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Bison Charitable Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Bison Charitable Foundation

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.

$472k
Granted FY2024still arriving
4
Grants FY2024still arriving
1
States reached
$350k
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 2024.

Health$887kHousing & Shelter$772kArts & Culture$196kEducation$70kPhilanthropy$48kInternational$30kRecreation & Sports$20kAnimals$13kOther$0
02FY2024 · 4 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k1 grant · $2k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $20k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $100k
  • $250k+1 grant · $350k
$100,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$1.7M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
WASHINGTON CITY MISSION$350,000
CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PI$100,000
CARNEGIE MUSEUMS$20,000
THE WOODLANDS FOUNDATION$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 (FY17–24, $788k) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 9%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 9%WASHINGTON CITY MISSION: $350k → 12%WASHINGTON CITY MISSION: $150k → 12%WASHINGTON CITY MISSION: $90k → 12%WASHINGTON CITY MISSION: $76k → 12%WASHINGTON CITY MISSION: $30k → 12%WASHINGTON CITY MISSION: $23k → 12%THE WOODLANDS FOUNDATION: $5k → 11%WASHINGTON CITY MISSION: $23k → 12%THE WOODLANDS FOUNDATION: $5k → 11%WASHINGTON CITY MISSION: $20k → 12%THE WOODLANDS FOUNDATION: $4k → 11%THE WOODLANDS FOUNDATION: $4k → 11%THE WOODLANDS FOUNDATION: $3k → 11%THE WOODLANDS FOUNDATION: $2k → 11%THE WOODLANDS FOUNDATION: $2k → 11%THE WOODLANDS FOUNDATION: $2k → 11%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.

94%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.9M · 11 repeat orgs$131k to everyone else

11 repeat relationships: 3 still active in FY2024, 8 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

11
3

Total granted

$1.9M
$31k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+51%
+118%

Still filing today

73%
100%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 79% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $100k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
Human ServicesAnimalsPhilanthropyInternationalRecreation & SportsArts & CultureOther
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

  • WC
    WASHINGTON CITY MISSION
    8× · 2017–2024 · $761k · revenue +51%
  • JA
    JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA INC
    2× · 2017–2018 · $30k · revenue +51%
  • WF
    WOODLANDS FOUNDATION INC
    8× · 2017–2024 · $27k · revenue +62%

Funded once

  • WC
    WASHINGTON COUNTY FAIR ASSOCgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $20k · revenue +118%
  • TA
    Tarrant Area Food Bankgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $10k · revenue +144%
  • ZS
    ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF PITTSBURGH
    one grant, 2022 · $1k · revenue +5%
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
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy

The western pennsylvania conservancy protects and restores exceptional places to provide our region with clean waters and healthy forests, wildlife and natural areas for the benefit of present and future generations. the conservancy…

Environment
2
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…

—
3
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society

Founded in 1827, the pennsylvania horticultural society (phs) uses horticulture to advance the health and well-being of the greater philadelphia region. (continued in sch o)phs's work focuses on four impact priorities: creating healthy…

Environment
4
Zoological Society of Philadelphia

At philadelphia zoo, our mission is to flourish as an urban oasis, where people and animals thrive, transformational memories are made, and our passion for conservation saves wildlife (see schedule o).guided by a three-year strategic plan,…

Animals
5
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
6
Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy

We improve quality of life by enhancing and stewarding pittsburgh's parks in partnership with the community.

Recreation & Sports
7
Naples Zoo Inc

Naples zoo is accredited by the american zoo & aquarium association (aza) and has numerous animal exhibits placed on its 45-acre site. (continued on schedule o)each exhibit is unique and designed to simulate typical conditions for the…

Animals
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
Association of Washington Cities

The association of washington cities builds connections between our state's diverse cities and towns, while providing our members with the support needed to thrive through delivery of data-driven education, nationally recognized pooling…

—
10
Wrc Pennsylvania Memorial Home

Wrc pennsylvania memorial home's mission is to provide choices for generations. built on a not-for-profit foundation of caring, the organization offers residential and personal care, home and community-based services, skilled and…

Health
11
Upmc Western Maryland Corporation

The mission of upmc western maryland is to serve our community by providing outstanding patient care and to shape tomorrow's health system through clinical & technological innovation, research and education.

Health
12
The Wildlife Society

The wildlife society's mission is to inspire, empower, and enable wildlife professionals to sustain wildlife populations and habitats through science-based management and conservation.

Animals
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens Inc; the most unlike its peers is Tarrant Area Food Bank. 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

11 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. 11 of the 15 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)
4
Early backer (in before they grew)
11/11
Grantees still filing
9/11
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PITTSBURGH: $760,000 · OtherCHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PITTSBURGHCARNEGIE MUSEUMS: $170,000 · OtherCARNEGIE MUSEUMSCHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PI: $100,000 · OtherCHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PIGLENVILLE STATE COLLEGE: $70,000 · OtherGLENVILLE STATE COLLEGE+3 more: $33,000 · OtherWASHINGTON CITY MISSION: $761,000 · Human ServicesWASHINGTON CITY MISSIONWOODLANDS FOUNDATION INC: $27,000 · Human ServicesUNITED WAY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY: $48,000 · PhilanthropyJUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA INC: $30,000 · InternationalWASHINGTON COUNTY FAIR ASSOC: $20,000 · Recreation & SportsPITTSBURGH SYMPHONY INC: $14,000 · Arts & CultureNATIONAL AVIARY IN PITTSBURGH INC: $11,500 · AnimalsZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF PITTSBURGH: $1,000 · Animals
Other$1,133,000Human Services$788,000Philanthropy$48,000International$30,000Recreation & Sports$20,000Arts & Culture$14,000Animals$12,500

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetWASHINGTON CITY MISSION: $761,000 over 8y, 2.5% of budgetUNITED WAY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY: $48,000 over 6y, 1.5% of budgetJUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA INC: $30,000 over 2y, 0.8% of budgetWOODLANDS FOUNDATION INC: $27,000 over 8y, 0.2% of budgetPITTSBURGH SYMPHONY INC: $14,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetPHIPPS CONSERVATORY AND BOTANICAL GARDENS INC: $12,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL AVIARY IN PITTSBURGH INC: $11,500 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetFAMILY HOUSE INC: $11,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetTarrant Area Food Bank: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF PITTSBURGH: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% 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 WASHINGTON CITY MISSION ↗
  • Who funds UNITED WAY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY ↗
  • Who funds JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA INC ↗
  • Who funds WOODLANDS FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds WASHINGTON COUNTY FAIR ASSOC ↗
  • Who funds PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY INC ↗
  • Who funds PHIPPS CONSERVATORY AND BOTANICAL GARDENS INC ↗
  • Who funds NATIONAL AVIARY IN PITTSBURGH INC ↗
  • Who funds FAMILY HOUSE INC ↗
  • Who funds Tarrant Area Food Bank ↗
  • Who funds ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF PITTSBURGH ↗

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 United Way of Sou…Eqt FoundationDsf Charitable Founda…Richard King Mellon F…Baird Foundation IncHillman Family Founda…Rossin FoundationThe Simpson Family Fo…Allegheny FoundationPittsburgh Penguins F…Snee-Reinhardt Charit…The Jack Buncher Foun…
The United Way of Southwestern PennsylvaniaPA19.8× affinity7 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania · Eqt Foundation · Dsf Charitable Foundation Inc · Richard King Mellon Foundation · Baird Foundation Inc · Hillman Family Foundations · Rossin Foundation · The Simpson Family Foundation U/A Dtd 10/19/1999 · Allegheny Foundation · Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation · Snee-Reinhardt Charitable Foundation · The Jack Buncher 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 Bison Charitable Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Bison Charitable Foundation. 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%1%3%4%5%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    6report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–5%
    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 15 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 Bison’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