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Berks Alliance at a glanceAlso receives grants: funding profile →

· Public charity

Berks Alliance

To make strategic investments to enhance the vitality of the greater reading, pennsylvania area and support significant community revitalization and community development initatives.

$111k
Granted FY2023
4
Grants FY2023
2
States reached
$75k
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 2023.

Community Improvement$309kEducation$301kSocial Science$149kHousing & Shelter$106kArts & Culture$54kPublic Benefit$50kEmployment$50kHuman Services$20kOther$0
02FY2023 · 4 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2023

  • $10k–50k3 grants · $36k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $75k
$16,250
Median grant
2
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
HARWOOD INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC INNOVATION$75,000
ECO MAP$16,250
YMCA READING$10,000
THE INSTITUTE$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 (FY23–23, $10k) land where the poverty rate runs at 15%, against an area that typically sits at 8%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 8%THE INSTITUTE: $10k → 15%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.
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.

51%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$543k · 7 repeat orgs$527k to everyone else

7 repeat relationships: 1 still active in FY2023, 6 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2023 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

7
23

Total granted

$543k
$491k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

-8%
+135%

Still filing today

71%
30%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2023, 67% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $36k went to new ones.

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

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23
Arts & CultureCommunity ImprovementEducationHuman ServicesHousing & ShelterHealthOther
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

  • TH
    THE HARWOOD INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC INNOVATION
    2× · 2022–2023 · $150k · revenue -8%
  • TE
    TRANSPORTATION ECONOMICS & MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS INC
    3× · 2019–2021 · $149k
  • AC
    ALBRIGHT COLLEGE
    2× · 2019–2022 · $105k · revenue -20%

Funded once

  • LC
    LIT COMMUNITIES LLC
    one grant, 2022 · $79k
  • PU
    PROGRESSIVE URBAN MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATES
    one grant, 2020 · $63k
  • CF
    COMMUNITY FIRST FUNDgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $50k · revenue +218%
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
Reading Berks Association of Realtors Inc

The reading berks association of realtors promotes a high standard of professionalism, advocates for private property rights, and strives to improve the quality of life in our communities.

—
2
Berks Community Action Program Inc

To combat poverty in the city of reading and berks county and to help low and moderate income residents become more self-sufficient.

Community Improvement
3
Berks Community Health Center

Berks community health center provides exceptional family-centered primary and preventive healthcare for all residents of berks county, regardless of economic status.

Health
4
The Berkeley Policy Institute Inc
Social Science
5
Boston Architectural College

The bac is committed to provide excellence in design education grounded in practice and accessible to diverse communities.

—
6
Berks County Community Foundation Inc

To promote philanthropy and improve the quality of life for residents of berks county.

Philanthropy
7
Berk County Regional Employment Board

To provide policy guidance, selection and oversight and to organize programs for the purpose of work force development in berkshire county, massachusetts.

Employment
8
Wilson College

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

Education
9
Bentley University

Organization's mission bentley university believes good business can impact more than the bottom line - it can change the world. bentley is a community of future business leaders who will deliver value in the marketplace and lasting…

Education
10
Connections Work

Connections work changes lives and improves communities by providing services and supports to individuals seeking pathways to success.

—
11
Gettysburg College

Gettysburg college is a residential, undergraduate college of the liberal arts and sciences.

Education
12
Berks Nature

Our vision is to be a cornerstone of excellence in the stewardship of the environment. clearly identified with our specific mission, we strive to meet the ever-changing needs of the county and to conserve its heritage and essential…

Environment
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Berks County Chamber Foundation; the most unlike its peers is 18th Wonder Improvement Association. 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

14 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. 14 of the 33 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)
4
Early backer (in before they grew)
14/14
Grantees still filing
9/14
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

TRANSPORTATION ECONOMICS & MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS INC: $149,150 · OtherTRANSPORTATION ECONOMICS & MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS INCLIT COMMUNITIES LLC: $79,000 · OtherLIT COMMUNITIES LLCPROGRESSIVE URBAN MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATES: $63,360 · OtherPROGRESSIVE URBAN MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATESSHUMAN DEVELOPMENT GROUP: $50,000 · OtherSHUMAN DEVELOPMENT GROUPCITY OF READING: $50,000 · OtherCITY OF READINGALVERNIA UNIVERSITY: $36,549 · OtherALVERNIA UNIVERSITYVERDE MANTIS: $22,500 · Other+15 more: $150,952 · Other+15 moreTHE HARWOOD INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC INNOVATION: $150,000 · Community ImprovementTHE HARWOOD INSTITU…GREATER READING CHAMBER & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION: $30,000 · Community ImprovementGREATER READING CHA…ALBRIGHT COLLEGE: $104,600 · EducationALBRIGHT COLLEGEBERKS LATINO WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION: $50,000 · EducationBERKS LATINO WOR…18th WONDER IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION: $43,060 · Arts & CultureBERKS ARTS COUNCIL: $6,200 · Arts & CultureGOGGLE WORKS: $5,000 · Arts & CultureCOMMUNITY FIRST FUND: $50,000 · Housing & ShelterTHE INSTITUTE: $10,000 · Human ServicesYMCA OF READING & BERKS COUNTY: $10,000 · Human ServicesInperium Inc: $10,000 · Health
Other$601,511Community Improvement$180,000Education$154,600Arts & Culture$54,260Housing & Shelter$50,000Human Services$20,000Health$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 budgetTHE HARWOOD INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC INNOVATION: $150,000 over 2y, 4.8% of budgetALBRIGHT COLLEGE: $104,600 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetCOMMUNITY FIRST FUND: $50,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetBERKS LATINO WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION: $50,000 over 1y, 11% of budget18th WONDER IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION: $43,060 over 2y, 41% of budgetALVERNIA UNIVERSITY: $36,549 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetGREATER READING CHAMBER & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION: $30,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetBERKS COUNTY CHAMBER FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 2y, 8.0% of budgetTHE INSTITUTE: $10,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetInperium Inc: $10,000 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetYMCA OF READING & BERKS COUNTY: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBERKS ARTS COUNCIL: $6,200 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetGOGGLE WORKS: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetGREATER BERKS DEVELOPMENT FUND: $5,000 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 THE HARWOOD INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC INNOVATION ↗
  • Who funds ALBRIGHT COLLEGE ↗
  • Who funds COMMUNITY FIRST FUND ↗
  • Who funds BERKS LATINO WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION ↗
  • Who funds 18th WONDER IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION ↗
  • Who funds ALVERNIA UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds GREATER READING CHAMBER & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION ↗
  • Who funds BERKS COUNTY CHAMBER FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds THE INSTITUTE ↗
  • Who funds Inperium Inc ↗
  • Who funds YMCA OF READING & BERKS COUNTY ↗
  • Who funds BERKS ARTS COUNCIL ↗
  • Who funds GOGGLE WORKS ↗
  • Who funds GREATER BERKS DEVELOPMENT FUND ↗

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.

Berks County Communit…United Way of Berks C…
Berks County Community Foundation IncPA19.7× affinity7 shared granteesties to 1 of 1Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Berks County Community Foundation Inc · United Way of Berks County 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 Berks Alliance funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Berks Alliance. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%3%13%28%50%funder's share of their income ↑0%13%25%38%50%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get 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 · 0–50%
    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 33 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 2023, released 2023. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Possibly out of date. A more recent filing (FY2024) is on record and reports $103k of grant expense, but none of it to a named recipient. On a Form 990 that can mean grants abroad, filed by region only (Schedule F), grants under $5,000, which are not itemized, or a schedule referenced as an attachment the e-file does not carry. The figures above are therefore from FY2023, the most recent year this funder named its grantees.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Berks Alliance’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