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Greer Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Greer 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.

$514k
Granted FY2024still arriving
6
Grants FY2024still arriving
3
States reached
$318k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
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 2024.

Education$6.0MPhilanthropy$630kRecreation & Sports$475kYouth Development$370kHuman Services$301kReligion$284kHealth$188kArts & Culture$87kOther$0
02FY2024 · 6 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k1 grant · $1k
  • $10k–50k2 grants · $35k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $160k
  • $250k+1 grant · $318k
$75,000
Median grant
3
States reached
$32M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Lehigh University Chicago Scholars$317,500
CHICAGO LIGHTS$85,000
NATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TRUST$75,000
The Fourth Presbyterian Church$20,000
DEPAUL UNIVERSITY$15,000
Columbia University$1,000
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 (FY18–21, $126k) land where the poverty rate runs at 10%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 53% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants spread fairly evenly across need levels.

area typical 10%Family Shelter Service: $60k → 7%MUJERES LATINAS EN ACCION: $51k → 14%Mujeres Latinas en Accion Scholars: $16k → 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

ND
IL
NY
SD
PA
CT
CA
MO
VA
AZ
NC
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.
04

Where the work is directed

The same grants placed two ways: where each recipient sits, and where its stated purpose sends the money.

About 9% of Greer Foundation’s grant dollars are earmarked for a different county than the recipient’s own address.

Greer Foundationlessmore of its giving
Placed by recipient address
How this is measured
Recipient view: each grant at its grantee’s ZIP, mapped to a county. Directed view: each grant at the county its stated purpose names, falling back to the recipient’s county when the purpose names no place; US grants only. A county shows only if it carries the top 95% of that view’s dollars. Purposes are read from the funder’s own 990 grant descriptions.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

69%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$5.6M · 27 repeat orgs$2.5M to everyone else

27 repeat relationships: 3 still active in FY2024, 24 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

27
31

Total granted

$5.6M
$2.2M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+41%
+55%

Still filing today

41%
45%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 27% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $318k 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
EducationRecreation & SportsHuman ServicesHealthYouth DevelopmentCommunity 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

  • Northwestern University
    3× · 2017–2019 · $475k · revenue +41%
  • CL
    CHICAGO LIGHTS
    2× · 2018–2024 · $128k · revenue +11%
  • BU
    BREAKTHROUGH URBAN MINISTRIES INC
    2× · 2018–2020 · $118k · revenue +113%

Funded once

  • LU
    LEHIGH UNIVERSITY OFFICE OF ADVANCEMENT
    one grant, 2017 · $285k
  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2020 · $280k
  • LU
    LEHIGH UNIVERSITYgraduated
    one grant, 2018 · $250k · revenue +53%
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
Columbia College Chicago

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

Education
2
Saint Xavier University

Saint xavier university, a catholic institution inspired by the heritage of the sisters of mercy, educates persons to search for truth, think critically, communicate effectively and serve wisely and compassionately in support of human…

Education
3
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology

The Chicago School educates the next generation of change-makers in innovative theory and culturally competent practice to strengthen the integrated health of individuals, organizations, and communities.

Education
4
Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute

The chicago psychoanalytic institute transforms the lives of individuals, families and communities, using psychoanalytic knowledge to help them grow and thrive.

Social Science
5
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
6
Manhattanville University

To educate students to be ethical and socially responsible leaders in a global community.

Education
7
Boston Architectural College

The bac is committed to provide excellence in design education grounded in practice and accessible to diverse communities.

—
8
Xavier University

Xavier is a jesuit catholic university rooted in the liberal arts tradition. our mission is to educate each student intellectually, morally, and spiritually. we create learning opportunities through rigorous academic and professional…

Education
9
University of New Haven

The University of New Haven is a student-centered comprehensive university with an emphasis on excellence in liberal arts and professional education. Our mission is to prepare our students to lead purposeful and fulfilling lives in a…

Education
10
Loyola University

Loyola University New Orleans, a Jesuit and Catholic institution of higher education, welcomes students of diverse backgrounds and prepares them to lead meaningful lives with and for others; to pursue truth, wisdom, and virtue; and to work…

Education
11
Concordia University Chicago

Steadfast in jesus christ as revealed in the holy scriptures, concordia university chicago promotes academic rigor in its liberal arts and professional programs; grounds students in objective truth, integrity, and excellence; and practices…

Education
12
Adler University

The university continues the pioneering work of alfred adler by graduating responsible practitioners for community engagement.

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Breakthrough Urban Ministries Inc; the most unlike its peers is Romanian Evangelistic Med Mission. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
05the grantee network

27 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. 27 of the 61 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)
11
Early backer (in before they grew)
27/27
Grantees still filing
23/27
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Loyola University Chicago Scholars: $640,000 · OtherLoyola University Chicago ScholarsUniversity of Illinois at Chicago: $557,500 · OtherUniversity of Illinois at ChicagoNorthwestern University Scholarships: $555,000 · OtherNorthwestern University ScholarshipsDePaul University Scholars: $351,667 · OtherDePaul University ScholarsLehigh University Chicago Scholars: $317,500 · OtherLEHIGH UNIVERSITY OFFICE OF ADVANCEMENT: $285,000 · OtherIL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY: $285,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $280,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $246,750 · OtherLehigh University - Scholars: $217,500 · OtherRed Cloud Indian School Scholars: $217,000 · Other+33 more: $2,079,142 · Other+33 moreCHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE: $650,000 · EducationCHESTNUT HILL C…LEHIGH UNIVERSITY: $250,000 · EducationLEHIGH UNIVERSI…TURTLE MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE: $93,000 · EducationTURTLE MOUNTAIN…LOYOLA UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO: $92,500 · EducationLOYOLA UNIVERSI…DEPAUL UNIVERSITY: $65,000 · EducationDEPAUL UNIVERSI…GLENWOOD ACADEMY: $42,000 · Education+1 more: $8,000 · EducationNATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TRUST: $585,000 · PhilanthropyNATIONAL …CHICAGO LIGHTS: $128,000 · PhilanthropyCHICAGO L…Northwestern University: $475,000 · Recreation & SportsTHE WYMAN CENTER: $22,200 · Recreation & SportsMUJERES LATINAS EN ACCION: $66,475 · Human ServicesFamily Shelter Service Inc: $60,000 · Human ServicesBOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF CHICAGO: $52,000 · Youth DevelopmentEMBARC INC: $29,000 · Youth DevelopmentASOCIACION LATINA DE ASISTENCIA Y PREVENCION DEL CANCER DE MAMA: $40,000 · HealthIMERMAN ANGELS: $25,000 · Health
Other$6,032,059Education$1,200,500Philanthropy$713,000Recreation & Sports$497,200Human Services$126,475Youth Development$81,000Health$65,000

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 budgetCHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE: $650,000 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetNATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TRUST: $585,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetNorthwestern University: $475,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetLEHIGH UNIVERSITY: $250,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCHICAGO LIGHTS: $128,000 over 2y, 3.2% of budgetBREAKTHROUGH URBAN MINISTRIES INC: $118,000 over 2y, 1.0% of budgetANEW BUILDING BEYOND VIOLENCE AND ABUSE: $100,000 over 2y, 2.0% of budgetTURTLE MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE: $93,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetLOYOLA UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO: $92,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMUJERES LATINAS EN ACCION: $66,475 over 2y, 1.6% of budgetDEPAUL UNIVERSITY: $65,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetFamily Shelter Service Inc: $60,000 over 1y, 6.6% of budgetCURT'S CAFE: $52,804 over 1y, 4.2% of budgetBOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF CHICAGO: $52,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetChicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation: $50,000 over 1y, 2.4% of budgetAPNA GHAR INC: $45,000 over 1y, 1.9% of budgetGLENWOOD ACADEMY: $42,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetASOCIACION LATINA DE ASISTENCIA Y PREVENCION DEL CANCER DE MAMA: $40,000 over 2y, 9.6% of budgetTHE EXPERIMENTAL STATION: $37,130 over 3y, 0.6% of budgetEMBARC INC: $29,000 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetIMERMAN ANGELS: $25,000 over 1y, 2.1% of budgetTHE WYMAN CENTER: $22,200 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetROMANIAN EVANGELISTIC MED MISSION: $15,000 over 1y, 5.3% of budgetTHE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK: $8,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetST COLETTA'S OF ILLINOIS: $7,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetChicago Society of Jungian Analysts DBA CG Jung Institute of Chicago: $3,000 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 CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE ↗
  • Who funds NATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TRUST ↗
  • Who funds Northwestern University ↗
  • Who funds LEHIGH UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds CHICAGO LIGHTS ↗
  • Who funds BREAKTHROUGH URBAN MINISTRIES INC ↗
  • Who funds ANEW BUILDING BEYOND VIOLENCE AND ABUSE ↗
  • Who funds TURTLE MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE ↗
  • Who funds LOYOLA UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO ↗
  • Who funds MUJERES LATINAS EN ACCION ↗
  • Who funds DEPAUL UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds Family Shelter Service Inc ↗
  • Who funds CURT'S CAFE ↗
  • Who funds BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF CHICAGO ↗
  • Who funds Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation ↗

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…Chicago Foundation fo…Circle of Service Fou…Polk Bros Foundation …AbbVie FoundationJohn D and Catherine …Northwestern Memorial…Lloyd a Fry FoundationUnited Way of Metropo…The Network Advocatin…Illinois Coalition Ag…All Chicago Making Ho…
The Chicago Community TrustIL20.6× affinity10 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Chicago Community Trust · Chicago Foundation for Women · Circle of Service Foundation · Polk Bros Foundation Inc · AbbVie Foundation · John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation · Northwestern Memorial HealthCare Group · Lloyd a Fry Foundation · United Way of Metropolitan Chicago Inc · The Network Advocating Against Domestic Violence · Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence · All Chicago Making Homelessness History

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

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%1%3%6%10%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
    0get no government money at all
    7report 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 Greer Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Greer Foundation 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 61 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 Greer’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