Minnesota · Nonprofit
Bright Water Montessori School
Bright Water Montessori School (Minnesota) receives grants from 3 organizations whose IRS filings report $222,302 to it, the largest being Think Small ($170,302). 2 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2017
- $674k
- Funders on record
- 3
- Grants received
- $222k
- Net assets
- $173k
What Bright Water Montessori School does
Mission
Bright Water inspires passion for learning in an intentionally diverse Montessori Community.
As stated on its FY2017 Form 990.
Program
Bright Water seeks to be a school without an achievement gap and a model for North Minneapolis. Bright Water is inspired by the educational philosophy of Maria Montessori and sets high expectations for all children. In partnership with parents, we guide children to develope their individual gifts while preparing them for life in a cooperative community and a changing world. We nuture independence, love of learning, cooperation, creative thinking, and respect for self, others and the enviornment. This is our mission and vision and this guides our enrollment policy. We seek a diverse and committed group of families for our school, and we encourage all families to apply. We do not discriminate based on gender, race, religion, national origin, economic status, or family structure. We consider each application that is sent to our school. We give preference to families who live in North Minneapolis and who reside with the school neighborhood. We give preference to siblings of students enrolled in the school when we are able. We have mixed age preschool classrooms for our Toddler Community (12 months through 3 years) and our Children's House classes (33 months to 5 years).
The first program described on its most recent Form 990, which lists programs largest first by expense.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2019: the base broadened from 2 funders to 3 funders, grant income fell $112k → $98k.
From the IRS filings of Bright Water Montessori School’s funders (the co-funder graph). Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
Bright Water Montessori School leans on a few funders — its largest provides 77% of grant income and the top three 100%; half comes from just 1 funder.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 1 funder to its left
77% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund Bright Water Montessori School.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 86% · 2018 100% · 2019 76% — diversifying over time.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Where its funders are
100% of Bright Water Montessori School's grant income comes from Minnesota funders.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Organizations like Bright Water Montessori School
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In Minnesota
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
75% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for Bright Water Montessori School: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds Bright Water Montessori School?
- Bright Water Montessori School (Minnesota) receives grants from 3 organizations whose IRS filings report $222,302 to it, the largest being Think Small ($170,302). 2 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does Bright Water Montessori School have?
- IRS filings report 3 organizations giving $222,302 in grants to Bright Water Montessori School, 2 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of Bright Water Montessori School?
- Think Small is the largest funder on record, with $170,302 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like Bright Water Montessori School find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Minnesota. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
Play a game about who funds Bright Water Montessori School →
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2017 (financials across 2017–2017), and the filings of 3 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing