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Franklin Square Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Franklin Square 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.

$990k
Granted FY2025still arriving
16
Grants FY2025still arriving
5
States reached
$500k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0198% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Education$378kHuman Services$360kCivil Rights$220kEnvironment$150kCrime & Legal$138kYouth Development$134kReligion$84kArts & Culture$68kOther$0
02FY2025 · 16 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • $10k–50k13 grants · $265k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $225k
  • $250k+1 grant · $500k
$25,000
Median grant
5
States reached
$3.0M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
ETHS FOUNDATION$500,000
MULARK THEATRE COMPANY$150,000
CAASE$75,000
YOUNG CENTER FOR IMMIGRANT$35,000
DIFFERENCE MAKERS NETWORK$30,000
HEART TO HEART$25,000
NORTHLIGHT THEATRE$25,000
MCGAW YMCA$25,000
AFRICAN CENTER FOR AQUATIC REASEARC$20,000
JAMES B MORAN CTR YOUTH ADVOCACY$20,000
THE WILD CENTER$20,000
CHILDCARE NETWORK OF EVANSTON$20,000
HEART TO HEART$15,000
WELLSPRING CENTER FOR PREVENTION$10,000
BOOKS & BREAKFAST$10,000
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, $220k) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 9%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 9%MARCFIRST: $10k → 11%DIFFERENCE MAKERS NETWORK: $30k → 11%MARCFIRST: $10k → 11%MARCFIRST: $10k → 11%NORTH SHORE SENIOR CENTER: $10k → 14%MCGAW YMCA: $25k → 14%MCGAW YMCA: $25k → 14%MCGAW YMCA: $25k → 14%MCGAW YMCA: $25k → 14%MCGAW YMCA: $25k → 14%MCGAW YMCA: $25k → 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

IL
MI
NY
MA
PA
NJ
CT
MO
DE
NC
DC
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.

84%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$2.3M · 28 repeat orgs$431k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +34% since the first grant, against -10% for those funded once.

28 repeat relationships: 11 still active in FY2025, 17 since wound down; 4 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

28
17

Total granted

$2.3M
$211k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+34%
-10%

Still filing today

54%
24%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 78% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $220k 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
EducationHuman ServicesArts & CultureYouth DevelopmentEnvironmentCommunity ImprovementOther
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

  • ET
    EVANSTON TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 202 ED FOUNDATION
    2× · 2024–2025 · $515k · revenue +445%
  • YM
    Young Mens Christian Assoc McGaw Inc
    6× · 2018–2025 · $150k · revenue +1%
  • NH
    NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF THE ADIRONDACKS
    7× · 2018–2025 · $145k · revenue +43%

Funded once

  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2017 · $40k
  • Y
    YOU
    one grant, 2017 · $25k
  • MW
    METRO WILMINGTON URBAN LEAGUE
    one grant, 2019 · $20k
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 Children's Museum

Chicago childrens museum is a place where families and caregivers with infants and children are encouraged to create, explore, and discover together through play. the museum features three vibrant floors of exhibits and activities that…

Arts & Culture
2
Chicago United for Equity

Connecting and amplifying the power of individuals to build a just, equitable, and inclusive city.

Civil Rights
3
North Shore Health Care Foundation

To expand equitable health care and healthy living in Cook County and champion solutions through funding, education and advocacy.

Health
4
Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence

To support not for profit organizations in innovation, excellence and leadership in their communities.

Community Improvement
5
Outdoor Equity Alliance

To create equitable access to nature in all communities and inspire a diverse new generation of environmental leaders.

Food & Nutrition
6
Children's Advocates for Change

Children's advocates for change was organized to improve the lives of children in illinois by bringing about significant changes public policies and programs for children through research, policy analysis and advocacy, public education and…

Human Services
7
Lakeside Community Committee

To enhance the quality of life for children and families by inspiring hope and empowerment and growth within all whom we serve.

Human Services
8
Northwest Inst for Contemp Lea

To provide alternative programs for educating youth in communities located on the West side of Chicago.

—
9
Start Early

Start early advances quality early learning for families with children, before birth through their earliest years, to help close the opportunity gap.

—
10
The Network Advocating Against Domestic Violence

The Network is a group of 40+ member organizations dedicated to improving the lives of those impacted by gender-based violence through education, public policy and advocacy, and connecting community members with direct service providers.…

Human Services
11
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
12
Chicago Free School

Chicago Free School provides pre-kindergarten through 8th grade instruction and support activities. The faculty consists of qualified indiviuals with the appropriate education and experiende to provide students with the education that…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is North Shore Senior Center; the most unlike its peers is Cool Learning Experience. 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

22 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. 22 of the 49 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.

1
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
6
Early backer (in before they grew)
21/22
Grantees still filing
15/22
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

MULARK THEATRE COMPANY: $150,000 · OtherMULARK THEATRE COMPANYHEART TO HEART: $107,000 · OtherHEART TO HEARTBEACON OF HOPE: $106,500 · OtherBEACON OF HOPEYOUNG CENTER IMMIGRANTRIGHTS: $105,000 · OtherYOUNG CENTER IMMIGRANTRIGHTSYOUNG CENTER FOR IMMIGRANT: $105,000 · OtherYOUNG CENTER FOR IMMIGRANTYWCA: $90,000 · OtherYWCAJB MORAN CENTER FOR YOUTH ADVOCACY: $55,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $50,000 · OtherWESTFIELD FRIENDS SCHOOL: $45,900 · Other+24 more: $453,000 · Other+24 moreEVANSTON TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 202 ED FOUNDATION: $515,000 · EducationEVANSTON TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL DIST…BOOKS AND BREAKFAST: $140,000 · EducationBOOKS AND BREAKFASTHOLY FAMILY MINISTRIES: $75,000 · EducationHOLY FAMILY MINISTRIESSTUDENT LOAN FUND INC: $75,000 · EducationSTUDENT LOAN FUND INCCOOL LEARNING EXPERIENCE: $40,000 · EducationNATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF THE ADIRONDACKS: $145,000 · Arts & CultureNATURAL H…NORTHLIGHT THEATRE INC: $75,000 · Arts & CultureNORTHLIGH…Ragdale Foundation: $17,500 · Arts & CultureRagdale F…Young Mens Christian Assoc McGaw Inc: $150,000 · Human ServicesYoung Men…LIFELONG ACCESS: $30,291 · Human ServicesLIFELONG …DIFFERENCE MAKERS NETWORK: $30,000 · Human ServicesDIFFERENC…NORTH SHORE SENIOR CENTER: $10,000 · Human ServicesChicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation: $120,000 · Civil RightsCAMP STARFISH INC: $28,000 · Youth DevelopmentO LEAGUE: $10,000 · Youth DevelopmentLA CASA NORTE: $30,000 · Housing & Shelter
Other$1,267,400Education$845,000Arts & Culture$237,500Human Services$220,291Civil Rights$120,000Youth Development$38,000Housing & Shelter$30,000

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

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetEVANSTON TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 202 ED FOUNDATION: $515,000 over 2y, 4.4% of budgetYoung Mens Christian Assoc McGaw Inc: $150,000 over 6y, 0.5% of budgetNATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF THE ADIRONDACKS: $145,000 over 7y, 0.5% of budgetBOOKS AND BREAKFAST: $140,000 over 7y, 6.1% of budgetChicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation: $120,000 over 4y, 0.9% of budgetHOLY FAMILY MINISTRIES: $75,000 over 3y, 0.5% of budgetSTUDENT LOAN FUND INC: $75,000 over 3y, 11% of budgetNORTHLIGHT THEATRE INC: $75,000 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetCOOL LEARNING EXPERIENCE: $40,000 over 4y, 6.2% of budgetLIFELONG ACCESS: $30,291 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetLA CASA NORTE: $30,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetDIFFERENCE MAKERS NETWORK: $30,000 over 1y, 74% of budgetFAITH IN PLACE: $30,000 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetCAMP STARFISH INC: $28,000 over 3y, 3.2% of budgetChildcare Network of Evanston: $20,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetNATIONAL COUNCIL ON ALCOHOLISM AND DRUG DEPENDENCE OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY: $20,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetRagdale Foundation: $17,500 over 2y, 1.0% of budgetO LEAGUE: $10,000 over 1y, 16% of budgetNORTH SHORE SENIOR CENTER: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetRAILS TO TRAILS CONSERVANCY: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCAMP OF DREAMS: $8,000 over 1y, 4.7% of budgetCENTRAL ADIRONDACK PARTNERSHIP FOR THE 21ST CENTURY INC: $5,000 over 1y, 4.9% 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 EVANSTON TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 202 ED FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds Young Mens Christian Assoc McGaw Inc ↗
  • Who funds NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF THE ADIRONDACKS ↗
  • Who funds BOOKS AND BREAKFAST ↗
  • Who funds Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation ↗
  • Who funds HOLY FAMILY MINISTRIES ↗
  • Who funds STUDENT LOAN FUND INC ↗
  • Who funds NORTHLIGHT THEATRE INC ↗
  • Who funds COOL LEARNING EXPERIENCE ↗
  • Who funds LIFELONG ACCESS ↗
  • Who funds LA CASA NORTE ↗
  • Who funds DIFFERENCE MAKERS NETWORK ↗
  • Who funds FAITH IN PLACE ↗
  • Who funds CAMP STARFISH INC ↗
  • Who funds Childcare Network of Evanston ↗
  • Who funds NATIONAL COUNCIL ON ALCOHOLISM AND DRUG DEPENDENCE OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY ↗
  • Who funds Ragdale Foundation ↗
  • Who funds O LEAGUE ↗

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…Evanston Community Fo…Lewis-Sebring Family …Northwestern Universi…John D and Catherine …Jpmorgan Chase Founda…American Endowment Fo…Morgan Stanley Global…Vanguard Charitable E…National Philanthropi…The Pfizer Foundation…Donor Advised Charita…
The Chicago Community TrustIL18.7× affinity9 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Chicago Community Trust · Evanston Community Foundation · Lewis-Sebring Family Foundation · Northwestern University · John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · American Endowment Foundation · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · National Philanthropic Trust · The Pfizer Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc

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 Franklin Square Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Franklin Square Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%1%4%8%15%funder's share of their income ↑0%13%25%38%50%share of the org’s income from government →median 49%
  • O League: 49% of income from government
  • Camp Starfish Inc: 18% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
1get no government money at all
10report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–50%
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 49 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 Franklin Square’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