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Ascension Foundation at a glanceMostly funded, not a grantmaker: see who funds it →

· Public charity

Ascension Foundation

Rooted in the loving ministry of jesus as healer, we commit ourselves to serving all persons with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable.

$2.1M
Granted FY2025still arriving
17
Grants FY2025still arriving
12
States reached
$632k
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, FY2022 to 2025.

Education$2.7MHealth$1.8MHuman Services$640kHousing & Shelter$335kReligion$270kCrime & Legal$50kFood & Nutrition$10kInternational$10k
02FY2025 · 17 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • $10k–50k2 grants · $57k
  • $50k–250k13 grants · $1.1M
  • $250k+2 grants · $902k
$100,000
Median grant
12
States reached
$97M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME DU LAC$632,015
FATHERS OF SAINT EDMUND$270,000
WOMEN & CHILDREN FIRST$100,000
KID ONE TRANSPORT SYSTEM INC$100,000
MAMATOTO VILLAGE INC$100,000
LA POSADA HOME INC$100,000
WICHITA CHILDRENS HOME$100,000
RENEWAL HOUSE INC$100,000
CENTER FOR URBAN FAMILIES INC$100,000
MEHARRY MEDICAL COLLEGE$93,532
SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN HEALTH ASSOCIATION$75,000
HOTEL HOPE$75,000
GIVING AUSTIN LABOR SUPPORT INC$50,000
MOMS MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVE INC$50,000
St John Health System Foundation Inc$50,000
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 (FY24–25, $474k) land where the poverty rate runs at 17%, against an area that typically sits at 13%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 13%EMERGENCY INFANT SERVICES INC: $30k → 15%ARKANSAS BIRTHING PROJECT: $89k → 17%MAMATOTO VILLAGE INC: $100k → 14%MILWAUKEE DIAPER MISSION INC: $55k → 17%CENTER FOR URBAN FAMILIES INC: $100k → 19%WICHITA CHILDRENS HOME: $100k → 16%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

MN
IL
WI
MI
IN
CA
MO
MD
KS
AR
TN
DC
OK
LA
AL
TX
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.

64%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$3.3M · 7 repeat orgs$1.9M to everyone else

7 repeat relationships: 2 still active in FY2025, 5 since wound down; 14 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

7
17

Total granted

$3.3M
$585k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

-1%
0%

Still filing today

86%
100%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 9% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $1.3M went to new ones.

50%100%’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’22’23’24’25
HealthHuman ServicesEducationHousing & ShelterInternationalCrime & LegalOther
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

  • MM
    MEHARRY MEDICAL COLLEGE
    4× · 2022–2025 · $1.4M · revenue +17%
  • WS
    WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY
    3× · 2022–2024 · $1.3M
  • MM
    MARIAN MIDDLE SCHOOL
    3× · 2022–2024 · $318k · revenue -2%

Funded once

  • AB
    ARKANSAS BIRTHING PROJECTgraduated
    one grant, 2024 · $89k · revenue +60% · 74% of their budget
  • TI
    TrainingGrounds Inc
    one grant, 2024 · $75k · revenue 0%
  • MILWAUKEE DIAPER MISSION INC
    one grant, 2024 · $55k · revenue 0%
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
Ascension Health

Rooted in the loving ministry of Jesus as healer, we commit ourselves to serving all persons with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable. Our Catholic health ministry is dedicated to spiritually centered, holistic care,…

Health
2
St Mary's Health Inc

Rooted in the loving ministry of jesus as healer, we commit ourselves to serving all persons with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable. our catholic health ministry is dedicated to spiritually-centered, holistic care…

Health
3
St Vincent's Medical Center

Rooted in the loving ministry of jesus as healer, we commit ourselves to serving all persons with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable. our catholic health ministry is dedicated to spiritually-centered, holistic care…

Health
4
Saint Thomas West Hospital

Rooted in the loving ministry of jesus as healer, we commit ourselves to serving all persons with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable. our catholic health ministry is dedicated to spiritually-centered, holistic care…

Health
5
Ascension Health Alliance

Rooted in the loving ministry of Jesus as healer, we commit ourselves to serving all persons with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable. Our Catholic health ministry is dedicated to spiritually centered, holistic care,…

—
6
Ascension Texas

Rooted in the loving ministry of Jesus as healer, we commit ourselves to serving all persons with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable. Our Catholic health ministry is dedicated to spiritually-centered, holistic care…

Health
7
St Vincent Health Inc

Rooted in the loving ministry of jesus as healer, we commit ourselves to serving all persons with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable. our catholic health ministry is dedicated to spiritually-centered, holistic care…

Health
8
St Vincent Hospital and Health Care Center Inc

Rooted in the loving ministry of Jesus as healer, we commit ourselves to serving all persons with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable. Our Catholic health ministry is dedicated to spiritually-centered, holistic care…

Health
9
St John Health System Inc

Rooted in the loving ministry of Jesus as healer, we commit ourselves to serving all persons with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable. Our Catholic health ministry is dedicated to spiritually-centered, holistic care…

Health
10
Ascension All Saints Hospital Inc

Rooted in the loving ministry of jesus as healer, we commit ourselves to serving all persons with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable. our catholic health ministry is dedicated to spiritually-centered, holistic care…

Health
11
St Vincent's Medical Center Inc

Rooted in the loving ministry of jesus as healer, we commit ourselves to serving all persons with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable. our catholic health ministry is dedicated to spiritually-centered, holistic care…

—
12
St Marys Warrick Hospital Inc

Rooted in the loving ministry of Jesus as healer, we commit ourselves to serving all persons with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable. Our Catholic health ministry is dedicated to spiritually-centered, holistic care…

Health
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is St Vincent's Birmingham; the most unlike its peers is University of Notre Dame du Lac. 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

37 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. 37 of the 39 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)
7
Early backer (in before they grew)
37/37
Grantees still filing
13/37
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

MEHARRY MEDICAL COLLEGE: $1,415,731 · EducationMEHARRY MEDICAL COLLEGEUniversity of Notre Dame du Lac: $632,015 · EducationUniversity of Notre Dame du LacMARIAN MIDDLE SCHOOL: $317,839 · EducationMARIAN MIDDLE SCHOOL+2 more: $105,000 · EducationWAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY: $1,296,000 · OtherWAYNE STATE UNIVERSITYFATHERS OF ST EDMUND SOUTHERN MISSIONS INC: $270,000 · OtherFATHERS OF ST EDMUND SOUTHERN MISSION…LA POSADA HOME INC: $100,000 · OtherASCENSION DEPAUL SERVICES: $98,800 · OtherSOUTHEASTERN MI HEALTH ASSOCIATION: $75,000 · Other+5 more: $86,161 · OtherMAMATOTO VILLAGE INC: $100,000 · Human ServicesMAMATOTO VILLA…KID ONE TRANSPORT SYSTEM INC: $100,000 · Human ServicesKID ONE TRANSP…THE WICHITA CHILDREN'S HOME: $100,000 · Human ServicesTHE WICHITA CH…WOMEN & CHILDREN FIRST THE CENTER AGAINST FAMILY VIOLENCE: $100,000 · Human ServicesWOMEN & CHILDR…CENTER FOR URBAN FAMILIES INC: $100,000 · Human ServicesCENTER FOR URB…ARKANSAS BIRTHING PROJECT: $89,000 · Human ServicesARKANSAS BIRTH…MILWAUKEE DIAPER MISSION INC: $55,000 · Human ServicesMILWAUKEE DIAP…THE O'CONNOR HOUSE: $50,000 · Human ServicesTHE O'CONNOR H…Emergency Infant Services Inc: $30,000 · Human ServicesALEXIAN BROTHERS HEALTH SYSTEM: $100,000 · HealthALEXIAN BRO…RENEWAL HOUSE INC: $100,000 · HealthRENEWAL HOU…Sacred Heart Health System Inc: $57,481 · HealthSacred Hear…St Vincent's Birmingham: $50,000 · HealthSt Vincent'…GIVING AUSTIN LABOR SUPPORT: $50,000 · HealthGIVING AUST…ST JOHN HEALTH SYSTEM FOUNDATION INC: $50,000 · HealthST JOHN HEA…Saint Thomas Health: $50,000 · HealthSaint Thoma…MOMS MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVE INC: $50,000 · HealthMOMS MENTAL…St Agnes Healthcare Inc: $34,131 · HealthSt Agnes He…THE LITTLE TIMMY PROJECT INC: $20,000 · Health+1 more: $15,869 · HealthHOTEL HOPE: $75,000 · Housing & ShelterDEPAUL USA INC: $10,000 · Housing & ShelterOSTARA INITIATIVE: $50,000 · Crime & LegalCONCERN AMERICA: $10,000 · International
Education$2,470,585Other$1,925,961Human Services$724,000Health$577,481Housing & Shelter$85,000Crime & Legal$50,000International$10,000

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 budgetMEHARRY MEDICAL COLLEGE: $1,415,731 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetUniversity of Notre Dame du Lac: $632,015 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMARIAN MIDDLE SCHOOL: $317,839 over 3y, 3.9% of budgetLA POSADA HOME INC: $100,000 over 1y, 14% of budgetALEXIAN BROTHERS HEALTH SYSTEM: $100,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE WICHITA CHILDREN'S HOME: $100,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetRENEWAL HOUSE INC: $100,000 over 1y, 1.9% of budgetWOMEN & CHILDREN FIRST THE CENTER AGAINST FAMILY VIOLENCE: $100,000 over 1y, 1.9% of budgetASCENSION DEPAUL SERVICES: $98,800 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetARKANSAS BIRTHING PROJECT: $89,000 over 1y, 74% of budgetHOTEL HOPE: $75,000 over 1y, 7.1% of budgetTrainingGrounds Inc: $75,000 over 1y, 2.8% of budgetSOUTHEASTERN MI HEALTH ASSOCIATION: $75,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetSacred Heart Health System Inc: $57,481 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMILWAUKEE DIAPER MISSION INC: $55,000 over 1y, 4.3% of budgetTHE O'CONNOR HOUSE: $50,000 over 1y, 7.2% of budgetSt Vincent's Birmingham: $50,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetST JOHN HEALTH SYSTEM FOUNDATION INC: $50,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetSaint Thomas Health: $50,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetOSTARA INITIATIVE: $50,000 over 1y, 4.3% of budgetDEAR NEIGHBOR MINISTRIES INC: $46,161 over 1y, 8.9% of budgetSt Agnes Healthcare Inc: $34,131 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetEmergency Infant Services Inc: $30,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetJAMES Inc: $30,000 over 1y, 12% of budgetASCENSION ARIZONA: $15,869 over 1y, 7.3% of budgetST ALEXIUS OUTREACH MINISTRIES: $10,000 over 1y, 6.1% of budgetDEPAUL USA INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSeton Center Inc: $10,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetCONCERN AMERICA: $10,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetST JOSEPH SERVICES INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetASCENSION SETON: $10,000 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.

Ascension Health Alli…Raskob Foundation for…Baptist Community Min…WK Kellogg FoundationRockefeller Philanthr…Tulsa Community Found…Gs Donor Advised Phil…Shell USA Company Fou…Arthur J Gallagher Fo…Silicon Valley Commun…Baird Foundation IncThe Pfizer Foundation…
Ascension Health AllianceMO19.8× affinity7 shared granteesties to 10 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Ascension Health Alliance · Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities Inc · Baptist Community Ministries · WK Kellogg Foundation · Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Inc · Tulsa Community Foundation · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · Shell USA Company Foundation · Arthur J Gallagher Foundation · Silicon Valley Community Foundation · Baird Foundation Inc · The Pfizer 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 Ascension Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Ascension Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 20%5%19%42%75%funder's share of their income ↑0%15%30%45%60%share of the org’s income from government →median 36%
  • Center for Urban Families Inc: 36% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
2get no government money at all
15report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–60%
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 Ascension Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Ascension 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 39 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 Ascension’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