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Fund for Enlightment at a glance

· Private foundation

Fund for Enlightment

Its FY2024 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$38k
Granted FY2024still arriving
5
Grants FY2024still arriving
1
States reached
$10k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0196% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Arts & Culture$86kReligion$50kEducation$46kPhilanthropy$25kYouth Development$20kRecreation & Sports$17kHealth$7kCivil Rights$5kOther$0
02FY2024 · 5 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k2 grants · $8k
  • $10k–50k3 grants · $30k
$10,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$883k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
SOLOMON SCHECTER DAY SCHOOL$10,000
JEWISH UNITED FUND$10,000
COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS$10,000
HPHS GIANTS CLUB$5,000
AM SHALOM$3,450
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 (FY21–21, $5k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%A BETTER CHICAGO: $5k → 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.
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.

80%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$210k · 10 repeat orgs$54k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +33% since the first grant, against +20% for those funded once.

10 repeat relationships: 3 still active in FY2024, 7 since wound down; 2 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

10
14

Total granted

$210k
$34k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+33%
+20%

Still filing today

50%
71%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 48% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $20k went to new ones.

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

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
EducationArts & CultureYouth DevelopmentCivil RightsPhilanthropyRecreation & SportsOther
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

  • MO
    MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART
    4× · 2017–2021 · $33k · revenue +0%
  • UO
    UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN FOUNDATION
    4× · 2018–2023 · $26k · revenue +43%
  • JU
    JEWISH UNITED FUND OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO
    4× · 2021–2024 · $25k · revenue +33%

Funded once

  • AB
    A Better Chicago
    one grant, 2021 · $5k · revenue -16%
  • AL
    ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUEgraduated
    one grant, 2018 · $5k · revenue +80%
  • GI
    GIRLS INC OF THE VALLEYgraduated
    one grant, 2019 · $5k · revenue +161%
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
Junior Achievement of Chicago

To inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy

International
2
Jewish Council on Urban Affairs

The Jewish Council on Urban Affair's (JCUA) longstanding mission is to combat poverty, racism and antisemitism working in partnership with diverse communities. JCUA uses a community organizing model to engage the Jewish community in the…

Community Improvement
3
Alternatives Inc

Alternatives, inc.'s mission is to facilitate personal development,strengthen family relationships and enhance the community's well being. serving over 3,000 youth and families annually, the organization offers a range of counseling and…

Health
4
Legal Aid Chicago

At legal aid chicago, we work together to provide high quality civil legal aid to people living in poverty and other vulnerable groups.through advocacy, education, collaboration, and litigation we empower individuals, protect fundamental…

Crime & Legal
5
Association of Legal Administrators

Ala is the catalyst for growth by providing: diverse educational experiences, engaged peer communities, strategic solutions, dynamic resources, and trusted networks.

—
6
The Water Research Foundation

The purpose of the water research foundation (wrf) is a definitive research organization to advance the science of all things water to better meet the evolving needs of its subscribers and the water sector. to engage exclusively in…

Environment
7
Lakeshore Legal Aid

Standing with our neighbors, Lakeshore Legal Aid fights poverty and injustice through advocacy and by providing meaningful and dignified access to the legal system.

Crime & Legal
8
Chicago United for Equity

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

Civil Rights
9
Jewish Federation Council of Greater La

Based on jewish values, the jewish federation of greater los angeles convenes and leads the community and leverages its resources to assure the continuity of the jewish people, support a secure state of israel, care for jews in need here…

Philanthropy
10
American Association for the Advancement of Science

Advance science, engineering, and innovation throughout the world for the benefit of all. the world's largest multidisciplinary scientific society and a leading publisher of cutting-edge research through its science family of journals,…

Science & Tech
11
Women Donors Network

Women donors network advances a just, equitable, and sustainable world through the power of philanthropy, women's leadership, and collective and individual action.

Philanthropy
12
The Chicago Bar Foundation

The chicago bar foundation brings the legal community together through advocacy, funding, and innovation to improve access to justice for people in need and to make the legal system more fair, equitable, and effective.

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Girls Inc of the Valley; the most unlike its peers is Kwoe 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

16 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. 16 of the 26 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)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
15/16
Grantees still filing
10/16
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

ILLINOIS HOLOCAUST MUSEUM: $48,000 · OtherILLINOIS HOLOCAUST MUSEUMAM SHALOM: $42,600 · OtherAM SHALOMSOLOMON SCHECTER DAY SCHOOL: $10,000 · OtherSOLOMON SCHECTER DAY SCHOOLCOMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS: $10,000 · OtherCOMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLSHPHS GIANTS CLUB: $10,000 · OtherHPHS GIANTS CLUBLACED UP ATHLETICS: $9,000 · OtherLACED UP ATHLETICS+11 more: $25,867 · Other+11 moreMUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART: $32,769 · Arts & CultureMUSEUM OF CONTEM…RAVINIA FESTIVAL ASSOCIATION: $5,000 · Arts & CultureRAVINIA FESTIVAL…UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN FOUNDATION: $26,250 · EducationUNIVERSITY O…FREE ALAS: $2,000 · EducationFREE ALASJEWISH UNITED FUND OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO: $25,000 · PhilanthropyJEWISH UNI…SALT LAKE CLIMBERS ALLIANCE INC: $6,000 · Recreation & SportsGIRLS INC OF THE VALLEY: $5,000 · Youth DevelopmentKWOE FOUNDATION: $1,000 · Youth DevelopmentA Better Chicago: $5,000 · Human Services
Other$155,467Arts & Culture$37,769Education$28,250Philanthropy$25,000Recreation & Sports$6,000Youth Development$6,000Human Services$5,000

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 budgetMUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART: $32,769 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN FOUNDATION: $26,250 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetJEWISH UNITED FUND OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO: $25,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetSALT LAKE CLIMBERS ALLIANCE INC: $6,000 over 2y, 0.9% of budgetRAVINIA FESTIVAL ASSOCIATION: $5,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetA Better Chicago: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetEB RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP INC: $4,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetKESHET: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWest Harlem Environmental Action Inc: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFREE ALAS: $2,000 over 1y, 3.3% of budgetREFUGEEONE: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBeyond Sports Foundation: $1,500 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetLYNN SAGE FOUNDATION: $300 over 1y, 0.1% 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.

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.

Jewish Federation of …The Chicago Community…Vanguard Charitable E…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan ChicagoIL13.3× affinity4 shared granteesties to 5 of 5Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago · The Chicago Community Trust · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Donor Advised Charitable Giving 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 Fund for Enlightment funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Fund for Enlightment. 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 →median 30%
  • Girls Inc of the Valley: 30% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
5report 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.
05Through Plinth

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to Fund for Enlightment?

Find your warmest path to Fund for Enlightment 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 26 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 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Fund for Enlightment’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