Skip to content
John & Carolyn Peterson Charitable Foundation Inc at a glance

· Private foundation

John & Carolyn Peterson Charitable Foundation Inc

Its FY2024 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$426k
Granted FY2024still arriving
20
Grants FY2024still arriving
6
States reached
$45k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2024.

Arts & Culture$1.0MAnimals$358kCivil Rights$210kFood & Nutrition$172kEducation$120kEnvironment$69kCommunity Improvement$30kHousing & Shelter$26kOther$0
02FY2024 · 20 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k7 grants · $42k
  • $10k–50k13 grants · $384k
$20,000
Median grant
6
States reached
$4.3M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
CHARLESTON JAZZ$45,000
CULTURAL LEADERSHIP$44,000
PRISON PERFORMING ARTS$40,000
PUBLIC WORKS ART CENTER$40,000
CHARLESTON STAGE COMPANY$40,000
CHARLESTON GAILLARD CENTER$35,000
SOUTH CAROLINA AQUARIUM$28,000
ACTION ARTS COLLABORATIVE$25,000
BREVARD MUSIC CENTER INC$25,000
COMMUNITY ARTS$20,000
PENDLAND SCHOOL OF CRAFT$14,000
FEEDING THE CAROLINAS$14,000
LOWCOUNTRY FOOD BANK$14,000
ST LOUIS ZOO$9,000
EARTH JUSTICE$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:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY20–24) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 81% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%COMMUNITY ARTS: $20k → 10%PUBLIC WORKS ART CENTER: $40k → 11%SOUTH CAROLINA AQUARIUM: $54k → 12%CULTURAL LEADERSHIP: $51k → 9%WILDLIFE IN NEED CENTER: $26k → 5%RIPON COLLEGE: $40k → 9%MADISON JAZZ CONSORTIUM: $30k → 10%UWM SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE: $25k → 17%BREVARD MUSIC CENTER INC: $25k → 13%PUBLIC WORKS ART CENTER: $33k → 11%CHARLESTON GAILLARD CENTER: $35k → 12%CULTURAL LEADERSHIP: $44k → 9%ST LOUIS ARTWORKS: $25k → 21%WILDLIFE IN NEED CENTER: $20k → 5%TANDEM PRESS: $25k → 10%BREVARD MUSIC CENTER INC: $25k → 13%SOUTH CAROLINA AQUARIUM: $28k → 12%CULTURAL LEADERSHIP: $40k → 9%ST LOUIS ARTWORKS: $25k → 21%UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN FOUNDATION: $25k → 10%UW-MILWAUKEE: $25k → 17%SOUTH CAROLINA AQUARIUM: $26k → 12%CULTURAL LEADERSHIP: $37k → 9%ST LOUIS ARTWORKS: $25k → 21%ARTS & LITERATURE LAB INC: $30k → 10%ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF MILWAUKEE: $26k → 17%CHARLESTON GAILLARD CENTER: $25k → 12%ST LOUIS ARTWORKS: $20k → 21%ARTS & LITERATURE LAB INC: $30k → 10%ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF MILWAUKEE: $20k → 17%SOUTH CAROLINA AQUARIUM: $24k → 12%MADISON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: $20k → 10%SOUTH CAROLINA AQUARIUM: $20k → 12%MADISON OPERA INC: $30k → 10%CHARLESTON STAGE COMPANY: $40k → 12%CHARLESTON STAGE COMPANY: $35k → 12%CHARLESTON STAGE COMPANY: $35k → 12%CHARLESTON STAGE COMPANY: $35k → 12%CHARLESTON STAGE COMPANY: $35k → 12%LOWCOUNTRY FOOD BANK: $27k → 12%LOWCOUNTRY FOOD BANK: $26k → 12%PRISON PERFORMING ARTS: $40k → 21%PRISON PERFORMING ARTS: $35k → 21%PRISON PERFORMING ARTS: $30k → 21%PRISON PERFORMING ARTS: $25k → 21%CHARLESTON JAZZ: $45k → 12%CHARLESTON JAZZ: $35k → 12%CHARLESTON JAZZ: $30k → 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
WI
NY
CA
CO
MO
NC
SC
MS
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.

84%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.7M · 24 repeat orgs$323k to everyone else

24 repeat relationships: 16 still active in FY2024, 8 since wound down; 4 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

24
19

Total granted

$1.7M
$270k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+16%
+34%

Still filing today

71%
53%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 88% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $53k went to new ones.

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

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

’20’21’22’23’24
Arts & CultureAnimalsEducationFood & NutritionEnvironmentPublic BenefitOther
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

  • CL
    CULTURAL LEADERSHIP INC
    5× · 2020–2024 · $182k · revenue +95%
  • CS
    CHARLESTON STAGE COMPANY INC
    5× · 2020–2024 · $180k · revenue +41%
  • SC
    South Carolina Aquarium
    5× · 2020–2024 · $152k · revenue +64%

Funded once

  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2022 · $30k
  • MO
    MADISON OPERA INCgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $30k · revenue +36%
  • UO
    UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN FOUNDATIONgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $25k · revenue +29%
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
Carolina Art Association Dba Gibbes Museum of Art

The mission of the gibbes museum of art is to enhance lives through art by engaging people of every background and experience with art and artists of enduring quality; collect and preserve the art that touches charleston; and provide…

Arts & Culture
2
The Charleston Museum

To educate Charleston area residents and visitors about the natural and cultural history of the South Carolina Lowcountry through collections, exhibitions, preservation, conservation, research and related programming.

Arts & Culture
3
Centre Stage-South Carolina Inc

Centre stage is a non-profit 501(c)(3) performing arts venue and theatre organization that exists to captivate audiences with diverse programming, cultivate local artistry, and inspire community collaboration.

Arts & Culture
4
Center Stage Associates Inc

See schedule o.inspired by our home city, baltimore center stage acts as a cultural catalyst for all communities to access theater in every form and engage in compelling conversations. programming: capture the collective imagination and…

Arts & Culture
5
Peace Center Foundation

To enrich the lives of everyone we reach.

Arts & Culture
6
North Carolina Symphony Society Inc

To be north carolina's state orchestra, an orchestra achieving the highest level of artistic quality and performance standards, and embracing its dual legacies of statewide service and music education.

Arts & Culture
7
Chamber Music Raleigh Inc

To enrich and connect individuals in the greater raleigh community through intimate and exceptional chamber music experiences. we are committed to presenting world class artists performing music of the highest caliber, providing…

Arts & Culture
8
Greenville Center for Creative Arts

The greenville center for creative arts exists to enrich the cultural fabric of the communities we serve by providing a nurturing environment for art-education, appreciation and enjoyment, and by establishing a lasting legacy in the visual…

Arts & Culture
9
Chamber Music Charleston

Chamber Music Charleston is dedicated to developing the audience for classical music through chamber music concerts and educational programs of the highest caliber.

Arts & Culture
10
New York City Center Inc

The mission of new york city center is to be new york city's leading center for dance and musical theater. dedicated to making the arts accessible to the broadest possible audience, city center seeks to create a welcoming environment and…

Arts & Culture
11
Museum of Arts and Design

To collect, display and interpret objects in craft art and design.

Arts & Culture
12
Regional Cultural and Performing Arts Development Commission

As the leading public catalyst for arts and culture in st. louis, the regional arts commission leverages the power of creativity to strengthen and enrich our community.

Arts & Culture
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Charleston Gaillard Management Corporation; the most unlike its peers is Earthjustice. 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

30 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. 30 of the 47 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)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
29/30
Grantees still filing
24/30
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

CULTURAL LEADERSHIP INC: $182,000 · OtherCULTURAL LEADERSHIP INCPRISON PERFORMING ARTS: $150,000 · OtherPRISON PERFORMING ARTSLOWCOUNTRY FOOD BANK INC: $99,000 · OtherLOWCOUNTRY FOOD BANK INCBREVARD MUSIC CENTER INCORPORATED: $66,000 · OtherBREVARD MUSIC CENTER INCORPORATEDST LOUIS ZOO: $47,000 · OtherZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF MILWAUKEE: $46,000 · OtherACTION ARTS COLLABORATIVE: $40,000 · Other+19 more: $275,000 · Other+19 moreCHARLESTON STAGE COMPANY INC: $180,000 · Arts & CultureCHARLESTON STAGE COMPANY INCCharleston Jazz: $110,000 · Arts & CultureCharleston JazzSt Louis ArtWorks: $95,000 · Arts & CultureSt Louis ArtWorksARTS & LITERATURE LABORATORY INC: $79,000 · Arts & CultureARTS & LITERATURE LABORATORY INCCHARLESTON GAILLARD MANAGEMENT CORPORATION: $69,500 · Arts & CultureCHARLESTON GAILLARD MANAGEMENT COR…MADISON OPERA INC: $30,000 · Arts & CultureBREAD & ROSES MISSOURI: $22,500 · Arts & Culture+3 more: $48,000 · Arts & Culture+3 moreSouth Carolina Aquarium: $152,000 · AnimalsSouth Caroli…WILDLIFE IN NEED CENTER LTD: $69,000 · AnimalsWILDLIFE IN …CHARLESTON ANIMAL SOCIETY: $13,500 · AnimalsCHARLESTON A…PUBLIC WORKS ARTS CENTER: $73,000 · EmploymentSea Island Hunger Awareness Foundation: $58,500 · Food & NutritionFeeding the Carolinas: $14,000 · Food & NutritionRIPON COLLEGE: $45,000 · EducationUNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN FOUNDATION: $25,000 · Education+1 more: $2,000 · EducationTHE WILDERNESS LAND TRUST: $45,500 · EnvironmentEARTHJUSTICE: $23,000 · Environment
Other$905,000Arts & Culture$634,000Animals$234,500Employment$73,000Food & Nutrition$72,500Education$72,000Environment$68,500

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

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetCULTURAL LEADERSHIP INC: $182,000 over 5y, 14% of budgetCHARLESTON STAGE COMPANY INC: $180,000 over 5y, 2.9% of budgetSouth Carolina Aquarium: $152,000 over 5y, 0.2% of budgetPRISON PERFORMING ARTS: $150,000 over 5y, 10% of budgetCharleston Jazz: $110,000 over 3y, 3.2% of budgetLOWCOUNTRY FOOD BANK INC: $99,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetSt Louis ArtWorks: $95,000 over 4y, 4.7% of budgetARTS & LITERATURE LABORATORY INC: $79,000 over 4y, 2.7% of budgetPUBLIC WORKS ARTS CENTER: $73,000 over 2y, 8.4% of budgetCHARLESTON GAILLARD MANAGEMENT CORPORATION: $69,500 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetWILDLIFE IN NEED CENTER LTD: $69,000 over 5y, 5.0% of budgetBREVARD MUSIC CENTER INCORPORATED: $66,000 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetSea Island Hunger Awareness Foundation: $58,500 over 4y, 2.7% of budgetTHE WILDERNESS LAND TRUST: $45,500 over 5y, 1.3% of budgetRIPON COLLEGE: $45,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetMADISON OPERA INC: $30,000 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN FOUNDATION: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetEARTHJUSTICE: $23,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetBREAD & ROSES MISSOURI: $22,500 over 2y, 5.1% of budgetMADISON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA INC: $20,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetCOMMUNITY HEALTH IN PARTNERSHIP SERVICES (CHIPS): $16,000 over 3y, 1.7% of budgetFeeding the Carolinas: $14,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetCHARLESTON ANIMAL SOCIETY: $13,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetLOWCOUNTRY ORPHAN RELIEF: $13,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetHistoric Haymarket Milwaukee Inc: $8,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetOne Voice: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetTHE ST LOUIS MEN'S GROUP AGAINST CANCER: $2,500 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetMEDS & FOOD FOR KIDS: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetNOLLIE JENKINS FAMILY CENTER INCORPORATED: $2,000 over 1y, 0.4% 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.

Regional Cultural and…Coastal Community Fou…St Louis Community Fo…The Mark Elliott Motl…Daniel Island Communi…Sam and Marilyn Fox F…Henry & Sylvia Yaschi…St Louis Philanthropi…Gaylord and Dorothy D…Herbert H Kohl Charit…Dominion Energy Chari…American Endowment Fo…
Regional Cultural and Performing Arts Development CommissionMO15.5× affinity5 shared granteesties to 5 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Regional Cultural and Performing Arts Development Commission · Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina Inc · St Louis Community Foundation Inc · The Mark Elliott Motley Foundation Inc · Daniel Island Community Fund Inc · Sam and Marilyn Fox Foundation · Henry & Sylvia Yaschik Foundation Inc · St Louis Philanthropic Organization · Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation · Herbert H Kohl Charities Inc · Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation · American Endowment 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 John & Carolyn Peterson Charitable Foundation Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from John & Carolyn Peterson Charitable Foundation Inc. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%5%10%15%20%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    11report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–20%
    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 John & Carolyn Peterson Charitable Foundation Inc?

    Find your warmest path to John & Carolyn Peterson Charitable Foundation Inc 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 47 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 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on John & Carolyn Peterson’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