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Blackburn Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Blackburn Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$470k
Granted FY2025still arriving
12
Grants FY2025still arriving
4
States reached
$212k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0192% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Education$1.0MReligion$909kHealth$282kHuman Services$114kEnvironment$50kPhilanthropy$5kArts & Culture$4kEmployment$3kOther$0
02FY2025 · 12 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k7 grants · $7k
  • $10k–50k3 grants · $51k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $412k
$1,000
Median grant
4
States reached
$712k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
ST STEPHEN'S & ST AGNES UPPER SCHOOL$212,000
BASILICA OF SAINT MARY$200,000
HOME SCHOOL NOW$21,250
CAMPAGNA CENTER$20,000
NATURE SACRED$10,000
Individual grant recipient$1,000
CURE ALZHEIMER'S FUND$1,000
JOHN WALKER HOWARD SCHOLARSHIP$1,000
MT AIRY BIBLE CHURCH$1,000
THE MENOKIN FOUNDATION$1,000
WORLD TEAM$1,000
FRIENDS OF ROCKY VERSACE$500
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 (FY17–25, $53k) land where the poverty rate runs at 9%, against an area that typically sits at 8%. 92% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 8%UNITED COMMUNITY MINISTRIES: $1k → 6%UNITED COMMUNITY MINISTRIES: $1k → 6%LITTLE SISTERS OF THE POOR: $1k → 14%MT VERNON AT HOME: $1k → 6%MT VERNON AT HOME: $1k → 6%CAMPAGNA CENTER: $20k → 9%CAMPAGNA CENTER: $20k → 9%THE CAMPAGNA CENTER: $5k → 9%CAMPAGNA CENTER: $1k → 9%CAMPAGNA CENTER: $1k → 9%THE CAMPAGNA CENTER: $1k → 9%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

NY
MA
IN
VA
MD
NC
SC
DC
HI
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.

96%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$2.3M · 17 repeat orgs$101k to everyone else

17 repeat relationships: 7 still active in FY2025, 10 since wound down; 5 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

17
28

Total granted

$2.3M
$96k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+33%
+59%

Still filing today

35%
36%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 99% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $5k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
HealthHuman ServicesPhilanthropyEducationArts & CultureInternationalOther
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

  • NS
    NATURE SACRED
    5× · 2021–2025 · $50k · revenue +544%
  • TC
    THE CAMPAGNA CENTER INC
    6× · 2017–2025 · $48k · revenue +33%
  • AS
    Alexandria Symphony Orchestra
    2× · 2019–2020 · $2k · revenue +35%

Funded once

  • CF
    CHILD & FAMILY NETWORK
    one grant, 2017 · $20k
  • SS
    ST STEPHEN'S AND ST AGNES SCHOOL FOUNDATIONgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $12k · revenue +123%
  • BH
    BOYS HOME OF VIRGNIA
    one grant, 2017 · $10k
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
Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute

Sanford burnham prebys medical discovery institute's mission is to advance the biomedical sciences by cultivating the next generation of scientific leaders, providing meaningful opportunities for researchers of all backgrounds to learn,…

Health
2
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Leadership in the prevention, treatment, and cure of cancer through excellence, vision and cost effectiveness in patient care, outreach programs, research, and education.

Health
3
American Academy of Neurology

The Academy's mission is to enhance member career fulfillment and promote brain health for all.

Community Improvement
4
The Johns Hopkins Hospital

For more than 125 years, the mission of the johns hopkins hospital has been to lead the world in the diagnosis and treatment of disease and to train tomorrow's great physicians, nurses and scientists. above all, we aim to provide the…

Health
5
Targeting Resistance in Cancer Cooperative
Health
6
The Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Fdn Group

Susan g. komen 's mission is to save lives by meeting the most critical needs in our communities & investing in breakthrough research to prevent & cure breast cancer.

—
7
New York Genome Center Inc

Operate a state-of-the-art, world-class genomic research center that creates and uses advanced genomics to understand the genetic basis of disease. for more information, see schedule o.

Health
8
Society for Neuroscience

Sfn's mission is to: 1. advance the understanding of the brain and the nervous system by bringing together scientists of all segments of neuroscience, by facilitating the integration of research directed at all levels of biological…

Health
9
Foundation for the National Institutes of Health Inc

To create and lead alliances and public-private partnerships that advance breakthrough biomedical discoveries and improve the quality of people's lives

Health
10
Lung Cancer Research Foundation

The mission of the lung cancer research foundation is to improve lung cancer outcomes by funding research for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure of lung cancer.

Health
11
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

Fred hutch cancer center ("fred hutch") unites innovative research and compassionate care to prevent and eliminate cancer and infectious disease. continued on schedule o

Health
12
Van Andel Research Institute

Medical research organization van andel research institute is an independent biomedical research organization committed to improving the health and enhancing the lives of current and future generations.

Health
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Broadcasters Foundation of America; the most unlike its peers is Nature Sacred. 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

18 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. 18 of the 50 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)
5
Early backer (in before they grew)
18/18
Grantees still filing
13/18
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

BASILICA OF SAINT MARY: $902,000 · OtherBASILICA OF SAINT MARYST STEPHEN'S & ST AGNES UPPER SCHOOL: $822,000 · OtherST STEPHEN'S & ST AGNES UPPER SCHOOLINOVA HEALTH CARE SERVICES: $195,000 · OtherINOVA HEALTH CARE SERVICESHOME SCHOOL NOW: $136,400 · OtherHOME SCHOOL NOW+31 more: $183,700 · Other+31 moreTHE CAMPAGNA CENTER INC: $48,000 · Human ServicesUNITED COMMUNITY MINISTRIES INC: $2,000 · Human ServicesMount Vernon at Home Inc: $2,000 · Human Services+1 more: $1,000 · Human ServicesNATURE SACRED: $50,000 · Philanthropy+1 more: $1,000 · PhilanthropyFOR THE WIN INC: $40,000 · HealthBLADDER CANCER ADVOCACY NETWORK INC: $2,000 · Health+3 more: $3,000 · HealthST STEPHEN'S AND ST AGNES SCHOOL FOUNDATION: $12,000 · EducationAlexandria Seaport Foundation: $2,000 · Arts & CultureMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $1,000 · InternationalMASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS: $1,000 · Animals
Other$2,239,100Human Services$53,000Philanthropy$51,000Health$45,000Education$12,000Arts & Culture$2,000International$1,000Animals$1,000

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 budgetNATURE SACRED: $50,000 over 5y, 0.6% of budgetTHE CAMPAGNA CENTER INC: $48,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetFOR THE WIN INC: $40,000 over 2y, 40% of budgetST STEPHEN'S AND ST AGNES SCHOOL FOUNDATION: $12,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetBROADCASTERS FOUNDATION OF AMERICA: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetUNITED COMMUNITY MINISTRIES INC: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAlexandria Symphony Orchestra: $2,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetMount Vernon at Home Inc: $2,000 over 2y, 0.6% of budgetAlexandria Seaport Foundation: $2,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetBLADDER CANCER ADVOCACY NETWORK INC: $2,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetST COLETTA OF GREATER WASHINGTON INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetALZHEIMER'S DISEASE RESEARCH FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLITTLE SISTERS OF THE POOR OF WASHINGTON DC INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCYSTIC FIBROSIS FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS: $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 NATURE SACRED ↗
  • Who funds THE CAMPAGNA CENTER INC ↗
  • Who funds FOR THE WIN INC ↗
  • Who funds ST STEPHEN'S AND ST AGNES SCHOOL FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds BROADCASTERS FOUNDATION OF AMERICA ↗
  • Who funds UNITED COMMUNITY MINISTRIES INC ↗
  • Who funds Alexandria Symphony Orchestra ↗
  • Who funds Mount Vernon at Home Inc ↗
  • Who funds Alexandria Seaport Foundation ↗
  • Who funds BLADDER CANCER ADVOCACY NETWORK INC ↗
  • Who funds MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC ↗
  • Who funds ST COLETTA OF GREATER WASHINGTON INC ↗
  • Who funds Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc ↗
  • Who funds ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE RESEARCH FOUNDATION ↗

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.

Act for AlexandriaThe Howard Family Fou…Ivakota Assoc IncCalvert and Sally Sim…Clark-Winchcole Found…The Community Foundat…The Ayco Charitable F…Vanguard Charitable E…Morgan Stanley Global…American Online Givin…National Philanthropi…American Endowment Fo…
Act for AlexandriaVA19.9× affinity7 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Act for Alexandria · The Howard Family Foundation · Ivakota Assoc Inc · Calvert and Sally Simmons Foundation · Clark-Winchcole Foundation · The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia Inc · The Ayco Charitable Foundation · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · American Endowment 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 Blackburn Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Blackburn Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 50%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%6%13%19%25%share of the org’s income from government →median 7%
  • Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc: 7% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
5get no government money at all
4report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–25%
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 50 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 Blackburn’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