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Header Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Header Family 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.

$539k
Granted FY2025still arriving
37
Grants FY2025still arriving
9
States reached
$500k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0188% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2022 to 2025.

Education$1.5MHealth$24kCommunity Improvement$15kHousing & Shelter$14kPublic Safety & Disaster$12kHuman Services$12kReligion$12kAnimals$8kOther$0
02FY2025 · 37 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k36 grants · $39k
  • $250k+1 grant · $500k
$1,000
Median grant
9
States reached
$3.0M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
ALVERNIA UNIVERSITY$500,000
UPPER CANYON OUTREACH$7,500
MISSION CHURCH MYERSTOWN$4,500
ADALYN ROSE FOUNDATION$2,500
FOUNDATION FOR FREE ENTERPRISE EDUCATION$2,085
PAWS$1,250
GREEN STREET RESCUE$1,030
Individual grant recipient$1,000
KEYSTONE HOOK AND LADDER$1,000
ECHOES$1,000
LEBANON RESCUE MISSION$1,000
FIRST FRUITS FARM$1,000
PINE GROVE COMMUNITY GARDEN$1,000
MILAGRO HOUSE$1,000
RODALE INSTITUTE$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 (FY22–25, $13k) land where the poverty rate runs at 9%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 30% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%TODAY IS A GOOD DAY: $1k → 7%HOSPICE OF CENTRAL PA: $500 → 12%MILGRO HOUSE: $1k → 9%MILAGRO HOUSE: $1k → 9%MILAGRO HOUSE: $1k → 9%MILAGRO HOUSE: $1k → 9%NORTH STAR INITIATIVE: $1k → 9%NORTH STAR INITIATIVE: $1k → 9%NORTH STAR INITIATIVE: $1k → 9%ADALYN ROSE FOUNDATION: $3k → 11%ADALYN ROSE FOUNDATION: $800 → 11%NORTH STAR INITIATIVE: $1k → 9%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

MT
MN
NY
PA
NJ
CO
VA
MD
AR
DC
LA
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.

99%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.6M · 35 repeat orgs$14k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +7% since the first grant, against 0% for those funded once.

35 repeat relationships: 31 still active in FY2025, 4 since wound down; 6 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

35
20

Total granted

$1.6M
$10k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+7%
0%

Still filing today

57%
40%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 99% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $5k went to new ones.

50%100%’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’22’23’24’25
Human ServicesAnimalsPublic Safety & DisasterHealthFood & NutritionYouth DevelopmentOther
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

  • AU
    ALVERNIA UNIVERSITY
    3× · 2023–2025 · $1.5M · revenue +9%
  • FF
    FOUNDATION FOR FREE ENTERPRISE EDUCATION
    3× · 2023–2025 · $5k · revenue +21%
  • WS
    WATER STREET MINISTRIES
    4× · 2022–2025 · $4k · revenue +24%

Funded once

  • PS
    PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
    one grant, 2023 · $1k
  • EM
    EVERY MOTHERS ADVOCATE
    one grant, 2023 · $1k
  • CW
    CHURCH WORLD SERVICE INCgraduated
    one grant, 2023 · $1k · revenue +28%
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
Affilia Home Health

Affilia home health is a community service organization in pennsylvania that provides comprehensive home health care to people of all ages in lancaster, berks, chester, schuylkill and dauphin counties and their surrounding area, regardless…

—
2
Lancaster Township Fire Department

The mission of the lancaster township fire department is to serve the community by protecting lives,property and the environment in a safe, efficient and professional manner. the fire department is responsible for extinguishing fires, fire…

Public Safety & Disaster
3
Bethlehem Haven of Pittsburgh

To provide a continuum of care for homeless individuals that leads toward self-sufficiency.

Human Services
4
Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation
Education
5
Cranberry Township Emergency Medical Service

To preserve life and promote health and safety in our community.

Health
6
Chambersburg Hospital

The chambersburg hospital is a regional non-profit health care organization committed to the improvement of the health and well-being of the people in southcentral pennsylvania.

Health
7
Penryn Fire Company 1 Inc

Volunteer fire company

Public Safety & Disaster
8
Pittsburgh Mercy Health System Inc

We, pittsburgh mercy health system (pittsburgh mercy) and trinity health, serve together in the spirit of the gospel as a compassionate and transforming healing presence within our communities. pittsburgh mercy is a member of trinity…

Health
9
Upmc Carlisle

Upmc carlisle's mission is to serve the community by providing access to outstanding patient care and to shape tomorrow's health care system through clinical and technological innovation, research and education.

Health
10
Penn Highlands Healthcare Inc

Our community-based and controlled health care system exists to improve regional access to a wide array of premier primary care and advanced health services while supporting a reverence for life and the worth and dignity of each individual.

Health
11
Lehigh Valley Health Network

We heal, comfort, and care for the people of our community by providing advanced and compassionate health care of superior quality and value supported by education and clinical research.

—
12
Pocono Health System

We heal, comfort and care for the people of our community by providing advanced and compassionate health care of superior quality and value supported by education and clinical research.

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Water Street Ministries; the most unlike its peers is Bethel Community Ambulance. 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 62 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)
4
Early backer (in before they grew)
32/33
Grantees still filing
19/33
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

ALVERNIA UNIVERSITY: $1,500,000 · OtherALVERNIA UNIVERSITY+42 more: $90,791 · Other+42 moreNORTH STAR INITIATIVE: $4,000 · Human ServicesMILAGRO HOUSE INC: $4,000 · Human ServicesWATER STREET MINISTRIES: $3,500 · Human ServicesADALYN ROSE FOUNDATION: $3,300 · Human ServicesTODAY IS A GOOD DAY: $1,000 · Human Services+1 more: $500 · Human ServicesKeystone Hook & Ladder Company No 1: $3,000 · Public Safety & DisasterNEPTUNE FIRE COMPANY NO 1: $2,000 · Public Safety & DisasterMARION VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY: $2,000 · Public Safety & DisasterTHE CAJUN NAVY RELIEF INC: $1,000 · Public Safety & DisasterFOUNDATION FOR FREE ENTERPRISE EDUCATION: $4,985 · Youth DevelopmentHUMANE SOCIETY OF LEBANON COUNTY: $2,000 · AnimalsGREEN STREET RESCUE: $1,030 · AnimalsPILOTS TO THE RESCUE INC: $500 · AnimalsHUMANE PENNSYLVANIA: $500 · AnimalsGREEN AMERICA: $350 · AnimalsRodale Institute: $2,000 · Food & NutritionFIRST FRUITS FARM INC: $2,000 · Food & NutritionLANCASTER COUNTY CAREER & TECHNOLOGY FOUNDATION: $2,000 · Education
Other$1,590,791Human Services$16,300Public Safety & Disaster$8,000Youth Development$4,985Animals$4,380Food & Nutrition$4,000Education$2,000

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 budgetALVERNIA UNIVERSITY: $1,500,000 over 3y, 0.5% of budgetFOUNDATION FOR FREE ENTERPRISE EDUCATION: $4,985 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetNORTH STAR INITIATIVE: $4,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetMILAGRO HOUSE INC: $4,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetCLARE HOUSE INC: $4,000 over 4y, 0.3% of budgetWATER STREET MINISTRIES: $3,500 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetADALYN ROSE FOUNDATION: $3,300 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetKeystone Hook & Ladder Company No 1: $3,000 over 4y, 0.4% of budgetRICHLAND COMMUNITY LIBRARY INC: $2,250 over 4y, 0.9% of budgetNEPTUNE FIRE COMPANY NO 1: $2,000 over 4y, 0.4% of budgetMARION VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY: $2,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetRodale Institute: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetHUMANE SOCIETY OF LEBANON COUNTY: $2,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetFIRST FRUITS FARM INC: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetLANCASTER COUNTY CAREER & TECHNOLOGY FOUNDATION: $2,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetLEBANON RESCUE MISSION INC: $2,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetMOTHERS AGAINST DRUNK DRIVING: $1,800 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetERIE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $1,400 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetKUTZTOWN COMMUNITY FIRE COMPANY: $1,150 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetCHURCH WORLD SERVICE INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE CAJUN NAVY RELIEF INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTODAY IS A GOOD DAY: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetNATIONAL VACCINE INFORMATION CENTER: $800 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetBethel Community Ambulance: $800 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetHOSPICE OF CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHUMANE PENNSYLVANIA: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGREEN AMERICA: $350 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNAMI National: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHABITAT FOR HUMANITY INC: $250 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetFOUR RIVERS COMMUNITY BROADCASTING CORPO: $150 over 1y, 0.0% 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 ALVERNIA UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds FOUNDATION FOR FREE ENTERPRISE EDUCATION ↗
  • Who funds NORTH STAR INITIATIVE ↗
  • Who funds MILAGRO HOUSE INC ↗
  • Who funds CLARE HOUSE INC ↗
  • Who funds WATER STREET MINISTRIES ↗
  • Who funds ADALYN ROSE FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds Keystone Hook & Ladder Company No 1 ↗
  • Who funds RICHLAND COMMUNITY LIBRARY INC ↗
  • Who funds NEPTUNE FIRE COMPANY NO 1 ↗
  • Who funds MARION VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY ↗
  • Who funds Rodale Institute ↗
  • Who funds HUMANE SOCIETY OF LEBANON COUNTY ↗
  • Who funds FIRST FRUITS FARM INC ↗
  • Who funds LANCASTER COUNTY CAREER & TECHNOLOGY FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds LEBANON RESCUE MISSION INC ↗
  • Who funds MOTHERS AGAINST DRUNK DRIVING ↗
  • Who funds ERIE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds KUTZTOWN COMMUNITY FIRE COMPANY ↗
  • Who funds GREEN STREET RESCUE ↗
  • Who funds CHURCH WORLD SERVICE INC ↗
  • Who funds THE CAJUN NAVY RELIEF INC ↗
  • Who funds TODAY IS A GOOD DAY ↗

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 Pfizer Foundation…Ppl FoundationClark Associates Char…The Foundation for En…Lancaster County Comm…Firstenergy FoundationVerizon FoundationAmerican Endowment Fo…Charities Aid Foundat…Vanguard Charitable E…Natl Christian Charit…American Online Givin…
The Pfizer Foundation IncNY16.1× affinity14 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Pfizer Foundation Inc · Ppl Foundation · Clark Associates Charitable Foundation · The Foundation for Enhancing Communities · Lancaster County Community Foundation · Firstenergy Foundation · Verizon Foundation · American Endowment Foundation · Charities Aid Foundation America · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Natl Christian Charitable Fdn Inc · American Online Giving Foundation Inc

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 Header Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Header Family 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 26%
  • First Fruits Farm Inc: 26% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
9report 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 62 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 Header 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