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James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust at a glance

· Private foundation

James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust

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.

$764k
Granted FY2025still arriving
24
Grants FY2025still arriving
8
States reached
$150k
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$2.0MYouth Development$417kPublic Benefit$215kHuman Services$176kFood & Nutrition$130kHealth$125kInternational$55kEnvironment$55kOther$0
02FY2025 · 24 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k5 grants · $4k
  • $10k–50k13 grants · $285k
  • $50k–250k6 grants · $475k
$25,000
Median grant
8
States reached
$267k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
CASA SAN JOSE$150,000
MANCHESTER YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CENTER$90,057
UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH$75,000
CAMBIAR EDUCATION$60,000
FEEDING AMERICA$50,000
ALLEGHENY LAND TRUST$50,000
ACLU$40,000
Individual grant recipient$30,000
COVENANT HOUSE$25,000
WHEATON COLLEGE$25,000
UNICEF USA$25,000
PLANNED PARENTHOOD$25,000
GREATER PITTSBURGH COMMUNITY FOOD BANK$25,000
CRISIS CENTER NORTH$25,000
BIG BROTHERS & BIG SISTERS OF NNM$15,000
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 (FY25–25, $175k) 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%CASA SAN JOSE: $150k → 11%CRISIS CENTER NORTH: $25k → 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.

Which US states its grants reach

IL
NY
IA
PA
NJ
CA
NM
DC
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.

87%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$2.9M · 14 repeat orgs$432k to everyone else

14 repeat relationships: 10 still active in FY2025, 4 since wound down; 13 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

14
4

Total granted

$2.9M
$118k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+40%
+55%

Still filing today

71%
50%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 58% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $314k 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
EducationHuman ServicesInternationalHealthFood & 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

  • UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH
    6× · 2018–2025 · $1.3M · revenue +40%
  • MA
    MANCHESTER ACADEMIC CHARTER SCHOOL
    5× · 2017–2023 · $425k · revenue +79%
  • MY
    MANCHESTER YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CENTER INC
    4× · 2021–2025 · $375k · revenue +122%

Funded once

  • BC
    BIBLE CENTER CHURCH - OASIS PROJECT
    one grant, 2020 · $50k
  • OB
    OPERATION BETTER BLOCK INCgraduated
    one grant, 2021 · $40k · revenue +55%
  • HC
    HOMEWOOD CHIDREN'S VILLAGE
    one grant, 2018 · $25k · revenue -22%
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
Point Park University

Provides innovative education in a dynamic urban setting. dedicated to academic excellence and community engagement,we prepare students of diverse backgrounds with the knowledge, skill,and experience to lead meaningful lives as informed…

—
2
Pennsylvania Academic Library Consortium Inc

To support education and research at college, university, and research libraries.

Education
3
Pittsburgh Council On Higher Education

To provide a means for sharing resources and information among members, engage in joint projects, and offer a common voice on educational matters.

Education
4
Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation

Pidc plans and implements economic development initiatives (see schedule o) which enhance the competitive environment, generate jobs and produce higher tax ratables throughout philadelphia.

Community Improvement
5
Delaware Valley University

See schedule o.we are inspired by the ideals of our founder who, in 1896, emphasized respect for all people and ideas, who honored knowledge with practice, progress and the common good. our historical commitment to experiential learning…

—
6
The Philadelphia School

The philadelphia school educates children for a future that is impossible to know but not impossible to shape. learn here. go anywhere.

—
7
Community Action Commission

Commmunity action commission's mission is to build on the strengths and resources available, provide solutions, for complex issues, and empower individuals, families, and communities to move out of poverty.

Human Services
8
Pidc Development Management Corporation

Pidc dmc administers and coordinates various development projects for the city and other not-for-profit entities.

Community Improvement
9
United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey

United way's mission is to end intergenerational poverty in our region by harnessing, leveraging and strategically investing the collective power of donors, advocates and volunteers, to help individuals and families break the cycle of…

Philanthropy
10
The Trustees of Princeton University

Research, education and general - princeton university is a private not-for-profit, non-sectarian institution of higher learning with approximately 5,700 undergraduate and 3,300 graduate students. 2,500 students graduated in the 2024-2025…

Education
11
Philabundance

PHILABUNDANCE WAS FOUNDED IN 1984 WITH THE SIMPLE BELIEF THAT NO ONE SHOULD GO HUNGRY WHILE HEALTHY FOOD GOES TO WASTE. OUR MISSION IS TO DRIVE HUNGER FROM OUR COMMUNITIES TODAY AND TO END HUNGER FOR GOOD. We have a commitment to always…

Food & Nutrition
12
Central Pennsylvania Food Bank

Our mission is to solve hunger in central pennsylvania by ensuring that everyone struggling with hunger has access to enough wholesome food every day. we will achieve this bold goal with the help of our generous donors, volunteers and…

Food & Nutrition
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is University of Pittsburgh; the most unlike its peers is Feeding America. 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

22 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. 22 of the 32 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)
22/22
Grantees still filing
12/22
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH: $1,310,000 · EducationUNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGHMANCHESTER ACADEMIC CHARTER SCHOOL: $425,000 · EducationMANCHESTER ACADEMIC CHARTER SCHOOLMANCHESTER YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CENTER INC: $375,057 · EducationMANCHESTER YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CENTER INCREADING QUEST: $125,000 · EducationCAMBIAR EDUCATION: $110,000 · Education+3 more: $33,000 · EducationACLU: $50,000 · OtherACLUBIBLE CENTER CHURCH - OASIS PROJECT: $50,000 · OtherBIBLE CENTE…OPERATION BETTER BLOCK INC: $40,000 · OtherOPERATION B…Individual grant recipient: $30,000 · OtherIndividual …BIG BROTHERS & BIG SISTERS OF NNM: $17,000 · OtherHABITAT FOR HUMANITY: $15,000 · OtherQUEENS GAMBIT CHESS INSTITUTE: $15,000 · OtherNEW YORK TIMES NEDDIEST CASES FUND: $12,500 · OtherPLANNED PARENTHOOD OF WESTERN PA INC: $25,000 · OtherPLANNED PAR…COVENANT HOUSE INC: $25,000 · OtherCOVENANT HO…UNITED STATES FUND FOR UNICEF: $25,000 · OtherUNITED STAT…HOMEWOOD CHIDREN'S VILLAGE: $25,000 · OtherHOMEWOOD CH…FRESH AIR FUND: $15,000 · Other+4 more: $3,515 · OtherPA Alliance Foundation: $215,000 · Civil RightsCASA SAN JOSE: $150,000 · Human ServicesCRISIS CENTER NORTH INC: $25,000 · Human ServicesFeeding America: $90,000 · Food & NutritionGREATER PITTSBURGH COMMUNITY FOOD BANK: $37,500 · Food & NutritionPARTNERS IN PROGRESS INC: $75,000 · EmploymentALLEGHENY LAND TRUST: $55,000 · Environment
Education$2,378,057Other$348,015Civil Rights$215,000Human Services$175,000Food & Nutrition$127,500Employment$75,000Environment$55,000

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

25%50%75%100%$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetUNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH: $1,310,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetMANCHESTER ACADEMIC CHARTER SCHOOL: $425,000 over 5y, 4.1% of budgetMANCHESTER YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CENTER INC: $375,057 over 4y, 13% of budgetPA Alliance Foundation: $215,000 over 5y, 4.2% of budgetCASA SAN JOSE: $150,000 over 1y, 4.1% of budgetREADING QUEST: $125,000 over 3y, 9.7% of budgetCAMBIAR EDUCATION: $110,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetFeeding America: $90,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetPARTNERS IN PROGRESS INC: $75,000 over 3y, 0.5% of budgetALLEGHENY LAND TRUST: $55,000 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetOPERATION BETTER BLOCK INC: $40,000 over 1y, 2.5% of budgetGREATER PITTSBURGH COMMUNITY FOOD BANK: $37,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetWheaton College: $30,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetUNITED STATES FUND FOR UNICEF: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCRISIS CENTER NORTH INC: $25,000 over 1y, 1.4% of budgetPLANNED PARENTHOOD OF WESTERN PA INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetHOMEWOOD CHIDREN'S VILLAGE: $25,000 over 1y, 1.1% of budgetCOVENANT HOUSE INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetTHE FOUNDATION FOR INDIANA UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA (IUP): $2,500 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.

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 Pittsburgh Founda…Richard King Mellon F…The Heinz EndowmentsThe Grable FoundationHillman Family Founda…The Forbes FundsThe Buhl FoundationPoise FoundationTides FoundationVanguard Charitable E…National Philanthropi…The Bank of America C…
The Pittsburgh FoundationPA22.6× affinity9 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Pittsburgh Foundation · Richard King Mellon Foundation · The Heinz Endowments · The Grable Foundation · Hillman Family Foundations · The Forbes Funds · The Buhl Foundation · Poise Foundation · Tides Foundation · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · National Philanthropic Trust · The Bank of America Charitable 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 James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from James & Noel Browne Charitable Trust. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%1%4%8%15%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
    12report 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 32 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 James & Noel Browne’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