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Wessel Family Foundation Inc the Northern at a glance

· Private foundation

Wessel Family Foundation Inc the Northern

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.

$99k
Granted FY2025still arriving
9
Grants FY2025still arriving
4
States reached
$75k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0184% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2025.

Education$90kHealth$39kCrime & Legal$26kArts & Culture$19kPhilanthropy$10kEnvironment$7kReligion$4kHuman Services$2kOther$0
02FY2025 · 9 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k8 grants · $24k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $75k
$2,500
Median grant
4
States reached
$3.2M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO$75,000
NCH MEDICAL DIPLOMATS COUNCIL$7,500
BIG SHOULDERS FUND$5,000
PRISON FELLOWSHIP MINISTRIES$5,000
ARTIS-NAPLES$2,500
UNIVERSITY OF MINESOTA LAW SCHOOL$2,000
ERIKA'S LIGHTHOUSE$500
INT'L SOCIETY FOR FRONTOTEMPORAL$500
BURKE'S$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:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY20–25) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 18% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%INT'L SOCIETY FOR FRONTOTEMPORAL: $500 → 6%MAYO CLINIC: $500 → 9%UNIVERSITY OF MINESOTA LAW SCHOOL: $2k → 11%ONE MIND: $15k → 9%BURKE'S: $500 → 10%Christ Chapel Bible Church: $1k → 11%ARTIS NAPLES: $5k → 10%NATIONAL PARKINSON FDN: $1k → 15%BUTLER NATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND: $200 → 16%ERIKA'S LIGHTHOUSE: $500 → 14%MAYO CLINIC: $500 → 9%UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA: $2k → 11%ONE MIND FOUNDATION: $3k → 9%CHRIST CHAPEL BIBLE CHURCH: $500 → 11%ARTIS NAPLES: $3k → 10%INDIAN HILL CLUB SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION: $500 → 14%UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA: $1k → 11%ARTIS-NAPLES: $3k → 10%INDIAN HILL CLUB SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION: $500 → 14%ARTIS NAPLES: $3k → 10%BURKE'S: $500 → 14%ARTIS NAPLES: $2k → 10%LURIE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: $15k → 14%NCH MEDICAL DIPLOMATS COUNCIL: $8k → 10%LURIE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: $1k → 14%NAPLES CHILDREN &: $224k → 10%THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO: $75k → 14%GARGIULO EDUCATION CENTER: $1k → 10%NATIONAL MS SOCIETY: $10k → 14%NAPLES CHILDREN &: $174k → 10%Parkinson's Foundation Inc: $1k → 14%GARGIULO EDUCATION CENTER: $500 → 10%NATIONAL MS SOCIETY: $500 → 14%NAPLES CHILDREN &: $120k → 10%NATIONAL MS SOCIETY: $500 → 14%GARGIULO EDUCATION CENTER: $500 → 10%BIG SHOULDERS FUND: $5k → 14%NAPLES CHILDREN &: $81k → 10%Big Shoulders Fund: $1k → 14%NAPLES BOTANICAL GARDEN: $5k → 10%YOUTH HAVEN: $500 → 14%NAPLES BOTANICAL GARDEN: $2k → 10%KENILWORTH UNION: $5k → 14%CONSERVATORY OF SW FLORIDA: $5k → 10%KENILWORTH UNION: $5k → 14%KENILWORTH UNION: $5k → 14%KENILWORTH UNION: $3k → 14%UNITED WAY: $10k → 14%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.

85%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$704k · 13 repeat orgs$123k to everyone else

13 repeat relationships: 4 still active in FY2025, 9 since wound down; 5 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

13
10

Total granted

$704k
$37k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+25%
+53%

Still filing today

46%
20%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 13% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $86k went to new ones.

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

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

’20’21’22’23’24’25
EducationHealthCrime & LegalHuman ServicesArts & CultureEnvironmentOther
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

  • PF
    PRISON FELLOWSHIP MINISTRIES
    6× · 2020–2025 · $26k · revenue +59%
  • AI
    ARTIS-NAPLES INC
    5× · 2021–2025 · $14k · revenue +67%
  • NB
    NAPLES BOTANICAL GARDEN INC
    2× · 2022–2023 · $7k · revenue +23%

Funded once

  • OM
    ONE MIND
    one grant, 2024 · $15k
  • UW
    UNITED WAY
    one grant, 2020 · $10k
  • CO
    CONSERVATORY OF SW FLORIDA
    one grant, 2024 · $5k
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
Institute for Advanced Study - Louis Bamberger & Mrs Felix Fuld Foundation

The institute for advanced study (the institute) is one of the world's leading centers for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. see schedule o.

Science & Tech
2
The Graduate School of the Stowers Institute for Medical Research

The graduate school of the stowers institute for medical research ("gssimr") exempt purpose is to provide graduate education that will prepare scholars for scientific research in the biological sciences.

Education
3
National Science and Technology Medals Foundation Inc

The nstmf's mission is to build inclusive stem communities across the united states. fundamental to these communities are the significant, inspirational connections we foster between the individuals who have received national recognition…

—
4
University of Miami

See Form 990, Part I, Line 1, Description of Organization Mission.

Education
5
Phillips Exeter Academy

Unite goodness and knowledge and inspire youth from every quarter to lead purposeful lives. [text in quotations is taken from the academy's deed of gift, drafted in 1781] knowledge and goodness "above all, it is expected that the attention…

Education
6
Endicott College

Endicott college offers students a vibrant academic environment that remains true to its founding principle of integrating professional and liberal arts with experiential learning. for more information see schedule o.

Education
7
Nova Southeastern University Inc

The mission of Nova Southeastern University-a selective, doctoral research university-is to deliver academic programs in a dynamic, innovative environment. We foster academic excellence, leadership, integrity (continued on Schedule O) and…

Education
8
The Trustees of the Smith College

Smith college educates women of promise for lives of distinction and purpose. a college of and for the world, smith college links the power of the liberal arts to excellence in research and scholarship, developing leaders for society's…

Education
9
Northeastern University
Education
10
Trustees of Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College educates the most promising students and prepares them for a lifetime of learning and of responsible leadership, through a faculty dedicated to teaching and the creation of knowledge.

Education
11
American Museum of Natural History

The museum's mission statement is: "to discover, interpret, and disseminate - through scientific research and education - knowledge about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe."

Arts & Culture
12
Northern Illinois University Foundation

The niu foundation's mission is to energize and connect the private sector with the niu community to secure and steward resources that support the future and growth of niu.

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is North Shore Senior Center; the most unlike its peers is North Naples Education Center 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

12 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. 12 of the 29 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)
12/12
Grantees still filing
7/12
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Individual grant recipient: $598,409 · OtherIndividual grant recipient+16 more: $94,764 · Other+16 moreUniversity of Chicago: $75,000 · EducationUniversity …Big Shoulders Fund: $6,000 · EducationBig Shoulde…+3 more: $4,000 · EducationPRISON FELLOWSHIP MINISTRIES: $25,500 · Crime & LegalARTIS-NAPLES INC: $14,100 · Arts & CultureNAPLES BOTANICAL GARDEN INC: $6,500 · EnvironmentMAYO CLINIC: $1,000 · HealthInternational Society for Frontotemporal Dementias Inc: $500 · HealthErikas Lighthouse A Beacon of Hope for Adolescent Depression: $500 · HealthNORTH SHORE SENIOR CENTER: $1,000 · Human Services
Other$693,173Education$85,000Crime & Legal$25,500Arts & Culture$14,100Environment$6,500Health$2,000Human Services$1,000

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 Chicago: $75,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPRISON FELLOWSHIP MINISTRIES: $25,500 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetARTIS-NAPLES INC: $14,100 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetNAPLES BOTANICAL GARDEN INC: $6,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetBig Shoulders Fund: $6,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNORTH NAPLES EDUCATION CENTER INC: $2,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetIndian Hill Club Scholarship Foundation: $1,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetNORTH SHORE SENIOR CENTER: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMAYO CLINIC: $1,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetThe Thacher School Inc: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetInternational Society for Frontotemporal Dementias Inc: $500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetErikas Lighthouse A Beacon of Hope for Adolescent Depression: $500 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 University of Chicago ↗
  • Who funds PRISON FELLOWSHIP MINISTRIES ↗
  • Who funds ARTIS-NAPLES INC ↗
  • Who funds NAPLES BOTANICAL GARDEN INC ↗
  • Who funds Big Shoulders Fund ↗
  • Who funds NORTH NAPLES EDUCATION CENTER INC ↗
  • Who funds Indian Hill Club Scholarship Foundation ↗
  • Who funds NORTH SHORE SENIOR CENTER ↗
  • Who funds MAYO CLINIC ↗
  • Who funds The Thacher School Inc ↗
  • Who funds International Society for Frontotemporal Dementias Inc ↗
  • Who funds Erikas Lighthouse A Beacon of Hope for Adolescent Depression ↗

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.

National Philanthropi…Fidelity Investments …
National Philanthropic TrustPA9.2× affinity4 shared granteesties to 1 of 1Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: National Philanthropic Trust · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund

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

2025
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%4%8%11%15%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get no government money at all
    4report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–15%
    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 29 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 Wessel Family Foundation Inc the Northern’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