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Ashton Fund at a glance

· Public charity

Ashton Fund

The ASHTON FUND is organized exclusively for charitable purposes including but not limited to raising and distributing funds to benefit the poor, caring for the sick, and supporting the charitable, educational, and civic organizations doing good work as contemplated by section 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code.

$58k
Granted FY2019
3
Grants FY2019
2
States reached
$18k
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 2019.

Health$185kFood & Nutrition$160kHousing & Shelter$130kHuman Services$120kPhilanthropy$55kPublic Safety & Disaster$50kReligion$43kCrime & Legal$20kOther$0
02FY2019 · 3 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 3 grants below total $38,000, the rows itemized in this filing. The $58,000 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $20,000 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.
$10,000
Median grant
2
States reached
$270
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
STORM THE HEAVENS$18,000
GLEANERS COMMUNITY FOOD BANK$10,000
COVENANT HOUSE MICHIGAN$10,000
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 (FY17–19, $230k) land where the poverty rate runs at 19%, 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%PROJECT HOME: $50k → 22%WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT INC: $25k → 14%AMERICAN NATIONAL RED CROSS: $50k → 14%COVENANT HOUSE MICHIGAN: $25k → 21%COVENANT HOUSE MICHIGAN: $20k → 21%COVENANT HOUSE MICHIGAN: $10k → 21%SOCIETY OF ST VINCENT DEPAUL: $50k → 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

MI
NY
PA
NJ
MO
MD
TN
DC
GA
FL
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.

40%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$313k · 7 repeat orgs$470k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +79% since the first grant, against +35% for those funded once.

7 repeat relationships: 3 still active in FY2019, 4 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

7
18

Total granted

$313k
$470k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+79%
+35%

Still filing today

100%
89%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2019, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19
HealthHuman ServicesPublic BenefitFood & NutritionHousing & ShelterCommunity 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

  • TC
    THE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA
    2× · 2017–2018 · $70k · revenue +88%
  • COVENANT HOUSE MICHIGAN
    3× · 2017–2019 · $55k · revenue +23%
  • TM
    Travis Manion Foundation
    2× · 2017–2018 · $45k · revenue +235%

Funded once

  • TS
    The Soup Kitchen Incgraduated
    one grant, 2018 · $75k · revenue +131% · 54% of their budget
  • AN
    American National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches
    one grant, 2018 · $50k · revenue +9%
  • SO
    SOCIETY OF ST VINCENT DE PAUL IN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF DETROIT
    one grant, 2018 · $50k · revenue +19%
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
Children's Health Care

We champion the health needs of children and families. we are committed to improving children's health by providing the highest-quality, family centered care, advanced through research and education.

Health
2
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Leadership in the prevention, treatment, and cure of cancer through excellence, vision and cost effectiveness in patient care, outreach programs, research, and education.

Health
3
Phoenix Children's Hospital Foundation

Phoenix children's hospital foundation supports phoenix children's hospital through fundraising ensuring that the hospital continues to stay on the leading edge of pediatric medicine and is equipped to fulfill its mission to advance hope,…

Health
4
Central Pennsylvania Food Bank

Our mission is to solve hunger in central pennsylvania by ensuring that everyone struggling with hunger has access to enough wholesome food every day. we will achieve this bold goal with the help of our generous donors, volunteers and…

Food & Nutrition
5
The Johns Hopkins Hospital

For more than 125 years, the mission of the johns hopkins hospital has been to lead the world in the diagnosis and treatment of disease and to train tomorrow's great physicians, nurses and scientists. above all, we aim to provide the…

Health
6
Conquering Congenital Heart Disease

At conquering chd we exist to conquerin the most common birth defect. we engage, listen, learn, and act. we create visibility and empower all impacted by chd. we accomplish this through awareness, knowledge, community and research.

Health
7
University of Chicago Medical Center

Our mission at the university of chicago medicine is to provide superior health care through rigorous research, innovative education, and comprehensive care and healing. in partnership with our colleagues, we pursue life-changing…

Health
8
The Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Fdn Group

Susan g. komen 's mission is to save lives by meeting the most critical needs in our communities & investing in breakthrough research to prevent & cure breast cancer.

—
9
Children's Hospital & Research Center At Oakland

The mission of children's hospital & research center at oakland is to protect and advance the health and well-being of children through clinical care, teaching and research.

Health
10
City of Hope

City of Hope's mission is to make hope a reality for all touched by cancer and diabetes. PLEASE SEE SCHEDULE O FOR A CONTINUATION OF OUR MISSION

Health
11
Children's Hospital Corporation

Provider of pediatric healthcare, education, research & community service

Health
12
Children's Hospital

Organization's mission to improve health outcomes for children; be a leader in creating innovative solutions to pediatric healthcare problems; and excel in care, advocacy, research. as the nation's children's hospital, the mission of…

Health
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Society of St Vincent De Paul in the Archdiocese of Detroit; the most unlike its peers is Harvey Family Breathe Hope Cure Fdn. 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

23 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. 23 of the 25 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.

2
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
5
Early backer (in before they grew)
23/23
Grantees still filing
19/23
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

COVENANT HOUSE MICHIGAN: $55,000 · Human ServicesCOVENANT HOUSE MICHIGANAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $50,000 · Human ServicesAmerican National Red Cross & Its…SOCIETY OF ST VINCENT DE PAUL IN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF DETROIT: $50,000 · Human ServicesSOCIETY OF ST VINCENT DE PAUL IN …PROJECT HOME: $50,000 · Human ServicesPROJECT HOMEWOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT INC: $25,000 · Human ServicesWOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT INCTHE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA: $70,000 · HealthTHE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL O…CYSTIC FIBROSIS FOUNDATION: $25,000 · HealthCYSTIC FIBROSIS FOUNDATIO…CHILDREN'S NATIONAL: $25,000 · HealthCHILDREN'S NATIONALST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC: $25,000 · HealthST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEAR…AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY INC: $10,000 · HealthAMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY I…ALS UNITED MID-ATLANTIC: $10,000 · HealthALS UNITED MID-ATLANTICBLOOD CANCER UNITED INC: $10,000 · HealthBLOOD CANCER UNITED INCThe Soup Kitchen Inc: $75,000 · OtherThe Soup Kitchen IncSHARE OUR STRENGTH: $50,000 · OtherSHARE OUR STRENGTHCASS COMMUNITY SOCIAL SERVICES INC: $15,000 · OtherCASS COMMUNITY SOCIAL SERVIC…MEGHAN C PULS FOUNDATION INC: $10,000 · Other5 GAME CHANGERS: $10,000 · OtherCOURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES OF ATLANTIC CAPE MAY & CAMDEN COUNTIESINC: $20,000 · OtherCOURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVO…COMMITTEE ON TEMPORARY SHELTER INC: $10,000 · OtherDELAWARE RIVER CITY CORPORATION: $10,000 · OtherSTORM THE HEAVENS: $43,000 · Public BenefitHARVEY FAMILY BREATHE HOPE CURE FDN: $10,000 · Public BenefitTravis Manion Foundation: $45,000 · PhilanthropyUNITED WAY FOR SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN: $45,000 · Public Safety & DisasterGLEANERS COMMUNITY FOOD BANK OF SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN: $35,000 · Food & Nutrition
Human Services$230,000Health$175,000Other$200,000Public Benefit$53,000Philanthropy$45,000Public Safety & Disaster$45,000Food & Nutrition$35,000

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetThe Soup Kitchen Inc: $75,000 over 1y, 54% of budgetTHE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA: $70,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCOVENANT HOUSE MICHIGAN: $55,000 over 3y, 0.5% of budgetAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $50,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSOCIETY OF ST VINCENT DE PAUL IN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF DETROIT: $50,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetPROJECT HOME: $50,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSHARE OUR STRENGTH: $50,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTravis Manion Foundation: $45,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetUNITED WAY FOR SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN: $45,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSTORM THE HEAVENS: $43,000 over 2y, 7.0% of budgetGLEANERS COMMUNITY FOOD BANK OF SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN: $35,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCYSTIC FIBROSIS FOUNDATION: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCHILDREN'S NATIONAL: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCOURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES OF ATLANTIC CAPE MAY & CAMDEN COUNTIESINC: $20,000 over 2y, 1.2% of budgetCASS COMMUNITY SOCIAL SERVICES INC: $15,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetCOMMITTEE ON TEMPORARY SHELTER INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetAMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetALS UNITED MID-ATLANTIC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetHARVEY FAMILY BREATHE HOPE CURE FDN: $10,000 over 1y, 38% of budgetBLOOD CANCER UNITED INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDELAWARE RIVER CITY CORPORATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.7% 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 Pfizer Foundation…Vanguard Charitable E…American Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
The Pfizer Foundation IncNY9.9× affinity4 shared granteesties to 5 of 5Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Pfizer Foundation Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile 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 Ashton Fund funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Ashton Fund. 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%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 52%
  • Committee On Temporary Shelter Inc: 52% of income from government
  • Wounded Warrior Project Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
1get no government money at all
4report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
1rely on government for over half their income
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 Ashton Fund?

Find your warmest path to Ashton Fund 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 25 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 2019, released 2019. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Ashton’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