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Edwardson Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Edwardson 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.

$5.7M
Granted FY2025still arriving
60
Grants FY2025still arriving
14
States reached
$1.5M
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0194% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Education$8.2MArts & Culture$3.2MHousing & Shelter$2.7MHealth$2.2MHuman Services$1.8MInternational$1.8MFood & Nutrition$1.7MPublic Safety & Disaster$1.5MOther$0
02FY2025 · 60 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k12 grants · $53k
  • $10k–50k29 grants · $547k
  • $50k–250k9 grants · $875k
  • $250k+10 grants · $4.2M
$25,000
Median grant
14
States reached
$78M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
RAVINIA FESTIVAL$1,485,000
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO$555,000
ADVANCE ILLINOIS$340,343
FAMILY PROMISE OF THE PALOUSE$312,500
BOCA GRANDE HEALTH CLINIC FOUNDATION$265,000
OPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL$250,000
INTER VARSITY CHRISTIAN FOUNDATION$250,000
Individual grant recipient$250,000
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY$250,000
RUSH UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER$250,000
AMERICAN RED CROSS$225,000
LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICES$200,000
CHICAGO HABITAT FOR HUMANITY$100,000
BETTER GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION$100,000
COACH HOUSE SOLUTIONS$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 (FY17–25, $707k) land where the poverty rate runs at 15%, 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%FAMILY PROMISE OF THE PALOUSE: $313k → 16%IMPACT GLOBAL: $15k → 13%FAMILY PROMISE OF THE PALOUSE: $20k → 16%RAINBOWS FOR ALL CHILDREN: $3k → 14%RAINBOWS FOR ALL CHILDREN: $3k → 14%FRIENDS OF BOCA GRANDE COMMUNITY CENTER: $3k → 11%FRIENDS OF BOCA GRANDE COMMUNITY CENTER: $3k → 11%FRIENDS OF BOCA GRANDE COMMUNITY CENTER: $3k → 11%FRIENDS OF BOCA GRANDE COMMUNITY CENTER: $3k → 11%FRIENDS OF BOCA GRANDE COMMUNITY CENTER: $3k → 11%YMCA OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO: $5k → 14%ASPIRE: $25k → 14%ASPIRE: $20k → 14%CHICAGO PARKS GOLF ALLIANCE: $25k → 14%YMCA OF CHICAGO: $10k → 14%YMCA OF CHICAGO: $10k → 14%YMCA OF CHICAGO: $10k → 14%YMCA OF CHICAGO: $3k → 14%CHILDREN'S HOME AND AID: $82k → 14%CHILDREN'S HOME AND AID: $50k → 14%CHILDREN'S HOME AND AID: $25k → 14%CHILDREN'S HOME AND AID: $15k → 14%CHILDREN'S HOME AND AID: $15k → 14%CHILDREN'S HOME AND AID: $10k → 14%OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS: $3k → 14%OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS: $1k → 14%MADONNA MISSION: $15k → 14%OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS: $1k → 14%MADONNA MISSION: $10k → 14%OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS: $1k → 14%MADONNA MISSION: $5k → 14%OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS: $1k → 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.

Which US states its grants reach

ID
IL
WI
MI
NY
MA
IN
OH
PA
NJ
RI
CA
CO
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
TN
DC
GA
TX
FL
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.

97%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$26M · 89 repeat orgs$678k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +42% since the first grant, against -7% for those funded once.

89 repeat relationships: 47 still active in FY2025, 42 since wound down; 13 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

89
45

Total granted

$26M
$441k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+42%
-7%

Still filing today

54%
33%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 96% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $238k 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
EducationArts & CultureHuman ServicesInternationalHealthEnvironmentOther
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

  • University of Chicago
    7× · 2017–2025 · $3.0M · revenue +56%
  • RAVINIA FESTIVAL ASSOCIATION
    9× · 2017–2025 · $2.1M · revenue +53%
  • GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY
    7× · 2017–2023 · $1.3M · revenue +140%

Funded once

  • RI
    REHAB INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO
    one grant, 2017 · $100k
  • IF
    INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP OF EVANGELICAL SERVICES
    one grant, 2017 · $50k
  • BG
    BOCA GRANDE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
    one grant, 2022 · $25k
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
Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute

The chicago psychoanalytic institute transforms the lives of individuals, families and communities, using psychoanalytic knowledge to help them grow and thrive.

Social Science
2
Illinois College

Illinois college is a co-educational institution of higher education learning providing a four-year educational program leading to the baccalaureate degree. illinois college is a community committed to the highest standards of scholarship…

Education
3
Lake Forest Graduate School of Management

Lake Forest Graduate School of Management's mission is to bring the real world to business education and leadership development.

—
4
Central Indiana Corporate Partnership Inc

Central indiana corporate partnership (cicp) is an alliance of indiana's business and research university leaders coming together to foster long-term prosperity for the region. cicp's mission is to transform the economy of indiana in order…

Community Improvement
5
Columbia College Chicago

The organization's mission is to educate students for creative occupations in diverse fields of arts and media.

Education
6
Chicago Public Education Fund

The chicago public education fund (the fund) is a nonprofit organization that improves public schools in chicago by investing in the talented educators who lead them.

Education
7
A Better Chicago

A better chicago is changing how chicago fights poverty by investing in bold ideas that create opportunity for our youth.

Human Services
8
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology

The Chicago School educates the next generation of change-makers in innovative theory and culturally competent practice to strengthen the integrated health of individuals, organizations, and communities.

Education
9
Kipp Chicago Schools

The team at kipp chicago schools is guided by a simple, yet powerful mission: to create a network of excellent schools in chicago that teach our students the character and academic skills necessary to succeed in college and beyond, and to…

Education
10
Lake Forest College

Provide post-secondary education leading to a baccalaureate degree. Program service expenditures are made in conjunction with the operation of a liberal arts college spread over 107 acres with approximately 63 educational and support…

Education
11
United States Naval Institute

Provide an independent forum for those who dare to read, think, speak, and write to advance the professional, literary, and scientific understanding of sea power and other issues critical to global security.

—
12
The University of Chicago Charter School Corporation

To Prepare Students for Success in Four-Year Colleges.

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Children's Home & Aid Society of Ill; the most unlike its peers is Faraja Fund Foundation. 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

73 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. 73 of the 148 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.

2
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
14
Early backer (in before they grew)
71/73
Grantees still filing
45/73
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

TRUSTEES OF PURDUE UNIVERSITY: $2,382,257 · OtherTRUSTEES OF PURDUE UNIVERSITYHABITAT FOR HUMANITY: $1,753,100 · OtherHABITAT FOR HUMANITYAMERICAN RED CROSS: $1,487,500 · OtherAMERICAN RED CROSSLUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICES: $1,364,672 · OtherLUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICESINTER VARSITY CHRISTIAN FOUNDATION: $820,000 · OtherINTER VARSITY CHRISTIAN FOUNDATIONCHICAGO HABITAT FOR HUMANITY: $500,000 · OtherINTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP OF EVANGELICAL STUDENTS USA INC: $655,000 · OtherBOCA GRANDE HEALTH CLINIC FNDTN INC: $560,000 · OtherLINCOLN PARK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY: $588,668 · OtherBETTER GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION INC: $535,000 · Other+89 more: $2,689,270 · Other+89 moreUniversity of Chicago: $3,049,182 · EducationUniversity of Chica…ADVANCE ILLINOIS NFP: $1,022,343 · EducationADVANCE ILLINOIS NF…The Island School Foundation Inc: $154,500 · Education+11 more: $297,700 · Education+11 moreRAVINIA FESTIVAL ASSOCIATION: $2,095,040 · Arts & CultureRAVINIA FEST…Writers Theatre Inc: $297,700 · Arts & CultureWriters Thea…MUSIC INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO: $250,000 · Arts & CultureMUSIC INSTIT…Chicago Symphony Orchestra: $225,000 · Arts & CultureChicago Symp…+6 more: $101,000 · Arts & CultureOPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL INC D/B/A OPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL-US: $1,609,700 · InternationalMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $130,000 · InternationalJUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF CHICAGO: $75,000 · International+4 more: $103,000 · InternationalGREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY: $1,310,434 · Food & NutritionHARRY CHAPIN FOOD BANK OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA INC: $235,000 · Food & NutritionRush University Medical Center: $944,250 · HealthRehabilitation Institute of Chicago: $88,320 · HealthBOCA GRANDE HEALTH CLINIC INC: $63,161 · HealthDYSPHONIA INTERNATIONAL INC: $55,000 · Health+2 more: $43,500 · HealthFAMILY PROMISE OF THE PALOUSE INC: $332,500 · Human ServicesCHILDREN'S HOME & AID SOCIETY OF ILL: $197,000 · Human ServicesASPIRE OF ILLINOIS: $45,000 · Human ServicesThe YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago: $37,500 · Human ServicesMadonna Mission: $30,000 · Human ServicesChicago Parks Golf Alliance: $25,000 · Human Services+4 more: $39,500 · Human Services
Other$13,335,467Education$4,523,725Arts & Culture$2,968,740International$1,917,700Food & Nutrition$1,545,434Health$1,194,231Human Services$706,500

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 budgetUniversity of Chicago: $3,049,182 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetRAVINIA FESTIVAL ASSOCIATION: $2,095,040 over 9y, 2.3% of budgetOPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL INC D/B/A OPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL-US: $1,609,700 over 8y, 0.7% of budgetGREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY: $1,310,434 over 7y, 0.3% of budgetADVANCE ILLINOIS NFP: $1,022,343 over 9y, 4.1% of budgetRush University Medical Center: $944,250 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetINTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP OF EVANGELICAL STUDENTS USA INC: $655,000 over 6y, 4.3% of budgetLINCOLN PARK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY: $588,668 over 9y, 0.3% of budgetBOCA GRANDE HEALTH CLINIC FNDTN INC: $560,000 over 3y, 2.0% of budgetBETTER GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION INC: $535,000 over 8y, 4.4% of budgetFAMILY PROMISE OF THE PALOUSE INC: $332,500 over 2y, 25% of budgetWriters Theatre Inc: $297,700 over 9y, 1.0% of budgetMUSIC INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO: $250,000 over 7y, 2.5% of budgetHARRY CHAPIN FOOD BANK OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA INC: $235,000 over 9y, 0.1% of budgetChicago Symphony Orchestra: $225,000 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetCHILDREN'S HOME & AID SOCIETY OF ILL: $197,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetThe Island School Foundation Inc: $154,500 over 9y, 2.7% of budgetLawndale Educational and Regional Network Charter School: $150,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $130,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetBOCA GRANDE WOMAN'S CLUB INC: $98,020 over 7y, 3.3% of budgetNATIONAL SPASMODIC DYSPHONIA ASSOCIATION: $95,000 over 6y, 6.1% of budgetRehabilitation Institute of Chicago: $88,320 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetJUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF CHICAGO: $75,000 over 7y, 0.4% of budgetBOCA GRANDE HEALTH CLINIC INC: $63,161 over 4y, 1.0% of budgetFARAJA FUND FOUNDATION: $62,500 over 6y, 2.0% of budgetDYSPHONIA INTERNATIONAL INC: $55,000 over 3y, 3.8% of budgetLATINO POLICY FORUM: $54,500 over 5y, 0.5% of budgetFOOD FOR THE POOR INC: $53,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetTHE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO: $50,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetWINDOW TO THE WORLD COMMUNICATIONS INC: $50,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetASPIRE OF ILLINOIS: $45,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetOPERATION SMILE INC: $37,500 over 9y, 0.0% of budgetThe YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago: $37,500 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetMadonna Mission: $30,000 over 3y, 1.4% of budgetPHI GAMMA DELTA EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION INC: $30,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetEqual Hope: $30,000 over 3y, 0.5% of budgetCITY YEAR INC: $30,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetUROLOGICAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION: $28,000 over 8y, 1.5% of budgetBARRIER ISLAND PARKS SOCIETY INC: $26,000 over 5y, 0.9% of budgetILLINOIS NETWORK OF CHARTER SCHOOLS: $25,000 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetChicago Parks Golf Alliance: $25,000 over 1y, 3.7% of budgetTeach for America Inc: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSTART EARLY: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMETROPOLITAN PLANNING COUNCIL: $20,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetGLEN VIEW CLUB SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION: $19,500 over 6y, 0.8% of budgetCAPTAINS FOR CLEAN WATER INC: $15,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetACADEMY FOR URBAN SCHOOL LEADERSHIP: $15,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetIMPACT GLOBAL INC: $15,000 over 1y, 44% 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 University of Chicago ↗
  • Who funds RAVINIA FESTIVAL ASSOCIATION ↗
  • Who funds OPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL INC D/B/A OPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL-US ↗
  • Who funds GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY ↗
  • Who funds ADVANCE ILLINOIS NFP ↗
  • Who funds Rush University Medical Center ↗
  • Who funds INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP OF EVANGELICAL STUDENTS USA INC ↗
  • Who funds LINCOLN PARK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY ↗
  • Who funds BOCA GRANDE HEALTH CLINIC FNDTN INC ↗
  • Who funds BETTER GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION INC ↗
  • Who funds FAMILY PROMISE OF THE PALOUSE INC ↗
  • Who funds Writers Theatre Inc ↗
  • Who funds MUSIC INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO ↗
  • Who funds HARRY CHAPIN FOOD BANK OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA INC ↗
  • Who funds Chicago Symphony Orchestra ↗
  • Who funds CHILDREN'S HOME & AID SOCIETY OF ILL ↗
  • Who funds The Island School Foundation Inc ↗
  • Who funds Lawndale Educational and Regional Network Charter School ↗
  • Who funds MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC ↗
  • Who funds BOCA GRANDE WOMAN'S CLUB INC ↗
  • Who funds NATIONAL SPASMODIC DYSPHONIA ASSOCIATION ↗
  • Who funds Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago ↗
  • Who funds JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF CHICAGO ↗

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 Chicago Community…Robert R McCormick Fo…Linda & Barry Allen F…Polk Bros Foundation …Carbonari Family Foun…Square One FoundationThe Canning FoundationPatrick G and Shirley…Lavin Family Foundati…Carol Bernick Family …Dr Scholl FoundationLloyd a Fry Foundation
The Chicago Community TrustIL35.6× affinity26 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Chicago Community Trust · Robert R McCormick Foundation · Linda & Barry Allen Foundation · Polk Bros Foundation Inc · Carbonari Family Foundation · Square One Foundation · The Canning Foundation · Patrick G and Shirley W Ryan Foundation · Lavin Family Foundation · Carol Bernick Family Foundation · Dr Scholl Foundation · Lloyd a Fry 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 Edwardson Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Edwardson Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 70%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 1%
  • City Year Inc: 11% of income from government
  • Hermitage Artist Retreat Inc: 1% of income from government
  • National Braille Press Inc: 0% of income from government
  • Food for the Poor Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
7get no government money at all
17report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
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 148 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 Edwardson 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