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James Frances McCandless Trust at a glance

· Private foundation

James Frances McCandless Trust

Its FY2025 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$262k
Granted FY2025still arriving
18
Grants FY2025still arriving
3
States reached
$25k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0199% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Human Services$550kRecreation & Sports$362kYouth Development$289kHealth$258kEducation$193kFood & Nutrition$151kHousing & Shelter$115kReligion$82kOther$0
02FY2025 · 18 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k1 grant · $5k
  • $10k–50k17 grants · $257k
$15,000
Median grant
3
States reached
$5.4M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
SPECIAL OLYMPICS PENNSYLVANIA INC$25,000
SOUTH HILLS INTERFAITH MINISTRIES$23,000
PRINCE OF PEACE CENTER$20,000
UPMC HORIZON COMMUNITY HEALTH$20,000
NORTH HILLS AFFORDABLE HOUSING$20,000
412 FOOD RESCUE INC$15,000
1HOOD MEDIA ACADEMY$15,000
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF YOUNG MENS CHRISTIAN$15,000
AMERICAN NATIONAL RED CROSS$15,000
CORAOPOLIS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORP$12,500
MERCER AREA LIBRARY$12,500
COMMUNITY COUNSELING CENTER$12,230
CASA OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY$11,490
YOUNG BLACK MOTIVATED KINGS & QUEENS$10,000
HOPE CENTER FOR ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY$10,000
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 (FY17–25, $434k) land where the poverty rate runs at 12%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 94% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%CASA SAN JOSE: $16k → 11%HUMAN SERVICES CENTER: $15k → 13%YMCA OF FRANKLIN & GROVE CITY: $15k → 14%CANINE COMPANIONS FOR INDEPENDENCE: $10k → 9%BEVERLYS BIRTHDAYS: $15k → 10%ST PAUL HOMES: $25k → 13%AMERICAN NATIONAL RED CROSS: $15k → 14%LIGHT OF LIFE MINISTRIES INC: $13k → 11%WHOLE LIFE SERVICES INC: $20k → 13%WHOLE LIFE SERVICES INC: $20k → 13%STRONG WOMEN STRONG GIRLS: $10k → 11%VINTAGE: $17k → 11%JEREMIAHS PLACE: $10k → 11%SMART FUTURES: $10k → 11%EMMAUS COMMUNITY OF PITTSBURGH: $15k → 11%WOODLANDS FOUNDATION INC: $8k → 11%RUTH'S WAY INC: $13k → 11%COMPUTER REACH: $20k → 11%LATINO COMMUNITY CENTER: $15k → 11%CRISIS CENTER NORTH INC: $8k → 11%MERAKEY ALLEGHENY VALLEY SCHOOL: $25k → 11%THE MIRACLE LEAGUE OF MOON TOWNSHIP: $15k → 11%CORAOPOLIS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORP: $13k → 11%BRADLEY CENTER: $11k → 11%PITTSBURGH COMMUNITY SERVICES INC: $10k → 11%WOMENS CENTER & SHELTER: $25k → 11%AMACHI PITTSBURGH: $15k → 11%WOMANSPACE EAST INC: $12k → 11%GREATER VALLEY COMMUNITY SERVICES: $10k → 11%GREATER VALLEY COMMUNITY SERVICES: $10k → 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
MA
IN
OH
PA
CA
VA
AZ
DC
TX
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.

41%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$959k · 23 repeat orgs$1.4M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +46% since the first grant, against +27% for those funded once.

23 repeat relationships: 7 still active in FY2025, 16 since wound down; 11 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

23
86

Total granted

$959k
$1.2M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+46%
+27%

Still filing today

78%
77%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 44% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $146k 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
Human ServicesHealthEducationYouth DevelopmentRecreation & SportsArts & CultureOther
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

  • CF
    COMMUNITY FOOD WAREHOUSE OF MERCER COUNTY
    4× · 2018–2024 · $91k · revenue +178%
  • BC
    BUHL COMMUNITY RECREATION CENTER
    4× · 2018–2024 · $90k · revenue +37%
  • SO
    SPECIAL OLYMPICS PENNSYLVANIA INC
    3× · 2018–2025 · $70k · revenue +47%

Funded once

  • K
    KIDSVOICEgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $26k · revenue +96%
  • HA
    Hilltop Alliance
    one grant, 2021 · $25k · revenue -3%
  • SO
    SPECIAL OLYMPICS INC
    one grant, 2023 · $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
Center for Community Resources Inc

To coordinate services among private and government agencies for specialized populations to ensure service continuity, reduce duplication, and assist individuals and families in accessing appropriate mental health, intellectual…

Health
2
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
3
Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corporation

To create and distribute trusted content, build connections and strengthen our community through public media.

Arts & Culture
4
Young Women's Christian Association Greater Pittsburgh

Ywca greater pittsburgh is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. we envision a community that advances education, opportunity, and equity regardless of gender, race, or…

Human Services
5
Philadelphia Works Inc

Philadelphia works, inc. develops and manages smart workforce solutions that respond to business needs and increases economic opportunity for all philadelphia residents.

Employment
6
The Regional Opportunity Center D/B/a Vibrant Pittsburgh

Vibrant pittsburgh's mission is to accelerate the business community toward equitable, inclusive, and diverse workplaces, creating a future-forward region.

Arts & Culture
7
The Arc of Greater Pittsburgh

The organization advocates with, empowers, and supports people with disabilities and their families throughout their lives.

Human Services
8
Pathways Pa Inc

To provide residential and community-based services and advocacy for women, children, and families, providing job training and employment assistance, as well as outreach and residential programs in order to help its clients achieve…

Human Services
9
Greater Philadelphia Community Alliance

Gpca's mission is to break the cycle of generational proverty by ensuring equitable distribution of the resources for vulnerable children, families, and communities. our vision is to be philadelphia's catalyst for community empowerment and…

Human Services
10
Connections Work

Connections work changes lives and improves communities by providing services and supports to individuals seeking pathways to success.

—
11
Prevention Point Pittsburgh

To provide health empowerment services to injection drug users and prevent the spread of hiv.

Health
12
Skills of Central Pennsylvania Inc

Skills of central pennsylvania, inc., a private, non-profit organization, is committed to creating opportunities and providing support for people who need specialized services to enhance all aspects of their lives. the vision for skills of…

Human Services
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Homeless Children's Education Fund; the most unlike its peers is American Heart Association Inc. 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

93 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. 93 of the 121 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.

3
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
29
Early backer (in before they grew)
93/93
Grantees still filing
62/93
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

BUHL COMMUNITY RECREATION CENTER: $90,000 · OtherBUHL COMMUNITY RECREATION CENTERSPECIAL OLYMPICS PENNSYLVANIA INC: $70,000 · OtherSPECIAL OLYMPICS PENNSYLVANIA INCPRINCE OF PEACE CENTER: $55,000 · OtherBUHL PARK CORPORATION: $52,156 · OtherMERCER AREA LIBRARY INC: $49,300 · OtherCHILDREN'S AID SOCIETY OF MERCER COUNTY: $42,500 · Other+52 more: $861,568 · Other+52 moreWHOLE LIFE SERVICES INC: $40,000 · Human ServicesWHOLE LIFE SERVICES …WOMEN'S CENTER AND SHELTER OF GREATER PITTSBURGH: $25,000 · Human ServicesWOMEN'S CENTER AND S…ST PAUL HOMES: $25,000 · Human ServicesST PAUL HOMESMERAKEY ALLEGHENY VALLEY SCHOOL: $25,000 · Human ServicesMERAKEY ALLEGHENY VA…GREATER VALLEY COMMUNITY SERVICES INC: $20,000 · Human ServicesComputer Reach: $20,000 · Human ServicesVINTAGE INC: $17,216 · Human ServicesCASA SAN JOSE: $15,587 · Human ServicesBEVERLY'S PGH: $15,000 · Human ServicesEMMAUS COMMUNITY OF PITTSBURGH INC: $15,000 · Human ServicesTHE MIRACLE LEAGUE OF MOON TOWNSHIP: $15,000 · Human ServicesHUMAN SERVICES CENTER: $15,000 · Human ServicesAMACHI PITTSBURGH INC: $15,000 · Human ServicesYOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF KEYSTONE CROSSROADS: $15,000 · Human ServicesAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $15,000 · Human ServicesTHE LATINO COMMUNITY CENTER INC: $15,000 · Human Services+12 more: $125,803 · Human Services+12 moreFAMILY HOUSE INC: $35,000 · HealthMARY & ALEXANDER LAUGHLIN CHILDREN'S CENTER: $20,000 · HealthAmerican Heart Association Inc: $20,000 · HealthRonald McDonald House Global: $17,000 · HealthVISION TO LEARN: $15,000 · HealthSTOP THE JUDGMENT PROJECT: $15,000 · HealthMAPLE TREE CANCER ALLIANCE: $15,000 · HealthCHILDREN'S CENTER OF MERCER COUNTY: $12,500 · HealthACCESSABILITIES INC: $10,000 · HealthFIRST STEP RECOVERY HOMES INC: $10,000 · HealthHorses With Hope Inc: $7,285 · HealthPITTSBURGH YOUTH LEADERSHIP: $51,085 · Youth DevelopmentYOUTHPLACES: $35,000 · Youth DevelopmentCONNECTING CHAMPIONS: $25,000 · Youth DevelopmentBOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA: $17,500 · Youth DevelopmentLUMINARI INC: $15,000 · Youth DevelopmentFIGHT FOR LIFE FOUNDATION INC: $12,500 · Youth Development+1 more: $4,591 · Youth DevelopmentSTOREHOUSE FOR TEACHERS D/B/A THE EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP: $29,722 · EducationUNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH: $24,875 · EducationGEORGE JUNIOR REPUBLIC: $20,000 · EducationADVENTURES IN TRAINING WITH A PURPOSE: $17,500 · EducationDEPAUL SCHOOL FOR HEARING AND SPEECH: $15,000 · EducationYoung Black Motivated Kings & Queen: $10,000 · EducationSEWICKLEY ACADEMY: $10,000 · EducationTHE PITTSBURGH CONTINGENCY INC: $10,000 · EducationCOMMUNITY LIBRARY OF THE SHENANGO VALLEY: $7,000 · EducationCOMMUNITY FOOD WAREHOUSE OF MERCER COUNTY: $90,690 · Food & Nutrition412 FOOD RESCUE INC: $15,000 · Food & NutritionHilltop Urban Farm: $12,500 · Food & NutritionBest of the Batch Foundation: $32,000 · PhilanthropyUNITED WAY OF MERCER COUNTY: $25,000 · PhilanthropyHOMELESS CHILDREN'S EDUCATION FUND: $20,000 · PhilanthropyNORTH HILLS AFFORDABLE HOUSING INC: $20,000 · PhilanthropyJEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER PHILADELPHIA: $15,000 · Philanthropy
Other$1,220,524Human Services$433,606Health$176,785Youth Development$160,676Education$144,097Food & Nutrition$118,190Philanthropy$112,000

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 budgetCOMMUNITY FOOD WAREHOUSE OF MERCER COUNTY: $90,690 over 4y, 0.9% of budgetBUHL COMMUNITY RECREATION CENTER: $90,000 over 4y, 1.3% of budgetSPECIAL OLYMPICS PENNSYLVANIA INC: $70,000 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetPRINCE OF PEACE CENTER: $55,000 over 3y, 2.9% of budgetBUHL PARK CORPORATION: $52,156 over 3y, 1.8% of budgetPITTSBURGH YOUTH LEADERSHIP: $51,085 over 3y, 12% of budgetMERCER AREA LIBRARY INC: $49,300 over 4y, 9.4% of budgetCHILDREN'S AID SOCIETY OF MERCER COUNTY: $42,500 over 2y, 1.0% of budgetWHOLE LIFE SERVICES INC: $40,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetPITTSBURGH THREE RIVERS MARATHON INC: $37,500 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetSOUTH HILLS INTERFAITH MINISTRIES: $35,500 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetFAMILY HOUSE INC: $35,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetPRESSLEY RIDGE: $35,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetYOUTHPLACES: $35,000 over 2y, 1.3% of budgetBest of the Batch Foundation: $32,000 over 2y, 0.9% of budgetAssemble Inc: $30,000 over 2y, 5.9% of budgetSTOREHOUSE FOR TEACHERS D/B/A THE EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP: $29,722 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetHilltop Alliance: $25,000 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetSPECIAL OLYMPICS INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWOMEN'S CENTER AND SHELTER OF GREATER PITTSBURGH: $25,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetST PAUL HOMES: $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMERAKEY ALLEGHENY VALLEY SCHOOL: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH: $24,875 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGREATER VALLEY COMMUNITY SERVICES INC: $20,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetMARY & ALEXANDER LAUGHLIN CHILDREN'S CENTER: $20,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetAmerican Heart Association Inc: $20,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNEIGHBORHOOD RESILIENCE PROJECT: $20,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetHOMELESS CHILDREN'S EDUCATION FUND: $20,000 over 1y, 1.2% of budgetNATIONAL FLAG FOUNDATION: $20,000 over 1y, 36% of budgetNORTH HILLS AFFORDABLE HOUSING INC: $20,000 over 1y, 1.2% of budgetComputer Reach: $20,000 over 1y, 3.7% of budgetGEORGE JUNIOR REPUBLIC: $20,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetBOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA: $17,500 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetADVENTURES IN TRAINING WITH A PURPOSE: $17,500 over 1y, 7.1% of budgetALLEGHENY COUNCIL TO IMPROVE OUR NEIGHBORHOODS-HOUSING INCORPORATED: $17,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetVINTAGE INC: $17,216 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetRonald McDonald House Global: $17,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCarnegie Library of Homestead: $16,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetCASA SAN JOSE: $15,587 over 1y, 8.0% of budgetLUMINARI INC: $15,000 over 1y, 13% of budgetBEVERLY'S PGH: $15,000 over 1y, 2.9% of budgetJEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER PHILADELPHIA: $15,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetOPERATION TROOP APPRECIATION: $15,000 over 1y, 2.5% of budgetDEPAUL SCHOOL FOR HEARING AND SPEECH: $15,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetMERCER COUNTY JUVENILE ADVISORY COUNCIL INC: $15,000 over 1y, 29% of budgetAnimal Friends Inc: $15,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetVISION TO LEARN: $15,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetEMMAUS COMMUNITY OF PITTSBURGH INC: $15,000 over 1y, 0.3% 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…Hillman Family Founda…Aj and Sigismunda Pal…The United Way of Sou…Richard King Mellon F…The Grable FoundationUpmc GroupThe Heinz EndowmentsStaunton Farm Foundat…Eqt FoundationSnee-Reinhardt Charit…The Jack Buncher Foun…
The Pittsburgh FoundationPA93.8× affinity60 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Pittsburgh Foundation · Hillman Family Foundations · Aj and Sigismunda Palumbo Charitable Trust · The United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania · Richard King Mellon Foundation · The Grable Foundation · Upmc Group · The Heinz Endowments · Staunton Farm Foundation 540-054 Dba Staunton Farm Foundation · Eqt Foundation · Snee-Reinhardt Charitable Foundation · The Jack Buncher 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.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization James Frances McCandless Trust funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from James Frances McCandless Trust. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%3%10%23%40%funder's share of their income ↑0%19%38%56%75%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    47report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–75%
    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 121 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 Frances McCandless’ 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