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Ohio · Public charity

I Know I Can

Ikic inspires and equips central ohio students with the knowledge, resources, and support needed to achieve their dreams through postsecondary education and career readiness.

$2.1M
Granted FY2025(still arriving)
40
Itemized grants FY2025
17
Organizations funded FY2024
12%
First-time grantees FY2024
Read the full brief
Itemized, FY2025
$2.0M
The rest is grants the schedule does not break out
Median grant, FY2025
$18,211
Largest grant, FY2025
$662,638
Organizations funded a year
17 to 38
FY2018 to FY2024
States reached, FY2025
10
Total assets, FY2025
$47M

How open it is to new grantees

In FY2024, 12% of the organizations I Know I Can funded were first-time grantees, receiving 35% of its grant dollars.

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 65% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $366k went to new ones.

50%100%’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
EducationRecreation & SportsOther
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.
The numbers by year
Fiscal yearOrganizations fundedTo those organizationsFirst-time grantees
FY2025still arriving38$2.0M45%
FY202417$1.0M12%
FY202329$1.3M21%
FY202223$1.1M0%
FY202125$1.2M8%
FY202028$1.2M11%
FY201921$1.0M0%
FY201838$1.2M24%
100% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Education$11M

Where its grants go

Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.

Which US states its grants reach

VT
IL
MI
NY
MA
IN
OH
CA
MO
KY
VA
MD
NC
DC
LA
AL
GA
TX

Top grantees

Largest recipients by total granted, FY2017 to FY2025, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.

GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Ohio State University Foundation$2,765,70970%
Columbus State Community College Development Foundation Inc$1,173,23786%
The Ohio State University$1,079,7542n/a
Otterbein University$831,85190%
The University of Cincinnati Foundation$361,42290%
Denison University$361,14790%
The Ohio University Foundation$357,27680%
Central State University Foundation$336,23181%
Wright State University Foundation Inc$302,54791%
Ohio Dominican University$298,11990%
Show all 71 grantees
All grantees of I Know I Can by total granted
GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Ohio State University Foundation$2,765,70970%
Columbus State Community College Development Foundation Inc$1,173,23786%
The Ohio State University$1,079,7542n/a
Otterbein University$831,85190%
The University of Cincinnati Foundation$361,42290%
Denison University$361,14790%
The Ohio University Foundation$357,27680%
Central State University Foundation$336,23181%
Wright State University Foundation Inc$302,54791%
Ohio Dominican University$298,11990%
Columbus State Community College$271,2121n/a
Capital University$267,57090%
Bowling Green State University Foundation Inc$252,85080%
The University of Akron Foundation$224,00070%
Kent State University Foundation$175,15070%
The Howard University$136,10060%
North Carolina a & T State University$122,7008n/a
Kentucky State University Foundation Inc$104,25053%
Ohio Wesleyan University$98,21060%
Columbus College of Art & Design$95,01170%
Miami University Foundation$82,9254n/a
Kenyon College$82,40030%
University of Toledo Foundation Driscoll Center$81,8006n/a
University of Dayton$77,00030%
Central State University$72,5961n/a
Ohio University$61,7041n/a
Clark Atlanta University Inc$58,60040%
Tiffin University$56,40040%
The Board of Directors of Wittenberg College$44,48930%
Kentucky State University$42,2501n/a
New York University$41,20030%
University of Toledo$40,6002n/a
Mount Carmel College of Nursing$40,10040%
The Morgan State University Foundation Inc$40,00030%
Cornell University$40,00030%
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill$40,0004n/a
University of Chicago$40,00040%
Wilberforce University Wilberforce University$39,70040%
Bowling Green State University$35,1491n/a
Spelman College$33,90030%
Eastern Michigan University Foundation$30,60030%
Washington University$30,00030%
Georgetown University$30,00030%
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology$30,00020%
Board of the University of Alabama$29,8002n/a
Tuskegee University$29,59430%
Xavier University$26,00020%
Northwestern University$21,20020%
Columbia College Chicago$21,20020%
Oberlin College$20,00020%
Miami University$19,0522n/a
The University of Akron$18,2111n/a
Notre Dame College$16,20020%
Ashland University$15,00020%
Kent State University$13,6501n/a
Berklee College of Music Inc$12,50010%
Earlham College Inc$11,20010%
Morehouse College$11,20010%
William Marsh Rice University$10,00010%
Trustees of Purdue University$10,0001n/a
President and Fellows of Middlebury College$10,0001n/a
Bennett College$10,00010%
Xavier University of Louisiana$10,00010%
Franklin University$9,75010%
Youngstown State University$7,2001n/a
Hocking College$6,0001n/a
Hampton University$6,00010%
Winston-Salem State University$6,0001n/a
Wilmington College$5,40010%
Central Michigan University$5,3341n/a
Eastern Kentucky University Foundation Inc$5,31810%

Where it is load-bearing

Each grantee by its size and the share of its budget I Know I Can supplied at peak.

25%50%75%100%$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetOhio State University Foundation: $2,765,709 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetColumbus State Community College Development Foundation Inc: $1,173,237 over 8y, 5.8% of budgetOtterbein University: $831,851 over 9y, 0.1% of budgetThe University of Cincinnati Foundation: $361,422 over 9y, 0.1% of budgetDenison University: $361,147 over 9y, 0.0% of budgetThe Ohio University Foundation: $357,276 over 8y, 0.2% of budgetCentral State University Foundation: $336,231 over 8y, 1.2% of budgetWright State University Foundation Inc: $302,547 over 9y, 0.6% of budgetOhio Dominican University: $298,119 over 9y, 0.1% of budgetCapital University: $267,570 over 9y, 0.0% of budgetBowling Green State University Foundation Inc: $252,850 over 8y, 0.2% of budgetThe University of Akron Foundation: $224,000 over 7y, 0.2% of budgetKent State University Foundation: $175,150 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetThe Howard University: $136,100 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetKentucky State University Foundation Inc: $104,250 over 5y, 3.0% of budgetOhio Wesleyan University: $98,210 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetColumbus College of Art & Design: $95,011 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetKenyon College: $82,400 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetUniversity of Dayton: $77,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetClark Atlanta University Inc: $58,600 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetTiffin University: $56,400 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetThe Board of Directors of Wittenberg College: $44,489 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetNew York University: $41,200 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetMount Carmel College of Nursing: $40,100 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetThe Morgan State University Foundation Inc: $40,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetCornell University: $40,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetUniversity of Chicago: $40,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetWilberforce University Wilberforce University: $39,700 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetSpelman College: $33,900 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetEastern Michigan University Foundation: $30,600 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetWashington University: $30,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetGeorgetown University: $30,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetRose-Hulman Institute of Technology: $30,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTuskegee University: $29,594 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetXavier University: $26,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNorthwestern University: $21,200 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetColumbia College Chicago: $21,200 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetOberlin College: $20,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNotre Dame College: $16,200 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetAshland University: $15,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetBerklee College of Music Inc: $12,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetEarlham College Inc: $11,200 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMorehouse College: $11,200 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWilliam Marsh Rice University: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBennett College: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetXavier University of Louisiana: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFranklin University: $9,750 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHampton University: $6,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budget

Tap a dot to name the grantee.

How this is measured
Share of budget is the funder’s grant in a year over the grantee’s total revenue that year, at its highest across the years we hold; revenue is from all sources. Only grantees confirmed against their own filings, whose grants do not exceed their revenue, are plotted: the largest 50.

Nonprofits that may fit its grantmaking

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.

Columbus FoundationNational Collegiate A…The Dayton FoundationThe Ohio Foundation o…Folds of Honor Founda…The Cleveland Foundat…Ascendium Education S…Tulsa Community Found…Community Foundations…Ohio Aerospace Instit…Prevention Action All…Ingram-White Castle F…
Columbus FoundationOH33.1× affinity16 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Columbus Foundation · National Collegiate Athletic Association · The Dayton Foundation · The Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges · Folds of Honor Foundation · The Cleveland Foundation · Ascendium Education Solutions Inc · Tulsa Community Foundation · Community Foundations Inc · Ohio Aerospace Institute · Prevention Action Alliance · Ingram-White Castle 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.

Compare I Know I Can with peer funders

About I Know I Can

How much does I Know I Can give?
I Know I Can reported 40 itemized grants totaling $1,993,005, out of $2,086,063 in total grant expense reported on the return in its FY2025 IRS filing. It funded between 17 and 38 organizations a year over FY2018 to FY2024.
What does I Know I Can fund?
By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2025, its largest causes are Education (100%).
Who are I Know I Can's largest grantees?
By total granted over FY2017 to FY2025: Ohio State University Foundation ($2.8M), Columbus State Community College Development Foundation Inc ($1.2M), The Ohio State University ($1.1M).
Does I Know I Can fund new organizations?
In FY2024, 12% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
Which funders back the same organizations as I Know I Can?
Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include Columbus Foundation, National Collegiate Athletic Association, The Dayton Foundation.
Where is I Know I Can based?
I Know I Can is based in OH.

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 73 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 I Know I Can’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