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John R Flanagan Charitable Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

John R Flanagan Charitable 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.

$1.2M
Granted FY2025still arriving
11
Grants FY2025still arriving
3
States reached
$525k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0183% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Recreation & Sports$6.5MPhilanthropy$1.4MFood & Nutrition$686kHuman Services$649kInternational$525kEnvironment$325kEducation$293kCommunity Improvement$121kOther$0
02FY2025 · 11 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • $10k–50k4 grants · $80k
  • $50k–250k5 grants · $370k
  • $250k+2 grants · $775k
$50,000
Median grant
3
States reached
$31M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY$525,000
NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION$250,000
GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY$150,000
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOUNDATION$70,000
METROPOLITAN FAMILY SERVICES$50,000
FRIENDS OF APOSTLE ISLAND$50,000
THE NEIGHBORHOOD BRIDGE$50,000
Individual grant recipient$25,000
RECREATION AND FITNESS RESOURCES$25,000
LEGAL AID FOR NEW ENTREPRENEURS INC$20,000
BEAUTY IN BEAUTY OUT FOUNDATION$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 (FY20–25, $461k) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 87% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%CORE COMMUNITY RESOURCES: $50k → 11%CORE COMMUNITY RESOURCES: $11k → 11%METROPOLITAN FAMILY SERVICES: $100k → 14%METROPOLITAN FAMILY SERVICES: $100k → 14%METROPOLITAN FAMILY SERVICES: $50k → 14%METROPOLITAN FAMILY SERVICES: $50k → 14%METROPOLITAN FAMILY SERVICES: $50k → 14%METROPOLITAN FAMILY SERVICES: $50k → 14%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.
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.

90%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$10M · 11 repeat orgs$1.2M to everyone else

11 repeat relationships: 8 still active in FY2025, 3 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

11
11

Total granted

$10M
$1.1M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+17%
+49%

Still filing today

64%
55%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 92% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $100k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Recreation & SportsHuman ServicesInternationalEducationFood & NutritionCivil RightsOther
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

  • Northwestern University
    6× · 2020–2025 · $6.4M · revenue +33%
  • GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY
    5× · 2020–2025 · $625k · revenue +17%
  • MF
    Metropolitan Family Services
    6× · 2020–2025 · $400k · revenue +104%

Funded once

  • United States Association for UNHCR
    one grant, 2022 · $250k · revenue -59%
  • MC
    Mercy Corps
    one grant, 2022 · $250k · revenue -11%
  • DU
    DUKE UNIVERSITY CONC ACCOUNT
    one grant, 2022 · $198k
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
Lakeshore Legal Aid

Standing with our neighbors, Lakeshore Legal Aid fights poverty and injustice through advocacy and by providing meaningful and dignified access to the legal system.

Crime & Legal
2
Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce

Creating powerful advocacy to enhance economic vitality in the minneapolis-st. paul region.

—
3
United Way of Ne Minnesota

United way of northeastern minnesota invests in nonprofits, programs, and collaborations that equip and empower, creating opportunities for people to thrive in our communities.

—
4
Second Harvest North Central Food Bank

Engaging the community to end hunger

—
5
Great Lakes Community Action Partnership

The mission of great lakes community action partnership is to create partnerships and opportunites to help individuals, families and communities thrive.

Human Services
6
Local Economic and Employment Development Council Inc

North Branch Works is a membership-supported nonprofit neighborhood organization that for more than three decades has promoted balanced, job-creating economic development along the North Branch of the Chicago River.

Employment
7
Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and Industry

The minnesota chamber of commerce proactively leads the business community statewide to: advance pro-business, responsible minnesota public policy that creates jobs and grows the econony; provde member services to address evolving business…

—
8
Minnesota Council on Foundations

MCF is a vibrant philanthropic community connecting, strengthening and mobilizing the power of philanthropy to advance prosperity and equity.

—
9
Lutheran Family Services of Ne Inc

Lutheran family services of nebraska, inc.'s (lfs) mission is to express god's love for all people by providing quality human care services that build and strengthen individual, family and community life. our vision is saftey, hope and…

Human Services
10
United Way of North Central Iowa

Seeking to build a stronger, more caring community by forming partnerships with businesses, community experts, education & health & human service agencies to achieve targeted outcomes & sustained changes in community conditions which will…

Philanthropy
11
Northwest Community Healthcare

NORTHWEST COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE follows the mission of Endeavor Health. The mission of Endeavor Health is to "help everyone in our communities be their best." Central to this mission is a commitment to providing clinical programs and…

Health
12
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
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is University of Minnesota Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Recreation & Fitness Resources 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

16 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. 16 of the 26 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.

2
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
1
Early backer (in before they grew)
16/16
Grantees still filing
8/16
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Northwestern University: $6,425,000 · Recreation & SportsNorthwestern University+1 more: $75,000 · Recreation & SportsNORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION: $1,280,000 · OtherNORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL FOUNDAT…Individual grant recipient: $500,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipientFRIENDS OF APOSTLE ISLAND: $275,000 · OtherFRIENDS OF APOSTLE ISLANDDUKE UNIVERSITY CONC ACCOUNT: $198,321 · OtherDUKE UNIVERSITY CONC ACCOUNTIndividual grant recipient: $150,000 · OtherLUTHERAN IMMIGRATION & REFUGEE SERVICE INC DBA GLOBAL REFUGE: $100,000 · OtherWEST SIDE CONNECTOR: $100,000 · OtherDULUTH-SUPERIOR AREA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $100,000 · Other+8 more: $255,000 · Other+8 moreGREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY: $625,000 · Food & NutritionUnited States Association for UNHCR: $250,000 · InternationalMercy Corps: $250,000 · InternationalMetropolitan Family Services: $400,000 · Human ServicesCORE COMMUNITY RESOURCES INC: $60,500 · Human ServicesFEMME BOUGHT COMMUNITY NFP: $121,000 · Civil RightsUNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOUNDATION: $70,000 · EducationFAMILY FORUM INC: $38,850 · Education
Recreation & Sports$6,500,000Other$2,958,321Food & Nutrition$625,000International$500,000Human Services$460,500Civil Rights$121,000Education$108,850

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 budgetNorthwestern University: $6,425,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetGREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY: $625,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetMetropolitan Family Services: $400,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetUnited States Association for UNHCR: $250,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMercy Corps: $250,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetFEMME BOUGHT COMMUNITY NFP: $121,000 over 4y, 97% of budgetWEST SIDE CONNECTOR: $100,000 over 2y, 7.8% of budgetDULUTH-SUPERIOR AREA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $100,000 over 1y, 1.8% of budgetLUTHERAN IMMIGRATION & REFUGEE SERVICE INC DBA GLOBAL REFUGE: $100,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetRECREATION & FITNESS RESOURCES INC: $75,000 over 3y, 4.4% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOUNDATION: $70,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCORE COMMUNITY RESOURCES INC: $60,500 over 2y, 7.7% of budgetFRIENDS OF THE APOSTLE ISLANDS NATIONAL LAKESHORE INC: $50,000 over 1y, 28% of budgetTHE LAKES COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER INC: $45,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetFAMILY FORUM INC: $38,850 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetLEGAL AID FOR NEW ENTREPRENEURS INC: $20,000 over 1y, 13% 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.

Duluth-Superior Area …Otto Bremer TrustDonor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Duluth-Superior Area Community FoundationMN13.5× affinity4 shared granteesties to 4 of 4Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Duluth-Superior Area Community Foundation · Otto Bremer Trust · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile 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 R Flanagan Charitable Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from John R Flanagan Charitable Foundation. 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%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 100%
  • Lutheran Immigration & Refugee Service Inc Dba Global Refuge: 100% of income from government
  • Mercy Corps: 47% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
4report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
1rely 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 John R Flanagan Charitable Foundation?

Find your warmest path to John R Flanagan Charitable 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 26 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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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