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The Wisconsin Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Wisconsin Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$247k
Granted FY2024still arriving
5
Grants FY2024still arriving
2
States reached
$231k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0190% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Recreation & Sports$237kPublic Benefit$46kEnvironment$26kEducation$13kCivil Rights$10kHuman Services$4kSocial Science$3kInternational$2kOther$0
02FY2024 · 5 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k3 grants · $6k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $10k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $231k
$5,000
Median grant
2
States reached
$3.6M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
TOWN OF WESTPORT$231,195
YOUNG AMERICA'S FOUNDATION$10,000
UW FOUNDATION$5,000
DOOR COUNTY LAND TRUST$500
FOND BLANC FOUNDATION$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 (FY17–23, $4k) land where the poverty rate runs at 10%, against an area that typically sits at 7%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 7%EAST MADISON COMMUNITY CENTER: $3k → 10%EAST MADISON COMMUNITY CENTER: $1k → 10%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.

5%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$17k · 3 repeat orgs$326k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +21% since the first grant, against +9% for those funded once.

3 repeat relationships: 2 still active in FY2024, 1 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

3
17

Total granted

$17k
$85k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+21%
+9%

Still filing today

100%
47%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 2% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $242k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’19’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’19’21’22’23’24
EducationEnvironmentYouth DevelopmentPublic BenefitPhilanthropyRecreation & 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 WISCONSIN FOUNDATION
    3× · 2019–2024 · $11k · revenue +21%
  • EM
    EAST MADISON COMMUNITY CENTER INC
    2× · 2017–2023 · $4k · revenue +23%
  • FB
    FOND BLANC FOUNDATION
    2× · 2023–2024 · $2k · revenue +3%

Funded once

  • IF
    INSTITUTE FOR REFORMING GOVERNMENT INC
    one grant, 2022 · $25k · revenue +3%
  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2022 · $25k
  • FF
    FOUNDATION FOR GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY INC
    one grant, 2023 · $20k · revenue -8%
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
Wisconsin Policy Forum Inc

We conduct impartial public policy research and analysis to drive informed debate and effective decision-making in the state of wisconsin.

Public Benefit
2
Furman University

The primary mission of furman as a liberal arts institution is to provide a distinctive education in fine arts, humanities, social sciences, mathematics and the sciences, as well as selected professional disciplines.

Education
3
University of Iowa Facilities Corporation

The university of iowa facilities corporation acquires and holds property for the benefit and use of the university of iowa.

—
4
Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges

The association of governing boards of universities and colleges advances higher education as a public good by preparing college, university, and foundation governing boards to fulfill their fiduciary duties and exemplify the highest…

Education
5
University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Foundation Inc

The uw-green bay foundation furthers the mission of uw-green bay, a public university, by developing and increasing opportunities for students primarily in the areas other than those in which the state of wisconsin ordinarily makes…

Education
6
University of Illinois Foundation

The Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, is an independent and separate nonprofit entity from the University of Illinois. Our mission is to encourage and administer private gifts and serve the UI System by working closely with…

Education
7
American Foreign Service Association

American foreign service association (afsa) is both the principal advocate for the long-term institutional wellbeing of the professional career foreign service and responsible for safeguarding the interest of afsa members. (continued on…

—
8
Financial Planning Association

To elevate the profession that transforms lives through the power of financial planning.

Community Improvement
9
American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa

The union works to advocate and advance a public policy agenda to support and protect the constitution of the united states and the constitution of the state of iowa. it works to maintain throughout the united states the rights of free…

—
10
Foundation for Financial Planning Inc

Our mission is to help people in need improve their financial lives by expanding access to pro bono financial planning.

Human Services
11
Wisconsin Principles Inc

Wisconsin principles (wp) is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization dedicated to preserving conservative values in the state of wisconsin. committed to fiscal conservatism, educational choice, and individual liberty, we strive to empower…

Civil Rights
12
The Greater Beloit Economic Development Corporation

The mission of the greater beloit economic development corporation ("corporation") is to foster investment and job growth in the economy thereby improving the quality of life, educational attainment, housing availability and prosperity for…

Community Improvement
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Greater Green Bay Community Foundation Inc; the most unlike its peers is University of Notre Dame du Lac. 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

15 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. 15 of the 25 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)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
15/15
Grantees still filing
10/15
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

TOWN OF WESTPORT: $231,195 · OtherTOWN OF WESTPORTIndividual grant recipient: $25,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipientYoung America's Foundation: $10,000 · Other+10 more: $7,819 · OtherINSTITUTE FOR REFORMING GOVERNMENT INC: $25,000 · EducationINSTITUTE FO…UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN FOUNDATION: $11,000 · EducationUNIVERSITY O…+2 more: $1,868 · EducationFOUNDATION FOR GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY INC: $20,000 · Public BenefitFRIENDS OF PENINSULA STATE PARK INC: $5,001 · Recreation & SportsEAST MADISON COMMUNITY CENTER INC: $4,000 · Human ServicesFOND BLANC FOUNDATION: $1,500 · PhilanthropyGREATER GREEN BAY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC: $1,000 · PhilanthropyBADGER BOYS STATE INCORPORATED: $800 · Youth DevelopmentDOOR COUNTY LAND TRUST INC: $500 · EnvironmentFRIENDS OF PHEASANT BRANCH CONSERVANCY INC: $150 · Environment
Other$274,014Education$37,868Public Benefit$20,000Recreation & Sports$5,001Human Services$4,000Philanthropy$2,500Youth Development$800Environment$650

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 budgetINSTITUTE FOR REFORMING GOVERNMENT INC: $25,000 over 1y, 1.8% of budgetFOUNDATION FOR GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY INC: $20,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN FOUNDATION: $11,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetYoung America's Foundation: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetEAST MADISON COMMUNITY CENTER INC: $4,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetFOND BLANC FOUNDATION: $1,500 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetASSET BUILDERS OF AMERICA INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetGREATER GREEN BAY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGLACIER'S EDGE COUNCIL INC BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA: $900 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUniversity of Notre Dame du Lac: $868 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDOOR COUNTY LAND TRUST INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFRIENDS OF PHEASANT BRANCH CONSERVANCY INC: $150 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTURNING POINT USA INC: $100 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.

Dwight and Linda Davi…Baird Foundation IncAlliant Energy Founda…Morgan Stanley Global…Vanguard Charitable E…American Online Givin…Fidelity Investments …Donor Advised Charita…Amazonsmile Foundation
Dwight and Linda Davis FoundationWI13.6× affinity4 shared granteesties to 8 of 8Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Dwight and Linda Davis Foundation · Baird Foundation Inc · Alliant Energy Foundation Inc · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · 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 Wisconsin Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Wisconsin Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%5%10%15%20%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get no government money at all
    6report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–20%
    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 Wisconsin Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to The Wisconsin 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 25 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 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Wisconsin’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