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Illinois · Private foundation

Bruce Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$2.1M
Granted FY2025(still arriving)
53
Grants FY2025
52
Organizations funded FY2024
33%
First-time grantees FY2024
Read the full brief
Median grant, FY2025
$25,000
Largest grant, FY2025
$400,000
Organizations funded a year
29 to 52
FY2018 to FY2024
States reached, FY2025
12
Total assets, FY2025
$22M
Applications
Preselected organizations only
Per its most recent filing; check its own site

How open it is to new grantees

In FY2024, 33% of the organizations Bruce Foundation funded were first-time grantees, receiving 23% of its grant dollars.

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 77% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $320k went to new ones.

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

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

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
AnimalsHuman ServicesHealthYouth DevelopmentInternationalReligionOther
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.
The numbers by year
Fiscal yearOrganizations fundedTo those organizationsFirst-time grantees
FY2025still arriving52$1.7M15%
FY202452$1.4M33%
FY202337$710k16%
FY202235$584k14%
FY202138$598k24%
FY202038$510k16%
FY201938$430k42%
FY201829$255k21%
99% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Education$2.6MAnimals$1.3MFood & Nutrition$849kHousing & Shelter$670kHuman Services$639kHealth$553kEnvironment$319kPublic Benefit$277kOther$0

Where its grants go

Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.

Which US states its grants reach

MN
IL
WI
MI
NY
MA
IN
CA
UT
VA
MD
AZ
AR
NC
DC
LA
MS
FL

Top grantees

Largest recipients by total granted, FY2017 to FY2025, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.

GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Chicago Furniture Bank$365,00082%
Hope for the Homeless Inc$195,000436%
Nourishing Hope$188,00080%
Providence St Mel School$175,00091%
Maryville Academy$145,00090%
Elyssas Mission NFP$140,00074%
Beagle Freedom Project$130,00091%
Easterseals Blake Foundation$127,00080%
Environmental Voter Project Inc$126,00071%
Karuna Horse Rescue Inc$124,000614%
Show all 55 grantees
All grantees of Bruce Foundation by total granted
GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Chicago Furniture Bank$365,00082%
Hope for the Homeless Inc$195,000436%
Nourishing Hope$188,00080%
Providence St Mel School$175,00091%
Maryville Academy$145,00090%
Elyssas Mission NFP$140,00074%
Beagle Freedom Project$130,00091%
Easterseals Blake Foundation$127,00080%
Environmental Voter Project Inc$126,00071%
Karuna Horse Rescue Inc$124,000614%
The Grand Canyon Trust Inc$110,00030%
Dreamcatcher Foundation Inc$109,00099%
Touched by an Animal$105,00049%
St Mary's Food Bank Alliance$95,00050%
Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson Inc$93,00070%
Nurturing Minds Inc$91,00071%
Good Sports Inc$91,00070%
Renaissance Social Services Inc$90,00020%
One Tail at a Time Nfp$85,00050%
Greater Boston Food Bank Inc$81,00060%
Spl Sports Inc$81,00071%
Friends of Pima Animal Care Center$74,00041%
Medecins Sans Frontieres USA Inc$65,00020%
As You Sow$65,00020%
Alray Taylor Second Chance Scholarship Fund Corporation$62,00067%
Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc$55,00030%
The Night Ministry$55,00030%
Lincoln Park Zoological Society$51,00060%
The Thresholds$50,00040%
New Moms Inc$40,00020%
Chiricahua Health Foundation$40,000165%
Humane Indiana Inc$40,00021%
Smile Train Inc$37,00040%
The Hap Foundation Inc (F/K/A Journeycare Foundation)$35,00021%
Life-Span$31,00040%
United States Fund for Unicef$25,00010%
Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Foundation$25,0001n/a
Diocesan Council for the Society of St Vincent de Paul Diocese Phoenix$20,00020%
Mr Mo Project Senior Dog Rescue$20,00022%
Notmykid$18,0002n/a
Navy Seal Foundation Inc$18,00020%
Angel Charity for Children Inc$18,00041%
Peninsula Players Theatre Foundation Inc$15,00010%
Aviva Children's Services$11,00013%
The Bird Legacy Foundation$10,0001n/a
Arizona Humane Society$10,00010%
Best Friends Animal Society$10,00010%
Benevolent Healthcare Foundation$10,00010%
One Mission Inc Dba 1mission$10,00011%
Barbs Dog Rescue Inc$10,00011%
The Hermitage No Kill Cat Shelter$6,00011%
Fresh Start Women's Foundation$5,00010%
Orphans of the Storm$5,00010%
Blair Charity Group$5,0001n/a
Tucson Rescue Now Inc$4,0001n/a

What it could do for these grantees

Plus 46 recipients with no EIN on record ($2.7M), not named here.

Where it is load-bearing

Bruce Foundation supplied at least a quarter of the budget for 2 of its grantees at some point. The chart plots its 50 largest grantees; load-bearing ones sit top left.

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetChicago Furniture Bank: $365,000 over 8y, 1.6% of budgetHope for the Homeless Inc: $195,000 over 4y, 36% of budgetNourishing Hope: $188,000 over 8y, 0.3% of budgetProvidence St Mel School: $175,000 over 9y, 0.5% of budgetMaryville Academy: $145,000 over 9y, 0.1% of budgetElyssas Mission NFP: $140,000 over 7y, 4.2% of budgetBeagle Freedom Project: $130,000 over 9y, 1.2% of budgetEasterseals Blake Foundation: $127,000 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetEnvironmental Voter Project Inc: $126,000 over 7y, 0.8% of budgetKaruna Horse Rescue Inc: $124,000 over 6y, 14% of budgetThe Grand Canyon Trust Inc: $110,000 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetDreamcatcher Foundation Inc: $109,000 over 9y, 9.1% of budgetTouched by an Animal: $105,000 over 4y, 9.1% of budgetSt Mary's Food Bank Alliance: $95,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetBoys & Girls Clubs of Tucson Inc: $93,000 over 7y, 0.4% of budgetNurturing Minds Inc: $91,000 over 7y, 0.8% of budgetGood Sports Inc: $91,000 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetRenaissance Social Services Inc: $90,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetOne Tail at a Time Nfp: $85,000 over 5y, 0.5% of budgetGreater Boston Food Bank Inc: $81,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetSpl Sports Inc: $81,000 over 7y, 1.2% of budgetFriends of Pima Animal Care Center: $74,000 over 4y, 0.8% of budgetMedecins Sans Frontieres USA Inc: $65,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetAs You Sow: $65,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetAlray Taylor Second Chance Scholarship Fund Corporation: $62,000 over 6y, 6.6% of budgetPlanned Parenthood Federation of America Inc: $55,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetThe Night Ministry: $55,000 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetLincoln Park Zoological Society: $51,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetThe Thresholds: $50,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetNew Moms Inc: $40,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetChiricahua Health Foundation: $40,000 over 1y, 65% of budgetHumane Indiana Inc: $40,000 over 2y, 0.8% of budgetSmile Train Inc: $37,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetThe Hap Foundation Inc (F/K/A Journeycare Foundation): $35,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetLife-Span: $31,000 over 4y, 0.3% of budgetUnited States Fund for Unicef: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDiocesan Council for the Society of St Vincent de Paul Diocese Phoenix: $20,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMr Mo Project Senior Dog Rescue: $20,000 over 2y, 1.9% of budgetNavy Seal Foundation Inc: $18,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetAngel Charity for Children Inc: $18,000 over 4y, 0.5% of budgetPeninsula Players Theatre Foundation Inc: $15,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetAviva Children's Services: $11,000 over 1y, 2.8% of budgetArizona Humane Society: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBest Friends Animal Society: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBenevolent Healthcare Foundation: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetOne Mission Inc Dba 1mission: $10,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetBarbs Dog Rescue Inc: $10,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetThe Hermitage No Kill Cat Shelter: $6,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budget

Tap a dot to name the grantee.

How this is measured
Share of budget is the funder’s grant in a year over the grantee’s total revenue that year, at its highest across the years we hold; revenue is from all sources. Only grantees confirmed against their own filings, whose grants do not exceed their revenue, are plotted: the largest 50.

Nonprofits that may fit its grantmaking

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.

Arizona Community FoundationAZ22.1× affinity10 shared granteesties to 9 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Arizona Community Foundation · Community Foundation for Southern Arizona · United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona Inc · Polk Bros Foundation Inc · The Chicago Community Trust · Connie Hillman Family Foundation · Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona · Fifth Third Chicagoland Foundation · Dr Scholl Foundation · The Intuit Foundation · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · The Ayco Charitable 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.

Compare Bruce Foundation with peer funders

About Bruce Foundation

How much does Bruce Foundation give?
Bruce Foundation reported 53 grants totaling $2,130,000 in its FY2025 IRS filing. It funded between 29 and 52 organizations a year over FY2018 to FY2024.
What does Bruce Foundation fund?
By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2025, its largest causes are Education (31%), Animals (16%), Food & Nutrition (10%).
Who are Bruce Foundation's largest grantees?
By total granted over FY2017 to FY2025: Chicago Furniture Bank ($365k), Hope for the Homeless Inc ($195k), Nourishing Hope ($188k).
Does Bruce Foundation fund new organizations?
In FY2024, 33% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
Does Bruce Foundation accept unsolicited applications?
Its most recent filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and does not take unsolicited requests. Check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.
Which funders back the same organizations as Bruce Foundation?
Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include Arizona Community Foundation, Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona Inc.
Where is Bruce Foundation based?
Bruce Foundation is based in IL.

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 104 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

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