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Berry Family Charitable Trust at a glance

· Private foundation

Berry Family Charitable Trust

Its FY2024 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$114k
Granted FY2024still arriving
28
Grants FY2024still arriving
7
States reached
$20k
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, FY2021 to 2024.

Youth Development$122kArts & Culture$78kEducation$59kFood & Nutrition$38kHuman Services$36kRecreation & Sports$33kEnvironment$21kReligion$21kOther$0
02FY2024 · 28 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k24 grants · $53k
  • $10k–50k4 grants · $62k
$2,000
Median grant
7
States reached
$2.0M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
UNION LEAGUE BOYS & GIRLS CLUB$20,000
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY$20,000
DUBUQUE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA$11,500
SCALES MOUND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION$10,000
NATIONAL FFA FOUNDATION$7,000
KEMMERER VILLAGE$5,000
LUMINARTS CULTURAL FOUNDATION$5,000
RIVER BEND FOOD BANK$5,000
MCHENRY COUNTY 4-H YOUTH FOUNDATION INC$2,500
CRYSTAL LAKE FOOD PANTRY INC$2,500
IOWA BASEBALL CAMP FOR THE DEAF$2,500
FARM WAY SANCTUARY INC$2,000
COMMUNITY CRISIS CENTER$2,000
DUNDEE TOWNSHIP ROTARY FOUNDATION$2,000
CASA KANE COUNTY$2,000
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 (FY21–24, $29k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 82% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%ESPICOPAL RELIEF AND DEVELOPEMENT: $5k → 17%KEMMERER VILLAGE: $5k → 16%KEMMERER VILLAGE: $5k → 16%UNITED CHURCHES OF GALENA: $5k → 9%KEMMERER VILLAGE: $5k → 16%COMMUNITY CRISIS CENTER: $2k → 14%BARRINGTON YOUTH & FAMILY SERVICES: $2k → 14%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

ID
MT
MN
IL
WI
NY
IA
IN
VA
NC
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.

74%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$316k · 11 repeat orgs$110k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +26% since the first grant, against +14% for those funded once.

11 repeat relationships: 7 still active in FY2024, 4 since wound down; 20 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

11
12

Total granted

$316k
$71k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+26%
+14%

Still filing today

73%
25%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 65% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $39k went to new ones.

50%100%’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’21’22’23’24
Human ServicesFood & NutritionYouth DevelopmentEducationAnimalsEnvironmentOther
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

  • DS
    DUBUQUE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
    4× · 2021–2024 · $42k · revenue +186%
  • Northwestern University
    2× · 2023–2024 · $30k · revenue +26%
  • KV
    KEMMERER VILLAGE INC
    3× · 2022–2024 · $15k · revenue +116%

Funded once

  • AS
    AMERICAN SIMMENTAL FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2021 · $20k
  • GE
    GRACE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
    one grant, 2021 · $10k
  • JC
    JODAVIESS COUNTY 4H
    one grant, 2023 · $6k
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
Starved Rock Country Community Foundation

The Starved Rock Country Community Foundation (SRCCF) is a grant-making public charity dedicated to improving the lives of people in LaSalle, Bureau and Putnam Counties. Our goal is to bring together the financial resources of individuals,…

Philanthropy
2
Feeding Illinois

Feeding illinois is a coalition of eight feeding america food banks that provide food to over 2,400 food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters that feed nearly 1.4 million residents across the entire state of illinois.

Food & Nutrition
3
Will County Farm Bureau Foundation

To benefit the educatinal experiences of our farm bureau members and their dependents and to carry out charitable scientific literary and educational work for our will county farm bureau membership.

—
4
Field Foundation of Illinois
—
5
Mchenry County Farm Bureau

McHenry County Farm Bureau Serves as a clear and strong advocate in the community for agriculture and the family farmers.

—
6
Illinois Association of Future Farmers of America

FFA makes a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success, developing a competent and assertive agricultural leadership, increasing the awareness of…

Youth Development
7
Dupage County Farm Bureau Foundation

To promote and represent agriculture through educational and informational programming, in order to enhance the quality of life for our members, while preserving our agricultural heritage.

—
8
Eastern Illinois Foodbank

Eastern illinois foodbank exists to alleviate hunger in eastern illinois by providing a reliable source of food for the hungry through cooperation with a network of food pantries and agencies.

Food & Nutrition
9
Illinois Valley Animal Rescue

llinois Valley Animal Rescue's mission is to rescue, provide care and comfort for abused, neglected and homeless animals in the Illinois Valley Area through a care center, foster homes and veterinarian sources. To promote responsible pet…

Animals
10
Chicago Canine Rescue Foundation

Chicago canine rescue foundation finds permanent homes for homeless dogs in our community with a specific emphasis on assisting the most vulnerable animals, who without our help, would have no other options. while in our care, they are…

Animals
11
Community Foundation of East Central Illinois

To promote philanthropy in an impartial, unbiased, ethical way, with a commitment to inclusiveness, and to bring together people and resources to identify and address present and emerging community needs.

Philanthropy
12
Dane County Conservation League

Conserve now, that the future may live!

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Lutheran Social Services of Illinois; the most unlike its peers is Samaritan's Purse. 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

28 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. 28 of the 44 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)
3
Early backer (in before they grew)
28/28
Grantees still filing
12/28
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

UNION LEAGUE BOYS CLUB: $70,000 · OtherUNION LEAGUE BOYS CLUBDUBUQUE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: $42,000 · OtherDUBUQUE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRALUMINARTS CULTURAL FOUNDATION THE UNION LEAGUE CLUB OF CHICAGO: $35,000 · OtherLUMINARTS CULTURAL FOUNDATION THE UNION LEAGUE CLUB OF CHICAGOKELLOGG SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT: $25,000 · OtherKELLOGG SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENTAMERICAN SIMMENTAL FOUNDATION: $20,000 · OtherAMERICAN SIMMENTAL FOUNDATIONGRACE EPISCOPAL CHURCH: $10,000 · OtherTHE SALVATION ARMY: $10,000 · Other+23 more: $52,750 · Other+23 moreUNION LEAGUE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS: $45,000 · Youth DevelopmentUNION LEAGUE B…National FFA Foundation Inc: $8,500 · Youth DevelopmentNational FFA F…Northwestern University: $30,000 · Recreation & SportsKEMMERER VILLAGE INC: $15,000 · Human ServicesEPISCOPAL RELIEF AND DEVELOPMENT: $5,000 · Human ServicesUNITED CHURCHES OF GALENA INC: $5,000 · Human ServicesCOMMUNITY CRISIS CENTER INC: $2,000 · Human ServicesBARRINGTON YOUTH & FAMILY SERVICES: $1,500 · Human ServicesRIVER BEND FOOD RESERVOIR: $20,000 · Food & NutritionCRYSTAL LAKE FOOD PANTRY INC: $2,500 · Food & NutritionFISH FOOD PANTRY: $1,000 · Food & NutritionCulver Educational Foundation: $15,000 · EducationDUNDEE TOWNSHIP ROTARY FOUNDATION: $2,000 · EducationScales Mound Community Foundation: $10,000 · Community Improvement
Other$264,750Youth Development$53,500Recreation & Sports$30,000Human Services$28,500Food & Nutrition$23,500Education$17,000Community Improvement$10,000

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 budgetUNION LEAGUE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS: $45,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetDUBUQUE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: $42,000 over 4y, 1.1% of budgetLUMINARTS CULTURAL FOUNDATION THE UNION LEAGUE CLUB OF CHICAGO: $35,000 over 4y, 1.5% of budgetNorthwestern University: $30,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetRIVER BEND FOOD RESERVOIR: $20,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetKEMMERER VILLAGE INC: $15,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetCulver Educational Foundation: $15,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetScales Mound Community Foundation: $10,000 over 1y, 8.2% of budgetNational FFA Foundation Inc: $8,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetArmed Forces Council of Chicago: $5,000 over 1y, 2.9% of budgetEPISCOPAL RELIEF AND DEVELOPMENT: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUNITED CHURCHES OF GALENA INC: $5,000 over 1y, 4.0% of budgetMcHenry County 4-H Youth Foundation Inc: $2,500 over 1y, 9.0% of budgetCRYSTAL LAKE FOOD PANTRY INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCOMMUNITY CRISIS CENTER INC: $2,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetFARM WAY SANCTUARY INC: $2,000 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetLUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICES OF ILLINOIS: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDUNDEE TOWNSHIP ROTARY FOUNDATION: $2,000 over 1y, 2.3% of budgetCASA KANE COUNTY: $2,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBARRINGTON YOUTH & FAMILY SERVICES: $1,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBARRINGTON JUNIOR WOMENS CLUB INC: $1,500 over 1y, 1.4% of budgetELY AREA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC: $1,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCITIZENS FOR CONSERVATION INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetEnglish Springer Rescue America Inc: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetFISH FOOD PANTRY: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSAMARITAN'S PURSE: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetRAUE CENTER FOR THE ARTS: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE NATIONAL LOON CENTER FOUNDATION INC: $500 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.

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 Chicago Community…Arthur J Gallagher Fo…Community Foundation …Northern Illinois Foo…Chubb Charitable Foun…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…AbbVie FoundationAmerican Endowment Fo…Enterprise Holdings F…The Blackbaud Giving …National Philanthropi…Charities Aid Foundat…
The Chicago Community TrustIL17.7× affinity9 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Chicago Community Trust · Arthur J Gallagher Foundation · Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley · Northern Illinois Food Bank · Chubb Charitable Foundation · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · AbbVie Foundation · American Endowment Foundation · Enterprise Holdings Foundation · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · National Philanthropic Trust · Charities Aid Foundation America

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

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%5%10%15%20%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    8report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–20%
    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 Berry Family Charitable Trust?

    Find your warmest path to Berry Family Charitable Trust 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 44 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 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Berry Family’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