Skip to content
Bell Trust at a glance

· Private foundation

Bell Trust

Its FY2025 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$30k
Granted FY2025still arriving
20
Grants FY2025still arriving
4
States reached
$8k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0195% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2025.

Arts & Culture$51kHealth$23kEducation$15kPhilanthropy$9kYouth Development$9kHuman Services$6kCommunity Improvement$4kFood & Nutrition$1kOther$0
02FY2025 · 20 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$300
Median grant
4
States reached
$138k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Individual grant recipient$7,700
Croswell Opera House$6,250
Hospice of Lenawee$6,000
Health Network Foundation$3,000
Lenawee Community Foundation$2,000
Boys & Girls Club of Lenawee$1,250
Adrian College$1,000
Adrian Armory Community Center$1,000
WGTE Public Media$500
Lehigh University$300
Adrian Center for the Arts$250
Kalamazoo College$200
Toledo Museum of Art$150
Memory Lane Care Services$100
Hillsdale College$100
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 (FY21–25, $7k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 13%. 43% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants spread fairly evenly across need levels.

area typical 13%GOOD SHEPHERD HOME: $200 → 12%Health Network Foundation: $3k → 17%Adrian Armory Community Center: $2k → 12%ADRIAN ARMORY COMMUNITY CENTER: $1k → 12%Adrian Armory Community Center: $1k → 12%Adrian Amory Community Center: $250 → 12%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

MT
MI
NY
IA
OH
PA
VA
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.

89%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$111k · 21 repeat orgs$13k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +27% since the first grant, against 0% for those funded once.

21 repeat relationships: 15 still active in FY2025, 6 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

21
24

Total granted

$111k
$10k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+27%
0%

Still filing today

57%
38%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 89% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $3k went to new ones.

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

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

’20’21’22’23’24’25
EducationArts & CultureHuman ServicesPhilanthropyHealthHousing & ShelterOther
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

  • CO
    CROSWELL OPERA HOUSE & FINE ARTS ASSOCIATION
    6× · 2020–2025 · $41k · revenue +78%
  • AC
    ADRIAN COLLEGE
    6× · 2020–2025 · $6k · revenue +3%
  • SH
    SIENA HEIGHTS UNIVERSITY
    5× · 2020–2024 · $5k · revenue +13%

Funded once

  • AS
    Adrian Symphony Association
    one grant, 2020 · $3k
  • AC
    Adrian Community Center
    one grant, 2023 · $1k
  • LC
    LENAWEE COMMUNITY CHORUS
    one grant, 2023 · $1k
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
The Trustees of Grinnell College

To educate students in the liberal arts through free inquiry and the open exchange of ideas.when grinnell college framed its charter in the iowa territory of the united states in 1846, it set forth a mission to educate its students "for…

Education
2
Carleton College

See schedule o.founded in 1866, carleton college is a private, coeducational liberal arts college of 2,007 students located in the historic river town of northfield, minnesota. nationally recognized as the nation's top college for…

Education
3
Wesleyan University

Wesleyan university is dedicated to providing an education in liberal arts by building a diverse, energetic community of students, faculty, and staff who value independence of mind and generosity of spirit. see additional description in…

Education
4
Albright College

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

Education
5
College for Creative Studies

The college for creative studies nurtures the creativity that is vital to the enrichment of modern culture. the college educates visual artists and designers, knowledgeable in varied fields, who will be leaders in creative professions that…

Education
6
Cleary University

To provide a business education that equips individuals to deliver superior service to employers and their communities.

Education
7
Peirce College

Organization's mission: peirce college empowers adult learners to improve their lives by achieving career goals through academic offerings aligned with evolving workforce needs.

—
8
Michigan State University College of Law

The mission of the michigan state university college of law is to provide a rigorous educational program which prepares a diverse community of students to be national and international leaders in private legal practice, business and…

—
9
Wilson College

Wilson college empowers students to be confident and critical thinkers, creative visionaries, effective communicators, honorable leaders, and agents of justice.

Education
10
Lawrence University of Wisconsin

Lawrence university of wisconsin, through its undergraduate residential college and conservatory of music, educates students in the liberal arts and sciences. the university is devoted to excellence and integrity in all of its activities…

Education
11
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
12
Macalester College

Macalester is committed to being a preeminent liberal arts college with an educational program known for its high standards for scholarship and its special emphasis on internationalism, multiculturalism, and service to society.

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Lenawee Community Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Adrian Schools Education Foundation. 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

25 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. 25 of the 50 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)
6
Early backer (in before they grew)
25/25
Grantees still filing
16/25
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Individual grant recipient: $16,600 · OtherIndividual grant recipientHOSPICE OF LENAWEE: $16,600 · OtherHOSPICE OF LENAWEELenawee Cares: $4,000 · OtherLenawee CaresWGTE PUBLIC MEDIA: $3,000 · OtherWGTE PUBLIC MEDIAAdrian Symphony Association: $2,500 · Other+27 more: $11,535 · Other+27 moreCROSWELL OPERA HOUSE & FINE ARTS ASSOCIATION: $40,550 · Arts & CultureCROSWELL OPERA HOUSE & FINE ARTS AS…+3 more: $1,050 · Arts & CultureADRIAN COLLEGE: $5,750 · EducationADRIAN COLLE…SIENA HEIGHTS UNIVERSITY: $5,000 · EducationSIENA HEIGHT…LEHIGH UNIVERSITY: $1,800 · EducationLEHIGH UNIVE…KALAMAZOO COLLEGE: $1,200 · EducationKALAMAZOO CO…HILLSDALE COLLEGE: $600 · Education+1 more: $200 · EducationLENAWEE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $9,000 · Philanthropy+2 more: $200 · PhilanthropyBOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF LENAWEE INC: $7,500 · Youth DevelopmentADRIAN ARMORY COMMUNITY CENTER: $3,750 · Human ServicesHEALTHNETWORK FOUNDATION FKA HEALTH NET FOUNDATION INC: $3,000 · Human Services+1 more: $200 · Human ServicesBusiness Advisers of Cleveland: $250 · Community Improvement
Other$54,235Arts & Culture$41,600Education$14,550Philanthropy$9,200Youth Development$7,500Human Services$6,950Community Improvement$250

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 budgetCROSWELL OPERA HOUSE & FINE ARTS ASSOCIATION: $40,550 over 6y, 0.8% of budgetHOSPICE OF LENAWEE: $16,600 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetLENAWEE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $9,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetBOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF LENAWEE INC: $7,500 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetADRIAN COLLEGE: $5,750 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetSIENA HEIGHTS UNIVERSITY: $5,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetADRIAN ARMORY COMMUNITY CENTER: $3,750 over 4y, 1.2% of budgetHEALTHNETWORK FOUNDATION FKA HEALTH NET FOUNDATION INC: $3,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLEHIGH UNIVERSITY: $1,800 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetKALAMAZOO COLLEGE: $1,200 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetHOPE COMMUNITY CENTER INC: $1,150 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetTHE TOLEDO MUSEUM OF ART: $850 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetHILLSDALE COLLEGE: $600 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetARTS COUNCIL OF BIG SKY: $300 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetBusiness Advisers of Cleveland: $250 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetPLEASANT GROVE HOTEL HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC: $200 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetADRIAN SCHOOLS EDUCATION FOUNDATION: $200 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetGOOD SHEPHERD HOME: $200 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCUREPSP INC: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLaw Enforcement United Inc: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTOLEDO OPERA ASSOCIATION: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCHERRY STREET MISSION MINISTRIES: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBozeman Deaconess Foundation: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLENAWEE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY: $100 over 1y, 0.1% 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.

  • Who funds CROSWELL OPERA HOUSE & FINE ARTS ASSOCIATION ↗
  • Who funds HOSPICE OF LENAWEE ↗
  • Who funds LENAWEE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF LENAWEE INC ↗
  • Who funds ADRIAN COLLEGE ↗
  • Who funds SIENA HEIGHTS UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds ADRIAN ARMORY COMMUNITY CENTER ↗
  • Who funds HEALTHNETWORK FOUNDATION FKA HEALTH NET FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds LEHIGH UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds KALAMAZOO COLLEGE ↗
  • Who funds HOPE COMMUNITY CENTER INC ↗
  • Who funds THE TOLEDO MUSEUM OF ART ↗
  • Who funds HILLSDALE COLLEGE ↗
  • Who funds ARTS COUNCIL OF BIG SKY ↗
  • Who funds Business Advisers of Cleveland ↗
  • Who funds PLEASANT GROVE HOTEL HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC ↗
  • Who funds ADRIAN SCHOOLS EDUCATION FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds GOOD SHEPHERD HOME ↗
  • Who funds CUREPSP INC ↗
  • Who funds Law Enforcement United Inc ↗

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 S L Hickman Famil…Douglas and Mary Kapn…Farver FoundationLenawee Community Fou…Premier Bank Foundati…The Murray Family Fou…Toledo Community Foun…Maurice&Dorothy Stubn…Promedica Health Syst…Sage FoundationElizabeth Ruthruff Wi…Tlc Community Credit …
The S L Hickman Family FoundationOH24.2× affinity9 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The S L Hickman Family Foundation · Douglas and Mary Kapnick Family Foundation · Farver Foundation · Lenawee Community Foundation · Premier Bank Foundation · The Murray Family Foundation · Toledo Community Foundation Inc · Maurice&Dorothy Stubnitz Foundation · Promedica Health System Inc · Sage Foundation · Elizabeth Ruthruff Wilson Foundation · Tlc Community Credit Union

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 Bell Trust funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Bell Trust. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%10%20%30%40%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    7report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–40%
    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 50 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 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Bell’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