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· Private foundation

James Ford Bell 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.

$566k
Granted FY2025still arriving
57
Grants FY2025still arriving
12
States reached
$210k
Largest
01What it funds
0197% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2019 to 2025.

Arts & Culture$1.2MEducation$249kReligion$230kAnimals$153kHuman Services$112kHealth$101kEnvironment$83kRecreation & Sports$64kOther$0
02FY2025 · 57 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k45 grants · $153k
  • $10k–50k11 grants · $203k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $210k
$5,000
Median grant
12
States reached
$2.0M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOUNDATION (BELL MUSEUM)$210,000
THE SOURCE$35,000
MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY$26,000
AMERICAN ALLIANCE OF MUSEUMS$25,000
LEARNING ALLIANCE$25,000
MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE OF ARTS$25,000
RIVERSIDE THEATER$15,000
SENIOR RESOURCE FOUNDATION$11,905
HUMANE SOCIETY$10,050
MINNESOTA ORCHESTRA$10,000
WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH$10,000
CHILDCARE RESOURCES OF INDIAN RIVER$10,000
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA FOUNDATION (NATIONAL MUSIC MUSEUM)$9,000
BELWIN CONSERVANCY$8,000
DUNWOODY INSTITUTE$7,000
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 (FY19–25, $88k) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 9%. 99% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 9%BRAXTON STUNTZ FOUNDATION: $1k → 12%WARRIOR EXPEDITIONS: $1k → 8%HOPE FOR FAMILIES CENTER: $5k → 12%REAL MISSION INC: $3k → 12%REAL MISSION INC: $3k → 12%REAL MISSION INC: $3k → 12%CHILDCARE RESOURCES OF INDIAN RIVER: $10k → 12%CHILDCARE RESOURCES OF INDIAN RIVER: $10k → 12%CHILDCARE RESOURCES OF INDIAN RIVER: $10k → 12%SENIOR RESOURCE ASSOCIATION: $6k → 12%CHILDCARE RESOURCES OF INDIAN RIVER: $5k → 12%SENIOR RESOURCE ASSOCIATION: $5k → 12%CHILDCARE RESOURCES: $5k → 12%CHILDCARE RESOURCES: $5k → 12%CHILDCARE RESOURCES OF INDIAN RIVER: $5k → 12%WOMENS REFUGE OF VERO BEACH INC: $3k → 12%WOMENS REFUGE OF VERO BEACH INC: $3k → 12%CHILDREN'S HOME SOCIETY: $2k → 12%CHILDREN'S HOME SOCIETY: $1k → 12%CHILDREN'S HOME SOCIETY: $1k → 12%CHILDREN'S HOME SOCIETY: $1k → 12%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

WA
ID
ND
MN
WI
NY
MA
OR
SD
NJ
CT
CA
VA
NM
TN
DC
MS
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.

87%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$2.1M · 86 repeat orgs$315k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +23% since the first grant, against +23% for those funded once.

86 repeat relationships: 53 still active in FY2025, 33 since wound down; 4 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

86
26

Total granted

$2.1M
$96k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+23%
+23%

Still filing today

56%
58%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 61% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $219k went to new ones.

50%100%’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Arts & CultureEducationHuman ServicesAnimalsPhilanthropyHealthOther
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

  • MS
    MINNEAPOLIS SOCIETY OF FINE ARTS DBA MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE OF ARTS
    7× · 2019–2025 · $162k · revenue +18%
  • AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF MUSEUMS
    7× · 2019–2025 · $160k · revenue +11%
  • MH
    MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
    7× · 2019–2025 · $114k · revenue +43%

Funded once

  • TD
    THE DIFFERENCE PRINCIPLE INCgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $13k · revenue +39%
  • DP
    DIFFERENCE PRINCIPLE(SOBER JUSTICE FUND)
    one grant, 2021 · $13k
  • UO
    UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOUNDATION (RAPTOR CENTER )
    one grant, 2023 · $10k
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
The Water Research Foundation

The purpose of the water research foundation (wrf) is a definitive research organization to advance the science of all things water to better meet the evolving needs of its subscribers and the water sector. to engage exclusively in…

Environment
2
Minnesota Land Trust

The minnesota land trust protects and restores minnesota's most vital natural lands in order to provide wildlife habitat, clean water, outdoor experiences and scenic beauty for generations to come.

Environment
3
United States Naval Institute

Provide an independent forum for those who dare to read, think, speak, and write to advance the professional, literary, and scientific understanding of sea power and other issues critical to global security.

—
4
Aquarium of the Pacific Corporation

The aquarium of the pacific's mission is to instill a sense of wonder, respect, and stewardship for the pacific ocean, its inhabitants, and ecosystems.

Animals
5
Eastern National

Eastern national promotes the public's understanding and support of america's national parks and other public trust partners by providing quality educational experiences, products and services.

Recreation & Sports
6
Institute for Conservation Leadership

To support healthy communities and a healthy earth, the institute for conservation leadership strengthens leaders, organizations, coalitions and networks.

Community Improvement
7
American Water Works Association

To promote public health, safety, and welfare through the improvement of the quality and quantity of drinking water and the development and furtherance of understanding of the problems relating thereto.

Public Benefit
8
Minnesota Medical Association

To be the leading voice of medicine to make minnesota the healthiest state and the best place to practice.

—
9
Naples Zoo Inc

Naples zoo is accredited by the american zoo & aquarium association (aza) and has numerous animal exhibits placed on its 45-acre site. (continued on schedule o)each exhibit is unique and designed to simulate typical conditions for the…

Animals
10
Museum of American Finance

Finance impacts everyone. as a socially relevant organization, the museum of american finance seeks to improve understanding of the influence of financial institutions and capital markets on the u.s. and global economies, and on…

—
11
Native Plant Trust Inc

The organization's mission is to conserve and promote new england's native plants to ensure healthy, biologically diverse landscapes.

Environment
12
Minnesota Business Partnership

The minnesota business partnership's mission is to maintain a high quality of life for all minnesotans by ensuring that the state's economy remains strong, globally competitive and its prospects for growth bright by working with elected…

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Wild Salmon Center; the most unlike its peers is The Braxton Stuntz Foundation. 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

69 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. 69 of the 118 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)
9
Early backer (in before they grew)
65/69
Grantees still filing
51/69
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOUNDATION (BELL MUSEUM): $210,000 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOUNDATION (BELL MUSEUM)I AM MINISTRIES INC: $165,500 · OtherI AM MINISTRIES INCBELL MUSEUM: $144,000 · OtherBELL MUSEUMRIVERSIDE THEATER: $70,000 · OtherRIVERSIDE THEATERBELL MUSEUM (UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOUNDATION): $44,000 · OtherWESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: $42,500 · Other+64 more: $591,255 · Other+64 moreMINNEAPOLIS SOCIETY OF FINE ARTS DBA MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE OF ARTS: $162,000 · Arts & CultureMINNEAPOLIS SOCIETY OF FINE ART…AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF MUSEUMS: $160,000 · Arts & CultureAMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF MUSEUMSMINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY: $114,000 · Arts & CultureMINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETYMINNESOTA ORCHESTRAL ASSOCIATION: $70,000 · Arts & CultureMINNESOTA ORCHESTRAL ASSOCIATIO…RIVERSIDE THEATRE INC: $70,000 · Arts & CultureRIVERSIDE THEATRE INCMINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA: $31,500 · Arts & Culture+8 more: $59,500 · Arts & Culture+8 moreTHE LEARNING ALLIANCE INC: $61,000 · EducationTHE LEARNI…CONNECTICUT COLLEGE: $46,500 · EducationCONNECTICU…MILLBROOK SCHOOL: $30,000 · EducationMILLBROOK …THE BLAKE SCHOOL: $14,000 · EducationTHE BLAKE …THE DIFFERENCE PRINCIPLE INC: $12,500 · EducationTHE DIFFER…VERO BEACH ROWING INC: $12,000 · EducationVERO BEACH…UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA FOUNDATION: $11,000 · EducationALLEN-CHASE FOUNDATION DBA EAGLEBROOK SCHOOL: $9,000 · EducationTHE MOORINGS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION INC: $8,000 · Education+5 more: $18,500 · Education+5 moreCHILDCARE RESOURCES OF INDIAN RIVER INC: $50,000 · Human ServicesSenior Resource Association Inc: $11,000 · Human ServicesTHE REAL MISSION INC: $8,500 · Human ServicesWomen's Refuge of Vero Beach Inc: $6,000 · Human ServicesTHE CHILDREN'S HOME SOCIETY OF FLORIDA: $5,000 · Human ServicesTHE HOPE FOR FAMILIES CENTER INC: $5,000 · Human Services+2 more: $2,000 · Human ServicesHENNEPIN HEALTH FOUNDATION: $18,500 · HealthINDIAN RIVER HOSPITAL FOUNDATION INC: $15,500 · HealthMENTAL HEALTH COLLABORATIVE OF INDIAN RIVER COUNTY INC: $15,000 · HealthVisiting Nurse Association and Hospice Foundation Inc: $5,000 · HealthDelta Waterfowl Foundation: $24,166 · AnimalsWILD SALMON CENTER: $11,000 · AnimalsWILDLIFE CONSERVATION NETWORK INC: $11,000 · AnimalsMINNESOTA ZOO FOUNDATION: $5,500 · Animals+1 more: $1,500 · AnimalsYOUTH SAILING FOUNDATION OF INDIAN RIVER: $23,500 · Recreation & SportsINDIAN RIVER GOLF FOUNDATION INC: $18,000 · Recreation & Sports+1 more: $1,000 · Recreation & Sports
Other$1,267,255Arts & Culture$667,000Education$222,500Human Services$87,500Health$54,000Animals$53,166Recreation & Sports$42,500

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

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetMINNEAPOLIS SOCIETY OF FINE ARTS DBA MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE OF ARTS: $162,000 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetAMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF MUSEUMS: $160,000 over 7y, 0.4% of budgetMINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY: $114,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetMINNESOTA ORCHESTRAL ASSOCIATION: $70,000 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetRIVERSIDE THEATRE INC: $70,000 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetTHE LEARNING ALLIANCE INC: $61,000 over 7y, 0.6% of budgetCHILDCARE RESOURCES OF INDIAN RIVER INC: $50,000 over 7y, 0.4% of budgetCONNECTICUT COLLEGE: $46,500 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetBELWIN CONSERVANCY: $38,000 over 6y, 0.4% of budgetMINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA: $31,500 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetMILLBROOK SCHOOL: $30,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetDelta Waterfowl Foundation: $24,166 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetYOUTH SAILING FOUNDATION OF INDIAN RIVER: $23,500 over 6y, 0.8% of budgetINDIAN RIVER LAND TRUST INC: $23,000 over 7y, 0.2% of budgetFIREFIGHTERS FOR HEALING: $19,500 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetHENNEPIN HEALTH FOUNDATION: $18,500 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetINDIAN RIVER GOLF FOUNDATION INC: $18,000 over 6y, 2.4% of budgetOrcas Island Chamber Music Festival: $15,000 over 7y, 0.4% of budgetMENTAL HEALTH COLLABORATIVE OF INDIAN RIVER COUNTY INC: $15,000 over 3y, 1.2% of budgetTHE BLAKE SCHOOL: $14,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetFOOD BANK FOR MONTEREY COUNTY: $13,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetTHE DIFFERENCE PRINCIPLE INC: $12,500 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetVERO BEACH ROWING INC: $12,000 over 6y, 0.4% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA FOUNDATION: $11,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSenior Resource Association Inc: $11,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetWILD SALMON CENTER: $11,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetWILDLIFE CONSERVATION NETWORK INC: $11,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetWALTER ANDERSON MUSEUM OF ART INC: $10,000 over 4y, 0.4% of budgetSMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION: $10,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetALLEN-CHASE FOUNDATION DBA EAGLEBROOK SCHOOL: $9,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetAquability Inc: $8,500 over 3y, 2.5% of budgetTHE REAL MISSION INC: $8,500 over 3y, 1.9% of budgetBOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF INDIAN RIVER COUNTY INC: $8,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetTHE MOORINGS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION INC: $8,000 over 5y, 1.8% of budgetVERO BEACH MUSEUM OF ART INC: $7,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetST LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY: $7,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetWomen's Refuge of Vero Beach Inc: $6,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetMINNESOTA ZOO FOUNDATION: $5,500 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetQUAIL VALLEY CHARITIES INC: $5,300 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetSCIENCE MUSEUM OF MINNESOTA: $5,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE CHILDREN'S HOME SOCIETY OF FLORIDA: $5,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetTHE HOPE FOR FAMILIES CENTER INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetVisiting Nurse Association and Hospice Foundation Inc: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMACPHAIL CENTER FOR MUSIC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR STATE AND LOCAL HISTORY: $5,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetTHE EDUCATION FOUNDATION OF INDIAN RIVER COUNTY INC: $5,000 over 5y, 0.3% of budgetTREASURE COAST FOOD BANK INC: $4,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE MARDY FISH CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION INC: $4,000 over 2y, 1.8% 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 MINNEAPOLIS SOCIETY OF FINE ARTS DBA MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE OF ARTS ↗
  • Who funds AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF MUSEUMS ↗
  • Who funds MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY ↗
  • Who funds MINNESOTA ORCHESTRAL ASSOCIATION ↗
  • Who funds RIVERSIDE THEATRE INC ↗
  • Who funds THE LEARNING ALLIANCE INC ↗
  • Who funds CHILDCARE RESOURCES OF INDIAN RIVER INC ↗
  • Who funds CONNECTICUT COLLEGE ↗
  • Who funds BELWIN CONSERVANCY ↗
  • Who funds MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA ↗
  • Who funds MILLBROOK SCHOOL ↗
  • Who funds Delta Waterfowl Foundation ↗
  • Who funds YOUTH SAILING FOUNDATION OF INDIAN RIVER ↗
  • Who funds INDIAN RIVER LAND TRUST INC ↗
  • Who funds FIREFIGHTERS FOR HEALING ↗
  • Who funds HENNEPIN HEALTH FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds INDIAN RIVER GOLF FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds INDIAN RIVER HOSPITAL FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival ↗
  • Who funds MENTAL HEALTH COLLABORATIVE OF INDIAN RIVER COUNTY INC ↗
  • Who funds THE BLAKE SCHOOL ↗

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.

Indian River Community Foundation IncFL35.7× affinity15 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Indian River Community Foundation Inc · The John's Island Foundation Inc · Bernard a Egan Foundation Inc · John's Island Community Service League Inc · Olivia Delacruz Foundation Inc · Grand Harbor Community Outreach Program Inc · Quail Valley Charities Inc · The Kahle Foundation Inc · Archie S Wingfield Jr Charitable Trust U/A/D 5/15/1995 · The Schooner Foundation · Jake Owen Foundation · United Way of Indian River County 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 Ford Bell Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from James Ford Bell Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 120%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 1%
  • Wild Salmon Center: 49% of income from government
  • The Children's Home Society of Florida: 6% of income from government
  • Treasure Coast Food Bank Inc: 2% of income from government
  • United Way of Indian River County Inc: 1% of income from government
  • Indian River Land Trust Inc: 0% of income from government
  • Connecticut College: 0% of income from government
  • The Learning Alliance Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
12get no government money at all
19report 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 James Ford Bell Foundation?

Find your warmest path to James Ford Bell 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 118 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

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