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· Private foundation
HERBERT SIMON FAMILY FOUNDATION
This foundation does not accept unsolicited requests — it funds preselected organizations.
$14M
Granted FY2024
4
Grants
2
Communities
$14M
Largest
01What you fund
0197% classified
What you funded, over time
Every grant clustered by its grantee’s IRS cause code (NTEE), by year — across FY2020–2024.
Philanthropy$53MEducation$858kArts & Culture$660kHealth$300kFood & Nutrition$10kYouth Development$5kHuman Services$1kAnimals$500Other$1.8M
02beneath the categories
Past the labels — and the year it shifted
Beneath the NTEE codes, this is what the grant descriptions actually say.
…and in their own words, year by year
2020
indianapolisgreatermuseumkirkus prizeprize winner
2021
kirkus prizeprize winner
2022
literary awardsawards honorshonors authorsauthors fictionfiction nonfictionnonfiction youngyoung readers
2023
literary awardsawards honorshonors authorsauthors fictionfiction nonfictionnonfiction youngyoung readers
Words distinctive to each year’s grant purposes (TF-IDF) · event-driven terms in cyan.
03FY2024 · 4 grants
Where the money goes
Your grants by size, and where they go.
By grant size · FY2024
- $50k–250k3 grants · $150k
- $250k+1 grant · $14M
$50,000
Median grant
2
States reached
$46M
Total assets
Largest grants
- CENTRAL INDIANA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC$13,548,764
- KIRKUS PRIZE WINNER - PERCIVAL EVER$50,000
- KIRKUS PRIZE WINNER - ADAM HIGGINBO$50,000
- KIRKUS PRIZE WINNER - KENNETH M CAD$50,000
02The need
04
Do your dollars go where the need is?
Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, then read against the area’s typical level.
show:
Your human-services grants (FY20–20, $1k) land where the poverty rate runs at 16% — the area typically sits at 12%. 100% of those dollars reach neighborhoods with above-average need. Most of your grants land in higher-need ZIPs.
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
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; grantee ZIP can differ from where services are delivered.
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are actually delivered. Need from public data — U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA, United Way ALICE — shown as context about the area, never attributed to your giving.
03Your field
The map has a center of gravity: the average direction from the rest of the sector toward the organizations the foundation funds — the shape of its giving. Scoring every nonprofit along that direction surfaces the ones that look most like the portfolio. These are the closest matchesthat aren’t grantees — a resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.
1
University of Indianapolis
The mission of the University of Indianapolis is to prepare its graduates for effective membership in the societies in which they live and serve, and for excellence and leadership in their lives.
Education
2
Indiana University Research & Technology
The indiana university research and technology corporation (iurtc) serves indiana university, the state of indiana, and the nation through creation and application of the university developed technologies and services, and the expanded…
Education
3
Indiana University Health Bloomington Inc
Lead the transformation of healthcare through quality, innovation & education, and make Indiana one of the nation's healthiest states.
Health
4
Ymca Foundation of Greater Indianapolis
—
5
Cincinnati Institute of Fine Arts
With funding, services, and advocacy, ArtsWave fuels a more vibrant economy and connected community through the arts.
Arts & Culture
6
Indiana Chamber of Commerce Foundation Inc
The foundation conducts studies, produces reports, and establishes initiatives to generate solutions to enhance indiana's economic future and quality of life.
Education
7
Indianapolis Zoological Society Inc
The mission of the indianapolis zoo is to protect nature and inspire people to care for our world.
Animals
8
Franklin College of Indiana
Franklin College empowers students through an experiential education, grounded in the liberal arts and sciences, promoting impactful careers and meaningful lives.
Education
9
Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis Inc
The Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis, Inc. is the central philanthropic, planning and community relations organization of the Jewish community in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Philanthropy
10
Indiana Biosciences Research Institute Inc
The ibri is an independent life sciences research institute focused on addressing major underserved areas of public health including diabetes, pediatric rare diseases, and alzheimer's disease. the ibri facilitates the growth of the…
Science & Tech
11
Indiana Repertory Theatre Inc
Rooted in the heart of Indiana, Indiana Repertory Theatre is committed to building a vital, vibrant, and informed community through the transformational power of live theatre. The IRT produces inclusive, top-quality, professional theatre…
Arts & Culture
12
DePauw University
DePauw is a nationally-recognized, leading liberal arts college committed to creating an atmosphere of intellectual challenge & engagement that prepares students for lifelong success.
Education
For reference, the grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Wfyi Foundation Inc and the most unlike its peers is Wilkes University. 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
15 grantees, every filing reconciled, 2017–2025.
Each one resolved to its own IRS returns and tracked year by year — your grant beside their revenue.
2
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
15/15
Grantees still filing
12/15
Grew since you first funded
Where your money sits — by cause, then by grantee
Philanthropy$53,082,206Other$1,808,000Education$857,500Arts & Culture$660,000Health$300,000Food & Nutrition$10,000Youth Development$5,000
Each org by its size and your share of it — top-left is where you’re load-bearing
Go grantee by grantee — a decade per org, and how each moved after you funded them
A decade per grantee — revenue shaded, your grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.
- Who funds CENTRAL INDIANA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC ↗
- Who funds INDIANA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION ↗
- Who funds CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF INDIANAPOLIS INC ↗
- Who funds ESKENAZI HEALTH FOUNDATION ↗
- Who funds COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF WESTERN NEVADA ↗
- Who funds COMMUNITY KITCHEN INC ↗
- Who funds BRENTWOOD SCHOOL ↗
- Who funds WFYI FOUNDATION ↗
- Who funds RIGHTFIT ↗
- Who funds NEWFIELDS ↗
- Who funds BIG GREEN ↗
- Who funds GIRLS ON THE RUN - SIERRAS ↗
The grantmakers whose grantees overlap with yours far more than size alone predicts. Each orbits closer the stronger the alignment; the arcs between them show where they also fund each other. Here it reads as a tightly interlocked camp — most of these funders back each other's grantees too.
The Indianapolis Foundation IncIN22× affinity8 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →
Open a dossier: The Indianapolis Foundation Inc · Central Indiana Community Foundation Inc · Lilly Endowment Inc · United Way of Central Indiana Inc · Dorsey Foundation Inc · Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis Inc · Eugene & Marilyn Glick Foundation · Nicholas H Noyes Jr Memorial · Lumina Foundation for Education Inc · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · The Saltsburg Fund Charitable Trust Xxxxx4005 · Griffith Family Foundation Inc
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. A research starting point: overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.
Government reliance of your grantees
Every dot is one organisation HERBERT SIMON FAMILY FOUNDATION funds. Left–right is the share of its income from government; up–down is the share from you. Bigger dots raise more. Filter to federal or a single department — and drag the year to watch it move.
2024
’20’21’22’23’24
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–10%
typical government reliance, FY20–24
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. An association, not a claim that your grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first — a floor, not 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 12–24 months.
04Through Plinth
Through Plinth
Your grantmaking, live and operational
This dossier was generated cold from public filings. In Plinth it’s a working system — every applicant assessed and every grant monitored. Here’s a taste, run on one of your grantees: COMMUNITY KITCHEN INC.
Agentic due diligence · confidence × risk
Financial management
insufficient risk
Limited financial data in public filings.
Track record & reputation
low risk
8 years of Form 990 filings, still active; revenue up +78% since.
Legal standing
low risk
US 501(c)(3); EIN 550622813 on file with current IRS Form 990 filings.
Governance
Live in Plinth
Board composition & governance documents — verified live in Plinth from the applicant.
Compliance & sanctions
Live in Plinth
OFAC / UN sanctions screening — run live in Plinth at assessment.
Program capacity
Live in Plinth
Staffing, M&E and activity alignment — assessed live in Plinth from submitted proposals.
Live · Plinth’s real DD engine
Run the actual assessment on COMMUNITY KITCHEN INC, cold from public data.
Generated live from public IRS filings + open web sources by Plinth’s agentic engine. Shown as an illustration of the product, not a formal assessment.
Post-award monitoring · continuous checks
- Awaiting reportFinancial stability— Runway not derivable from filings.
- On trackSustained operations— Filing through 2024; revenue grew over the period.
- WatchReliance on your funding— Your grants peaked at 96% of their budget — load-bearing; a dependency Plinth would track.
- Awaiting reportEvidence of delivery— Plinth collects the grantee's own monitoring reports post-award.
What you see here is static and public. In Plinth it’s operational — the full six-pillar framework on every applicant (with their own documents + live registry and sanctions checks), monitoring dashboards on every award, custom board reports, and eligibility routing for intake.
Agentic due diligenceMonitoring dashboardsCustom board reportsEligibility routing
Preview generated from this grantee’s public IRS filings and independent reporting. Pillars marked “live in Plinth” require the applicant’s submitted documents. Shown as illustration, not a formal assessment.
Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPro
How do I get to Herbert Simon Family Foundation?
Find your warmest path to Herbert Simon Family Foundation through people who sit on both boards. Search for your organization and Plinth traces the introduction across shared trustees and officers.
Every link is a documented governance overlap in public IRS 990 filings — not a personal network — and each hop carries its own confidence tier. Low-confidence or distant paths are held back rather than guessed.
More from the funding graph
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars pass through an intermediary
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
Strange bedfellows
the named clusters of US funding
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home
State money flows
the interactive map of money crossing state lines