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Bicknell Fund at a glance

· Private foundation

Bicknell Fund

Its FY2024 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$312k
Granted FY2024still arriving
28
Grants FY2024still arriving
8
States reached
$50k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0194% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Health$304kArts & Culture$300kEducation$264kFood & Nutrition$206kHuman Services$185kInternational$145kAnimals$143kEnvironment$126kOther$0
02FY2024 · 28 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k16 grants · $92k
  • $10k–50k11 grants · $171k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $50k
$7,500
Median grant
8
States reached
$5.2M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
ADIRONDACK LAKES CENTER FOR THE ARTS$50,000
ARCHBOLD FOUNDATION$30,000
THE SALVATION ARMY$20,000
HOLDEN FORESTS & GARDEN$20,000
FOOD STRONG$20,000
CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY$15,500
JUDSON FOUNDATION$15,000
AMERICAN RED CROSS$10,000
ALL HANDS AND HEARTS$10,000
TEAM RUBICON$10,000
MEDWISH INTERNATIONAL$10,000
APPALACHIAN TRAIL RESILIECY FUND$10,000
PLAYHOUSE SQUARE FOUNDATION$8,000
Individual grant recipient$7,500
UNIVERSITY SCHOOL$7,000
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 (FY17–24, $118k) land where the poverty rate runs at 15%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 79% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%SANTA'S HIDE-A-WAY HOLLOW: $20k → 6%PERC INC: $5k → 9%ZENWORKS YOGA: $10k → 17%FOSTERING HOPE: $5k → 17%FOSTERING HOPE: $5k → 17%THE GATHERING PLACE: $3k → 17%CHAIR-ITY INC: $5k → 17%FOSTERING HOPE: $5k → 17%FOSTERING HOPE: $5k → 17%FOSTERING HOPE: $5k → 17%CLEVELAND SIGHT CENTER: $8k → 17%CLEVELAND SIGHT CENTER: $8k → 17%CLEVELAND SIGHT CENTER: $8k → 17%CLEVELAND SIGHT CENTER: $8k → 17%CLEVELAND SIGHT CENTER: $8k → 17%CLEVELAND SIGHT CENTER: $6k → 17%CLEVELAND SIGHT CENTER: $6k → 17%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

VT
MI
NY
MA
OR
OH
CT
CA
WV
MD
DC
GA
TX
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.

87%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.9M · 42 repeat orgs$284k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +30% since the first grant, against +12% for those funded once.

42 repeat relationships: 22 still active in FY2024, 20 since wound down; 5 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

42
28

Total granted

$1.9M
$184k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+30%
+12%

Still filing today

76%
68%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 67% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $100k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’21’22’23’24
EducationHuman ServicesArts & CultureHealthPhilanthropyInternationalOther
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

  • GC
    GREATER CLEVELAND FOOD BANK INC
    6× · 2017–2023 · $186k · revenue +10%
  • CZ
    CLEVELAND ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY
    5× · 2017–2022 · $143k · revenue +72%
  • CM
    CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
    7× · 2017–2024 · $91k · revenue +31%

Funded once

  • SH
    SANTAS HIDE-A-WAY HOLLOW
    one grant, 2018 · $20k · revenue -41%
  • CH
    CHN HOUSING PARTNERS
    one grant, 2021 · $20k · revenue -37%
  • RW
    RED WINE & BLUE EDUCATION FUNDgraduated
    one grant, 2023 · $10k · revenue +52%
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
United Way of Central Ohio Inc

United way of central ohio is the local organization that harnesses the power of communities working together - people, nonprofits, businesses and government - to create a stronger, more equitable central ohio. see schedule o.we do this…

Philanthropy
2
Global Cleveland

Global cleveland is dedicated to growing northeast ohio's economy by welcoming and connecting international people to opportunities and fostering a more inviting community for those seeking a place to call home.

Human Services
3
Greater Cleveland Volunteers

Greater cleveland volunteers enriches the community and indivuduals through volunteer service. volunteers age 18 and older are recruited and placed in the agency's programs or referred to local nonprofit or public organizations to help…

Philanthropy
4
The Common Application Inc

The common application is a not-for-profit membership organization of over 1,100 colleges and universities across the globe committed to access, equity, and integrity in the college admission process. every year, over 1.5 million students…

Education
5
Mastery Charter High School

All students learn the academic and personal skills they need to be truly prepared for postsecondary success and able to pursue their dreams.

Education
6
Central Indiana Corporate Partnership Inc

Central indiana corporate partnership (cicp) is an alliance of indiana's business and research university leaders coming together to foster long-term prosperity for the region. cicp's mission is to transform the economy of indiana in order…

Community Improvement
7
Wilson College

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

Education
8
Union Health System

To serve our communities by provding innovative and compassionate healthcare.

Health
9
Point Park University

Provides innovative education in a dynamic urban setting. dedicated to academic excellence and community engagement,we prepare students of diverse backgrounds with the knowledge, skill,and experience to lead meaningful lives as informed…

—
10
Columbus Zoological Park Association

Empowering people. saving wildlife.

Animals
11
Compass Charter School

Compass charter school is a safe and nurturing educational environment that honors the individuality of each learner. by engaging in a process of inquiry, our graduates will be equipped with the necessary skills to lead fulfilling personal…

Education
12
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
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is United Way of Greater Cleveland; the most unlike its peers is Hillsdale College. 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

57 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. 57 of the 76 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)
10
Early backer (in before they grew)
56/57
Grantees still filing
39/57
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

THE SALVATION ARMY: $113,000 · OtherTHE SALVATION ARMYAMERICAN RED CROSS: $80,000 · OtherAMERICAN RED CROSSIndividual grant recipient: $40,500 · OtherHOLDEN FORESTS & GARDEN: $40,500 · OtherFIELDSTONE FARM THERAPEUTIC RIDING CENTER: $38,000 · OtherCLEVELAND SOCIETY FOR THE BLIND: $50,500 · OtherAMERICARES FOUNDATION INC: $55,000 · OtherAMERICARES FOUNDATION INCWESTERN RESERVE LAND CONSERVANCY: $75,500 · OtherWESTERN RESERVE LAND CONSERVANCYTEAM RUBICON INC: $60,000 · OtherTEAM RUBICON INC+35 more: $409,000 · Other+35 moreDENISON UNIVERSITY: $52,500 · EducationDENISON UNIVER…BROOKWOOD SCHOOL INC: $47,000 · EducationBROOKWOOD SCHO…UNIVERSITY SCHOOL: $47,000 · EducationUNIVERSITY SCH…MISS HALL'S SCHOOL INC: $38,500 · EducationMISS HALL'S SC…HILLSDALE COLLEGE: $31,000 · EducationHILLSDALE COLL…EDWINS LEADERSHIP & RESTAURANT INSTITUTE: $15,000 · EducationEDWINS LEADERS…RED WINE & BLUE EDUCATION FUND: $10,000 · EducationCOLLEGE NOW GREATER CLEVELAND INC: $10,000 · EducationCLEVELAND MUNICIPAL SCHOOL DISTRICT TRANSFORMATION: $10,000 · Education+3 more: $12,600 · EducationCLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY: $90,500 · Arts & CultureCLEVELAND MUS…Playhouse Square Foundation: $50,500 · Arts & CulturePlayhouse Squ…ADIRONDACK LAKES CENTER FOR THE ARTS: $50,000 · Arts & CultureADIRONDACK LA…LAKEVIEW CEMETERY FOUNDATION: $43,500 · Arts & CultureLAKEVIEW CEME…THOMASVILLE CULTURAL CENTER INC: $30,000 · Arts & CultureTHOMASVILLE C…+1 more: $5,000 · Arts & CultureGREATER CLEVELAND FOOD BANK INC: $185,500 · Food & NutritionGREATER CL…FOOD STRONG: $20,000 · Food & NutritionFOOD STRON…ARCHBOLD FOUNDATION INC: $100,000 · HealthARCHBOLD …PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF GREATER OHIO: $58,000 · HealthPLANNED P…MEDWISH MEDWORKS: $10,000 · HealthMEDWISH M…HOPEWELL: $6,500 · Health+2 more: $9,000 · HealthCLEVELAND ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY: $143,000 · AnimalsTHE UNITED STATES SPORTSMEN'S ALLIANCE FOUNDATION INC: $12,000 · AnimalsTrue Freedom Enterprises: $70,000 · PhilanthropyUNITED WAY OF GREATER CLEVELAND: $55,000 · PhilanthropyJUDSON FOUNDATION: $25,000 · Philanthropy+1 more: $374 · Philanthropy
Other$962,000Education$273,600Arts & Culture$269,500Food & Nutrition$205,500Health$183,500Animals$155,000Philanthropy$150,374

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 budgetGREATER CLEVELAND FOOD BANK INC: $185,500 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetCLEVELAND ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY: $143,000 over 5y, 0.6% of budgetARCHBOLD FOUNDATION INC: $100,000 over 3y, 0.5% of budgetCLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY: $90,500 over 7y, 0.2% of budgetWESTERN RESERVE LAND CONSERVANCY: $75,500 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetTrue Freedom Enterprises: $70,000 over 4y, 10% of budgetTEAM RUBICON INC: $60,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetPLANNED PARENTHOOD OF GREATER OHIO: $58,000 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetUNITED WAY OF GREATER CLEVELAND: $55,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetAMERICARES FOUNDATION INC: $55,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetDENISON UNIVERSITY: $52,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetPlayhouse Square Foundation: $50,500 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetCLEVELAND SOCIETY FOR THE BLIND: $50,500 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetADIRONDACK LAKES CENTER FOR THE ARTS: $50,000 over 1y, 2.3% of budgetBROOKWOOD SCHOOL INC: $47,000 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetUNIVERSITY SCHOOL: $47,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetLAKEVIEW CEMETERY FOUNDATION: $43,500 over 4y, 1.4% of budgetMISS HALL'S SCHOOL INC: $38,500 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetFIELDSTONE FARM THERAPEUTIC RIDING CENTER: $38,000 over 7y, 0.3% of budgetHILLSDALE COLLEGE: $31,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetTHOMASVILLE CULTURAL CENTER INC: $30,000 over 4y, 0.7% of budgetLAWRENCE SCHOOL: $30,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetJUDSON FOUNDATION: $25,000 over 2y, 1.0% of budgetFOSTERING HOPE: $25,000 over 5y, 1.1% of budgetWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $25,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMercy Corps: $20,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetEMERALD DEVELOPMENT & ECONOMIC NETWORK: $20,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSANTAS HIDE-A-WAY HOLLOW: $20,000 over 1y, 13% of budgetFOOD STRONG: $20,000 over 1y, 3.5% of budgetCHN HOUSING PARTNERS: $20,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetVOCATIONAL GUIDANCE SERVICES: $16,500 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetEDWINS LEADERSHIP & RESTAURANT INSTITUTE: $15,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetTHE UNITED STATES SPORTSMEN'S ALLIANCE FOUNDATION INC: $12,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetRED WINE & BLUE EDUCATION FUND: $10,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetMEDWISH MEDWORKS: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetALL HANDS AND HEARTS SMART RESPONSE INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCOLLEGE NOW GREATER CLEVELAND INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCLEVELAND MUNICIPAL SCHOOL DISTRICT TRANSFORMATION: $10,000 over 1y, 2.6% of budgetUS LACROSSE INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTWO FOUNDATION INC TWO CAFE & BOUTIQUE: $10,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetZENWORKS YOGA: $10,000 over 1y, 11% of budgetTHE FIRST TEE OF CLEVELAND: $8,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetLAKE ERIE COUNCIL BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA INC: $7,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetHOPEWELL: $6,500 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetTeach for America Inc: $6,350 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCHAIR-ITY: $5,000 over 1y, 2.3% of budgetPROVIDENCE HOUSE INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetCAMP HO MITA KODA FOUNDATION: $5,000 over 1y, 0.5% 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 GREATER CLEVELAND FOOD BANK INC ↗
  • Who funds CLEVELAND ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY ↗
  • Who funds ARCHBOLD FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY ↗
  • Who funds WESTERN RESERVE LAND CONSERVANCY ↗
  • Who funds True Freedom Enterprises ↗
  • Who funds TEAM RUBICON INC ↗
  • Who funds PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF GREATER OHIO ↗
  • Who funds UNITED WAY OF GREATER CLEVELAND ↗
  • Who funds AMERICARES FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds DENISON UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds Playhouse Square Foundation ↗
  • Who funds CLEVELAND SOCIETY FOR THE BLIND ↗
  • Who funds ADIRONDACK LAKES CENTER FOR THE ARTS ↗
  • Who funds BROOKWOOD SCHOOL INC ↗
  • Who funds UNIVERSITY SCHOOL ↗
  • Who funds LAKEVIEW CEMETERY FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds MISS HALL'S SCHOOL INC ↗
  • Who funds FIELDSTONE FARM THERAPEUTIC RIDING CENTER ↗
  • Who funds HILLSDALE COLLEGE ↗
  • Who funds THOMASVILLE CULTURAL CENTER INC ↗
  • Who funds LAWRENCE SCHOOL ↗
  • Who funds JUDSON FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds FOSTERING HOPE ↗
  • Who funds WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC ↗
  • Who funds Mercy Corps ↗
  • Who funds EMERALD DEVELOPMENT & ECONOMIC NETWORK ↗
  • Who funds SANTAS HIDE-A-WAY HOLLOW ↗
  • Who funds FOOD STRONG ↗
  • Who funds CHN HOUSING PARTNERS ↗
  • Who funds VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE SERVICES ↗
  • Who funds EDWINS LEADERSHIP & RESTAURANT INSTITUTE ↗

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 Cleveland Foundat…The Reinberger Founda…The Char and Chuck Fo…The Lozick Family Fou…Jewish Federation of …The Swagelok Foundati…The George Gund Found…Higley Fund of the Cl…B Charles and Jay G A…The Kelvin & Eleanor …The Abington Foundati…The Louise H & David …
The Cleveland FoundationOH46.3× affinity22 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Cleveland Foundation · The Reinberger Foundation · The Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation · The Lozick Family Foundation · Jewish Federation of Cleveland · The Swagelok Foundation · The George Gund Foundation · Higley Fund of the Cleveland Foundation · B Charles and Jay G Ames Foundation · The Kelvin & Eleanor Smith Foundation · The Abington Foundation · The Louise H & David S Ingalls Fdn

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

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 30%1%4%8%15%funder's share of their income ↑0%19%38%56%75%share of the org’s income from government →median 11%
  • Mercy Corps: 47% of income from government
  • City Year Inc: 11% of income from government
  • Americares Foundation Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
3get no government money at all
14report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–75%
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 76 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 Bicknell’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