alaska Community Foundation · Rasmuson Foundation · The Usibelli Foundation · The Oregon Community Foundation · M J Murdock Charitable Trust · Meyer Memorial Trust · United Way of the Tanana Valley Inc · Bill Stroecker Foundation · Richard L and Diane M Block Foundation · The Harold & Arlene Schnitzer Care Foundation · Community Foundation Boulder County · Xcel Energy 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 Norman Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Norman Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 40%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 2%
  • Transition Projects Inc: 29% of income from government
  • Oregon Museum of Science and Industry: 4% of income from government
  • Artist Mentorship Program: 2% of income from government
  • Pear: 1% of income from government
  • Black United Fund of Oregon: 1% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
4get no government money at all
10report 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
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 56 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 Norman’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