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Business Volunteers Unlimited at a glanceMostly funded, not a grantmaker: see who funds it →

· Public charity

Business Volunteers Unlimited

Bringing businesses and nonprofits together to provide board participation opportunities, volunteer referrals, and training to strengthen the overall performance of nonprofits primarily in northeast ohio.

$64k
Granted FY2024still arriving
6
Grants FY2024still arriving
1
States reached
$10k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its 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$100kHuman Services$62kEducation$56kCommunity Improvement$33kYouth Development$24kEmployment$20kFood & Nutrition$12kPublic Safety & Disaster$10kOther$0
02FY2024 · 6 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 6 grants below total $60,000, the rows itemized in this filing. The $64,000 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $4,000 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.
$10,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$2.2M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
WATERLOO ARTS$10,000
FIELDSTONE FARM THERAPEUTIC RIDING CENTER$10,000
URBAN SQUASH CLEVELAND$10,000
ZENWORKS YOGA$10,000
NAMI GREATER CLEVELAND$10,000
KIDS' BOOK BANK$10,000
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, $84k) land where the poverty rate runs at 17%, 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%Adoption Network Cleveland: $10k → 17%Benjamin Rose Institute: $10k → 17%CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF CLEVELAND: $12k → 17%Plexus: $10k → 17%ZENWORKS YOGA: $10k → 17%THE GATHERING PLACE: $12k → 17%BigHearted Blooms: $10k → 17%Welcome House Inc: $10k → 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.
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 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
Literary Cleveland

Literary Cleveland assists writers and readers at all stages of development, promotes new and existing literature of the highest quality, and advances Northeast Ohio as a vital center of diverse voices and visions.

Education
2
Cleveland Leadership Center

The mission of cleveland leadership center (the organization) is to build a continuum of civic leaders committed to our community's excellence by serving as a catalyst for civic engagement. the organization achieves its mission by…

Education
3
Center for Arts-Inspired Learning

Cal champions creative learning, drives educational innovation, and transforms lives through collaborative efforts involving teaching artists, students, educators, and communities.

Education
4
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
5
United Cerebral Palsy Association of Greater Cleveland Inc

The mission of united cerebral palsy is to empower children and adults with disabilities to advance their independence, productivity and inclusion in the community.

Health
6
The Cleveland Music School Settlement

To welcome all to our music and arts community to learn, create, celebrate and heal.

Arts & Culture
7
Digitalc

Empower the people of greater cleveland to achieve success through technology, innovation and connected community.

Community Improvement
8
Cleveland Municipal School District Transformation

The cleveland transformation alliance (cta) is a trusted community partner working to ensure every student is engaged in a high-quality, equitable education. the cta gives families and students the information they need to commit to their…

Education
9
Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services

To ensure people with mental illness, addiction, and related challenges lead healthy and productive lives.

Health
10
Greater Cleveland Volunteers

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

Philanthropy
11
Lakeshore Intergenerational School

Lakeshore Intergenerational School is the second replicationof the award-winning Intergenerational School that opened on Cleveland 's east side in 2000. The school features a curriculum where students learn at their own pace and knowlege…

Education
12
Community Learning Center Institute

Clci facilitates the ongoing engagement of the greater cincinnati community to promote the development of all schools as community learning centers, each with a set of financially self-sustaining, co-located community partners.

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Esperanza Inc; the most unlike its peers is Bighearted Blooms. 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

40 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

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 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
14
Early backer (in before they grew)
39/40
Grantees still filing
27/40
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

CATHOLIC CHARITIES CORPORATION: $12,000 · Human ServicesCATHOLIC CHARITIES CORPORA…THE GATHERING PLACE: $12,000 · Human ServicesTHE GATHERING PLACEBENJAMIN ROSE INSTITUTE: $10,000 · Human ServicesBENJAMIN ROSE INSTITUTEADOPTION NETWORK CLEVELAND: $10,000 · Human ServicesADOPTION NETWORK CLEVELANDWELCOME HOUSE INC: $10,000 · Human ServicesWELCOME HOUSE INCBIGHEARTED BLOOMS: $10,000 · Human ServicesBIGHEARTED BLOOMSZENWORKS YOGA: $10,000 · Human ServicesZENWORKS YOGAPlexus Education Foundation Inc: $10,000 · Human ServicesPlexus Education Foundatio…ART THERAPY STUDIO: $12,500 · OtherART THERAPY STUDIOCLEVELAND HEARING AND SPEECH CENTER: $12,500 · OtherCLEVELAND HEARING AND SPEECH CENTERESPERANZA INC: $10,000 · OtherESPERANZA INCACHIEVEMENT CENTERS FOR CHILDREN: $10,000 · OtherACHIEVEMENT CENTERS FOR CHILDRENFIELDSTONE FARM THERAPEUTIC RIDING CENTER: $10,000 · OtherFIELDSTONE FARM THERAPEUTIC RIDING CENTERTHE CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU OF GREATER CLEVELAND INC: $10,000 · OtherTHE CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU OF GREATER …ADAMHS BOARD OF CUYAHOGA COUNTY: $7,500 · OtherCLEVELAND MEDIATION CENTER: $10,000 · OtherCLEVELAND MEDIATION CENTERURBAN SQUASH CLEVELAND: $10,000 · OtherURBAN SQUASH CLEVELANDLINKING EMPLOYMENT ABILITIES AND POTENTIAL: $10,000 · OtherLINKING EMPLOYMENT ABILITIES AND POTENTIALLUTHERAN METROPOLITAN MINISTRY: $10,000 · OtherLUTHERAN METROPOLITAN MINISTRYUNION MILES DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION: $10,000 · OtherUNION MILES DEVELOPMENT CORPORATIONWATERLOO ARTS: $10,000 · OtherWATERLOO ARTSARGONAUT: $10,000 · OtherARGONAUTCOUNCIL OF INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS USA: $6,000 · OtherCOMMUNITY ASSESSMENT & TREATMENT SERVICES INC: $12,500 · HealthCOMMUNITY ASS…RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES OF NORTHEAST OHIO INC: $10,000 · HealthRONALD MCDONA…CANOPY CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER: $10,000 · HealthCANOPY CHILD …NAMI-GREATER CLEVELAND: $10,000 · HealthNAMI-GREATER …CLEVELAND MUNICIPAL SCHOOL DISTRICT TRANSFORMATION: $12,500 · EducationCLEVELAND MU…CLEVELAND KIDS' BOOK BANK: $10,000 · EducationCLEVELAND KI…Near West Intergenerational School: $10,000 · EducationNear West In…FRIENDS OF MAX S HAYES VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL: $6,000 · EducationFRIENDS OF M…EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY: $12,000 · Youth DevelopmentOPEN DOORS INC: $12,000 · Youth DevelopmentGROUP PLAN COMMISSION: $12,500 · PhilanthropySPICE FIELD KITCHEN INC: $12,000 · Food & Nutrition
Human Services$84,000Other$148,500Health$42,500Education$38,500Youth Development$24,000Philanthropy$12,500Food & Nutrition$12,000

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

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetCOMMUNITY ASSESSMENT & TREATMENT SERVICES INC: $12,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetART THERAPY STUDIO: $12,500 over 1y, 1.8% of budgetCLEVELAND MUNICIPAL SCHOOL DISTRICT TRANSFORMATION: $12,500 over 1y, 2.5% of budgetGROUP PLAN COMMISSION: $12,500 over 1y, 1.1% of budgetCLEVELAND HEARING AND SPEECH CENTER: $12,500 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetCATHOLIC CHARITIES CORPORATION: $12,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetEFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY: $12,000 over 1y, 1.9% of budgetOPEN DOORS INC: $12,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetTHE GATHERING PLACE: $12,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetBENJAMIN ROSE INSTITUTE: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetRONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES OF NORTHEAST OHIO INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetADOPTION NETWORK CLEVELAND: $10,000 over 1y, 1.6% of budgetURBAN SQUASH CLEVELAND: $10,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetESPERANZA INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetWELCOME HOUSE INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetACHIEVEMENT CENTERS FOR CHILDREN: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetLINKING EMPLOYMENT ABILITIES AND POTENTIAL: $10,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetCLEVELAND KIDS' BOOK BANK: $10,000 over 1y, 1.4% of budgetFIELDSTONE FARM THERAPEUTIC RIDING CENTER: $10,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetBIGHEARTED BLOOMS: $10,000 over 1y, 15% of budgetZENWORKS YOGA: $10,000 over 1y, 11% of budgetPlexus Education Foundation Inc: $10,000 over 1y, 17% of budgetCANOPY CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER: $10,000 over 1y, 1.3% of budgetLUTHERAN METROPOLITAN MINISTRY: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetNAMI-GREATER CLEVELAND: $10,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetUNION MILES DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION: $10,000 over 1y, 1.0% of budgetWATERLOO ARTS: $10,000 over 1y, 6.2% of budgetNear West Intergenerational School: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetTHE CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU OF GREATER CLEVELAND INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetARGONAUT: $10,000 over 1y, 1.2% of budgetCOUNCIL OF INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS USA: $6,000 over 1y, 1.2% 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.

The Cleveland Foundat…The Char and Chuck Fo…The George Gund Found…Higley Fund of the Cl…The Abington Foundati…The Swagelok Foundati…Treu Mart FundUnited Way of Greater…Dominion Energy Chari…Thomas H White Fdn TaMartha Holden Jenning…The Cleveland Clinic …
The Cleveland FoundationOH61.5× affinity30 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Cleveland Foundation · The Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation · The George Gund Foundation · Higley Fund of the Cleveland Foundation · The Abington Foundation · The Swagelok Foundation · Treu Mart Fund · United Way of Greater Cleveland · Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation · Thomas H White Fdn Ta · Martha Holden Jennings Foundation · The Cleveland Clinic 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 Business Volunteers Unlimited funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Business Volunteers Unlimited. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%1%5%11%20%funder's share of their income ↑0%15%30%45%60%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    18report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–60%
    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 35 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 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 Business Volunteers Unlimited’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