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Brashares Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Brashares Family 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.

$11k
Granted FY2024still arriving
7
Grants FY2024still arriving
2
States reached
$7k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0195% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Health$64kRecreation & Sports$12kPhilanthropy$9kYouth Development$7kArts & Culture$5kEducation$745Crime & Legal$605Food & Nutrition$450Other$0
02FY2024 · 7 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$707
Median grant
2
States reached
$81k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION$7,194
COLUMBUS QUARTERBACK CLUB$1,500
PELOTONIA BIKE CHARITY$1,025
IMPACT 60$707
UNIVERSITY OF AKRON$350
Individual grant recipient$118
MUSEUM OF CAROSEL$100
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 (FY18–20, $203) land where the poverty rate runs at 15%, against an area that typically sits at 12%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 12%THE BUCKEYE RANCH: $103 → 15%THE BUCKEYE RANCH: $100 → 15%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

IL
MI
NY
OR
IN
OH
PA
CA
VA
TN
SC
OK
TX
FL
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.

86%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$86k · 14 repeat orgs$14k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +39% since the first grant, against +23% for those funded once.

14 repeat relationships: 4 still active in FY2024, 10 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

14
28

Total granted

$86k
$12k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+39%
+23%

Still filing today

50%
57%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 84% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $2k 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
HealthPhilanthropyEducationArts & CultureAnimalsRecreation & SportsOther
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

  • II
    IMPACT60 INC
    3× · 2019–2024 · $1k · revenue +163%
  • SP
    SOAP PROJECT SAVE OUR ADOLESCENTS FROM PROSTITUTION
    2× · 2018–2019 · $605 · revenue +39%
  • TS
    The Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Inc
    2× · 2017–2018 · $440 · revenue +47%

Funded once

  • TL
    TEEN LEADERSHIP CORP
    one grant, 2017 · $5k
  • SS
    SANDUSKY STATE THEATRE INCgraduated
    one grant, 2018 · $918 · revenue +224%
  • LJ
    LEBRON JAMES FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2018 · $750
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
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.

—
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
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

To cure cf and provide all people with cf the opportunity to lead long, fulfilling lives by funding research and drug development, partnering with the cf community, and advancing high-quality, specialized care.

Health
4
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
5
New York University

Nyu is a private university with approximately 60,000 matriculating students in 20 schools and institutes. nyu's primary missions are education, research and scholarship, and patient care.

Education
6
Target Als Foundation Inc

Our mission is to break down barriers to als research to find effective treatments. by uniting academia, the pharma and biotech industry, government, venture capital, related nonprofits, and the als community, we aim to overcome the…

Education
7
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
8
Breakthrough T1D

Breakthrough t1d is the leading global t1d organization working to accelerate life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent, and treat t1d and its complications.

Health
9
Brightfocus Foundation

Brightfocus foundation funds exceptional research worldwide to defeat alzheimer's disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma and provides expert information on these heartbreaking diseases. please refer to schedule o for a complete…

Health
10
American Association of Kidney Patients Inc

AAKP is dedicated to improving the lives and long-term outcome of kidney patients. Cont on Sch O.

Health
11
Global Down Syndrome Foundation

To significantly improve the lives of people with down syndrome through research, medical care, education and advocacy. an important part of this mission is to support the global affiliate organizations that we helped establish and…

Health
12
American Lung Association

The american lung association's mission is to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease. we do this through education, advocacy, and research.

Health
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The Buckeye Ranch Inc; the most unlike its peers is Cedar Fair Charities Inc. 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

27 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. 27 of the 47 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)
26/27
Grantees still filing
23/27
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION: $59,765 · OtherARTHRITIS FOUNDATIONTHE UNION COUNTY FOUNDATION: $7,700 · OtherTHE UNION COUNTY FOUNDATIONTHE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON: $5,600 · OtherTHE UNIVERSITY OF AKRONTEEN LEADERSHIP CORP: $5,492 · OtherTEEN LEADERSHIP CORPPELOTONIA BIKE CHARITY: $4,870 · OtherPELOTONIA BIKE CHARITY+22 more: $7,342 · Other+22 moreIMPACT60 INC: $1,407 · PhilanthropyMIGHTYCAUSE CHARITABLE FOUNDATION: $535 · PhilanthropyCOLUMBUS FOUNDATION: $200 · PhilanthropyPLEDGELING FOUNDATION: $115 · Philanthropy+1 more: $50 · PhilanthropyThe Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Inc: $440 · HealthMARCH OF DIMES INC: $382 · HealthBLOOD CANCER UNITED INC: $350 · HealthAVALON HEALING CENTER: $275 · HealthAmerican Heart Association Inc: $206 · HealthNational Kidney Foundation Inc: $200 · HealthALZHEIMER'S DISEASE & RELATED DISORDERS ASSOCIATION INC: $120 · HealthVESTIBULAR DISORDERS ASSOCIATION: $100 · HealthAUTISM SPEAKS INC: $100 · HealthST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC: $100 · HealthOHIO RAILWAY MUSEUM: $1,000 · Arts & CultureSANDUSKY STATE THEATRE INC: $918 · Arts & CultureCOLUMBUS DOWNTOWN QUARTERBACK CLUB: $1,500 · Recreation & SportsSOAP PROJECT SAVE OUR ADOLESCENTS FROM PROSTITUTION: $605 · Crime & LegalTHE BUCKEYE RANCH INC: $203 · Human Services
Other$90,769Philanthropy$2,307Health$2,273Arts & Culture$1,918Recreation & Sports$1,500Crime & Legal$605Human Services$203

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 budgetCOLUMBUS DOWNTOWN QUARTERBACK CLUB: $1,500 over 1y, 1.2% of budgetIMPACT60 INC: $1,407 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetSANDUSKY STATE THEATRE INC: $918 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSOAP PROJECT SAVE OUR ADOLESCENTS FROM PROSTITUTION: $605 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetMIGHTYCAUSE CHARITABLE FOUNDATION: $535 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNORTHERN OHIO RAILWAY MUSEUM: $500 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetThe Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Inc: $440 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMARCH OF DIMES INC: $382 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetBLOOD CANCER UNITED INC: $350 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAVALON HEALING CENTER: $275 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAmerican Heart Association Inc: $206 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE BUCKEYE RANCH INC: $203 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCOLUMBUS FOUNDATION: $200 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNational Kidney Foundation Inc: $200 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetALZHEIMER'S DISEASE & RELATED DISORDERS ASSOCIATION INC: $120 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPLEDGELING FOUNDATION: $115 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGIVE KIDS THE WORLD INC: $104 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetVESTIBULAR DISORDERS ASSOCIATION: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE OCEAN CLEANUP FOUNDATION: $75 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCEDAR FAIR CHARITIES INC: $50 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS: $50 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetOHIO STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $45 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.

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.

Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Donor Advised Charitable Giving IncCO4.1× affinity5 shared granteesties to 2 of 2Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: 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 Brashares Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Brashares Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 30%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%19%38%56%75%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    3get 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 · 0–75%
    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.
    05Through Plinth

    Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

    How do I get to Brashares Family Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Brashares Family 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 47 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 Brashares 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