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Whitney Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Whitney Foundation

Its FY2020 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$405k
Granted FY2017
24
Grants FY2017
4
States reached
$100k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its fieldRead
04Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
01FY2017 · 24 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2017

  • Under $10k15 grants · $61k
  • $10k–50k6 grants · $125k
  • $50k–250k3 grants · $220k
$5,000
Median grant
4
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
MINNEAPOLIS FOUNDATION$100,000
WALKER ART CENTER$70,000
WAYZATA COMMUNITY CHURCH$50,000
MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY$30,000
GEORGE W BUSH FOUNDATION$30,000
INNER CITY TENNIS$20,000
Individual grant recipient$20,000
ST CLOUD STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION$15,000
MINNEAPOLIS COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE$10,000
THE RETREAT$5,000
INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION INC$5,000
FREEDOM INSTITUTE$5,000
INNER CITY TENNIS$5,000
ABBOTT NORTHWESTERN HOSPITAL ASSN$5,000
NAT'L MUSEUM OF RACING & HALL OF FAME$5,000
02The need
02

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 (FY17–17) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 95% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%ST CLOUD STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $15k → 6%BEYOND WALLSURBAN SQUASH TWIN CITIES: $3k → 11%MOFAS: $5k → 14%NAT'L MUSEUM OF RACING & HALL OF FAME: $5k → 7%FREEDOM INSTITUTE: $5k → 17%GEORGE W BUSH FOUNDATION: $30k → 14%EDUCATORS FOR EXCELLENCE: $5k → 11%MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY: $30k → 14%TIPTON MUSIC MINISTRIES: $5k → 11%CITIZEN'S LEAGUE: $5k → 14%MINNEAPOLIS FOUNDATION: $100k → 11%WILLIAM MITCHELL COLLEGE OF LAW: $3k → 14%INNER CITY TENNIS: $20k → 11%WILLIAM MITCHELL COLLEGE OF LAW: $1k → 14%INNER CITY TENNIS: $5k → 11%SAFE PASSAGE FOR CHILDREN: $3k → 14%EDALLIES: $1k → 11%FRIENDS OF ASCENSION: $20k → 11%WAYZATA COMMUNITY CHURCH: $50k → 11%THE RETREAT: $5k → 11%ABBOTT NORTHWESTERN HOSPITAL ASSN: $5k → 11%WALKER ART CENTER: $70k → 11%MINNEAPOLIS COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE: $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.
03Its 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 Medical Association

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

—
2
University of Minnesota Foundation Investment Advisors

To provide the highest level of stewardship for university donors through professional management and oversight of the university of minnesota foundation's assets by creating a focused investment environment with clarity of purpose,…

Education
3
Minnesota Council on Foundations

MCF is a vibrant philanthropic community connecting, strengthening and mobilizing the power of philanthropy to advance prosperity and equity.

—
4
Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and Industry

The minnesota chamber of commerce proactively leads the business community statewide to: advance pro-business, responsible minnesota public policy that creates jobs and grows the econony; provde member services to address evolving business…

—
5
University of New Haven

The University of New Haven is a student-centered comprehensive university with an emphasis on excellence in liberal arts and professional education. Our mission is to prepare our students to lead purposeful and fulfilling lives in a…

Education
6
Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States Inc

The fsmb serves as the voice for state medical boards, supporting them through education, assessment, research and advocacy while providing services and initiatives that promote patient safety, quality health care and regulatory best…

Health
7
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…

—
8
Minnesota State University Student Association Inc

Led by minnesota state university students, we are the inclusive voice for all future, current, and former students. we actively work to represent and support minnesota state university students and advocate at a campus, state, and federal…

Education
9
United States Naval Institute

Provide an independent forum for those who dare to read, think, speak, and write to advance the professional, literary, and scientific understanding of sea power and other issues critical to global security.

—
10
Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Mcad provides a transformative education within a community of support for creative students of all backgrounds to work, collaborate, and lead with confidence in a dynamic, interconnected world.

Education
11
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
12
Twin Cities Diversity in Practice

To attract, recruit, advance, and retain attorneys of color in the twin cities through education and collaboration with member organizations.

Community Improvement
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The Minneapolis Foundation; the most unlike its peers is National Museum of Racing Inc. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
03the 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 22 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)
12/12
Grantees still filing
7/12
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Wayzata Community Church: $50,000 · OtherWayzata Community ChurchIndividual grant recipient: $20,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipientMINNEAPOLIS COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE: $10,000 · OtherMINNEAPOLIS COMMUNITY AND TECHNIC…INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION INC: $5,000 · OtherCITIZENS LEAGUE: $5,000 · OtherABBOTT NORTHWESTERN HOSPITAL ASSN: $5,000 · OtherMOFAS: $5,000 · OtherTIPTON MUSIC MINISTRIES: $5,000 · OtherEDUCATORS FOR EXCELLENCE: $5,000 · OtherTHE RETREAT: $5,000 · Other+1 more: $3,000 · OtherWALKER ART CENTER: $70,000 · Arts & CultureWALKER ART CENTERMINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY: $30,000 · Arts & CultureMINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETYNATIONAL MUSEUM OF RACING INC: $5,000 · Arts & CultureTHE MINNEAPOLIS FOUNDATION: $100,000 · PhilanthropyTHE MINNEAPOLIS FOUNDATIONTHE GEORGE W BUSH FOUNDATION: $30,000 · EducationTHE GEORGE W …ST CLOUD STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC: $15,000 · EducationST CLOUD STAT…MITCHELL HAMLINE SCHOOL OF LAW: $3,000 · EducationMITCHELL HAML…+1 more: $1,000 · EducationINNERCITY TENNIS FOUNDATION: $25,000 · Recreation & SportsURBAN SQUASH TWIN CITIES: $3,000 · Recreation & SportsFREEDOM INSTITUTE INC: $5,000 · Health
Other$118,000Arts & Culture$105,000Philanthropy$100,000Education$49,000Recreation & Sports$28,000Health$5,000

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 budgetTHE MINNEAPOLIS FOUNDATION: $100,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetWALKER ART CENTER: $70,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetTHE GEORGE W BUSH FOUNDATION: $30,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY: $30,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetINNERCITY TENNIS FOUNDATION: $25,000 over 1y, 1.1% of budgetST CLOUD STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC: $15,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetCITIZENS LEAGUE: $5,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetNATIONAL MUSEUM OF RACING INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetFREEDOM INSTITUTE INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMITCHELL HAMLINE SCHOOL OF LAW: $3,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetURBAN SQUASH TWIN CITIES: $3,000 over 1y, 1.0% of budgetEd Allies: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% 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…Mortenson Family Foun…Fr Bigelow FoundationCharities Aid Foundat…The Blackbaud Giving …National Philanthropi…Morgan Stanley Global…Vanguard Charitable E…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …American Online Givin…
Saint Paul & Minnesota FoundationMN17× affinity6 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation · The Minneapolis Foundation · Mortenson Family Foundation · Fr Bigelow Foundation · Charities Aid Foundation America · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · National Philanthropic Trust · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · American Online Giving Foundation Inc

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 Whitney Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Whitney 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%13%25%38%50%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 · 0–50%
    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.
    04Through Plinth

    Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

    How do I get to Whitney Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Whitney 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 22 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 2017, released 2017. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Possibly out of date. A more recent filing (FY2020) is on record and reports no grant expense, so the figures above are from FY2017, the most recent year this funder made grants.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Whitney’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