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Chern Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Chern Family 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.

$1.1M
Granted FY2025still arriving
15
Grants FY2025still arriving
4
States reached
$328k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its 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, FY2021 to 2025.

Health$1.5MInternational$788kYouth Development$563kCivil Rights$251kReligion$224kPhilanthropy$141kRecreation & Sports$120kArts & Culture$50kOther$0
02FY2025 · 15 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k4 grants · $19k
  • $10k–50k5 grants · $80k
  • $50k–250k4 grants · $432k
  • $250k+2 grants · $579k
$20,000
Median grant
4
States reached
$844k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
AUTISM SPEAKS$327,670
THIRD WAY INSTITUTE$250,899
A BETTER CHICAGO$126,690
AMERICAN ISRAEL EDUCATION FOUNDATION$102,698
NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION$102,292
FINCA INTERNATIONAL INC$100,621
CAMP OUT FOR KIDS$25,000
CHILDRENS HOSPITAL CHICAGO FOUNDATION$20,000
EPILEPSY FOUNDATION OF GREATER CHICAGO$15,000
JEWISH UNITED FUND$10,250
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF MAGEN DAVID ADOM$10,000
ISRAEL CANCER RESEARCH FUND$5,500
THE GIVING BACK FUND$5,113
GIGI'S PLAYHOUSE CHICAGO$5,000
BETHEL UNITED MINISTRIES$3,604
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 (FY21–25, $571k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%ASPIRITECH: $10k → 14%A BETTER CHICAGO: $127k → 14%A BETTER CHICAGO: $116k → 14%A BETTER CHICAGO: $114k → 14%A BETTER CHICAGO: $104k → 14%A BETTER CHICAGO: $100k → 14%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.

87%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$3.2M · 10 repeat orgs$481k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +32% since the first grant, against -8% for those funded once.

10 repeat relationships: 7 still active in FY2025, 3 since wound down; 7 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

10
11

Total granted

$3.2M
$84k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+32%
-8%

Still filing today

80%
45%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 64% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $397k went to new ones.

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

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

’21’22’23’24’25
InternationalHealthHuman ServicesRecreation & SportsCivil RightsPhilanthropyOther
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

  • FI
    FINCA INTERNATIONAL INC
    3× · 2022–2025 · $299k · revenue +101%
  • CO
    CAMP OUT FOR KIDS
    4× · 2022–2025 · $100k · revenue +59%
  • EF
    EPILEPSY FOUNDATION OF GREATER CHICAGO
    4× · 2022–2025 · $55k · revenue +48%

Funded once

  • CF
    Central Fund of Israel
    one grant, 2024 · $25k · revenue -11%
  • MA
    MERCAZ ACADEMY
    one grant, 2023 · $10k
  • AN
    ASPIRITECH NFP
    one grant, 2021 · $10k · revenue -24%
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 Chicago Innovation Foundation
Philanthropy
2
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago

Federation amplifies our collective strength to make the world a better place for everyone. we assist people in need, impact chicagoans of all faiths; support israel and the jewish people worldwide; respond swiftly to crises; cultivate…

Philanthropy
3
American Jewish Committee

AJC's mission is to enhance the wellbeing of the Jewish people and Israel, and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world. In pursuit of this mission, AJC advances democratic principles, fights…

Civil Rights
4
University of Judaism Foundation
—
5
Institute of International Finance

To support financial industry in prudently managing risks and to foster global financial stability.

—
6
Food Allergy Science Initiative Inc

To accelerate the development of breakthrough discoveries that will transform the lives of people living with food allergies.

—
7
Celiac Disease Foundation

The celiac disease foundation is the leading global patient advocacy organization committed to accelerating diagnosis, treatments, and a cure for celiac disease. our mission is to improve the health and well-being of the millions of…

Health
8
International Food Information Council

To effectively communicate science based information on food safety, nutrition, and health for the public good.

Arts & Culture
9
Impact Forum Foundation

The Impact Forum is an exclusive network of philanthropists. We are connecting philanthropists that support each others initiatives and collaborate to empower and meet with exceptional non-profit organizations to fight antisemitism,…

Philanthropy
10
Aids Foundation of Chicago

The aids foundation of chicago mobilizes communities to create equity and justice for people living with and vulnerable to hiv and related chronic disease.

Health
11
American Friends of Beit Issie Shapiro Inc

The american friends of beit issie shapiro (afobis) is a national not for profit fundraising organization with regional offices in new york city, north miami beach, fl and los angeles, ca. afobis is dedicated to supporting beit issie…

Human Services
12
The Israel Innovation Fund Inc

Our vision is to reignite the zionist spirit and meet the needs of jewish civilization in the twenty-first century by connecting people around the world through the vibrancy and creativity of contemporary israeli culture.

Arts & Culture
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is American Israel Education Foundation Inc; the most unlike its peers is Camp Out for Kids. 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

17 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. 17 of the 29 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)
17/17
Grantees still filing
8/17
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

AUTISM SPEAKS INC: $1,409,155 · HealthAUTISM SPEAKS INC+1 more: $1,500 · HealthAMERICAN ISRAEL EDUCATION FOUNDATION INC: $453,810 · InternationalAMERICAN ISRAEL EDUCATIO…FINCA INTERNATIONAL INC: $298,950 · InternationalFINCA INTERNATIONAL INC+2 more: $35,000 · InternationalA Better Chicago: $560,740 · Human ServicesA Better Chicago+1 more: $10,000 · Human ServicesTEMPLE JEREMIAH: $210,061 · OtherTEMPLE JEREMIAHNORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION: $102,292 · OtherNORTHWESTERN ME…EPILEPSY FOUNDATION OF GREATER CHICAGO: $55,000 · OtherEPILEPSY FOUNDA…AMERICAN RED MAGEN DAVID: $35,000 · OtherAMERICAN RED MA…CAMP THUNDERBIRD CHARITABLE FOUNDATION: $20,000 · OtherCHILDRENS HOSPITAL CHICAGO FOUNDATION: $20,000 · Other+11 more: $61,622 · Other+11 moreTHIRD WAY INSTITUTE: $250,899 · Civil RightsCAMP OUT FOR KIDS: $100,000 · Recreation & SportsJEWISH UNITED FUND OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO: $30,250 · PhilanthropyTHE GIVING BACK FUND: $5,113 · Philanthropy
Health$1,410,655International$787,760Human Services$570,740Other$503,975Civil Rights$250,899Recreation & Sports$100,000Philanthropy$35,363

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 budgetAUTISM SPEAKS INC: $1,409,155 over 5y, 2.1% of budgetA Better Chicago: $560,740 over 5y, 2.3% of budgetAMERICAN ISRAEL EDUCATION FOUNDATION INC: $453,810 over 5y, 0.2% of budgetFINCA INTERNATIONAL INC: $298,950 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetCAMP OUT FOR KIDS: $100,000 over 4y, 4.5% of budgetEPILEPSY FOUNDATION OF GREATER CHICAGO: $55,000 over 4y, 0.6% of budgetJEWISH UNITED FUND OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO: $30,250 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetCentral Fund of Israel: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCAMP THUNDERBIRD CHARITABLE FOUNDATION: $20,000 over 2y, 9.2% of budgetASPIRITECH NFP: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetUniversity of Illinois Foundation: $6,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE GIVING BACK FUND: $5,113 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetARTHRITIS FOUNDATION INC: $1,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetThe Anti-Cruelty Society: $1,000 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.

Gs Donor Advised Phil…AbbVie FoundationNational Philanthropi…American Endowment Fo…American Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management IncNY13.1× affinity5 shared granteesties to 7 of 7Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · AbbVie Foundation · National Philanthropic Trust · American Endowment Foundation · 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 Chern Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Chern Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%1%3%4%5%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get no government money at all
    2report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–5%
    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 29 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

    Play a game based on Chern 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