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Tietjen Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Tietjen Family 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.

$516k
Granted FY2025still arriving
17
Grants FY2025still arriving
6
States reached
$330k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0197% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Religion$2.2MFood & Nutrition$111kHuman Services$88kEducation$62kPhilanthropy$57kArts & Culture$27kInternational$16kHealth$9kOther$0
02FY2025 · 17 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k12 grants · $9k
  • $10k–50k2 grants · $37k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $140k
  • $250k+1 grant · $330k
$1,000
Median grant
6
States reached
$2.5M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
LUTHERAN SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY CHICAGO$329,500
Individual grant recipient$75,000
TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH$65,000
LUTHERAN FAM & CHILDRENS SERVICE$27,000
OPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL$10,000
CAMP WARTBURG (LUTHERAN FAM & CHILDRENS SERVICE)$2,000
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER$1,000
FRIENDS OF LANTERN HILL$1,000
NURSES FOR NEWBORNS$1,000
CROSSINGS$1,000
CENTRAL STATES SYNOD EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA$1,000
GATEWAY 180 HOMELESS SERVICES$500
WINGS OF HOPE$500
CHILDREN OF GRACE$500
LUTHERAN ASSOCIATION FOR SPECIALIZED EDUCATION (LASE)$250
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 (FY21–25, $12k) land where the poverty rate runs at 12%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 13% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%GATEWAY 180 HOMELESS SERVICES: $500 → 21%GATEWAY 180 HOMELESS SERVICES: $500 → 21%Gateway 180: $500 → 21%FRIENDS OF LANTERN HILL: $1k → 11%NURSES FOR NEWBORNS: $3k → 11%NURSES FOR NEWBORNS: $3k → 11%NURSES FOR NEWBORNS: $3k → 11%NURSES FOR NEWBORNS: $1k → 11%LUTHERAN SENIOR SERVICES: $500 → 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.

87%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$2.8M · 24 repeat orgs$414k to everyone else

24 repeat relationships: 12 still active in FY2025, 12 since wound down; 5 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

24
13

Total granted

$2.8M
$408k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+1%
+40%

Still filing today

29%
15%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 99% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $5k went to new ones.

50%100%’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Human ServicesInternationalArts & CultureEducationOther
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

  • OPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL INC D/B/A OPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL-US
    2× · 2024–2025 · $20k · revenue +7%
  • NF
    NURSES FOR NEWBORNS
    4× · 2021–2025 · $9k · revenue +34%
  • WO
    WINGS OF HOPE
    4× · 2021–2025 · $5k · revenue +1%

Funded once

  • LS
    LUTHERAN SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY
    one grant, 2019 · $350k
  • MA
    MARSHALLTOWN ARTS AND CIVIC CENTER
    one grant, 2022 · $25k
  • LS
    LUTHERAN SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY OF CHIC
    one grant, 2022 · $25k
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
Lutheran Social Services of the South Inc

Our mission is to break the cycle of child abuse by empowering children, families and communities.

Human Services
2
Lutheran Family Services of Ne Inc

Lutheran family services of nebraska, inc.'s (lfs) mission is to express god's love for all people by providing quality human care services that build and strengthen individual, family and community life. our vision is saftey, hope and…

Human Services
3
Legacy Visiting Nurse Association

Legacy Visiting Nurse Association (LVNA) provides palliative care to terminally ill patients and supportive services to patients, their families, and significant others, through an outpatient hospice program. The home hospice program…

Health
4
Halls Ferry Manor Inc

To provide low income housing for the elderly

Housing & Shelter
5
Life Line of Hope a Non-Profit

Lifeline of Hope provides daily care to orphans through program management and financial support of children's homes, including facilitation. Orphan's receive food, shelter, clothing, education, mentoring and nurturing, life skills…

International
6
Lutheran Services Florida Inc

Lutheran services florida brings god's healing, hope, and help to people in need in the name of jesus christ.

Human Services
7
International Leadership Institute

The international leadership institute (ili) changes history by accelerating the spread of the gospel through training and mobilizing leaders of leaders to reach their nations. ili accomplishes this purpose through cutting edge leadership…

Religion
8
Lifting Hands International

We provide aid to refugees, both at home and abroad. Simply humanitarian.

International
9
Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center

Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center (LGSHMC), founded in 1875 is one of the earliest hospitals in the Pacific Northwest. LGSHMC provides acute and tertiary care in Portland, OR with 539 licensed beds. LGSHMC provides a…

Health
10
Lutheran Community Services Northwest

LCSNW partners with individuals, families and communities for health, justice and hope. LCSNW provides a wide variety of social services in Oregon, Washington and Idaho and serves people of all ages, cultures and faiths.

Human Services
11
Childrens House International

Children's house international provides ethical adoption services, child focused recruitment, and family support. we support disadvantaged children with humanitarian aid in countries worldwide.

—
12
Lutheran Retirement Center Association

To address and meet the needs of aged persons, including housing, healthcare, and financial security.

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Lutheran Senior Services; the most unlike its peers is Friends of Lantern Hill 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

10 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. 10 of the 42 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)
0
Early backer (in before they grew)
10/10
Grantees still filing
6/10
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

LUTHERAN SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY CHICAGO: $1,161,000 · OtherLUTHERAN SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY CHICAGOTRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH: $1,108,968 · OtherTRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCHLUTHERAN SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY: $350,000 · OtherLUTHERAN SCHOOL OF THEOLOGYIndividual grant recipient: $250,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient+29 more: $290,000 · Other+29 moreOPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL INC D/B/A OPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL-US: $20,000 · InternationalWINGS OF HOPE: $4,500 · InternationalCHILDREN OF GRACE: $2,000 · InternationalNURSES FOR NEWBORNS: $8,500 · Human ServicesGATEWAY HOMELESS SERVICES INC: $1,500 · Human ServicesFriends of Lantern Hill Inc: $1,000 · Human ServicesLUTHERAN SENIOR SERVICES: $500 · Human ServicesLutheran Elementary School Association: $500 · EducationSHELL MUSEUM AND EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION INC: $250 · Arts & Culture
Other$3,159,968International$26,500Human Services$11,500Education$500Arts & Culture$250

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 budgetOPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL INC D/B/A OPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL-US: $20,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNURSES FOR NEWBORNS: $8,500 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetWINGS OF HOPE: $4,500 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetCHILDREN OF GRACE: $2,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetGATEWAY HOMELESS SERVICES INC: $1,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetFriends of Lantern Hill Inc: $1,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetALL AMONG US INC: $750 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetLUTHERAN SENIOR SERVICES: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLutheran Elementary School Association: $500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSHELL MUSEUM AND EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION INC: $250 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.

  • Who funds OPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL INC D/B/A OPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL-US ↗
  • Who funds NURSES FOR NEWBORNS ↗
  • Who funds WINGS OF HOPE ↗
  • Who funds CHILDREN OF GRACE ↗
  • Who funds GATEWAY HOMELESS SERVICES INC ↗
  • Who funds Friends of Lantern Hill Inc ↗
  • Who funds ALL AMONG US INC ↗
  • Who funds LUTHERAN SENIOR SERVICES ↗
  • Who funds Lutheran Elementary School Association ↗

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.

St Louis Community Fo…St Louis Community Fo…The Blackbaud Giving …National Philanthropi…Natl Christian Charit…The Bank of America C…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
St Louis Community Foundation IncMO15.4× affinity5 shared granteesties to 8 of 8Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: St Louis Community Foundation Inc · St Louis Community Foundation · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · National Philanthropic Trust · Natl Christian Charitable Fdn Inc · The Bank of America Charitable 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 Tietjen Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Tietjen Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%8%15%22%30%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    1report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–30%
    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 42 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 Tietjen Family’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