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Venn Foundation at a glanceMostly funded, not a grantmaker: see who funds it →

· Public charity

Venn Foundation

To unleash the full power of program-related investments to achieve charitable impact.

$446k
Granted FY2025still arriving
5
Grants FY2025still arriving
2
States reached
$160k
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, FY2018 to 2025.

Philanthropy$884kInternational$342kYouth Development$146kHealth$140kArts & Culture$124kCivil Rights$100kEmployment$36kEducation$10k
02FY2025 · 5 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • $10k–50k2 grants · $22k
  • $50k–250k3 grants · $424k
$112,026
Median grant
2
States reached
$29M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
WORLD PEDIATRIC PROJECT$160,000
MINNEAPOLIS FOUNDATION$152,010
MINNESOTA CHILDREN'S MUSEUM$112,026
MACPHAIL CENTER FOR MUSIC$11,490
BREAKTHROUGH TWIN CITIES$10,376
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:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY18–25) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 8%. 73% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 8%BETTER FUTURE FORWARD: $100k → 6%MACPHAIL CENTER FOR MUSIC: $11k → 11%BREAKTHROUGH TWIN CITIES: $10k → 14%NATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TRUST: $103k → 7%WORLD PEDIATRIC PROJECT: $120k → 9%WORLD PEDIATRIC PROJECT: $125k → 22%GREATER NEW ORLEANS DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION: $36k → 23%MINNEAPOLIS FOUNDATION: $152k → 11%MINNESOTA CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $112k → 14%NATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TRUST: $103k → 7%WORLD PEDIATRIC PROJECT: $160k → 9%WORLD PEDIATRIC PROJECT: $27k → 22%MINNEAPOLIS FOUNDATION: $23k → 11%FAMILY TREE INC: $20k → 14%NATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TRUST: $25k → 7%WORLD PEDIATRIC PROJECT: $10k → 22%MINNEAPOLIS FOUNDATION: $10k → 11%NATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TRUST: $25k → 7%WORLD PEDIATRIC PROJECT: $10k → 22%YOUTHPRISE: $122k → 11%WORLD PEDIATRIC PROJECT: $10k → 22%YOUTHPRISE: $14k → 11%YOUTHPRISE: $10k → 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.
04

Where the work is directed

The same grants placed two ways: where each recipient sits, and where its stated purpose sends the money.

About 27% of Venn Foundation’s grant dollars are earmarked for a different county than the recipient’s own address.

Venn Foundationlessmore of its giving
Placed by recipient address
How this is measured
Recipient view: each grant at its grantee’s ZIP, mapped to a county. Directed view: each grant at the county its stated purpose names, falling back to the recipient’s county when the purpose names no place; US grants only. A county shows only if it carries the top 95% of that view’s dollars. Purposes are read from the funder’s own 990 grant descriptions.
03Its grantees
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 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…

—
3
Minnesota Medical Association

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

—
4
Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce

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

—
5
Arts Midwest Incorporated

Arts Midwest works collaboratively with private and public arts supporters to support, inform, and celebrate arts organizations and creative communities across the Midwest. Our mission is to build unprecedented opportunity across the…

Arts & Culture
6
Women's Foundation of Minnesota

Women's Foundation of Minnesota is a statewide community foundation investing in ending systemic inequities and driving innovation for gender and racial justice. WFM applies an Intersectional Equity Framework inclusive of gender, race,…

Philanthropy
7
African Development Center

Grow businesses, build wealth and increase reinvestement in the african communities of minnesota

Human Services
8
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
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
Minnesota Land Trust

The minnesota land trust protects and restores minnesota's most vital natural lands in order to provide wildlife habitat, clean water, outdoor experiences and scenic beauty for generations to come.

Environment
11
Mn Community Measurement

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

Health
12
Minneapolis Downtown Council

To create an extraordinary downtown minneapolis, applying the core values of leadership, collaboration, advocacy and innovation.

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The Minneapolis Foundation; the most unlike its peers is World Pediatrics. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
05the 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 11 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)
1
Early backer (in before they grew)
10/10
Grantees still filing
5/10
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

THRIVENT CHARITABLE IMPACT & INVESTING: $443,721 · PhilanthropyTHRIVENT CHARITABLE IMPACT & INVESTINGNATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TRUST: $255,298 · PhilanthropyNATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TRUSTTHE MINNEAPOLIS FOUNDATION: $184,774 · PhilanthropyTHE MINNEAPOLIS FOUNDATIONWORLD PEDIATRICS: $462,000 · InternationalWORLD PEDIATRICSYouthprise: $146,000 · EducationYouthpris…Breakthrough Twin Cities: $10,376 · EducationBreakthro…Minnesota Children's Museum: $112,026 · Arts & CultureMACPHAIL CENTER FOR MUSIC: $11,490 · Arts & CultureBETTER FUTURE FORWARD: $100,000 · OtherGREATER NEW ORLEANS DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION: $36,000 · Community ImprovementFamily Tree Inc: $20,000 · Health
Philanthropy$883,793International$462,000Education$156,376Arts & Culture$123,516Other$100,000Community Improvement$36,000Health$20,000

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetWORLD PEDIATRICS: $462,000 over 3y, 1.8% of budgetTHRIVENT CHARITABLE IMPACT & INVESTING: $443,721 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetNATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TRUST: $255,298 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetTHE MINNEAPOLIS FOUNDATION: $184,774 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetYouthprise: $146,000 over 3y, 0.8% of budgetMinnesota Children's Museum: $112,026 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetGREATER NEW ORLEANS DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION: $36,000 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetFamily Tree Inc: $20,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetMACPHAIL CENTER FOR MUSIC: $11,490 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBreakthrough Twin Cities: $10,376 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.

Saint Paul & Minnesot…The Minneapolis Found…Andersen Corporate Fo…Otto Bremer TrustXcel Energy FoundationThe Blackbaud Giving …American Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Saint Paul & Minnesota FoundationMN15.2× affinity5 shared granteesties to 9 of 9Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation · The Minneapolis Foundation · Andersen Corporate Foundation · Otto Bremer Trust · Xcel Energy Foundation · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · 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 Venn Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Venn 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%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    5report 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 Venn Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Venn 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 11 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 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Venn’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