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Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty at a glanceMostly funded, not a grantmaker: see who funds it →

· Public charity

Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty

The mission of the acton institute is to promote a free and virtuous society characterized by individual liberty and sustained by religious principles.

$1.0M
Granted FY2025still arriving
5
Grants FY2025still arriving
5
States reached
$15k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Education$561kPhilanthropy$399kHousing & Shelter$180kReligion$107kCivil Rights$25kHealth$6k
02FY2025 · 5 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 5 grants below total $43,400, the rows itemized in this filing. The $1,002,980 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $959,580 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k4 grants · $28k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $15k
$8,000
Median grant
5
States reached
$23M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
EVERGREEN COMMONS$15,000
WHEATON COLLEGE$8,800
THE UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO FOUNDATION$8,000
THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA$6,100
UNIVERSITY OF ST THOMAS$5,500
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:

Its human-services grants (FY20–25, $195k) land where the poverty rate runs at 20%, 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%EVERGREEN COMMONS: $15k → 10%Better Way Detroit: $80k → 21%Better Way Detroit: $50k → 21%Better Way Detroit: $25k → 21%Better Way Detroit: $25k → 21%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

WA
IL
WI
MI
NY
OR
SD
IN
OH
CA
CO
MO
VA
AZ
NC
OK
AL
FL

Grants abroad, by region: $533k on the FY2025 return

Schedule F, as filed: 6 regions, $30k to organizations and $504k to individuals. The IRS asks for region and purpose, not the recipient, so no country or grantee can be named here.

Europe (including Iceland and Greenland)$197k · 37% · 1 grant · 109 people

Stated purpose: CONFERENCE ASSISTANCE · EDUCATION AND TRAVEL ASSISTANCE

South America$159k · 30% · 146 people

Stated purpose: EDUCATION AND TRAVEL ASSISTANCE

Sub-Saharan Africa$92k · 17% · 61 people

Stated purpose: EDUCATION AND TRAVEL ASSISTANCE

South Asia$55k · 10% · 43 people

Stated purpose: EDUCATION AND TRAVEL ASSISTANCE

Central America and the Caribbean$21k · 4% · 20 people

Stated purpose: EDUCATION AND TRAVEL ASSISTANCE

North America (Canada and Mexico)$9k · 2% · 12 people

Stated purpose: EDUCATION AND TRAVEL ASSISTANCE

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. Grants abroad on Schedule F are filed by region, purpose and amount with no recipient name, so they are shown by region and cannot be placed on the country map or matched to a grantee.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

50%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$451k · 8 repeat orgs$447k to everyone else

8 repeat relationships: 1 still active in FY2025, 7 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

8
22

Total granted

$451k
$418k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+4%
+5%

Still filing today

88%
82%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 18% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $29k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
EducationHuman ServicesReligionOther
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

  • BW
    BETTER WAY DETROIT
    4× · 2020–2023 · $180k · revenue +0% · 46% of their budget
  • CU
    CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY INC
    2× · 2019–2021 · $38k · revenue +9%
  • FU
    FAULKNER UNIVERSITY
    4× · 2017–2023 · $34k · revenue +45%

Funded once

  • SH
    SACRED HEART ACADEMY EDUCATION FOUNgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $155k · revenue +471%
  • WF
    WOODLAWN FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2022 · $57k · revenue -8%
  • SH
    SACRED HEART OF JESUS PARISH
    one grant, 2021 · $30k
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
John Brown University

John brown university (jbu) provides christ-centered education that prepares students to honor god and serve others by developing their intellectual, spiritual, and professional lives. (continued on schedule o)jbu serves traditional…

Education
2
Loyola University

Loyola University New Orleans, a Jesuit and Catholic institution of higher education, welcomes students of diverse backgrounds and prepares them to lead meaningful lives with and for others; to pursue truth, wisdom, and virtue; and to work…

Education
3
Benedictine University

Benedictine University is an inclusive academic community dedicated to teaching and learning, scholarship and service, truth and justice, as inspired by the Catholic intellectual tradition, the social teaching of the Church, and the…

Education
4
Evangel University

Evangel is a comprehensive christian university that is committed to excellence in educating and equipping students to become spirit empowered servants of god who will impact the church and society globally.

Education
5
Roberts Wesleyan University

As new york's leading university for character education, rwu is a community of learners committed to historic christianity which seeks to prepare thoughtful, spiritually mature, service-oriented people who will transform society.

Education
6
Xavier University

Xavier is a jesuit catholic university rooted in the liberal arts tradition. our mission is to educate each student intellectually, morally, and spiritually. we create learning opportunities through rigorous academic and professional…

Education
7
Dordt University

As an institution of higher education committed to the reformed christian perspective, dordt university equips students, alumni, and the broader community to work effectively toward christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary…

Education
8
Saint Martin's University

Saint martin's students learn to make a positive difference in their lives and in the lives of others through the interaction of faith, reason, and service. the university honors both the sacredness of the individual and the significance…

Education
9
Augustana University Association

Inspired by lutheran scholarly tradition and the liberal arts, augustana provides an education of enduring worth that challenges the intellect, fosters integrity and integrates faith with learning and service in a diverse world.

Education
10
California Lutheran University

The mission of the university is to educate leaders for a global society who are strong in character and judgment, confident in their identity and vocation, and committed to service and justice.

Education
11
Union University

Union university provides christ-centered education that promotes excellence and character development in service to church and society.

Education
12
Saint Xavier University

Saint xavier university, a catholic institution inspired by the heritage of the sisters of mercy, educates persons to search for truth, think critically, communicate effectively and serve wisely and compassionately in support of human…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Wheaton College; the most unlike its peers is Better Way Detroit. 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

30 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. 30 of the 35 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.

1
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
30/30
Grantees still filing
19/30
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Donors Trust Inc: $399,354 · PhilanthropyDonors Trust IncThe King's College: $114,000 · EducationThe King's CollegeCONCORDIA UNIVERSITY INC: $37,500 · EducationCONCORDIA UNIVERSITY INCFAULKNER UNIVERSITY: $34,000 · EducationFAULKNER UNIVERSITYAquinas College: $34,000 · EducationAquinas CollegeWheaton College: $25,300 · EducationWheaton CollegePALM BEACH ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY INC: $16,500 · EducationCedarville University: $15,000 · Education+15 more: $113,000 · Education+15 moreSACRED HEART ACADEMY EDUCATION FOUN: $154,960 · ReligionSACRED HEART ACADE…WOODLAWN FOUNDATION: $56,776 · ReligionWOODLAWN FOUNDATIO…BETTER WAY DETROIT: $180,235 · Human ServicesBETTER WAY DETRO…EVERGREEN COMMONS: $15,000 · Human ServicesEVERGREEN COMMON…SACRED HEART OF JESUS PARISH: $30,000 · OtherSACRED HEA…CONCORDIA COLLEGE: $25,000 · OtherCONCORDIA …CENTER FOR CIVIL SOCIETY: $25,000 · OtherCENTER FOR…REGENT UNIVERSITY: $14,000 · OtherREGENT UNI…SOUTHEASTERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY: $12,000 · OtherSOUTHEASTE…JOHN WITHERSPOON COLLEGE DBA BLACK HILLS BIBLICAL INSTITUTE: $8,000 · OtherJOHN WITHE…UNIVERSITY OF NORTH ALABAMA: $7,000 · OtherUNIVERSITY…iGen Consulting: $6,000 · Other
Philanthropy$399,354Education$389,300Religion$211,736Human Services$195,235Other$127,000

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 budgetDonors Trust Inc: $399,354 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetBETTER WAY DETROIT: $180,235 over 4y, 46% of budgetThe King's College: $114,000 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetWOODLAWN FOUNDATION: $56,776 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetCONCORDIA UNIVERSITY INC: $37,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetFAULKNER UNIVERSITY: $34,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetAquinas College: $34,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetWheaton College: $25,300 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetCONCORDIA COLLEGE: $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetPALM BEACH ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY INC: $16,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetEVERGREEN COMMONS: $15,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCedarville University: $15,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetREGENT UNIVERSITY: $14,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA: $12,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetASBURY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY: $8,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLINDENWOOD EDUCATION SYSTEM: $8,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCALIFORNIA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY: $8,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetREGIS UNIVERSITY: $8,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE JACKSONVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC: $8,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetTHE UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO FOUNDATION: $8,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetJOHN WITHERSPOON COLLEGE DBA BLACK HILLS BIBLICAL INSTITUTE: $8,000 over 1y, 1.0% of budgetFRANCISCAN UNIVERSITY OF STEUBENVILLE: $7,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSEATTLE PACIFIC UNIVERSITY: $7,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGrand Canyon University: $7,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetOKLAHOMA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY: $7,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCALVIN UNIVERSITY: $6,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMULTNOMAH UNIVERSITY: $5,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUniversity of St Thomas: $5,500 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.

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.

Tulsa Community Found…Charles Koch Foundati…Folds of Honor Founda…National Collegiate A…Verizon FoundationThe Robert D and Patr…Lilly Endowment IncRaymond James Charita…Ibm International Fou…Shell USA Company Fou…Ge Aerospace Foundati…Enterprise Holdings F…
Tulsa Community FoundationOK19.2× affinity8 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Tulsa Community Foundation · Charles Koch Foundation · Folds of Honor Foundation · National Collegiate Athletic Association · Verizon Foundation · The Robert D and Patricia E Kern Family Foundation Inc · Lilly Endowment Inc · Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund · Ibm International Foundation · Shell USA Company Foundation · Ge Aerospace Foundation · Enterprise Holdings 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 Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%6%13%19%25%share of the org’s income from government →median 0%
  • Palm Beach Atlantic University Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
1get no government money at all
3report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–25%
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 35 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 Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty’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