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American Greetings Foundation Inc at a glance

· Private foundation

American Greetings Foundation Inc

Its FY2018 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$767k
Granted FY2018
16
Grants FY2018
3
States reached
$350k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
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 2018.

Health$870kArts & Culture$533kCommunity Improvement$301kEducation$278kPhilanthropy$211kHuman Services$13kYouth Development$11kFood & Nutrition$10kOther$0
02FY2018 · 16 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2018

  • Under $10k9 grants · $37k
  • $10k–50k3 grants · $30k
  • $50k–250k3 grants · $350k
  • $250k+1 grant · $350k
$5,000
Median grant
3
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
CLEVELAND CLINIC FOUNDATION$350,000
SESAME WORKSHOP$150,000
CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA$115,000
THE NEW SCHOOL$85,000
MEDWORDS$10,000
SAINT MARTIN DEPORRES SCHOOL$10,000
CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART$10,000
NEPHCURE KIDNEY INTERNATIONAL$5,000
NORTHEAST CHAPTER OF LLS$5,000
THE DIVERSITY CENTER OF NORTHEAST OHIO$5,000
ST ANTHONY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION$5,000
WESTLAKE WORLD PARTNERS$5,000
RUFFING MONTESSORI SCHOOL$5,000
MANDEL JCC$5,000
VALUES-IN-ACTION FOUNDATION$1,000
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 (FY17–17, $3k) land where the poverty rate runs at 17%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%THE GATHERING PLACE: $3k → 17%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

IL
NY
OH
PA
MO
KY
TN
GA
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.

59%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.3M · 8 repeat orgs$922k to everyone else

8 repeat relationships: 8 still active in FY2018, 0 since wound down; 8 grantees were first funded in FY2018 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

8
33

Total granted

$1.3M
$741k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+24%
+59%

Still filing today

63%
58%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2018, 76% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $182k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18
EducationArts & CulturePhilanthropyAnimalsHuman ServicesCommunity ImprovementOther
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

  • TM
    The Musical Arts Association
    2× · 2017–2018 · $245k · revenue +45%
  • TN
    The New School
    2× · 2017–2018 · $100k · revenue +24%
  • CM
    CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART
    2× · 2017–2018 · $87k · revenue +71%

Funded once

  • UW
    UNITED WAY OF CLEVELAND
    one grant, 2017 · $191k
  • NI
    NEXTUP INC (F/K/A NETWORK OF EXECUTIVE WOMEN INC)
    one grant, 2017 · $175k · revenue +21%
  • E
    ENACTUS
    one grant, 2017 · $100k · revenue -97%
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
Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve University is an independent, research-oriented university with broadly based strengths in health, including medicine, nursing and dentistry; in engineering; in the arts and sciences; and in law, management and social…

Education
2
Cleveland Institute of Music

The cleveland institute of music's mission is to empower the world's most talented classical music students to fulfill their dreams and potential.

Education
3
John Carroll University

As a jesuit catholic university committed to academic rigor, inclusive excellence, and care for the whole person, john carroll university inspires individuals of intellect and character to learn, lead and serve in the community and…

Education
4
Center for Arts-Inspired Learning

Cal champions creative learning, drives educational innovation, and transforms lives through collaborative efforts involving teaching artists, students, educators, and communities.

Education
5
Lehigh University

The university's goal in the coming decade is to advance learning through the integration of teaching, research and service to others. the core of this goal is to prepare graduates to engage with the world and lead lives of meaning. to do…

Education
6
Cleveland Arts Prize

The cleveland arts prize identifies, rewards, publicly honors and promotes those creative artists whose original work and accomplishments have set a standard of excellence to which other artists can aspire. additionally, the cleveland arts…

Arts & Culture
7
Point Park University

Provides innovative education in a dynamic urban setting. dedicated to academic excellence and community engagement,we prepare students of diverse backgrounds with the knowledge, skill,and experience to lead meaningful lives as informed…

—
8
The Cleveland Modern Dance Association

To be a national model for how a presenting organization serves its community, leveraging the worlds best modern and contemporary dance to inspire and educate audiences, local dancers, and community members.

—
9
Albright College

As a diverse community of learners, we cultivate integrity, curiosity, connection and resilience.

Education
10
Trustees of Clark University

Clark university's mission is to educate undergraduate and graduate students to be imaginative and contributing citizens of the world, and to advance the frontiers of knowledge and understanding through rigorous scholarship and creative…

Education
11
Cleveland Leadership Center

The mission of cleveland leadership center (the organization) is to build a continuum of civic leaders committed to our community's excellence by serving as a catalyst for civic engagement. the organization achieves its mission by…

Education
12
The City Club of Cleveland

The city club of cleveland's mission is to create conversations of consequence that help democracy thrive. we do this in pursuit of our vision of strong, informed individuals and communities that prize freedom of speech and civil, civic…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The Cleveland Institute of Art; the most unlike its peers is Sesame Workshop. 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

29 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. 29 of the 49 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)
8
Early backer (in before they grew)
28/29
Grantees still filing
25/29
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

CLEVELAND CLINIC FOUNDATION: $850,000 · OtherCLEVELAND CLINIC FOUNDATIONUNITED WAY OF CLEVELAND: $191,205 · OtherUNITED WAY OF CLEVELANDENACTUS: $100,000 · OtherENACTUS+26 more: $181,745 · Other+26 moreThe Musical Arts Association: $245,000 · Arts & CultureThe Musical Arts Associa…SESAME WORKSHOP: $150,000 · Arts & CultureSESAME WORKSHOPCLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART: $86,667 · Arts & CultureCLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART+1 more: $5,000 · Arts & CultureNEXTUP INC (F/K/A NETWORK OF EXECUTIVE WOMEN INC): $175,000 · EducationNEXTUP INC (F/K/A NET…The New School: $100,000 · EducationThe New SchoolCUYAHOGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION: $100,000 · EducationCUYAHOGA COMMUNITY CO…THE CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF ART: $25,000 · EducationTHE CLEVELAND INSTITU…+6 more: $24,500 · Education+6 moreNEPHCURE KIDNEY INTERNATIONAL: $5,000 · PhilanthropyBELIEVE IN DREAMS: $1,000 · PhilanthropyCLEVELAND ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY: $3,500 · AnimalsTHE GATHERING PLACE: $2,500 · Human ServicesEngage Cleveland Inc: $2,500 · Community ImprovementTHE CLEVELAND CLINIC FOUNDATION: $1,450 · Health
Other$1,322,950Arts & Culture$486,667Education$424,500Philanthropy$6,000Animals$3,500Human Services$2,500Community Improvement$2,500Health$1,450

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 Musical Arts Association: $245,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetNEXTUP INC (F/K/A NETWORK OF EXECUTIVE WOMEN INC): $175,000 over 1y, 2.0% of budgetSESAME WORKSHOP: $150,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetENACTUS: $100,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetThe New School: $100,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART: $86,667 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetTHE CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF ART: $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetESPERANZA INC: $15,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetHEART OF KENTUCKY UNITED WAY INC: $15,000 over 1y, 1.3% of budgetPROVIDENCE HOUSE INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetBOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF CLEVELAND: $7,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetDIVERSITY CENTER OF NORTHEAST OHIO: $6,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetCLEVELAND POPS ORCHESTRA: $5,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetCLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLEGAL AID SOCIETY OF CLEVELAND: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetNEPHCURE KIDNEY INTERNATIONAL: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCLEVELAND ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY: $3,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE GATHERING PLACE: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetELEANOR B RAINEY MEMORIAL INSTITUTE: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetYOUNG WOMENS CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF CLEVELAND OHIO: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetEngage Cleveland Inc: $2,500 over 1y, 1.1% of budgetTHE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON FOUNDATION: $1,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE CLEVELAND CLINIC FOUNDATION: $1,450 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBELIEVE IN DREAMS: $1,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetSavannah College of Art and DesignInc: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetVALUES-IN-ACTION FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBAY VILLAGE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION INC: $500 over 1y, 1.1% 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.

The Cleveland Foundat…Jewish Federation of …The George Gund Found…Giant Eagle FoundationThe Swagelok Foundati…George Codrington Fdn…Third Federal Foundat…The Albert B & Audrey…The Cleveland Clinic …The Cleveland Clinic …The Nord Family Found…Akron Community Found…
The Cleveland FoundationOH28.6× affinity12 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Cleveland Foundation · Jewish Federation of Cleveland · The George Gund Foundation · Giant Eagle Foundation · The Swagelok Foundation · George Codrington Fdnhirtlena · Third Federal Foundation · The Albert B & Audrey G Ratner Family Foundation · The Cleveland Clinic Foundation · The Cleveland Clinic Foundation Group Return · The Nord Family Foundation · Akron Community 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 American Greetings Foundation Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from American Greetings Foundation Inc. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%3%5%8%10%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get no government money at all
    9report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–10%
    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.
    05Through Plinth

    Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

    How do I get to American Greetings Foundation Inc?

    Find your warmest path to American Greetings Foundation Inc 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 49 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 2018, released 2018. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on American Greetings’ 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