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The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation at a glanceAlso receives grants: funding profile →

· Private foundation

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$2.0M
Granted FY2025still arriving
23
Grants FY2025still arriving
10
States reached
$215k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2021 to 2025.

Environment$4.0MPhilanthropy$1.4MCivil Rights$1.3MFood & Nutrition$1.3MArts & Culture$1.1MEducation$837kRecreation & Sports$450kAnimals$400kOther$0
02FY2025 · 23 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • $10k–50k7 grants · $168k
  • $50k–250k16 grants · $1.8M
$72,000
Median grant
10
States reached
$398k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
KIDSGARDENING$215,000
FRANKLIN PARK CONSERVATORY$215,000
THE NATURE CONSERVANCY$200,000
RESTORE AMERICA'S ESTUARIES$160,000
OCEAN RESEARCH & CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION INC$130,000
ALLIANCE FOR WATER EFFICIENCY$130,000
NATIONAL FISH AND WILDLIFE FOUNDATION$100,000
KEEP AMERICAN BEAUTIFUL$100,000
NATIONAL HEAD START ASSOCIATION$100,000
NATIONAL RECREATION AND PARK ASSOCIATION$100,000
ALLIANCE FOR THE GREAT LAKES$75,000
Individual grant recipient$72,000
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CONSERVATION DISTRICTS$55,000
TAMPA BAY WATCH (DISCOVERY CENTER)$50,000
AVALON THEATRE STREETSCAPE$50,000
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 (FY21–23, $306k) land where the poverty rate runs at 16%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 65% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%NATIONAL FARM TO SCHOOL NETWORK: $70k → 10%UNITED RETURNING CITIZENS: $100k → 19%NATIONAL FARM TO SCHOOL NETWORK: $36k → 10%UNITED RETURNING CITIZENS: $75k → 19%UNITED RETURNING CITIZENS: $25k → 19%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
IL
NY
OR
OH
PA
CT
CA
UT
CO
VA
DC
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.

85%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$9.2M · 29 repeat orgs$1.6M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +34% since the first grant, against 0% for those funded once.

29 repeat relationships: 18 still active in FY2025, 11 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

29
10

Total granted

$9.2M
$1.4M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+34%
0%

Still filing today

69%
70%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 89% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $192k went to new ones.

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

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

’21’22’23’24’25
EnvironmentCrime & LegalPhilanthropyEducationHuman ServicesHealthOther
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

  • RA
    RESTORE AMERICA'S ESTUARIES
    5× · 2021–2025 · $860k · revenue +102%
  • AF
    Alliance for Water Efficiency
    5× · 2021–2025 · $650k · revenue +44%
  • CB
    CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS FOUNDATION INC
    2× · 2022–2023 · $600k · revenue +40%

Funded once

  • TH
    THE HAGEDORN LEGACY FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2021 · $776k · revenue -49%
  • TA
    The Allyance Inc CHEM Allyance
    one grant, 2023 · $250k · 97% of their budget
  • SHARE OUR STRENGTH
    one grant, 2021 · $150k · revenue -38%
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
National Association of Clean Water Agencies

Nacwa is the national voice of public clean water utilities, shaping water policy, convening a vibrant peer network, and empowering water leaders.

—
2
National Caucus of Environmental Legislators

The national caucus of environmental legislators empowers a nonpartisan network of legislative champions to protect, conserve, and improve the natural and human environment.

Education
3
National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners

Founded in 1889, the national association of regulatory utility commisioners (naruc) is a non-profit organization dedicated to representing the state public service commisions who regulate the utilities that provide essential services such…

—
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
Conservation International Foundation

Ci works to spotlight and secure the critical benefits that nature provides to humanity.

Environment
6
Nw Energy Coalition

The NW Energy Coalition is an alliance of over 100 environmental, civic, and human service organizations, utilities, and businesses in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and British Columbia, plus many individual members. The NW Energy…

—
7
Clean Grid Alliance (Fna Wind On the Wires)

Our mission is to advance renewable energy in the midwest by applying technical expertise and building support to expand markets. we focus on educating key decision makers through technical, communications and media work, and public…

Environment
8
Friends of the Earth

Friends of the earth strives for a more healthy and just world by defendng the environment and human health while advancing social and economic justice by conducting research and education, transforming the economy so it protects the…

Environment
9
Ocean Conservancy

Ocean conservancy unites science, people, and policy to protect our ocean, today and for generations to come.

Environment
10
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
11
American Flood Coalition Inc

To drive transformational adaptation to protect communities across the country from higher seas, stronger storms, and more frequent flooding.

Environment
12
American Gas Association

American gas association's (the association) mission is to develop and advocate for informed, innovative, and durable policy that fulfills our nation's energy needs, environmental aspirations and economic potential. we are committed to…

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is National Fish and Wildlife Foundation; the most unlike its peers is The Hagedorn Legacy 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

31 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. 31 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.

3
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
4
Early backer (in before they grew)
31/31
Grantees still filing
19/31
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

KIDSGARDENING: $1,036,250 · OtherKIDSGARDENINGFRANKLIN PARK CONSERVATORY: $860,000 · OtherFRANKLIN PARK CONSERVATORYTHE NATURE CONSERVANCY: $650,000 · OtherTHE NATURE CONSERVANCYMINORITIES FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA: $565,000 · OtherMINORITIES FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANANATIONAL HEAD START ASSOCIATION: $470,000 · OtherNATIONAL HEAD START ASSOCIATIONALLIANCE FOR THE GREAT LAKES: $300,000 · OtherALLIANCE FOR THE GREAT LAKESAVALON THEATRE STREETSCAPE: $250,000 · OtherNEW YORK LEAGUE OF CONSERVATION VOTERS: $240,000 · OtherUNITED RETURNING CITIZENS INC: $200,000 · Other+15 more: $953,000 · Other+15 moreRESTORE AMERICA'S ESTUARIES: $860,000 · EnvironmentRESTORE AMERICA'S ESTUARIESAlliance for Water Efficiency: $650,000 · EnvironmentAlliance for Water EfficiencyNATIONAL RECREATION AND PARK ASSOCIATION: $450,000 · EnvironmentNATIONAL RECREATION AND PARK …THE EVERGLADES FOUNDATION INC: $450,000 · EnvironmentTHE EVERGLADES FOUNDATION INCOCEAN RESEARCH & CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION INC: $220,000 · EnvironmentOCEAN RESEARCH & CONSERVATION…+6 more: $400,000 · Environment+6 moreTHE HAGEDORN LEGACY FOUNDATION: $775,874 · PhilanthropyTHE HAGEDORN …MARIJUANA POLICY PROJECT FOUNDATION: $500,000 · PhilanthropyMARIJUANA POL…COLUMBUS FOUNDATION: $127,961 · PhilanthropyCOLUMBUS FOUN…CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS FOUNDATION INC: $600,000 · Civil RightsNATIONAL FISH AND WILDLIFE FOUNDATION: $400,000 · AnimalsTHE WELDON PROJECT: $145,000 · Crime & LegalTHE BRONX DEFENDERS: $137,000 · Crime & LegalLAST PRISONER PROJECT: $100,000 · Crime & LegalThe Allyance Inc CHEM Allyance: $250,000 · EducationCOLUMBUS METROPOLITAN LIBRARY FOUNDATION: $80,000 · Education
Other$5,524,250Environment$3,030,000Philanthropy$1,403,835Civil Rights$600,000Animals$400,000Crime & Legal$382,000Education$330,000

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 budgetRESTORE AMERICA'S ESTUARIES: $860,000 over 5y, 4.5% of budgetAlliance for Water Efficiency: $650,000 over 5y, 11% of budgetTHE NATURE CONSERVANCY: $650,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetCONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS FOUNDATION INC: $600,000 over 2y, 1.6% of budgetMARIJUANA POLICY PROJECT FOUNDATION: $500,000 over 2y, 23% of budgetNATIONAL HEAD START ASSOCIATION: $470,000 over 5y, 1.0% of budgetNATIONAL RECREATION AND PARK ASSOCIATION: $450,000 over 5y, 0.5% of budgetTHE EVERGLADES FOUNDATION INC: $450,000 over 2y, 1.2% of budgetNATIONAL FISH AND WILDLIFE FOUNDATION: $400,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetALLIANCE FOR THE GREAT LAKES: $300,000 over 5y, 1.3% of budgetThe Allyance Inc CHEM Allyance: $250,000 over 1y, 97% of budgetNEW YORK LEAGUE OF CONSERVATION VOTERS: $240,000 over 4y, 4.4% of budgetOCEAN RESEARCH & CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION INC: $220,000 over 4y, 4.4% of budgetUNITED RETURNING CITIZENS INC: $200,000 over 3y, 69% of budgetSHARE OUR STRENGTH: $150,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE WELDON PROJECT: $145,000 over 4y, 35% of budgetTHE BRONX DEFENDERS: $137,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetCOLUMBUS FOUNDATION: $127,961 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetMEMORIAL HOSPITAL: $120,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetTIDES CENTER: $106,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetLAST PRISONER PROJECT: $100,000 over 2y, 1.7% of budgetMid-Ohio Foodbank: $100,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CONSERVATION DISTRICTS: $95,000 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetCOLUMBUS METROPOLITAN LIBRARY FOUNDATION: $80,000 over 4y, 0.8% of budgetTHE NORTH SHORE LAND ALLIANCE INC: $80,000 over 2y, 1.6% of budgetTHE OHIO ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL: $65,000 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetCOUNCIL FOR WATERSHED HEALTH: $50,000 over 2y, 1.3% of budgetRESOURCE INNOVATION INSTITUTE: $10,000 over 1y, 1.0% 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.

National Philanthropi…The Bank of America C…Vanguard Charitable E…American Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
National Philanthropic TrustPA6.1× affinity5 shared granteesties to 6 of 6Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: National Philanthropic Trust · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile 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 Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 20%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    2get no government money at all
    7report 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.
    05Through Plinth

    Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

    How do I get to The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to The Scotts Miracle-Gro 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 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 Scotts Miracle-Gro’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