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Charles R Schwab Foundation for Financial Freedom at a glance

· Private foundation

Charles R Schwab Foundation for Financial Freedom

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.

$800k
Granted FY2021
5
Grants FY2021
4
States reached
$500k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead

Read this first · the figures below need context

90% of Charles R Schwab Foundation for Financial Freedom’s FY2025 grant dollars went to The Board Of Trustees Of The Leland Stanford Junior University, not to grantees.

Its money now reaches organizations through that sponsor, which does not report who recommended each grant. FY2025 names 5 organizations directly, so a portfolio cannot be read from it. Everything below is therefore FY2021, the last year Charles R Schwab Foundation for Financial Freedom named its own grantees at scale: 5 organizations, $800k. It is dated, not current.

Organizations named directly on the return

0
’19
3
’20
5
’21
4
’22
2
’23
4
’24
5
’25

Amber years are those where most dollars went to a sponsor.

01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2019 to 2025.

Education$35MYouth Development$1.9MSocial Science$925kHuman Services$250kEmployment$150kInternational$90k
02FY2021 · 5 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2021

  • $50k–250k4 grants · $300k
  • $250k+1 grant · $500k
$90,000
Median grant
4
States reached
$1.9M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Girl Scouts Of The United States Of America$500,000
COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION$100,000
Junior Achievement Rocky Mountain Inc$90,000
Foundation For Junior Achievement Of Arizona Inc$60,000
Junior Achievement of the Chisholm Trail 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 (FY22–25, $500k) land where the poverty rate runs at 9%, against an area that typically sits at 8%. 50% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants spread fairly evenly across need levels.

area typical 8%NEXT GEN PERSONAL FINANCE: $250k → 7%PROJECT GLIMMER: $250k → 10%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

NH
NY
PA
CT
CA
CO
VA
MD
AZ
TN
DC
GA
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.

49%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$2.8M · 5 repeat orgs$3.0M to everyone else

5 repeat relationships: 2 still active in FY2021, 3 since wound down; 12 grantees were first funded in FY2021 (too recent to call). Read against FY2021, the last year this funder named its own grantees directly; its giving has since run through a sponsor, which reports no donor behind each grant.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

5
2

Total granted

$2.8M
$500k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+8%
+8%

Still filing today

100%
100%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 18% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $1.0M went to new ones.

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

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

’20’21’22’23’24’25
EducationYouth DevelopmentInternationalSocial ScienceHuman ServicesOther
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

  • GS
    GIRL SCOUTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
    2× · 2021–2022 · $1.0M · revenue +14%
  • CF
    COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION
    3× · 2020–2022 · $550k · revenue +64%
  • WI
    WORKING IN SUPPORT OF EDUCATION INC
    2× · 2024–2025 · $425k · revenue +8%

Funded once

  • D
    DONORSCHOOSEORG
    one grant, 2020 · $300k · revenue +1%
  • BG
    BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA
    one grant, 2020 · $200k · revenue +8%
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
Junior Achievement of Chicago

To inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy

International
2
Junior Achievement of Greater Washington

To educate and inspire young people to succeed in a global economy.

International
3
Junior Achievement North

To inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy.

International
4
Junior Achievement Usa

To inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. see additional mission information on schedule o.

Youth Development
5
Junior Achievement of Georgia

Through the time, talent, and resources of corporate, education, and community partners, Junior Achievement of Georgia inspires and prepares young people, K-12th grade, to succeed in a global economy. All programs align with Georgia's…

International
6
Junior Achievement of Central Illinois Inc

Junior Achievement of Central Illinois inspires and prepares young people to succeed in the global economy. Our volunteer-delivered, experiential programs give students knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness and…

International
7
Junior Achievement of South Texas Inc

Junior achievement of south texas's mission is to inspire and prepare young peopleto succeed in a global economy. the purpose is to educate and inspire young peopleto value free enterprise, business, and economics to improve the quality of…

International
8
AI4ALL

Ai4all's mission is to ensure that the next generation of ai leaders reflects humanity. ai4all is transforming the pipeline of ai practitioners who will shape ai for the benefit of humanity.

Youth Development
9
Junior Achievement of Greater St Louis Inc

Empowering young people to own their economic success through work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy.

International
10
National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors

Empowering financial professionals and consumers through world-class advocacy and education.

—
11
Bestprep

To best prepare minnesota students with business, career and financial literacy skills through experiences that inspire success in work and life.

—
12
Junior Achievement of Northern in Inc

The mission statement of jani is: to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy.

International
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Working in Support of Education Inc; the most unlike its peers is Next Gen Personal Finance. 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 20 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)
4
Early backer (in before they grew)
18/18
Grantees still filing
11/18
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY: $32,957,329 · EducationTHE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY+6 more: $1,960,000 · Education+6 moreGIRL SCOUTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: $1,000,000 · Youth DevelopmentNational 4-H Council: $350,000 · Youth DevelopmentBOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA: $200,000 · Youth DevelopmentCOUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION: $550,000 · Social ScienceSIFMA FOUNDATION FOR INVESTOR EDUCATION (FIE) INC: $375,000 · Social ScienceJumpstart Coalition for Pers'l Financial Literacy: $350,000 · OtherFOUNDATION FOR COLLEGE SYSTEM OF TENNESSEE: $150,000 · OtherTHE MANUFACTURING INSTITUTE: $150,000 · OtherFOUNDATION FOR JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF ARIZONA INC: $60,000 · OtherPROJECT GLIMMER: $250,000 · Human ServicesNEXT GEN PERSONAL FINANCE: $250,000 · Human ServicesJUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT-ROCKY MOUNTAIN INC: $90,000 · InternationalJUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF THE CHISHOLM TRAIL INC: $50,000 · International
Education$34,917,329Youth Development$1,550,000Social Science$925,000Other$710,000Human Services$500,000International$140,000

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 budgetTHE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY: $32,957,329 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetGIRL SCOUTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: $1,000,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetCOUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION: $550,000 over 3y, 4.7% of budgetTeach for America Inc: $500,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetWORKING IN SUPPORT OF EDUCATION INC: $425,000 over 2y, 7.5% of budgetJUMPSTART COALITION FOR PERSONAL FINANCIAL LITERACY: $350,000 over 2y, 19% of budgetNational 4-H Council: $350,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetSOCIETY FOR FINANCIAL EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: $300,000 over 1y, 20% of budgetDONORSCHOOSEORG: $300,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetPROJECT GLIMMER: $250,000 over 1y, 1.8% of budgetBOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA: $200,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetJUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT-ROCKY MOUNTAIN INC: $90,000 over 1y, 2.4% of budgetWILLIAMSON COLLEGE OF THE TRADES: $85,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetFOUNDATION FOR JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF ARIZONA INC: $60,000 over 1y, 53% of budgetJUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF THE CHISHOLM TRAIL INC: $50,000 over 1y, 3.6% 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.

Wells Fargo FoundationThe Blackbaud Giving …Gs Donor Advised Phil…Charities Aid Foundat…The Bank of America C…American Online Givin…National Philanthropi…Vanguard Charitable E…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Wells Fargo FoundationMN13.1× affinity4 shared granteesties to 10 of 10Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Wells Fargo Foundation · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · Charities Aid Foundation America · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · 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 Charles R Schwab Foundation for Financial Freedom funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Charles R Schwab Foundation for Financial Freedom. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%4%15%34%60%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
    1get no government money at all
    5report 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.
    05Through Plinth

    Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

    How do I get to Charles R Schwab Foundation for Financial Freedom?

    Find your warmest path to Charles R Schwab Foundation for Financial Freedom 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 20 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 2021, released 2021. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Charles R Schwab Foundation for Financial Freedom’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