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Emily Waters Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Emily Waters Foundation

Its FY2022 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$58k
Granted FY2022
25
Grants FY2022
6
States reached
$23k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0184% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2022.

Arts & Culture$30kEducation$12kReligion$8kHuman Services$3kCommunity Improvement$3kHealth$3kPhilanthropy$2kPublic Safety & Disaster$2kOther$0
02FY2022 · 25 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2022

  • Under $10k23 grants · $18k
  • $10k–50k2 grants · $40k
$750
Median grant
6
States reached
$188k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
CHAGRIN FALLS DOCUMENTARY FILM$22,540
Individual grant recipient$17,715
FEDERATED CHURCH$2,000
CARLEE HOUGHTELIN FOUNDATION$1,750
CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIV$1,300
SHAKER SCHOOLS FOUND$1,300
BOULDER CTY WILD FIRE FUND$1,000
THE TURN$1,000
CHAGRINFALLS SUBUR BANK VOL$1,000
Individual grant recipient$1,000
CHAGRIN FALLS HISTORICAL SOC$1,000
WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA$750
LANSON STATE CURTIS MEMORIAL$750
Individual grant recipient$600
DENISON UNIV$500
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:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY20–22) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 12%. 72% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 12%CARLEE HOUGHTELIN FOUNDATION: $2k → 10%BOULDER CTY WILD FIRE FUND: $1k → 12%ALPHA XI DELTA FOUNDATION: $1k → 16%BOURNMOUTH UNIV: $18k → 6%Tri Motor Heritage Found: $500 → 10%DENISON UNIV: $2k → 10%LANSON STATE CURTIS MEMORIAL: $750 → 11%BETA THETA PI FOUNDATION: $1k → 12%CHAGRIN FALLS DOCUMENTARY FILM: $23k → 17%Wyoming Down Syndrome Assoc: $500 → 17%Shadow Lake Assoc: $800 → 14%CHAGRIN FALLS MEALS ON WHEELS: $600 → 6%Denison Univ: $1k → 10%Beta Theta Pi Foundation: $1k → 12%BOURNEMOUTH UNIV: $19k → 17%GLOVER CEMETERY COMM: $500 → 14%DENISON UNIV: $500 → 10%FEDERATED CHURCH: $3k → 17%GLOVER CEMETERY COMM: $500 → 14%Federated Church: $3k → 17%SHADOW LAKE ASSOC: $500 → 14%Geauga County LIbrary Found: $500 → 6%FEDERATED CHURCH: $2k → 17%CHAGRIN FALLS DOCUMENTARY FILM: $2k → 17%Old Stone House Museum: $1k → 14%Chagrin Falls Historical Society: $1k → 17%CHAGRIN FALLS HISTORICAL SOC: $1k → 17%CHAGRIN FALLS SUBURBANK VOL FIRE: $1k → 17%CHAGRINFALLS SUBUR BANK VOL: $1k → 17%Chagrin Falls Documentary: $1k → 17%WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA: $750 → 17%CHAGRIN VALLEY JAYCEES: $600 → 17%CHAGRIN VALLEY JUNIOR CHAMBER: $500 → 17%Chagrin Falls Junior Chamber: $500 → 17%Chagrin Falls Historical Soc: $500 → 17%CHAGRIN FALLS HISTORICAL SOCIETY: $500 → 17%SOUTH RUSSELL POLICE ASSOC: $500 → 17%TIGER PREP: $500 → 17%Chagrin Falls Suburban Volunteer: $500 → 17%Chagrin Valley Little Theatre: $500 → 17%SHAKER SCHOOLS FOUND: $1k → 17%COLLEFE NOW: $1k → 17%CLEVELAND METRO BAR ASSOC: $500 → 17%NEW DIRECTIONS: $1k → 17%CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIV: $1k → 17%THE TURN: $1k → 17%The Turn: $1k → 17%THE TURN: $1k → 17%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.

48%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$52k · 14 repeat orgs$57k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +77% since the first grant, against +70% for those funded once.

14 repeat relationships: 11 still active in FY2022, 3 since wound down; 14 grantees were first funded in FY2022 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

14
22

Total granted

$52k
$29k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+77%
+70%

Still filing today

36%
18%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2022, 51% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $28k went to new ones.

50%100%’20’21’22
RenewedFirst-time

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

’20’21’22
EducationCommunity ImprovementArts & CultureOther
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

  • TT
    THE TURN
    3× · 2020–2022 · $3k · revenue +8%
  • DU
    DENISON UNIVERSITY
    3× · 2020–2022 · $3k · revenue +20%
  • CF
    CHAGRIN FALLS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
    3× · 2020–2022 · $3k · revenue +77%

Funded once

  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2020 · $19k
  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2021 · $1k
  • AX
    ALPHA XI DELTA FOUNDATIONgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $1k · revenue +48%
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
Delaware Valley University

See schedule o.we are inspired by the ideals of our founder who, in 1896, emphasized respect for all people and ideas, who honored knowledge with practice, progress and the common good. our historical commitment to experiential learning…

—
2
Alpha Delta Pi Sorority

Social organization to promote academic achievement and leadership training of its members.

—
3
The Delta Chi Fraternity

The delta chi fraternity provides great advantages derived from a brotherhood of college and university men, appreciating that close association may promote friendship, develop character, advance justice and assist in the acquisition of a…

—
4
Capital University

Capital university transforms lives by empowering an inclusive community of learners through engaging academic, co-curricular, and professional experiences.

Education
5
Chapman University

The mission of chapman university is to provide personalized education of distinction that leads to inquiring, ethical and productive lives as global citizens.

Education
6
Drake University

See schedule o.drake's mission is to provide an exceptional learning environment that prepares students for meaningful personal lives, professional accomplishments, and responsible global citizenship. the drake experience is distinguished…

Education
7
DePauw University

Depauw university develops leaders the world needs through an uncommon commitment to the liberal arts. depauw's diverse and inclusive learning and living experience, distinctive in its rigorous intellectual engagement and its global and…

Education
8
Cdu Foundation

The purpose of this corporation is to perform the charitable functions of and carry out the charitable purposes of charles r. drew university of medicine and science (cdu), a california nonprofit public benefit corporation. this…

Education
9
Point Park University

Provides innovative education in a dynamic urban setting. dedicated to academic excellence and community engagement,we prepare students of diverse backgrounds with the knowledge, skill,and experience to lead meaningful lives as informed…

—
10
Clarkson University

Clarkson university is an independent, nationally recognized technological university whose faculty of teacher-scholars aspires to offer superior instruction and engage in high-quality research and scholarship in engineering, business,…

Education
11
Delaware State University

Delaware state university is a public, comprehensive, 1890 land-grant institution that offers access and opportunity to diverse populations from delaware, the nation, and the world. (continued on schedule o.)building on its heritage as a…

Education
12
Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity Inc

Alpha chi omega makes a promise to empower each member to become the best version of herself. the real. strong. women. experience delivers on this promise by providing an environment where members take on the issues and challenges that…

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Alpha Xi Delta Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Geauga County Library 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

13 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. 13 of the 50 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)
6
Early backer (in before they grew)
11/13
Grantees still filing
11/13
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

CHAGRIN FALLS DOCUMENTARY FILM: $24,040 · OtherCHAGRIN FALLS DOCUMENTARY FILMIndividual grant recipient: $18,998 · OtherIndividual grant recipientIndividual grant recipient: $17,715 · OtherIndividual grant recipientFEDERATED CHURCH: $7,500 · OtherFEDERATED CHURCH+38 more: $28,500 · Other+38 moreTHE TURN: $3,450 · EducationTHE TURNDENISON UNIVERSITY: $3,000 · EducationDENISON UNIV…BETA THETA PI FOUNDATION: $2,350 · EducationBETA THETA P…CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY: $1,300 · EducationCASE WESTERN…ALPHA XI DELTA FOUNDATION: $1,000 · EducationALPHA XI DEL…GEAUGA COUNTY LIBRARY FOUNDATION: $500 · EducationSOUTH RUSSELL POLICE ASSOCIATION: $500 · Community ImprovementCHAGRIN VALLEY LITTLE THEATRE: $500 · Arts & Culture
Other$96,753Education$11,600Community Improvement$500Arts & Culture$500

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetTHE TURN: $3,450 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetDENISON UNIVERSITY: $3,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetCHAGRIN FALLS HISTORICAL SOCIETY: $2,500 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetBETA THETA PI FOUNDATION: $2,350 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNEW DIRECTIONS INC: $1,800 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetCHAGRIN FALLS MEALS ON WHEELS INC: $1,300 over 3y, 0.5% of budgetCASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY: $1,300 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetALPHA XI DELTA FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetGEAUGA COUNTY LIBRARY FOUNDATION: $500 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetSOUTH RUSSELL POLICE ASSOCIATION: $500 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetCHAGRIN VALLEY LITTLE THEATRE: $500 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetYOUTH CHALLENGE: $250 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.

  • Who funds THE TURN ↗
  • Who funds DENISON UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds CHAGRIN FALLS HISTORICAL SOCIETY ↗
  • Who funds BETA THETA PI FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds NEW DIRECTIONS INC ↗
  • Who funds CHAGRIN FALLS MEALS ON WHEELS INC ↗
  • Who funds CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds ALPHA XI DELTA FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds OMICRON DELTA KAPPA FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds GEAUGA COUNTY LIBRARY FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds SOUTH RUSSELL POLICE ASSOCIATION ↗
  • Who funds CHAGRIN VALLEY LITTLE THEATRE ↗

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 Cleveland Foundat…The Blackbaud Giving …American Endowment Fo…National Philanthropi…Morgan Stanley Global…The Bank of America C…Donor Advised Charita…American Online Givin…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
The Cleveland FoundationOH15× affinity5 shared granteesties to 9 of 9Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Cleveland Foundation · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · American Endowment Foundation · National Philanthropic Trust · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · American Online Giving Foundation 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 Emily Waters Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Emily Waters 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%6%13%19%25%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    1report 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 50 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 2022, released 2022. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Emily Waters’ 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