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Gary Sinise Foundation at a glanceMostly funded, not a grantmaker: see who funds it →

· Public charity

Gary Sinise Foundation

At the GARY SINISE FOUNDATION, we support our nation's heroes, our veterans, military, those suffering from the invisible wounds of war, first responders, their families, and the families of fallen heroes.

$28M
Granted FY2025still arriving
169
Grants FY2025still arriving
41
States reached
$4.5M
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0199% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Health$24MPublic Safety & Disaster$14MHuman Services$9.2MRecreation & Sports$2.8MEducation$2.7MFood & Nutrition$2.3MArts & Culture$1.8MPublic Benefit$1.5MOther$0
02FY2025 · 169 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 169 grants below total $16,963,328, the rows itemized in this filing. The $27,513,288 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $10,549,960 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k18 grants · $118k
  • $10k–50k102 grants · $2.6M
  • $50k–250k40 grants · $3.7M
  • $250k+9 grants · $10M
$30,000
Median grant
41
States reached
$89M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
BOULDER CREST FOUNDATION$4,500,000
HYPERFORMANCE FOUNDATION$2,000,000
METANOIA FILMS LLC$1,841,750
FRIENDS OF FIREFIGHTERS INC$570,000
TRAINING TO PERFORM UNDER PRESSURE LLC$427,254
TRAVIS MILLS FOUNDATION$350,000
LIGHTHOUSE FAMILY RETREAT INC$284,625
CENTERSTONE$250,000
NO GREATER SACRIFICE FOUNDATION$250,000
MES SERVICE COMPANY LLC$229,920
NEVER ALONE WIDOWS INC$220,500
VALOR PARTNERS FOUNDATION$200,000
WARRIORS HEART VIRGINIA$200,000
THE GRATITUDE INITIATIVE$150,000
2SERVE TOGETHER FOUNDATION$150,000
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 (FY19–25, $18.9M) land where the poverty rate runs at 7%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 4% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $7k → 11%BRAVEST FOOTBALL CLUB INC: $8k → 13%AMERICAN CORPORATE PARTNERS: $100k → 17%BOYS RANCH FIRE DEPARTMENT: $9k → 20%BELIEVE WITH ME: $50k → 11%OPERATION HEALING FORCE: $10k → 12%OPERATION BBQ RELIEF: $56k → 5%AMERICAN MOBILITY PROJECT: $25k → 9%TRELLIS SUPPORTIVE CARE: $9k → 15%HUTS FOR VETS: $25k → 7%HOMETOWN HEROES INC: $85k → 16%BOULDER CREST FOUNDATION: $6.5M → 7%FRANCIS P CHIARAMONTE FAMILY FOUNDATION: $30k → 9%AMERICAN CORPORATE PARTNERS: $75k → 17%FORNEY POLICE DEPARTMENT: $9k → 9%NATIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR MUSEUM FOUNDATION: $100k → 11%PUPPY JAKE FOUNDATION: $40k → 10%OPERATION BBQ RELIEF: $52k → 5%HOMETOWN HEROES INC: $85k → 6%PROJECT 2 HEAL: $8k → 7%ARMED SERVICES YMCA NATIONAL HQ: $15k → 7%BOULDER CREST FOUNDATION: $4.5M → 7%ROBERT IRVINE FOUNDATION INC: $75k → 13%AMERICAS WARRIOR PARTNERSHIP: $50k → 18%THE AVALON FUND: $4.0M → 7%STAND UP AND PLAY FOUNDATION: $25k → 11%ROBERT IRVINE FOUNDATION INC: $25k → 13%THE AVALON FUND: $2.3M → 7%ROBERT IRVINE FOUNDATION INC: $10k → 13%BOULDER CREST RETREAT: $525k → 7%ROBERT IRVINE FOUNDATION: $5k → 13%AMPUTEE BLADE RUNNER: $21k → 14%BOULDER CREST RETREAT: $53k → 7%LOS ANGELES POLICE FOUNDATION: $30k → 14%LOS ANGELES POLICE FOUNDATION: $20k → 14%LOS ANGELES POLICE FOUNDATION: $20k → 14%LOS ANGELES POLICE FOUNDATION: $20k → 14%LOS ANGELES POLICE FOUNDATION: $8k → 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

AK
ME
VT
NH
WA
ID
MT
ND
MN
IL
WI
MI
NY
MA
OR
NV
WY
SD
IA
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
UT
CO
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
AZ
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
DC
HI
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
TX
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.

70%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$45M · 112 repeat orgs$19M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +29% since the first grant, against +6% for those funded once.

112 repeat relationships: 43 still active in FY2025, 69 since wound down; 121 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

112
337

Total granted

$45M
$10M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+29%
+6%

Still filing today

55%
38%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 49% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $8.7M 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
Public Safety & DisasterHuman ServicesPublic BenefitArts & CultureHealthEducationOther
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

  • BC
    BOULDER CREST FOUNDATION
    4× · 2020–2025 · $18M · revenue +34%
  • UO
    UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO FOUNDATION
    3× · 2019–2023 · $2.3M · revenue +58%
  • FO
    Friends of Firefighters Inc
    8× · 2017–2025 · $1.9M · revenue +246% · 45% of their budget

Funded once

  • RO
    REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO
    one grant, 2024 · $500k
  • WH
    WARRIORS HEART
    one grant, 2024 · $428k
  • UN
    US NAVAL ACADEMY
    one grant, 2022 · $299k
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
The Veterans and First Responders
Human Services
2
Marine Volunteer Fire Department

Volunteer fire department the help raise funds to lessen the burden on tax payers.

—
3
Knifley Area Volunteer Fire Department
Public Safety & Disaster
4
Winchester Volunteer Fire Department

to prevent the loss of life and to control or reduce the loss of property by applying all of our knowledge and resources.

Public Safety & Disaster
5
California Volunteer Fire Dept

Provide volunteer firefighting and other emergency services for the community.

Public Safety & Disaster
6
Burnsville Volunteer Fire Department

Mission for burnsville vfd burnsville wv the burnsville vfd provides fire protection fire safety and emergency rescue services to the citizens in its designated area. bvfd serves in a safe efficient manner serving all stakeholders.

Public Safety & Disaster
7
Wilderness Volunteer Fire Department Inc

WVFD provides fire suppression and rescue services to the communities of Nicholas County, WV and surrounding areas.

Public Safety & Disaster
8
Duncanville Volunteer Fire Dept Inc

The mission of the DUNCANVILLE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT, INC. is the delivery of life safety services. The department provides 24-hour emergency response to a variety of critical situations, primarily fires.

—
9
Frelsburg Volunteer Fire Dept

Provide firefighting services for frelsburg, texas area.

Public Safety & Disaster
10
Littleton Volunteer Fire Department Inc

Provide fire and rescue services to the citizens of our fire district

Public Safety & Disaster
11
Marlin Volunteer Fire Department
—
12
Monroeville Volunteer Fire Company No 1

Volunteer fire department including paid ems technicians with the main purpose being public safety, fire prevention and emergency service response.

Public Safety & Disaster
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company Inc; the most unlike its peers is Francis P Chiaramonte Md Family Foundation Inc. 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

236 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

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 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 236 of the 570 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.

37
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
65
Early backer (in before they grew)
219/236
Grantees still filing
130/236
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

BOULDER CREST FOUNDATION: $17,827,500 · Human ServicesBOULDER CREST FOUNDATION+10 more: $948,850 · Human ServicesHYPERFORMANCE FOUNDATION: $2,000,000 · OtherHYPERFORMANCE FOUNDATIONMETANOIA FILMS LLC: $1,841,750 · OtherMETANOIA FILMS LLCVARIOUS FIRE DEPARTMENTS: $995,264 · OtherMUNICIPAL EMERGENCY SERVICES: $896,450 · OtherNever Alone Widows Inc: $1,371,000 · OtherNever Alone Widows IncANGELS OF AMERICA'S FALLEN: $875,000 · Other+125 more: $12,259,158 · Other+125 moreTHE AVALON NETWORK INC: $4,000,000 · HealthTHE AVALO…Lighthouse Family Retreat Inc: $284,625 · HealthLighthous…CENTERSTONE OF TENNESSEE INC: $250,000 · Health+4 more: $453,833 · Health+4 moreUNITED SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS INC: $1,283,711 · Public BenefitNo Greater Sacrifice Foundation: $1,000,000 · Public BenefitTRAVIS MILLS FOUNDATION: $400,000 · Public BenefitWARRIOR REUNION FOUNDATION: $334,000 · Public Benefit2SERVE TOGETHER: $300,000 · Public BenefitWreaths Across America: $290,000 · Public BenefitVISION WARRIORS CORPORATION: $230,000 · Public BenefitThe Independence Fund Inc: $200,000 · Public Benefit+7 more: $451,578 · Public BenefitFriends of Firefighters Inc: $1,922,738 · Public Safety & DisasterFire FamilyTransportation Foundation LTD AKA FDNY Fire Family Transportation Fou: $353,729 · Public Safety & DisasterSeattle Fire Foundation: $144,507 · Public Safety & DisasterLOS ANGELES FIRE DEPARTMENT FOUNDATION: $142,725 · Public Safety & DisasterFindley Lake Volunteer Fireman Asso: $133,370 · Public Safety & Disaster+13 more: $811,314 · Public Safety & DisasterUNIVERSITY OF COLORADO FOUNDATION: $2,300,000 · EducationTHE GRATITUDE INITIATIVE: $645,000 · EducationTexas A&M Foundation: $300,000 · Education+3 more: $190,386 · EducationCREATIVETS: $294,657 · Arts & CultureLone Star Flight Museum: $180,000 · Arts & CultureSONS AND DAUGHTERS IN TOUCH INC: $175,000 · Arts & CultureSTEPPENWOLF THEATRE COMPANY: $124,500 · Arts & CultureWORLD WAR II PAVILIONS INC: $120,000 · Arts & CultureUNITED STATES FOUNDATION FOR THE COMMEMORATION OF WORLD WARS: $118,500 · Arts & CultureCENTER FOR AMERICAN VALUES: $100,000 · Arts & CultureROSIE THE RIVETER TRUST: $100,000 · Arts & CultureTHE EBBETS FIELD WALL OF REMEMBRANCE INC: $100,000 · Arts & CulturePENTAGON MEMORIAL FUND INC: $100,000 · Arts & CultureTHE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MUSEUM INC: $98,468 · Arts & CultureNATIONAL SEPTEMBER 11 MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM AT THE WORLD TRADE CENTER: $66,800 · Arts & Culture
Human Services$18,776,350Other$20,238,622Health$4,988,458Public Benefit$4,489,289Public Safety & Disaster$3,508,383Education$3,435,386Arts & Culture$1,577,925

Showing the 200 largest grantees by grant value.

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 budgetBOULDER CREST FOUNDATION: $17,827,500 over 4y, 22% of budgetTHE AVALON NETWORK INC: $4,000,000 over 2y, 11% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF COLORADO FOUNDATION: $2,300,000 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetFriends of Firefighters Inc: $1,922,738 over 8y, 45% of budgetNever Alone Widows Inc: $1,371,000 over 6y, 64% of budgetUNITED SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS INC: $1,283,711 over 7y, 0.2% of budgetNo Greater Sacrifice Foundation: $1,000,000 over 4y, 14% of budgetANGELS OF AMERICA'S FALLEN: $875,000 over 4y, 34% of budgetTHE GRATITUDE INITIATIVE: $645,000 over 5y, 26% of budgetTRAVIS MILLS FOUNDATION: $400,000 over 3y, 1.6% of budgetFire FamilyTransportation Foundation LTD AKA FDNY Fire Family Transportation Fou: $353,729 over 4y, 49% of budgetWARRIOR REUNION FOUNDATION: $334,000 over 4y, 28% of budget2SERVE TOGETHER: $300,000 over 2y, 57% of budgetTexas A&M Foundation: $300,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetTHE RICHARD NIXON FOUNDATION: $300,000 over 2y, 1.4% of budgetCREATIVETS: $294,657 over 3y, 14% of budgetWreaths Across America: $290,000 over 5y, 0.4% of budgetTAYA AND CHRIS KYLE FOUNDATION SERVICE FAMILY STRONG: $250,000 over 1y, 23% of budgetCENTERSTONE OF TENNESSEE INC: $250,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetVISION WARRIORS CORPORATION: $230,000 over 2y, 77% of budgetVALOR PARTNERS FOUNDATION: $225,000 over 2y, 37% of budgetKNIGHTS OF HEROES FOUNDATION: $221,000 over 5y, 26% of budgetThe Independence Fund Inc: $200,000 over 2y, 1.6% of budgetAMERICAN STUDIES CENTER: $181,000 over 7y, 1.2% of budgetLone Star Flight Museum: $180,000 over 2y, 4.2% of budgetSONS AND DAUGHTERS IN TOUCH INC: $175,000 over 3y, 64% of budgetAMERICAN CORPORATE PARTNERS: $175,000 over 2y, 1.9% of budgetUNITED SERVICE ORGANIZATION USO COUNCIL OF SAN DIEGO: $167,192 over 5y, 15% of budgetJF SHEA THERAPEUTIC RIDING CENTER INC FKA FRAN JOSWICK THERAP RIDING CTR INC: $166,175 over 2y, 2.1% of budgetFRONTLINE HEALING FOUNDATION: $148,600 over 2y, 26% of budgetSeattle Fire Foundation: $144,507 over 1y, 40% of budgetLOS ANGELES FIRE DEPARTMENT FOUNDATION: $142,725 over 5y, 0.9% of budgetOPERATION BBQ RELIEF: $137,950 over 3y, 1.5% of budgetHometown Heroes Inc: $135,000 over 2y, 23% of budgetFindley Lake Volunteer Fireman Asso: $133,370 over 2y, 81% of budgetSTEPPENWOLF THEATRE COMPANY: $124,500 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetWORLD WAR II PAVILIONS INC: $120,000 over 2y, 15% of budgetCamp4Heroes Inc: $116,418 over 8y, 49% of budgetROBERT IRVINE FOUNDATION INC: $115,000 over 4y, 0.9% of budgetBASKETT COMMUNITY FIRE DEPARTMENT: $114,715 over 2y, 11% of budgetTASK FORCE PINEAPPLE INC: $107,773 over 2y, 6.3% of budgetCharity Navigator: $107,500 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetHABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF YANKTON COUNTY: $105,303 over 2y, 22% of budgetAir Warrior Courage Foundation: $100,000 over 2y, 6.5% of budgetGuitars For Vets Inc: $100,000 over 1y, 10% of budgetCENTER FOR AMERICAN VALUES: $100,000 over 1y, 11% of budgetSNOWBALL EXPRESS INC: $100,000 over 1y, 6.1% of budgetROSIE THE RIVETER TRUST: $100,000 over 1y, 8.8% 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 BOULDER CREST FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds THE AVALON NETWORK INC ↗
  • Who funds UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds Friends of Firefighters Inc ↗
  • Who funds Never Alone Widows Inc ↗
  • Who funds UNITED SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS INC ↗
  • Who funds No Greater Sacrifice Foundation ↗
  • Who funds ANGELS OF AMERICA'S FALLEN ↗
  • Who funds THE GRATITUDE INITIATIVE ↗
  • Who funds TRAVIS MILLS FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds Fire FamilyTransportation Foundation LTD AKA FDNY Fire Family Transportation Fou ↗
  • Who funds WARRIOR REUNION FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds 2SERVE TOGETHER ↗
  • Who funds Texas A&M Foundation ↗
  • Who funds THE RICHARD NIXON FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds CREATIVETS ↗
  • Who funds Wreaths Across America ↗
  • Who funds Lighthouse Family Retreat Inc ↗
  • Who funds TAYA AND CHRIS KYLE FOUNDATION SERVICE FAMILY STRONG ↗
  • Who funds CENTERSTONE OF TENNESSEE INC ↗
  • Who funds VISION WARRIORS CORPORATION ↗
  • Who funds VALOR PARTNERS FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds KNIGHTS OF HEROES FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds The Independence Fund Inc ↗
  • Who funds AMERICAN STUDIES CENTER ↗

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.

Wounded Warrior Proje…Tee It Up for the Tro…The Leary Firefighter…Bob Woodruff Family F…Robert Irvine Foundat…Midway Foundation IncPadres FoundationFisher House Foundati…Veterans United Found…Fm FoundationFirehouse Subs Public…Tc Energy Foundation
Wounded Warrior Project IncFL18.4× affinity7 shared granteesties to 8 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Wounded Warrior Project Inc · Tee It Up for the Troops Inc · The Leary Firefighters Foundation · Bob Woodruff Family Foundation Inc · Robert Irvine Foundation Inc · Midway Foundation Inc · Padres Foundation · Fisher House Foundation Inc · Veterans United Foundation · Fm Foundation · Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation Inc · Tc Energy 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 Gary Sinise Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Gary Sinise Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 90%6%25%56%100%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
    9get no government money at all
    21report 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 570 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 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 Gary Sinise’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