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Walter Scott Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Walter Scott Family Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$46M
Granted FY2024still arriving
78
Grants FY2024still arriving
17
States reached
$9.0M
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0198% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2019 to 2024.

Philanthropy$162MAnimals$68MRecreation & Sports$68MArts & Culture$55MEducation$40MHealth$22MCommunity Improvement$9.7MHuman Services$6.2MOther$0
02FY2024 · 78 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k17 grants · $73k
  • $10k–50k17 grants · $330k
  • $50k–250k19 grants · $1.5M
  • $250k+25 grants · $44M
$50,000
Median grant
17
States reached
$2.8B
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
BROWNELL TALBOT SCHOOL$9,000,000
COMMUNITY INFORMATION TRUST$5,000,000
JOSLYN ART MUSEUM$3,000,000
HASTINGS COLLEGE FOUNDATION$3,000,000
WESTSIDE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS FOUNDATION INC$2,510,000
THE SALVATION ARMY$2,500,000
OMAHA ZOO FOUNDATION$2,500,000
PROJECT HARMONY$2,000,000
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA FOUNDATION$1,726,000
CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL & MEDICAL CENTER FOUNDATION$1,600,000
STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND & AEROSPACE MUSEUM$1,500,000
SUZANNE & WALTER SCOTT FOUNDATION$1,500,000
OMAHA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION$1,375,000
SOUTHEAST COMMUNITY COLLEGE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION$1,041,877
SINGER FOUNDATION$1,000,000
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 (FY22–24, $4.8M) land where the poverty rate runs at 12%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%SUNSHINE ACRES CHILDRENS HOME INC: $150k → 11%COZAD COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $75k → 12%SHARE GOOD: $575k → 12%MIRACLE HILL MINISTRIES INC: $5k → 10%CHARLES E LAKIN HUMAN SERVICES CAMPUS FOUNDATION: $500k → 12%OPERATION BBQ RELIEF: $5k → 8%MIAMI VALLEY CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTERS INC: $5k → 14%SHARE GOOD: $500k → 12%KIDS MEALS INC: $10k → 16%CHILD SAVING INSTITUTE: $3.0M → 12%THE COLLECTIVE FOR HOPE: $15k → 12%GRIEF'S JOURNEY: $5k → 12%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

AK
MN
IL
MI
NY
MA
WY
IA
IN
OH
CT
CA
CO
NE
MO
AZ
KS
TN
SC
DC
HI
LA
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.
$379M · 41 repeat orgs$67M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue -3% since the first grant, against -3% for those funded once.

41 repeat relationships: 27 still active in FY2024, 14 since wound down; 47 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

41
52

Total granted

$379M
$53M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

-3%
-3%

Still filing today

90%
75%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 70% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $14M went to new ones.

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

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

’19’20’21’22’23’24
EducationArts & CultureHealthHuman ServicesPhilanthropyYouth DevelopmentOther
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

  • SW
    SUZANNE & WALTER SCOTT FOUNDATION
    5× · 2020–2024 · $113M · revenue +589% · 66% of their budget
  • JA
    JOSLYN ART MUSEUM
    4× · 2020–2024 · $12M · revenue +71% · 30% of their budget
  • UO
    UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA FOUNDATION
    2× · 2023–2024 · $12M · revenue +16%

Funded once

  • OF
    OPAS FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2023 · $15M · revenue -79%
  • MH
    MENTAL HEALTH INNOVATION FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2023 · $6.0M · revenue -58%
  • TD
    THE DAVID FOSTER FOUNDATIONgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $4.0M · revenue +754%
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
The Northern Michigan University Foundation

The nmu foundation will establish and foster relationships to generate resources that benefit the strategic goals of northern michigan university.

Education
2
Share Omaha

Our mission is to help nonprofits fulfill theirs.

Philanthropy
3
Omaha Economic Development Corporation

The mission of oedc is to implement economic development projects, housing, and community revitalization programs that create jobs, business ownership opportunities and other economic benefits for area residents.

—
4
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.

—
5
Omaha Sports Commission

The mission of the omaha sports commission is to foster a positive socio-economic impact on and a heightened awareness and image of omaha by attracting, hosting, & supporting amateur sporting events.

Recreation & Sports
6
Ucsf Foundation Investment Company

The organization provides professional investment management services for endowed gifts and financial assets entrusted to the ucsf foundation.

Education
7
Omaha Children's Museum

Omaha children's museum is a not-for-profit organization that provides children and families with opportunities to discover how the world works, challenge themselves, and learn through play. the mission of the museum is to engage the…

Arts & Culture
8
Colorado Museum of Natural History

Be a catalyst! Ignite our community's passion for nature and science.

Arts & Culture
9
The Ku Endowment Charitable Gift Fund

To strengthen the University and communities that have touched the lives of KU alumni and friends, the mission of The KU Endowment Charitable Gift Fund is to receive and administer gifts and bequests to further the charitable objectives of…

Philanthropy
10
Community Foundation Santa Cruz County

To promote philanthropy to make santa cruz county a better place to live, now and in the future.we bring together people, ideas, and resources to inspire philanthropy and accomplish great things.

Philanthropy
11
Minnesota State Fair Foundation

The minnesota state fair foundation's mission is to preserve and improve the historic minnesota state fairgrounds and support state fair programs and projects in agriculture, arts & culture, education, the environment, and history.

Philanthropy
12
The Nebraska Land Trust Inc

To foster the protection of agricultural, historical and natural resources on land in nebraska through education, partnering and permanent conservation.

Environment
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Nebraska Community Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Republic of South Sudan Leaders. 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

115 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

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 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 115 of the 147 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.

23
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
12
Early backer (in before they grew)
115/115
Grantees still filing
46/115
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

SUZANNE & WALTER SCOTT FOUNDATION: $112,680,582 · PhilanthropySUZANNE & WALTER SCOTT FOUNDATIONSINGER FOUNDATION: $14,000,370 · PhilanthropySINGER FOUNDATIONAMY L SCOTT FAMILY FOUNDATION: $7,998,400 · PhilanthropyDIXON FAMILY FOUNDATION: $7,998,400 · PhilanthropyPARKER FAMILY FOUNDATION: $7,998,400 · Philanthropy+5 more: $1,715,000 · PhilanthropyOMAHA ZOO FOUNDATION: $66,550,090 · AnimalsOMAHA ZOO FOUNDAT…+6 more: $1,875,000 · AnimalsDOWNTOWN RIVERFRONT TRUST: $50,440,467 · Community ImprovementDOWNTOWN RIVE…+4 more: $2,496,769 · Community ImprovementBROWNELL-TALBOT SCHOOL: $10,000,000 · OtherBROWNELL-TALBOT SC…LORI & DAVID SCOTT FOUNDATION: $7,998,400 · OtherLORI & DAVID SCOTT…COMMUNITY ALLIANCE INC: $6,010,092 · OtherCOMMUNITY ALLIANCE…OMAHA SHELTER FOR HOMELESS TRUST: $4,500,380 · OtherOMAHA SHELTER FOR …MECA: $4,000,000 · OtherMECAMECA TRI-PARK LLC: $3,479,081 · OtherYANNEY HERITAGE PARK FOUNDATION INC: $3,012,528 · OtherRADIUS: $3,012,528 · OtherTHE SALVATION ARMY: $2,500,000 · OtherLAKE CUNNINGHAM DEVELOPMENT TRUST: $8,510,000 · OtherLAKE CUNNINGHAM DE…CHILD SAVING INSTITUTE INC: $2,989,594 · Other+67 more: $16,003,566 · Other+67 moreOPAS FOUNDATION: $15,050,646 · Arts & CultureOPAS FOUNDA…JOSLYN ART MUSEUM: $12,019,453 · Arts & CultureJOSLYN ART …OMAHA SYMPHONY ASSOCIATION: $4,504,953 · Arts & CultureOMAHA SYMPH…STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND & AEROSPACE MUSEUM: $4,148,475 · Arts & CultureSTRATEGIC A…HERITAGE SERVICES: $4,000,085 · Arts & CultureHERITAGE SE…THE DURHAM MUSEUM: $1,650,000 · Arts & Culture+6 more: $2,360,000 · Arts & Culture+6 moreUNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA FOUNDATION: $11,908,406 · EducationUNIVERSITY …OMAHA DISCOVERY TRUST: $10,010,338 · EducationOMAHA DISCO…COMMUNITY INFORMATION TRUST: $5,000,000 · EducationCOMMUNITY I…US Chamber of Commerce Foundation: $4,493,181 · EducationUS Chamber …HASTINGS COLLEGE FOUNDATION: $3,000,000 · EducationHASTINGS CO…WESTSIDE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS FOUNDATION INC: $2,530,000 · EducationWESTSIDE CO…CENTRAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC: $2,199,202 · EducationSOUTHEAST COMMUNITY COLLEGE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION: $1,729,850 · Education+15 more: $2,656,768 · Education+15 moreMENTAL HEALTH INNOVATION FOUNDATION: $6,014,500 · HealthTHE DAVID FOSTER FOUNDATION: $4,016,704 · HealthCHILDREN'S HOSPITAL & MEDICAL CENTER FOUNDATION: $3,420,000 · HealthNEBRASKA METHODIST HOSPITAL FOUNDATION: $1,215,000 · Health+8 more: $150,000 · Health
Philanthropy$152,391,152Animals$68,425,090Community Improvement$52,937,236Other$72,016,169Arts & Culture$43,733,612Education$43,527,745Health$14,816,204

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 budgetSUZANNE & WALTER SCOTT FOUNDATION: $112,680,582 over 5y, 66% of budgetOMAHA ZOO FOUNDATION: $66,550,090 over 5y, 97% of budgetDOWNTOWN RIVERFRONT TRUST: $50,440,467 over 4y, 17% of budgetOPAS FOUNDATION: $15,050,646 over 1y, 17% of budgetSINGER FOUNDATION: $14,000,370 over 6y, 90% of budgetJOSLYN ART MUSEUM: $12,019,453 over 4y, 30% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA FOUNDATION: $11,908,406 over 2y, 2.5% of budgetOMAHA DISCOVERY TRUST: $10,010,338 over 3y, 34% of budgetBROWNELL-TALBOT SCHOOL: $10,000,000 over 2y, 82% of budgetLAKE CUNNINGHAM DEVELOPMENT TRUST: $8,510,000 over 6y, 95% of budgetAMY L SCOTT FAMILY FOUNDATION: $7,998,400 over 2y, 74% of budgetLORI & DAVID SCOTT FOUNDATION: $7,998,400 over 2y, 81% of budgetDIXON FAMILY FOUNDATION: $7,998,400 over 2y, 74% of budgetPARKER FAMILY FOUNDATION: $7,998,400 over 2y, 73% of budgetMENTAL HEALTH INNOVATION FOUNDATION: $6,014,500 over 1y, 16% of budgetCOMMUNITY ALLIANCE INC: $6,010,092 over 2y, 21% of budgetCOMMUNITY INFORMATION TRUST: $5,000,000 over 1y, 47% of budgetOMAHA SYMPHONY ASSOCIATION: $4,504,953 over 5y, 28% of budgetOMAHA SHELTER FOR HOMELESS TRUST: $4,500,380 over 2y, 95% of budgetUS Chamber of Commerce Foundation: $4,493,181 over 5y, 6.6% of budgetSTRATEGIC AIR COMMAND & AEROSPACE MUSEUM: $4,148,475 over 3y, 33% of budgetCHILDREN'S HOSPITAL & MEDICAL CENTER FOUNDATION: $3,420,000 over 3y, 12% of budgetYANNEY HERITAGE PARK FOUNDATION INC: $3,012,528 over 1y, 64% of budgetCHILD SAVING INSTITUTE INC: $2,989,594 over 1y, 23% of budgetWESTSIDE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS FOUNDATION INC: $2,530,000 over 2y, 13% of budgetPROJECT HARMONY: $2,320,000 over 2y, 7.5% of budgetCENTRAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC: $2,199,202 over 3y, 27% of budgetNORTHSTAR FOUNDATION: $2,140,000 over 4y, 19% of budgetSOUTHEAST COMMUNITY COLLEGE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION: $1,729,850 over 2y, 16% of budgetTHE DURHAM MUSEUM: $1,650,000 over 5y, 15% of budgetALASKA RAPTOR REHABILITATION CENTER: $1,515,000 over 5y, 25% of budgetOmaha Community Foundation: $1,375,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetBOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF THE MIDLANDS: $1,250,000 over 3y, 5.9% of budgetNEBRASKA METHODIST HOSPITAL FOUNDATION: $1,215,000 over 3y, 3.8% of budgetSHARE GOOD: $1,075,000 over 2y, 32% of budgetCALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION FOR RESEARCH IN ASTRONOMY: $1,000,000 over 3y, 1.8% of budgetHABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF OMAHA INC: $996,769 over 1y, 2.5% of budgetMETROPOLITAN ENTERTAINMENT & CONVENTION AUTHORITY: $996,769 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetOMAHA PERFORMING ARTS SOCIETY: $950,000 over 1y, 2.1% of budgetOMAHA COMMUNITY PLAYHOUSE: $750,000 over 1y, 10% of budgetNORTHEAST COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION: $659,675 over 2y, 18% of budgetMETROPOLITAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION: $550,000 over 2y, 10% of budget11TH STREET ENTERPRISES: $500,000 over 1y, 100% of budgetMUSEUM OF NEBRASKA ART: $500,000 over 1y, 3.7% of budgetCHARLES E LAKIN HUMAN SERVICES CAMPUS FOUNDATION: $500,000 over 1y, 4.7% of budgetTHE RABBIT HOLE KC: $500,000 over 1y, 11% of budgetSEAL-NSW FAMILY FOUNDATION: $333,000 over 3y, 7.2% of budgetFRIENDS OF KEENE MEMORIAL LIBRARY: $250,000 over 1y, 54% 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 Sherwood Foundati…Robert B Daugherty Fo…The Lozier FoundationPeter Kiewit Foundati…Suzanne & Walter Scot…The Charles and Mary …Nebraska Community Fo…The Hawks FoundationParker Family Foundat…The Holland FoundationUnion Pacific Foundat…Dixon Family Foundati…
The Sherwood FoundationNE75.3× affinity38 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Sherwood Foundation · Robert B Daugherty Foundation · The Lozier Foundation · Peter Kiewit Foundation · Suzanne & Walter Scott Foundation · The Charles and Mary Heider Family Foundation · Nebraska Community Foundation · The Hawks Foundation · Parker Family Foundation · The Holland Foundation · Union Pacific Foundation · Dixon Family 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 Walter Scott Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Walter Scott Family 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 →median 35%
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology: 35% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
2get no government money at all
29report 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.

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 147 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 Walter Scott 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