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G Carl Ball Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

G Carl Ball Family Foundation

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.

$4.1M
Granted FY2024still arriving
44
Grants FY2024still arriving
10
States reached
$2.0M
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0192% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2024.

Human Services$7.1MEducation$4.0MEnvironment$3.5MYouth Development$775kRecreation & Sports$566kHealth$505kArts & Culture$441kPhilanthropy$350kOther$0
02FY2024 · 44 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k12 grants · $38k
  • $10k–50k20 grants · $346k
  • $50k–250k8 grants · $841k
  • $250k+4 grants · $2.9M
$15,000
Median grant
10
States reached
$32M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
YMCA$2,000,000
Individual grant recipient$322,941
ORME SCHOOL$300,000
BR RYALL YMCA$250,000
Individual grant recipient$210,000
MORTON ARBORETUM$181,000
SEED YOUR FUTURE$150,000
CAL POLY$100,000
GLEN ELLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY$50,000
THE CONSERVATION FOUNDATION$50,000
COLLEGE OF DUPAGE FOUNDATION$50,000
DUPAGE FOUNDATION$50,000
AHS$45,000
DUPAGE FOUNDATION$25,000
MAYO CLINIC$25,000
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 (FY20–24, $39k) land where the poverty rate runs at 7%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 0% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%DUPAGE SENIOR CITIZEN COUNCIL: $10k → 7%GLEN ELLYN YOUTH AND FAMILY COUNSELING: $5k → 7%GLEN ELLYN YOUTH AND FAMILY COUNSELING: $5k → 7%GLEN ELLYN YOUTH AND FAMILY COUNSELING: $5k → 7%GLEN ELLYN YOUTH AND FAMILY COUNSELING: $5k → 7%GLEN ELLYN YOUTH AND FAMILY COUNSELING: $5k → 7%GE CHILDREN'S RESOURCE CENTER: $2k → 7%GLEN ELLYN CHILDREN'S RESOURCE CENTER: $2k → 7%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

VT
MN
IL
MI
NY
NV
IN
CA
MO
VA
AZ
SC
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.

76%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$14M · 39 repeat orgs$4.4M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +44% since the first grant, against +5% for those funded once.

39 repeat relationships: 19 still active in FY2024, 20 since wound down; 21 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

39
18

Total granted

$14M
$1.3M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+44%
+5%

Still filing today

49%
17%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 24% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $3.0M went to new ones.

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

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

’20’21’22’23’24
EducationEnvironmentArts & CultureHuman ServicesInternationalHealthOther
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

  • YM
    YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF NORTHWESTERN DUPAGE COUNTY
    5× · 2020–2024 · $4.8M · revenue +137%
  • TM
    THE MORTON ARBORETUM
    5× · 2020–2024 · $3.2M · revenue +100%
  • CO
    COLLEGE OF DUPAGE FOUNDATION
    5× · 2020–2024 · $260k · revenue +10%

Funded once

  • TJ
    THOMAS JEFFERSON SCHOOL
    one grant, 2021 · $1.0M · revenue +0%
  • GH
    GE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
    one grant, 2020 · $100k
  • PF
    PARTNERSHIP FOR EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS (SPALDING TREES ETC)
    one grant, 2020 · $44k
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
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
2
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
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
Fielding Graduate University

We provide exemplary interdisciplinary programs for a community of scholar-practitioners within a distributed learning model grounded in student-driven inquiry and leading to enhanced knowledge.

—
5
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
6
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
7
Golden Gate University

Golden gate university prepares individuals to lead and serve by providing high quality, practice-based educational programs in law, taxation, business and related professions - as a nonprofit institution - in an innovative and challenging…

Education
8
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
9
National Opinion Research Center

See schedule onorc at the university of chicago conducts research and data science on critical societal issues to guide decision-making and the development of programs and public policy. our experts identify relationships and trends, and…

Social Science
10
Rockford University

To educate men & women to lead responsible lives by means of a curriculum grounded in liberal arts learning and complemented and extended by professional and practical experience, through the total academic and co-curricular experience,…

Education
11
Chicago Horticultural Society

We cultivate the power of plants to sustain and enrich life

Environment
12
Columbia College Chicago

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

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is College of Dupage Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Montgomery Botanical Center. 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

33 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. 33 of the 80 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)
5
Early backer (in before they grew)
32/33
Grantees still filing
22/33
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF NORTHWESTERN DUPAGE COUNTY: $4,800,000 · OtherYOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF NORTHWESTERN DUPAGE COUNTYThe Orme School: $2,100,000 · OtherThe Orme SchoolYMCA: $2,000,000 · OtherYMCATHOMAS JEFFERSON SCHOOL: $1,000,000 · OtherTHOMAS JEFFERSON SCHOOLSEED YOUR FUTURE: $600,000 · OtherFRIENDS OF GE PARKS: $506,028 · Other+57 more: $2,409,724 · Other+57 moreTHE MORTON ARBORETUM: $3,160,000 · EnvironmentTHE MORTON ARBORETUMTHE CONSERVATION FOUNDATION: $150,000 · Environment+2 more: $110,000 · EnvironmentLIMESTONE UNIVERSITY: $275,000 · EducationCOLLEGE OF DUPAGE FOUNDATION: $260,000 · EducationCAL POLY CORPORATION: $100,000 · EducationPARTNRSHP FOR EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS: $78,136 · EducationEducare of West DuPage: $70,000 · Education+1 more: $20,000 · EducationTHE DUPAGE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $325,000 · PhilanthropySEED YOUR FUTURE INC: $150,000 · Youth DevelopmentMAYO CLINIC: $100,000 · HealthCRISIS TEXT LINE INC: $35,000 · HealthFOX VALLEY MUSIC FOUNDATION: $55,000 · Arts & CultureFRIENDS OF THE CHICAGO RIVER: $20,000 · Arts & CultureWESTERN FOLKLIFE CENTER INC: $5,000 · Arts & Culture
Other$13,415,752Environment$3,420,000Education$803,136Philanthropy$325,000Youth Development$150,000Health$135,000Arts & Culture$80,000

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 budgetYOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF NORTHWESTERN DUPAGE COUNTY: $4,800,000 over 5y, 24% of budgetTHE MORTON ARBORETUM: $3,160,000 over 5y, 2.6% of budgetThe Orme School: $2,100,000 over 5y, 10% of budgetTHOMAS JEFFERSON SCHOOL: $1,000,000 over 1y, 24% of budgetTHE DUPAGE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $325,000 over 5y, 0.7% of budgetLIMESTONE UNIVERSITY: $275,000 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetCOLLEGE OF DUPAGE FOUNDATION: $260,000 over 5y, 1.6% of budgetTHE THRESHOLDS: $215,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetTHE CONSERVATION FOUNDATION: $150,000 over 3y, 1.5% of budgetSEED YOUR FUTURE INC: $150,000 over 1y, 21% of budgetMAYO CLINIC: $100,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetCAL POLY CORPORATION: $100,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetAMERICAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY: $85,000 over 3y, 1.1% of budgetPARTNRSHP FOR EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS: $78,136 over 2y, 33% of budgetEducare of West DuPage: $70,000 over 5y, 0.3% of budgetFOX VALLEY MUSIC FOUNDATION: $55,000 over 4y, 5.7% of budgetGlen Ellyn Historical Society: $50,000 over 1y, 16% of budgetOPENLANDS: $50,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetCRISIS TEXT LINE INC: $35,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetFRIENDS OF THE FOREST PRESERVE DISTRICT OF DUPAGE COUNTY: $25,000 over 3y, 2.3% of budgetGLEN ELLYN YOUTH & FAMILY COUNSELING SERVICE: $25,000 over 5y, 7.7% of budgetUniversity of Illinois Foundation: $20,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFRIENDS OF THE CHICAGO RIVER: $20,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetWORLD RELIEF CORP OF NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF EVANGELICALS: $15,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetFABRETTO CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetDUPAGE SENIOR CITIZENS COUNCIL: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetFELLOWSHIP OF RECONCILIATION INC: $10,000 over 1y, 1.2% of budgetTHE GET GROWING FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 2.8% of budgetBRIDGE COMMUNITIES INC: $9,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetWESTERN FOLKLIFE CENTER INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetMONTGOMERY BOTANICAL CENTER: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetGLEN ELLYN CHILDRENS RESOURCE CENTER: $4,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetSt Charles Singers: $2,500 over 1y, 0.9% 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 YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF NORTHWESTERN DUPAGE COUNTY ↗
  • Who funds THE MORTON ARBORETUM ↗
  • Who funds The Orme School ↗
  • Who funds THOMAS JEFFERSON SCHOOL ↗
  • Who funds THE DUPAGE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds LIMESTONE UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds COLLEGE OF DUPAGE FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds THE THRESHOLDS ↗
  • Who funds THE CONSERVATION FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds SEED YOUR FUTURE INC ↗
  • Who funds MAYO CLINIC ↗
  • Who funds CAL POLY CORPORATION ↗
  • Who funds AMERICAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ↗
  • Who funds PARTNRSHP FOR EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS ↗
  • Who funds Educare of West DuPage ↗
  • Who funds FOX VALLEY MUSIC FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds Glen Ellyn Historical Society ↗
  • Who funds OPENLANDS ↗
  • Who funds CRISIS TEXT LINE INC ↗

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 Dupage Community …The Chicago Community…Illinois Clean Energy…Northwestern Memorial…Ge Aerospace Foundati…Arthur J Gallagher Fo…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…The Blackbaud Giving …Renaissance Charitabl…Enterprise Holdings F…Vanguard Charitable E…National Philanthropi…
The Dupage Community FoundationIL23.7× affinity9 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Dupage Community Foundation · The Chicago Community Trust · Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation · Northwestern Memorial HealthCare Group · Ge Aerospace Foundation · Arthur J Gallagher Foundation · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · Renaissance Charitable Foundation Inc · Enterprise Holdings Foundation · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · National Philanthropic Trust

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 G Carl Ball Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from G Carl Ball Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%3%10%23%40%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 67%
  • World Relief Corp of National Association of Evangelicals: 67% of income from government
  • Montgomery Botanical Center: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
12report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
1rely 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 80 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 G Carl Ball 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