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C3 Foundation Inc at a glance

· Private foundation

C3 Foundation Inc

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.

$946k
Granted FY2024still arriving
6
Grants FY2024still arriving
2
States reached
$300k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0191% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2018 to 2024.

Education$4.7MHuman Services$709kAnimals$260kArts & Culture$170kPhilanthropy$88kRecreation & Sports$50kHousing & Shelter$50kEnvironment$8kOther$0
02FY2024 · 6 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • $50k–250k4 grants · $396k
  • $250k+2 grants · $550k
$200,000
Median grant
2
States reached
$6.3M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
VETERANS LIFE CENTER$300,000
ST DAVIDS SCHOOL$250,000
NORTH CAROLINA ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY INC$200,000
CHAPEL AND YORK US FOUNDATION INC AT CAPITAL ONE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION$87,887
THE YOUNG MENS CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF THE TRIANGLE AREA$58,333
SPCA OF WAKE COUNTY INC$50,000
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 (FY20–24, $108k) land where the poverty rate runs at 8%, against an area that typically sits at 8%. 0% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 8%RALEIGH RESCUE MISSION: $50k → 8%THE YOUNG MENS CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF THE TRIANGLE AREA: $58k → 8%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.

88%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$5.7M · 6 repeat orgs$742k to everyone else

6 repeat relationships: 2 still active in FY2024, 4 since wound down; 4 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

6
11

Total granted

$5.7M
$346k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+1%
+209%

Still filing today

50%
36%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 58% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $396k 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
EducationAnimalsHuman ServicesRecreation & SportsHousing & ShelterEnvironmentOther
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

  • SD
    ST DAVID'S SCHOOL
    6× · 2018–2024 · $3.0M · revenue +10%
  • MEREDITH COLLEGE
    3× · 2019–2023 · $1.5M · revenue +1%
  • VL
    VETERANS LIFE CENTER
    2× · 2023–2024 · $600k · revenue -7%

Funded once

  • NS
    NC STATE UNIV ENGINEERING
    one grant, 2018 · $112k
  • TI
    THEATRE IN THE PARK INC
    one grant, 2020 · $75k · revenue -11%
  • THE RALEIGH RESCUE MISSION INCgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $50k · revenue +76%
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
Eastern National

Eastern national promotes the public's understanding and support of america's national parks and other public trust partners by providing quality educational experiences, products and services.

Recreation & Sports
2
Nashville Public Radio

Nashville public radio's mission is to be the most trusted & independent nashville voice, connecting our communities through non-partisan journalism, compelling storytelling, civil conversation and music discovery.

Arts & Culture
3
Native Plant Trust Inc

The organization's mission is to conserve and promote new england's native plants to ensure healthy, biologically diverse landscapes.

Environment
4
Nashville Zoo Inc

In fulfillment of our mission to inspire a culture of understanding and discovery of our natural world through conservation, innovation and leadership, our goal is to build a first class zoo for middle tennessee and to develop a facility…

Animals
5
North Carolina Museum of Life & Science Inc

To create a place of lifelong learning where people, from young child to senior citizen, embrace science as a way of knowing about themselves, their community, and their world.

Arts & Culture
6
Northeast College of Health Sciences

Northeast college of health sciences (the college) is committed to academic excellence, leadership, and professional best practices in the health sciences.

Education
7
North Carolina Medical Society

To organize members of the medical profession to advance medical science.

—
8
The Natural Science Center of Greensboro Inc Dba Greensboro Science Center

The mission of the center is inspiring curiosity and connecting communities through science and conservation. we accomplish this by providing ever-evolving experiences where exploration and imagination intersect, igniting a lifelong…

Arts & Culture
9
Thompson Park Conservancy Inc

Zoo new york, by example and action, provides knowledge and motivation for conserving nature in new york state through science-based natural and cultural experiences.

Arts & Culture
10
Jefferson National Parks Association

Jefferson national parks association provides quality educational products and related services that enhance public understanding and appreciation of america's national parks, public lands and historic places.

Arts & Culture
11
North Carolina Recreation & Park Association

The north carolina recreation & park association is dedicated to advancing and empowering the parks and recreation profession through professional development, advocacy, and connection.

Recreation & Sports
12
North Carolina Symphony Society Inc

To be north carolina's state orchestra, an orchestra achieving the highest level of artistic quality and performance standards, and embracing its dual legacies of statewide service and music education.

Arts & Culture
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is North Carolina Zoological Society Inc; the most unlike its peers is Spectrum Theatre Ensemble. 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

10 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. 10 of the 21 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)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
10/10
Grantees still filing
6/10
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

ST DAVID'S SCHOOL: $3,050,000 · EducationST DAVID'S SCHOOLMEREDITH COLLEGE: $1,514,812 · EducationMEREDITH COLLEGEIndividual grant recipient: $400,000 · OtherIndividual gran…NC STATE UNIV ENGINEERING: $112,000 · OtherNC STATE UNIV E…CHAPEL AND YORK US FOUNDATION INC AT CAPITAL ONE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION: $87,887 · OtherCHAPEL AND YORK…SPECTRUM THEATRE ENSEMBLE: $86,900 · OtherSPECTRUM THEATR…THEATRE IN THE PARK INC: $75,000 · OtherTHEATRE IN THE …YMCA: $50,000 · OtherYMCA+6 more: $51,500 · Other+6 moreVETERANS LIFE CENTER: $600,000 · Housing & ShelterVETERANS L…NORTH CAROLINA ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY INC: $200,000 · AnimalsSOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS WAKE COUNTY INC: $50,000 · AnimalsThe Young Men's Christian Association of the Triangle Area Inc (4598): $58,333 · Human ServicesTHE RALEIGH RESCUE MISSION INC: $50,000 · Human ServicesDOROTHEA DIX PARK CONSERVANCY: $50,000 · Recreation & SportsENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH & EDUCATION FOUNDATION: $7,500 · Environment
Education$4,564,812Other$863,287Housing & Shelter$600,000Animals$250,000Human Services$108,333Recreation & Sports$50,000Environment$7,500

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 budgetST DAVID'S SCHOOL: $3,050,000 over 6y, 12% of budgetMEREDITH COLLEGE: $1,514,812 over 3y, 1.2% of budgetVETERANS LIFE CENTER: $600,000 over 2y, 13% of budgetNORTH CAROLINA ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY INC: $200,000 over 1y, 1.4% of budgetTHEATRE IN THE PARK INC: $75,000 over 1y, 4.4% of budgetThe Young Men's Christian Association of the Triangle Area Inc (4598): $58,333 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS WAKE COUNTY INC: $50,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetTHE RALEIGH RESCUE MISSION INC: $50,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetDOROTHEA DIX PARK CONSERVANCY: $50,000 over 1y, 2.5% of budgetENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH & EDUCATION FOUNDATION: $7,500 over 1y, 0.3% 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 Winston-Salem Fou…National Philanthropi…American Endowment Fo…Natl Christian Charit…The Bank of America C…Vanguard Charitable E…American Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
The Winston-Salem FoundationNC13.3× affinity4 shared granteesties to 9 of 9Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Winston-Salem Foundation · National Philanthropic Trust · American Endowment Foundation · Natl Christian Charitable Fdn Inc · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · 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 C3 Foundation Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from C3 Foundation Inc. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%1%4%8%15%funder's share of their income ↑0%6%13%19%25%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get 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 21 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 C3’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