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The Thielen Foundation Inc

The thielen foundation has been formed to help serve, educate and inspire those in need.

$460k
Granted FY2024still arriving
12
Grants FY2024still arriving
2
States reached
$100k
Largest
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2018 to 2024.

Recreation & Sports$940kEducation$635kYouth Development$376kHuman Services$370kHealth$261kFood & Nutrition$170kInternational$163kPhilanthropy$89kOther$0
02FY2024 · 12 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 12 grants below total $314,357, the rows itemized in this filing. The $460,182 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $145,825 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k2 grants · $16k
  • $10k–50k8 grants · $147k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $152k
$15,705
Median grant
2
States reached
$2.4M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
CITY OF BROOKLYN PARK$100,000
JOHNSON FITNESS & WELLNESS$51,595
CRISIS ASSISTANCE MINISTRY$45,000
DULUTH SUPERIOR AREA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION$25,000
MED CITY INSTALLATION$21,557
KCB COMPANIES$15,705
FCA MINNESOTA$10,000
MVL GALA$10,000
CHILDREN'S MINNESOTA$10,000
FIRST TEE MINNESOTA$10,000
MINNESOTA CHILL FOUNDATION$8,000
YES NETWORK$7,500
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 (FY20–24, $240k) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 98% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%PLAY TO YOUR STRENGTHS: $5k → 7%CRISIS ASSISTANCE MINISTRY: $45k → 10%CRISIS ASSISTANCE MINISTRY: $40k → 10%NEXUS-GERARD FAMILY HEALING: $150k → 11%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.

60%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.7M · 17 repeat orgs$1.2M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +50% since the first grant, against 0% for those funded once.

17 repeat relationships: 8 still active in FY2024, 9 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

17
21

Total granted

$1.7M
$1.1M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+50%
0%

Still filing today

65%
71%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 59% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $118k went to new ones.

50%100%’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
Youth DevelopmentEducationHealthHuman ServicesFood & NutritionRecreation & SportsOther
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

  • UO
    UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOUNDATION
    2× · 2020–2022 · $290k · revenue +137%
  • SH
    SECOND HARVEST HEARTLAND
    2× · 2020–2022 · $170k · revenue +17%
  • Crisis Assistance Ministry
    2× · 2023–2024 · $85k · revenue +12%

Funded once

  • VS
    V3 SPORTS INC
    one grant, 2022 · $250k · revenue -83%
  • HH
    HUMBOLDT HIGH SCHOOL
    one grant, 2022 · $169k
  • NF
    NEXUS FOUNDATION FOR FAMILY HEALING
    one grant, 2022 · $150k · revenue -21%
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
Minnesota Council on Foundations

MCF is a vibrant philanthropic community connecting, strengthening and mobilizing the power of philanthropy to advance prosperity and equity.

—
2
Minnesota Medical Association

To be the leading voice of medicine to make minnesota the healthiest state and the best place to practice.

—
3
Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and Industry

The minnesota chamber of commerce proactively leads the business community statewide to: advance pro-business, responsible minnesota public policy that creates jobs and grows the econony; provde member services to address evolving business…

—
4
Minnesota Business Partnership

The minnesota business partnership's mission is to maintain a high quality of life for all minnesotans by ensuring that the state's economy remains strong, globally competitive and its prospects for growth bright by working with elected…

—
5
Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce

Creating powerful advocacy to enhance economic vitality in the minneapolis-st. paul region.

—
6
Mn Community Measurement

Mn community measurement empowers stakeholders with meaningful information to drive improvement.

Health
7
Minnesota Comeback

Driven by an unwavering moral imperative that every child, regardless of its race, income or zip code, deserves the same high-quality education, mn comeback has become a growing movement of philanthropists, community leaders and education…

—
8
Great Mn Schools

We believe that great schools are the cornerstone of a just and thriving community. ensuring that every child is able to attend a school that works is our moral and social imperative - our children deserve no less.

Education
9
United Way of Ne Minnesota

United way of northeastern minnesota invests in nonprofits, programs, and collaborations that equip and empower, creating opportunities for people to thrive in our communities.

—
10
Youthprise

Youthprise is a nonprofit intermediary that invests in the future of Minnesota by investing in youth. Youthprise's mission is to increase equity with and for Minnesota's indigenous, low-income, and racially diverse youth.

Education
11
St Paul Transportation Management Organization

Move minnesota leads the movement for an equitable and sustainable transportation system that puts people first. we are passionate about connecting communities, ending the climate crisis, expanding access to jobs and resources, and…

Environment
12
Breakthrough Twin Cities

Breakthrough Twin Cities supports students on their journey to college by fostering a community of mutual learning with the next generation of educators so they both can collaborate, grow, and thrive.

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Children's Health Care Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School 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

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 44 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.

1
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
3
Early backer (in before they grew)
31/31
Grantees still filing
18/31
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

BROOKLYN CENTER HIGH SCHOOL: $268,276 · OtherBROOKLYN CENTER HIGH SCHOOLTHE SALVATION ARMY: $215,462 · OtherTHE SALVATION ARMYHUMBOLDT HIGH SCHOOL: $169,293 · OtherHUMBOLDT HIGH SCHOOLURBAN VENTURES LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION: $162,500 · OtherURBAN VENTURES LEADERSHIP FOUNDATIONJOHNSON FITNESS & WELLNESS: $111,177 · OtherJOHNSON FITNESS & WELLNESSBrooklyn Bridge Alliance for Youth: $100,000 · OtherBrooklyn Bridge Alliance for YouthMED CITY INSTALLATION: $58,272 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA HEALTH CLINICS AND SURGERY CENTER INC: $60,000 · OtherNORTHSIDE ACHIEVEMENT ZONE: $100,000 · OtherNORTHSIDE ACHIEVEMENT ZONE+13 more: $263,916 · Other+13 moreUNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOUNDATION: $290,100 · EducationUNIVERSITY OF…Bolder Options: $55,000 · EducationBolder Option…+2 more: $20,000 · Education+2 moreV3 SPORTS INC: $250,000 · Recreation & SportsV3 SPORTS I…TWIN CITIES JUNIOR GOLF PROGRAM: $65,000 · Recreation & SportsTWIN CITIES…FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN ATHLETES: $65,000 · Youth DevelopmentFELLOWSHIP …BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF THE TWIN CITIES: $50,000 · Youth DevelopmentBOYS AND GI…BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF THE GREATER TWIN CITIES: $45,000 · Youth DevelopmentBIG BROTHER…BIO Girls Inc: $35,000 · Youth DevelopmentBIO Girls I…MINNESOTA CHILL FOUNDATION: $33,000 · Youth DevelopmentMINNESOTA C…Robbinsdale Cooper High School Football Booster Association: $30,000 · Youth DevelopmentRobbinsdale…LEGACY CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION: $25,000 · Youth DevelopmentLEGACY CHIL…GIRLS ON THE RUN INTERNATIONAL INC: $10,000 · Youth DevelopmentNEXUS FOUNDATION FOR FAMILY HEALING: $150,000 · Human ServicesNEXUS FOU…Crisis Assistance Ministry: $85,000 · Human ServicesCrisis As…+1 more: $5,000 · Human ServicesSECOND HARVEST HEARTLAND: $170,100 · Food & NutritionTHE YES NETWORK: $7,500 · Food & NutritionSAINT PAUL & MINNESOTA FOUNDATION: $70,100 · PhilanthropyDULUTH-SUPERIOR AREA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $25,000 · PhilanthropyTHE MINNEAPOLIS FOUNDATION: $19,000 · Philanthropy
Other$1,508,896Education$365,100Recreation & Sports$315,000Youth Development$293,000Human Services$240,000Food & Nutrition$177,600Philanthropy$114,100

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 budgetUNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOUNDATION: $290,100 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetV3 SPORTS INC: $250,000 over 1y, 1.6% of budgetSECOND HARVEST HEARTLAND: $170,100 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetURBAN VENTURES LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION: $162,500 over 2y, 3.4% of budgetNEXUS FOUNDATION FOR FAMILY HEALING: $150,000 over 1y, 8.0% of budgetNORTHSIDE ACHIEVEMENT ZONE: $100,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetCrisis Assistance Ministry: $85,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetSAINT PAUL & MINNESOTA FOUNDATION: $70,100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTWIN CITIES JUNIOR GOLF PROGRAM: $65,000 over 3y, 2.9% of budgetFELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN ATHLETES: $65,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA HEALTH CLINICS AND SURGERY CENTER INC: $60,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetBolder Options: $55,000 over 2y, 3.6% of budgetBOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF THE TWIN CITIES: $50,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetWOODBURY PRESCHOOL ON STEEPLEVIEW: $50,000 over 1y, 7.0% of budgetBIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF THE GREATER TWIN CITIES: $45,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetBIO Girls Inc: $35,000 over 2y, 1.7% of budgetMINNESOTA CHILL FOUNDATION: $33,000 over 2y, 53% of budgetRobbinsdale Cooper High School Football Booster Association: $30,000 over 1y, 16% of budgetLEGACY CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION: $25,000 over 1y, 4.1% of budgetMinnesota Teen Challenge Inc: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDULUTH-SUPERIOR AREA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $25,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetBEST CHRISTMAS EVER INC: $20,000 over 1y, 1.1% of budgetTHE MINNEAPOLIS FOUNDATION: $19,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCHILDREN'S HEALTH CARE FOUNDATION: $18,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetIMPACT PHILANTHROPY GROUP: $10,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetNEW LIFE ACADEMY EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetGIRLS ON THE RUN INTERNATIONAL INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMINNESOTA VALLEY LUTHERAN HIGH SCHOOL FOUNDATION INC: $10,000 over 1y, 6.8% of budgetALLINA HEALTH FOUNDATION: $8,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE YES NETWORK: $7,500 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.

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 Minneapolis FoundationMN20.2× affinity9 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Minneapolis Foundation · Otto Bremer Trust · Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation · Mightycause Charitable Foundation · AB CarVal Foundation · Youthprise · Greater Twin Cities United Way · Fr Bigelow Foundation · Xcel Energy Foundation · Land O'Lakes Foundation · Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation · Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

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

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%4%15%34%60%funder's share of their income ↑0%13%25%38%50%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get 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
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–50%
    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 44 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 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

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