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Empowerment Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Empowerment 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.

$58k
Granted FY2025still arriving
3
Grants FY2025still arriving
3
States reached
$52k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0190% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Education$648kPhilanthropy$229kFood & Nutrition$180kCivil Rights$125kCommunity Improvement$85kHealth$76kInternational$35kYouth Development$23kOther$0
02FY2025 · 3 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k2 grants · $6k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $52k
$5,000
Median grant
3
States reached
$6.2M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Indiana University$51,970
Divine Will Foundation$5,000
Kentucky Humane Society$1,000
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 (FY18–20, $136k) land where the poverty rate runs at 20%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 93% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%Ozone House: $500 → 14%Focus Hope: $75k → 21%Focus Hope: $25k → 21%Focus HOPE: $25k → 21%Lighthouse of Oakland County: $10k → 8%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

IL
WI
MI
IN
OH
PA
CA
KY
SC
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.
04

Where the work is directed

The same grants placed two ways: where each recipient sits, and where its stated purpose sends the money.

About 6% of Empowerment Foundation’s grant dollars are earmarked for a different county than the recipient’s own address.

Empowerment Foundationlessmore of its giving
Placed by recipient address · 7.2% directed abroad (not shown)
How this is measured
Recipient view: each grant at its grantee’s ZIP, mapped to a county. Directed view: each grant at the county its stated purpose names, falling back to the recipient’s county when the purpose names no place; US grants only. A county shows only if it carries the top 95% of that view’s dollars. Purposes are read from the funder’s own 990 grant descriptions.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

56%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$852k · 17 repeat orgs$665k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +37% since the first grant, against +33% for those funded once.

17 repeat relationships: 1 still active in FY2025, 16 since wound down; 2 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

17
42

Total granted

$852k
$659k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+37%
+33%

Still filing today

53%
57%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 90% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $6k 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
AnimalsHealthEducationInternationalHuman ServicesPhilanthropyOther
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

  • RT
    ROOM TO READ
    3× · 2018–2020 · $146k · revenue +37%
  • F
    FOCUSHOPE
    3× · 2018–2020 · $125k · revenue +40%
  • PU
    PRATHAM USA
    2× · 2017–2018 · $100k · revenue +20%

Funded once

  • D
    DASRAgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $210k · revenue +73%
  • GC
    GLEANERS COMMUNITY FOOD BANK OF SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN
    one grant, 2020 · $100k · revenue -22%
  • SD
    SAY DETROIT
    one grant, 2020 · $85k · revenue -7%
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
Michigan Humane Society

To improve and save lives through compassionate care, community engagement and advocacy for animals.

Animals
2
Michigan Anti-Cruelty Society

To maintain and operate a hospital, ambulance and veterinary services for the care of animals. the maintenance and operation of kennels and suitable chambers for the humane destruction of wounded animals.

Animals
3
Business Leaders for Michigan

Business leaders for michigan is a nonprofit, nonpartisan statewide organization driven by ceos from the state's leading employers, all working toward a shared goal: making michigan a top 10 state for jobs, talent and a thriving economy.…

—
4
Organ Procurement Agency of Michigan

We honor life through donation.

—
5
Detroit Food Policy Council

The organization was founded by a group of concerned citizens, working in cooperation with the detroit city council, to shape food policy and to work for a more localized, more just, and environmentally friendly food system. the…

Food & Nutrition
6
Business Leaders for Michigan Foundation

Business leaders for michigan is a nonprofit, nonpartisan statewide organization driven by ceos from the state's leading employers, all working toward a shared goal: making michigan a top 10 state for jobs, talent and a thriving economy.…

Community Improvement
7
Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit

The friends are dedicated to the rescue, protection, and adoption of companion animals in need while inspiring the human-animal bond. we meet our mission by:-saving 100% of healthy and treatable animals.-providing high-quality animal care…

Animals
8
Humane Society of Southwestern Michigan

Humane society of southwestern michigan exists to provide shelter and care for sick, homeless and unwanted animals. in addition, the organization provides adoption services for the animals in its care.

Animals
9
Michigan Enviromental Council

Informing and educating the public and decision makers about environmental issues.

Environment
10
Nourishing Hope

Nourishing hope provides food, mental health support, and social services to help all our neighbors thrive.

—
11
Animal Outlook Inc

Animal outlook is a national animal protection organization working to end the abuse of farmed animals using a variety of strategies, including investigations, legal advocacy, corporate and food system reform, and vegan outreach.

Animals
12
Homeless Action Network of Detroit

Our mission is to increase awareness of the problems of people who are homeless and the development and carrying out of strategies to create permanent solutions to homelessness in our community.

Human Services
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Ozone House Inc; the most unlike its peers is The Bottomless Toy Chest Inc. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
05the grantee network

35 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. 35 of the 61 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)
7
Early backer (in before they grew)
35/35
Grantees still filing
27/35
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Indiana University School of Medicine: $197,358 · OtherIndiana University School of MedicineUniversity of Michigan: $57,118 · OtherUniversity of MichiganClemson University: $51,900 · OtherClemson UniversityMICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY: $50,000 · OtherMICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITYSAINT MARY ACADEMY: $25,000 · Other+38 more: $186,364 · Other+38 moreDASRA: $210,084 · InternationalDASRA+2 more: $9,720 · InternationalROOM TO READ: $146,000 · EducationROOM TO READMERCY EDUCATION PROJECT: $25,000 · EducationMERCY EDUCATIO…DEPAUL UNIVERSITY: $20,652 · EducationDEPAUL UNIVERS…+1 more: $5,000 · EducationGLEANERS COMMUNITY FOOD BANK OF SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN: $100,000 · Food & NutritionGLEANERS COMM…FORGOTTEN HARVEST INC: $65,000 · Food & NutritionFORGOTTEN HAR…Food Bank of Eastern Michigan: $15,000 · Food & NutritionFood Bank of …FOCUSHOPE: $125,000 · Human ServicesFOCUSHOPELIGHTHOUSE OF OAKLAND COUNTY: $10,000 · Human ServicesLIGHTHOUSE…+1 more: $500 · Human ServicesPRATHAM USA: $100,000 · PhilanthropyPRATHAM U…AGASTYA USA: $25,000 · PhilanthropyAGASTYA U…+1 more: $2,500 · PhilanthropySAY DETROIT: $85,000 · Housing & ShelterHumble Design Inc: $5,000 · Housing & Shelter
Other$567,740International$219,804Education$196,652Food & Nutrition$180,000Human Services$135,500Philanthropy$127,500Housing & Shelter$90,000

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 budgetDASRA: $210,084 over 1y, 1.2% of budgetROOM TO READ: $146,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetFOCUSHOPE: $125,000 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetPRATHAM USA: $100,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetGLEANERS COMMUNITY FOOD BANK OF SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN: $100,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSAY DETROIT: $85,000 over 1y, 2.3% of budgetFORGOTTEN HARVEST INC: $65,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetUniversity of Michigan: $57,118 over 5y, 11% of budgetMERCY EDUCATION PROJECT: $25,000 over 2y, 1.3% of budgetDEPAUL UNIVERSITY: $20,652 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetFood Bank of Eastern Michigan: $15,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCASS COMMUNITY SOCIAL SERVICES INC: $15,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetBIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF GREEN COUNTY INC: $11,500 over 5y, 1.7% of budgetHAVEN INC: $11,412 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetLIGHTHOUSE OF OAKLAND COUNTY: $10,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetTHE YUNION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetTHE BOTTOMLESS TOY CHEST INC: $7,410 over 1y, 2.0% of budgetHumble Design Inc: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCOLLEGE FOR CREATIVE STUDIES: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGLOBALGIVING FOUNDATION INC: $4,720 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSPAY NEUTER NETWORK: $3,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetPLYMOUTH COMMUNITY UNITED WAY: $2,500 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetTHE HEALING PLACE INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAmerican Heart Association Inc: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE MILK BANK INC: $2,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCAREHOUSE OF OAKLAND COUNTY INC: $1,485 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetKENTUCKY HUMANE SOCIETY - ANIMAL RESCUE: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMICHIGAN ANIMAL WELFARE FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetBREAKTHROUGH T1D: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGILDA'S CLUB CHICAGO: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetOZONE HOUSE INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetANIMAL HOUSE OF SOUTH EAST MICHIGAN: $450 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetMICHIGAN ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE: $200 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 DASRA ↗
  • Who funds ROOM TO READ ↗
  • Who funds FOCUSHOPE ↗
  • Who funds PRATHAM USA ↗
  • Who funds GLEANERS COMMUNITY FOOD BANK OF SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN ↗
  • Who funds SAY DETROIT ↗
  • Who funds FORGOTTEN HARVEST INC ↗
  • Who funds University of Michigan ↗
  • Who funds MERCY EDUCATION PROJECT ↗
  • Who funds AGASTYA USA ↗
  • Who funds DEPAUL UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds Food Bank of Eastern Michigan ↗
  • Who funds CASS COMMUNITY SOCIAL SERVICES INC ↗
  • Who funds BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF GREEN COUNTY INC ↗
  • Who funds HAVEN INC ↗
  • Who funds LIGHTHOUSE OF OAKLAND COUNTY ↗
  • Who funds THE YUNION ↗
  • Who funds THE BOTTOMLESS TOY CHEST INC ↗
  • Who funds Humble Design Inc ↗
  • Who funds COLLEGE FOR CREATIVE STUDIES ↗
  • Who funds DIVINE WILL FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds GLOBALGIVING FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds SPAY NEUTER NETWORK ↗

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.

DTE Energy FoundationCommunity Foundation …United Way for Southe…The Carls FoundationComerica Charitable F…Ford PhilanthropyThe Mihalich Charitab…Ethel and James Flinn…The Barton Malow Foun…United Jewish Foundat…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…Charities Aid Foundat…
DTE Energy FoundationMI23.3× affinity9 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: DTE Energy Foundation · Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan · United Way for Southeastern Michigan · The Carls Foundation · Comerica Charitable Foundation · Ford Philanthropy · The Mihalich Charitable Foundation · Ethel and James Flinn Foundation · The Barton Malow Foundation · United Jewish Foundation · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · Charities Aid Foundation America

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 Empowerment Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Empowerment 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%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    9report 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 61 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 Empowerment’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