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Better Life Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Better Life Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$62k
Granted FY2025still arriving
4
Grants FY2025still arriving
3
States reached
$30k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0190% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Education$77kReligion$36kHuman Services$35kCrime & Legal$20kArts & Culture$10kCivil Rights$5kYouth Development$1kOther$0
02FY2025 · 4 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k1 grant · $5k
  • $10k–50k3 grants · $57k
$15,000
Median grant
3
States reached
$929k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Individual grant recipient$30,000
THE UNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTH$15,000
ST ANDREW'S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL$12,000
COMMUNITY SCHOOL$5,000
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 (FY19–19, $10k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%YOUNG CENTER FOR IMMIGRANT CHILDREN'S RIGHTS: $10k → 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.
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.

48%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$107k · 4 repeat orgs$117k to everyone else

4 repeat relationships: 3 still active in FY2025, 1 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

4
11

Total granted

$107k
$112k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+28%
+61%

Still filing today

50%
55%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 92% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $5k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’24’25
EducationArts & CultureHuman ServicesCrime & LegalCivil RightsOther
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

  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    2× · 2024–2025 · $40k
  • SA
    ST ANDREW'S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
    3× · 2021–2025 · $32k
  • UO
    UNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTH
    2× · 2024–2025 · $25k · revenue +28%

Funded once

  • 6F
    671 FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2022 · $25k
  • SL
    ST LUKE'S UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
    one grant, 2019 · $25k
  • UJ
    URBAN JUSTICE CENTER
    one grant, 2019 · $10k · revenue +8%
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
Milligan University

As a christian liberal arts university, milligan university seeks to honor god by educating men and women to be servant-leaders.

Education
2
Miss Porter's School Inc

Miss porter's school educates young women to become informed, bold, resourceful and ethical global citizens. we expect our graduates to shape a changing world.

Education
3
The Institute of World Politics

The institute of world politics is a graduate school of national security and international affairs, dedicated to developing leaders with a sound understanding of international realities and the ethical conduct of statecraft, based on…

International
4
Furman University

The primary mission of furman as a liberal arts institution is to provide a distinctive education in fine arts, humanities, social sciences, mathematics and the sciences, as well as selected professional disciplines.

Education
5
University of New Haven

The University of New Haven is a student-centered comprehensive university with an emphasis on excellence in liberal arts and professional education. Our mission is to prepare our students to lead purposeful and fulfilling lives in a…

Education
6
Simpson College

Through innovative learning opportunities, individual student attention, and an unwavering commitment to inclusive educational access, simpson college cultivates a diverse community of learners to lead lives of meaning and purpose.

Education
7
University of the Sciences in Philadelphia

University of the sciences prepares students to become leaders, innovators, and skilled practitioners in the sciences, the health professions, and related disciplines. we deliver excellence in teaching, research, and service through a safe…

—
8
Saint Xavier University

Saint xavier university, a catholic institution inspired by the heritage of the sisters of mercy, educates persons to search for truth, think critically, communicate effectively and serve wisely and compassionately in support of human…

Education
9
Union University

Union university provides christ-centered education that promotes excellence and character development in service to church and society.

Education
10
Francis Parker School

To create and inspire a diverse community of independent thinkers whose academic excellence, global perspective, and strength of character prepare them to make a meaningful difference in the world.

Education
11
University Cooperative School

We take a joyful, community-oriented approach to raising engaged citizens, deep learners, and brave adventurers with the skills, creativity, and heart needed to better the world.

—
12
National Association of College and University Attorneys

To advance the practice of higher education attorneys for the benefit of the institutions they serve.

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The Young Center for Immigrant Childrens Rights; the most unlike its peers is Mississippi Immigrant Rights Allian. 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

10 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. 10 of the 16 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)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
9/10
Grantees still filing
9/10
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Individual grant recipient: $40,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipientST ANDREW'S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL: $32,000 · OtherST ANDREW'S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL671 FOUNDATION: $25,000 · Other671 FOUNDATIONST LUKE'S UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: $25,000 · OtherST LUKE'S UNITED METHODIST CHURCHURBAN JUSTICE CENTER: $10,000 · OtherURBAN JUSTICE CENTERGALLOWAY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: $5,500 · OtherMISSISSIPPI CONFERENCE OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHU: $5,000 · Other+1 more: $1,000 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTH: $25,000 · EducationUNIVERSITY OF THE SOUT…NASHVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION: $10,000 · EducationNASHVILLE PUBLIC LIBRA…Millsaps College: $5,000 · EducationMillsaps CollegeTHE COMMUNITY SCHOOL OF MOUNT DESERT: $5,000 · EducationTHE COMMUNITY SCHOOL O…THE YOUNG CENTER FOR IMMIGRANT CHILDRENS RIGHTS: $10,000 · Human ServicesMISSISSIPPI SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATION: $10,000 · Arts & CultureKIND INC: $10,000 · Crime & LegalMISSISSIPPI IMMIGRANT RIGHTS ALLIAN: $5,000 · Civil Rights
Other$143,500Education$45,000Human Services$10,000Arts & Culture$10,000Crime & Legal$10,000Civil Rights$5,000

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 budgetUNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTH: $25,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNASHVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetURBAN JUSTICE CENTER: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE YOUNG CENTER FOR IMMIGRANT CHILDRENS RIGHTS: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMISSISSIPPI SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetKIND INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMillsaps College: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMISSISSIPPI IMMIGRANT RIGHTS ALLIAN: $5,000 over 1y, 1.2% of budgetTHE COMMUNITY SCHOOL OF MOUNT DESERT: $5,000 over 1y, 0.4% 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.

Kathryn & Julian Wien…Raymond James Charita…American Endowment Fo…Vanguard Charitable E…American Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Kathryn & Julian Wiener FundAL13.6× affinity4 shared granteesties to 7 of 7Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Kathryn & Julian Wiener Fund · Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund · American Endowment Foundation · 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 Better Life Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Better Life Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2023
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    5report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely 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 Better Life Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Better Life 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 16 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 Better Life’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