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Gram Charitable Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Gram Charitable 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.

$56k
Granted FY2025still arriving
10
Grants FY2025still arriving
3
States reached
$15k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Education$172kCommunity Improvement$136kCrime & Legal$56kFood & Nutrition$41kPhilanthropy$25kHuman Services$14kInternational$12kArts & Culture$10kOther$0
02FY2025 · 10 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k9 grants · $41k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $15k
$5,000
Median grant
3
States reached
$1.3M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
CRAYONS TO COMPUTERS$15,000
BLACK MEN TEACH$7,500
906 ADVENTURE TEAM$5,000
NORTHSIDE ACHIEVEMENT ZONE$5,000
M-PACKS - MUNISING PUBLIC SCHOOLS (VIA ALGER REGIONAL COMMUNITY FOUNDATION)$5,000
ALGER COUNTY 4-H$5,000
APPETITE FOR CHANGE$5,000
AVENUES FOR YOUTH$3,000
ISPACE$3,000
OHIO JUSTICE AND POLICY CENTER$2,500
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, $84k) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%BLACK MEN TEACH: $8k → 11%BLACK MEN TEACH: $8k → 11%BLACK MEN TEACH: $8k → 11%BLACK MEN TEACH: $8k → 11%DOING GOOD TOGETHER: $5k → 11%Doing Good Together: $5k → 11%Doing Good Together: $4k → 11%Appetite for Change: $7k → 11%APPETITE FOR CHANGE: $6k → 11%APPETITE FOR CHANGE: $6k → 11%Appetite for Change: $5k → 11%APPETITE FOR CHANGE: $5k → 11%APPETITE FOR CHANGE: $5k → 11%Black Men Teach: $8k → 11%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.

94%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$453k · 13 repeat orgs$31k to everyone else

13 repeat relationships: 7 still active in FY2025, 6 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

13
3

Total granted

$453k
$16k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+24%
+51%

Still filing today

100%
67%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 73% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $15k 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
Human ServicesCrime & LegalYouth DevelopmentPhilanthropyArts & CultureEducationOther
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

  • CF
    CROSSROADS FUND INC
    8× · 2017–2024 · $161k · revenue +167%
  • CA
    CRAYONS AND BEYOND INC
    9× · 2017–2025 · $72k · revenue +45%
  • II
    ISPACE INC
    9× · 2017–2025 · $43k · revenue +14%

Funded once

  • LF
    LITERATURE FOR ALL OF US
    one grant, 2017 · $10k · revenue -75%
  • OD
    OUR DAILY BREAD INCgraduated
    one grant, 2021 · $3k · revenue +51%
  • LN
    LITERACY NETWORK OF GREATER CINCINNATI DBA QUEEN CITY BOOK BANKgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $3k · revenue +155%
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
African Development Center

Grow businesses, build wealth and increase reinvestement in the african communities of minnesota

Human Services
2
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
3
Achieve Now

Achieve now is a philadelphia-based social justice organization that sees literacy as a mechanism to effect social change. our mission is to provide k-2 school children in greater philadelphia with high-quality, culturally competent…

Education
4
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
5
Arise Chicago

Arise chicago builds partnerships between faith communities and workers to fight workplace injustice through education, organizing, and advocating for public policy changes.

Employment
6
Youthbuild Global Inc

With love and respect, we partner with opportunity youth to build the skillsets and mindsets that lead to lifelong learning, livelihood, and leadership. youthbuild strives to create a world where all young people are seen for their…

Employment
7
Leadership Indianapolis Inc

Educate, Inspire, Connect and Mobilize Community Leaders to serve and strengthen greater Indianapolis.

Public Benefit
8
Reach for Resources Inc

Empowering people of all abilities to reach their full potential. we provide individualized services that maximize independence, boosts community engagement and improves physical and emotional well-being.

—
9
Omaha Bridges Out of Poverty Inc

Empowering under-resourced families to change their lives by discovering and overcoming barriers to success.

Human Services
10
Dublin Food Pantry

To eliminate hunger and food insecurity in our community by increasing access to food and necessities for those who need it most within the city of dublin and dublin school district. the dublin food pantry relies on community partnerships,…

Food & Nutrition
11
Opportunity Partners

Mission: together we advance the quality of life for people with disabilities. vision: people of all abilities thrive in the world. values: impact- generate solutions that make a difference. choice - create opportunities for people to lead…

Employment
12
Ampt Advancing Nonprofits

Advancing Nonprofits is committed to strengthening the organizational health and support long-term development of small nonprofits on Chicagos west and south sides while prioritizing Black- and Latine-led community organizations.…

Community Improvement
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Crayons and Beyond Inc; the most unlike its peers is Our Daily Bread 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

17 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. 17 of the 19 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)
6
Early backer (in before they grew)
16/17
Grantees still filing
14/17
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

CROSSROADS FUND INC: $161,000 · OtherCROSSROADS FUND INCLITERATURE FOR ALL OF US: $10,000 · OtherOUR DAILY BREAD: $7,500 · OtherALIGHT: $12,000 · OtherALIGHT+6 more: $27,000 · Other+6 moreBlack Men Teach: $37,500 · Human ServicesBlack Men TeachAPPETITE FOR CHANGE INC: $33,000 · Human ServicesAPPETITE FOR CHANGE…DOING GOOD TOGETHER: $13,500 · Human ServicesDOING GOOD TOGETHERCRAYONS AND BEYOND INC: $72,000 · PhilanthropyCRAYONS AND BEYO…ISPACE INC: $42,500 · Arts & CultureISPACE IN…NORTHSIDE ACHIEVEMENT ZONE: $35,000 · Crime & LegalNORTHSIDE…SANDY HOOK PROMISE FOUNDATION: $6,000 · Crime & LegalSANDY HOO…OHIO JUSTICE AND POLICY CENTER: $15,000 · Civil RightsYouthprise: $12,000 · Education
Other$217,500Human Services$84,000Philanthropy$72,000Arts & Culture$42,500Crime & Legal$41,000Civil Rights$15,000Education$12,000

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

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetCROSSROADS FUND INC: $161,000 over 8y, 1.2% of budgetCRAYONS AND BEYOND INC: $72,000 over 9y, 0.1% of budgetISPACE INC: $42,500 over 9y, 1.1% of budgetBlack Men Teach: $37,500 over 5y, 0.6% of budgetNORTHSIDE ACHIEVEMENT ZONE: $35,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetAPPETITE FOR CHANGE INC: $33,000 over 6y, 0.3% of budgetOHIO JUSTICE AND POLICY CENTER: $15,000 over 6y, 0.2% of budgetDOING GOOD TOGETHER: $13,500 over 3y, 3.1% of budgetYouthprise: $12,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetALIGHT: $12,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetOUR DAILY BREAD: $7,500 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetSANDY HOOK PROMISE FOUNDATION: $6,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetAVENUES FOR YOUTH: $6,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetOUR DAILY BREAD INC: $3,000 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.

  • Who funds CROSSROADS FUND INC ↗
  • Who funds CRAYONS AND BEYOND INC ↗
  • Who funds ISPACE INC ↗
  • Who funds Black Men Teach ↗
  • Who funds NORTHSIDE ACHIEVEMENT ZONE ↗
  • Who funds APPETITE FOR CHANGE INC ↗
  • Who funds OHIO JUSTICE AND POLICY CENTER ↗
  • Who funds DOING GOOD TOGETHER ↗
  • Who funds Youthprise ↗
  • Who funds ALIGHT ↗
  • Who funds LITERATURE FOR ALL OF US ↗
  • Who funds OUR DAILY BREAD ↗
  • Who funds SANDY HOOK PROMISE FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds AVENUES FOR YOUTH ↗
  • Who funds 906 ADVENTURE TEAM ↗
  • Who funds OUR DAILY BREAD INC ↗
  • Who funds LITERACY NETWORK OF GREATER CINCINNATI DBA QUEEN CITY BOOK BANK ↗

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 Minneapolis Found…John a Schroth Family…Elsa M Heisel Sule Ch…Carol Ann and Ralph V…Charities Aid Foundat…The Greater Cincinnat…Saint Paul & Minnesot…Xcel Energy FoundationMightycause Charitabl…Ge Aerospace Foundati…American Online Givin…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…
The Minneapolis FoundationMN14.6× affinity5 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Minneapolis Foundation · John a Schroth Family Char Tr · Elsa M Heisel Sule Charitable Trust 2005 · Carol Ann and Ralph V Haile Jr Foundation · Charities Aid Foundation America · The Greater Cincinnati Foundation · Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation · Xcel Energy Foundation · Mightycause Charitable Foundation · Ge Aerospace Foundation · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Jpmorgan Chase 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 Gram Charitable Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Gram Charitable 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 →median 0%
  • Sandy Hook Promise Foundation: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
6report 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 19 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 Gram’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