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Cobb Family Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$97k
Granted FY2025still arriving
14
Grants FY2025still arriving
3
States reached
$20k
Largest
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 2025.

Education$621kReligion$61kHuman Services$40kEnvironment$33kArts & Culture$15kFood & Nutrition$10kAnimals$9kHealth$4kOther$0
02FY2025 · 14 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k11 grants · $56k
  • $10k–50k3 grants · $40k
$5,000
Median grant
3
States reached
$1.6M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
CITY OF FAIRHOPE$20,216
VIRGINIA SAMFORD THEATRE$10,000
ATLANTA SPEECH SCHOOL$10,000
MOUNTAIN BROOK BAPTIST CHURCH$9,067
CHURCH STREET METHODIST CHURCH$9,066
BIRMINGHAM ZOO$7,716
STURDIVANT MUSEUM ASSOCIATION$5,000
COMMUNITY FOOD BANK OF CENTRAL ALABAMA$5,000
JIMMIE HALE MISSION$5,000
THE FOUNDRY MINISTRIES$5,000
ST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL$4,000
FAYETTE FIRST METHODIST CHURCH$2,751
FRIENDS OF JEMISON PARK$2,500
GREATER BIRMINGHAM HUMANE SOCIETY$1,216
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 (FY25–25, $5k) land where the poverty rate runs at 16%, 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%THE FOUNDRY MINISTRIES: $5k → 16%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.
$689k · 6 repeat orgs$107k to everyone else

6 repeat relationships: 3 still active in FY2025, 3 since wound down; 11 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

6
4

Total granted

$689k
$49k

Still filing today

0%
50%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 40% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $58k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
EducationAnimalsPhilanthropyHuman ServicesFood & NutritionHousing & ShelterOther
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

  • UO
    UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA NATIONAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION FUND
    4× · 2020–2023 · $323k
  • NA
    NATIONAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION FUND
    3× · 2017–2019 · $240k
  • FC
    FAYETTE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL
    2× · 2020–2021 · $40k

Funded once

  • BB
    BIRMINGHAM BOTANICAL GARDENS
    one grant, 2024 · $33k
  • VB
    VAIL BIBLE CHURCH
    one grant, 2024 · $7k
  • VC
    VAIL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
    one grant, 2024 · $7k · revenue -1%
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
Greater Birmingham Ministries

To serve people, build community, pursue justice.

—
2
Habitat for Humanity of Baldwin County Inc

Habitat for humanity of baldwin county, inc. is an ecumenical, christian housing ministry that seeks to eliminate poverty housing by partnering with the community to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action.

—
3
Legal Aid Society of Birmingham

The Organization is a nonprofit community defender providing legal assistance through court appointment to children and other indigent persons.

Crime & Legal
4
Alabama a&M University Foundation

The Alabama A&M University Foundation was established to receive, hold, invest, manage, use, and administer property of all kinds, whether given absolutely or in trust, for the benefit of Alabama A&M University and its educational,…

—
5
Community Kitchens of Birmingham

Assistance to homeless and needy persons.

Food & Nutrition
6
Charitable Gift Foundation

The charitable gift foundation is a public charity operating in affiliation with the community foundation of greater birmingham. the primary purpose of the foundation is to assist other charities with donation of real property and complex…

Philanthropy
7
Alabama Christian Academy

To glorify god by providing a quality, christ-centered education which challenges students and teachers to maximize their potential so that graduates are prepared to further their education while becoming productive christian citizens.

—
8
Food Bank of North Alabama Inc

collect warehouse & distribute food to needy organizations

Food & Nutrition
9
Birmingham Volunteer Lawyers Program Inc

To provide free legal services to low-income citizens of jefferson county

Crime & Legal
10
Mothers Milk Bank of Alabama

Oversee and facilitate the collection, pasteurization, and distribution of human milk. Provide training and education for healthcare providers and community members about the health importance of human milk for neonates and infants.

Human Services
11
Dale County Rescue Mission

The rescue missions purpose is to provide food, housing , and transportation in emergency situations to local residents and transients, Those served are spiritually ministered.

Human Services
12
Alabama Childhood Food Solutions Inc

The corporation operates a charitable food bank to meet the needs of children and others in the community and beyond.

Food & Nutrition
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Downtown Jimmie Hale Mission; the most unlike its peers is The Greater Birmingham Humane Society Inc. 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)
1
Early backer (in before they grew)
10/10
Grantees still filing
2/10
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA NATIONAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION FUND: $323,360 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA NATIONAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION FUNDNATIONAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION FUND: $240,000 · OtherNATIONAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION FUNDFAYETTE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL: $40,000 · OtherCITY OF FAIRHOPE: $34,550 · OtherBIRMINGHAM BOTANICAL GARDENS: $33,332 · OtherMOUNTAIN BROOK BAPTIST CHURCH: $25,733 · OtherCHURCH STREET METHODIST CHURCH: $25,732 · Other+5 more: $27,418 · OtherAtlanta Speech School Inc: $10,000 · EducationVAIL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY: $7,167 · EducationBirmingham Zoo Inc: $7,716 · AnimalsTHE GREATER BIRMINGHAM HUMANE SOCIETY INC: $1,216 · AnimalsTHE FOUNDRY MINISTRIES INC: $5,000 · Human ServicesCOMMUNITY FOOD BANK OF CENTRAL ALABAMA: $5,000 · Food & NutritionDOWNTOWN JIMMIE HALE MISSION: $5,000 · Housing & ShelterST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC: $4,000 · HealthIMPACT 100 BALDWIN COUNTY: $1,000 · Philanthropy
Other$750,125Education$17,167Animals$8,932Human Services$5,000Food & Nutrition$5,000Housing & Shelter$5,000Health$4,000Philanthropy$1,000

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 budgetAtlanta Speech School Inc: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetVAIL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY: $7,167 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetTHE FOUNDRY MINISTRIES INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetDOWNTOWN JIMMIE HALE MISSION: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC: $4,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFRIENDS OF JEMISON PARK: $2,500 over 1y, 1.4% of budgetTHE GREATER BIRMINGHAM HUMANE SOCIETY INC: $1,216 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetIMPACT 100 BALDWIN COUNTY: $1,000 over 1y, 0.2% 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.

  • Who funds Atlanta Speech School Inc ↗
  • Who funds Birmingham Zoo Inc ↗
  • Who funds VAIL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY ↗
  • Who funds THE FOUNDRY MINISTRIES INC ↗
  • Who funds COMMUNITY FOOD BANK OF CENTRAL ALABAMA ↗
  • Who funds DOWNTOWN JIMMIE HALE MISSION ↗
  • Who funds ST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC ↗
  • Who funds FRIENDS OF JEMISON PARK ↗
  • Who funds THE GREATER BIRMINGHAM HUMANE SOCIETY INC ↗
  • Who funds IMPACT 100 BALDWIN COUNTY ↗

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.

Altecstyslinger FoundationAL15.7× affinity5 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Altecstyslinger Foundation · The Daniel Foundation of Alabama · The Robert and Lois Luckie Charitable Foundation · Holle Family Foundation · Dunn-French Foundation · Better Place Foundation · Robert R Meyer Foundation · Walker Area Community Foundation Inc · Hill Crest Foundation Inc · Protective Life Foundation · The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham · 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.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization Cobb Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Cobb Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%3%5%8%10%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    3report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–10%
    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 Cobb Family Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Cobb Family Foundation 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 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 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

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