Skip to content
John S and James L Knight Foundation at a glanceAlso receives grants: funding profile →

· Private foundation

John S and James L Knight Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$148M
Granted FY2024still arriving
513
Grants FY2024still arriving
34
States reached
$5.0M
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 2024.

Arts & Culture$229MEducation$172MPhilanthropy$145MCommunity Improvement$73MPublic Benefit$63MEnvironment$16MScience & Tech$15MHealth$12MOther$0
02FY2024 · 513 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k56 grants · $301k
  • $10k–50k164 grants · $3.6M
  • $50k–250k116 grants · $14M
  • $250k+177 grants · $129M
$85,300
Median grant
34
States reached
$2.5B
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS$5,000,000
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY$4,000,000
GROUNDTRUTH PROJECT INC$3,000,000
THE MIAMI FOUNDATION$2,859,554
THE MIAMI FOUNDATION$2,800,000
THE MIAMI FOUNDATION$2,703,000
THE PEW CHARITABLE TRUSTS$2,500,000
THE LENFEST INSTITUTE FOR JOURNALISM SPECIAL ASSETS FUND OF TPF$2,249,500
THE MIAMI FOUNDATION$2,100,000
AMERICAN JOURNALISM PROJECT$2,000,000
CIVIC NEWS COMPANY$2,000,000
NATIONAL TRUST FOR LOCAL NEWS$1,794,500
NEW WORLD SYMPHONY INC$1,666,667
INSTITUTE FOR NONPROFIT NEWS$1,636,380
FOUNDATION FOR DETROIT'S FUTURE$1,500,000
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 (FY17–24, $8.9M) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, 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%LOCAL MEDIA FOUNDATION: $1.2M → 13%LOCAL MEDIA FOUNDATION: $600k → 13%LOCAL MEDIA FOUNDATION: $600k → 13%SOUTHEAST ASIAN MUTUAL ASSISTANCE ASSOCIATIONS COALITION INC: $127k → 22%LOCAL MEDIA FOUNDATION: $475k → 13%LOCAL MEDIA FOUNDATION: $250k → 13%LOCAL MEDIA FOUNDATION: $235k → 13%IMMIGRANT LEGAL RESOURCE CENTER: $1.2M → 10%IMMIGRANT LEGAL RESOURCE CENTER: $375k → 10%IMMIGRANT LEGAL RESOURCE CENTER: $375k → 10%MRELIEF: $250k → 14%IMMIGRANT LEGAL RESOURCE CENTER: $300k → 10%FREEDOM OF THE PRESS FOUNDATION: $120k → 10%ONE DEGREE: $125k → 10%ARAB AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM: $233k → 21%WELCOMING CENTER FOR NEW PENNSYLVANIANS: $150k → 22%ARAB AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM: $200k → 21%ARAB AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM: $200k → 21%ARAB COMMUNITY CENTER FOR ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL SERVICES: $200k → 21%GIRLS WHO CODE INC: $150k → 17%FRIENDS OF THE UNDERLINE INC: $325k → 15%FRIENDS OF THE UNDERLINE INC: $325k → 15%FRIENDS OF THE UNDERLINE INC: $240k → 15%FRIENDS OF THE UNDERLINE INC: $200k → 15%FRIENDS OF THE UNDERLINE INC: $200k → 15%FRIENDS OF THE UNDERLINE INC: $160k → 15%FRIENDS OF THE UNDERLINE INC: $110k → 15%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

AK
ME
VT
NH
WA
MT
ND
MN
IL
WI
MI
NY
MA
OR
NV
SD
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
UT
CO
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
AZ
NM
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
DC
HI
OK
LA
MS
GA
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.
04

Where the work is directed

The same grants placed two ways: where each recipient sits, and where its stated purpose sends the money.

About 15% of John S and James L Knight Foundation’s grant dollars are earmarked for a different county than the recipient’s own address. By recipient address, 28% of the giving stays in FL; by stated purpose, 25%.

John S and James L Knight Foundationlessmore of its giving
Placed by recipient address · 3.4% directed abroad (not shown)
How this is measured
Recipient view: each grant at its grantee’s ZIP, mapped to a county. Directed view: each grant at the county its stated purpose names, falling back to the recipient’s county when the purpose names no place; US grants only. A county shows only if it carries the top 95% of that view’s dollars. Purposes are read from the funder’s own 990 grant descriptions.
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.
$556M · 566 repeat orgs$61M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +34% since the first grant, against +16% for those funded once.

566 repeat relationships: 233 still active in FY2024, 333 since wound down; 157 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

566
536

Total granted

$556M
$49M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+34%
+16%

Still filing today

81%
53%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 90% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $12M went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’22’23’24
Arts & CultureEducationCommunity ImprovementHuman ServicesPhilanthropyPublic 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

  • TU
    THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON FOUNDATION
    4× · 2020–2024 · $12M · revenue +136% · 72% of their budget
  • UO
    University of Miami
    7× · 2017–2024 · $11M · revenue +96%
  • GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
    6× · 2017–2024 · $8.6M · revenue +47%

Funded once

  • NI
    NEWSEUM INC
    one grant, 2017 · $2.5M · revenue -99%
  • CF
    COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR SOUTHEAST MI
    one grant, 2018 · $2.2M
  • DA
    DOWNTOWN AKRON PARTNERSHIP INC GREYSTONE HALL
    one grant, 2017 · $750k
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
Museum of Arts and Design

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

Arts & Culture
2
Boston Architectural College

The bac is committed to provide excellence in design education grounded in practice and accessible to diverse communities.

—
3
Columbia College Chicago

The organization's mission is to educate students for creative occupations in diverse fields of arts and media.

Education
4
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.

—
5
Nashville Public Radio

Nashville public radio's mission is to be the most trusted & independent nashville voice, connecting our communities through non-partisan journalism, compelling storytelling, civil conversation and music discovery.

Arts & Culture
6
Academy of Television Arts and Sciences

The Television Academy is dedicated to celebrating excellence, innovation and the advancement of the telecommunications arts and sciences through recognition, education and leadership, while fostering a diverse, inclusive and accessible…

—
7
Public Media Nj Inc

To bring quality public television programs and resources to communities throughout new jersey and its tri-state neighbors. its content, both on-air and online, aims to reflect the diverse

Arts & Culture
8
The Paris Review Foundation Inc

The mission of the organization is to foster the development of creative individuals as writers and artists and to promote public appreciation of excellence in the literary and graphic arts by publishing a magazine containing fiction,…

Education
9
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
10
New York School of Interior Design

New york school of interior design provides the most innovative, immersive, and transformative interior design education in the world, demonstrating the impact of professionally designed interiors on the health, happiness, and well-being…

Education
11
Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University Inc

The Knight First Amendment Institute defends the freedoms of speech and the press in the digital age through strategic litigation, research, public advocacy and public education. Our aim is to promote a system of free expression that is…

Education
12
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…

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The Heritage Foundation; the most unlike its peers is BayHaven Community. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
05the grantee network

976 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. 976 of the 1,316 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.

121
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
218
Early backer (in before they grew)
941/976
Grantees still filing
631/976
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK: $25,947,977 · EducationTHE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIV…THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON FOUNDATION: $12,319,000 · EducationTHE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON FOUND…University of Miami: $10,853,025 · EducationUniversity of MiamiGEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: $8,571,877 · EducationFLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC: $6,790,875 · EducationTHE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY: $6,362,023 · EducationPresident and Fellows of Harvard College: $6,021,003 · EducationINSTITUTE FOR NONPROFIT NEWS: $5,850,873 · Education+31 more: $84,702,454 · Education+31 moreTHE MIAMI FOUNDATION INC: $113,680,480 · PhilanthropyTHE MIAMI FOUNDATION INCThe Pew Charitable Trusts: $7,600,000 · PhilanthropyThe Pew Charitable Trust…THE LENFEST INSTITUTE FOR JOURNALISM SPECIAL ASSET FUND OF TPF: $6,718,500 · Philanthropy+7 more: $12,473,804 · Philanthropy+7 morePRO PUBLICA INC: $6,354,133 · Arts & CulturePRO PUBLICA INCOHIO & ERIE CANALWAY COALITION: $5,909,560 · Arts & CultureOHIO & ERIE CANALW…AKRON ART MUSEUM: $5,875,329 · Arts & CultureAKRON ART MUSEUMNEWS REVENUE HUB INC: $4,775,000 · Arts & CultureMIAMI CITY BALLET INC: $4,195,500 · Arts & CultureNATIONAL TRUST FOR LOCAL NEWS: $3,782,500 · Arts & CultureJORGE M PEREZ ART MUSEUM OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY INC: $3,696,666 · Arts & Culture+45 more: $68,612,526 · Arts & Culture+45 moreAMERICAN JOURNALISM PROJECT: $15,450,000 · OtherAMERICAN JOURNALISM PROJECTUNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL: $7,643,069 · OtherTPF SPECIAL ASSETS FUND DBA THE LENFEST INSTITUTE FOR JOURNALISM LLC: $6,800,000 · OtherTHE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN: $5,778,731 · OtherTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS: $5,720,000 · OtherVARIOUS - MATCHING GIFTS TO PUBLIC CHARITIES: $5,374,504 · OtherTHE INT'L CENTER FOR JOURNALISTS INC: $8,504,560 · OtherTHE GROUNDTRUTH PROJECT INC: $7,050,000 · Other+59 more: $98,373,431 · Other+59 moreFOUNDATION FOR DETROIT'S FUTURE: $10,507,500 · Community ImprovementTHE WELL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION: $5,240,000 · Community ImprovementDOWNTOWN AKRON PARTNERSHIP: $2,993,170 · Community ImprovementNEWTOWN MACON INC: $2,785,588 · Community ImprovementTECHCONGRESS FOUNDATION: $2,560,000 · Community ImprovementLOCAL INITIATIVES SUPPORT CORPORATION: $2,518,355 · Community ImprovementMIDTOWN DETROIT INC: $2,250,000 · Community ImprovementDELAWARE RIVER WATERFRONT CORPORATION: $2,150,000 · Community ImprovementAIRE VENTURES INC: $2,052,000 · Community ImprovementDEVELOP DETROIT INC: $2,000,000 · Community ImprovementENDEAVOR MIAMI INC: $1,900,000 · Community Improvement+9 more: $9,964,889 · Community ImprovementCOMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS INC: $4,975,015 · Civil RightsDEMOCRACY WORKS INC: $4,850,000 · Civil RightsCENTER FOR DEMOCRACY AND TECHNOLOGY: $4,312,000 · Civil RightsCalMatters: $1,550,000 · Civil RightsMUCKROCK FOUNDATION INC: $1,510,000 · Civil RightsTHE SIGNALS NETWORK INC: $1,227,425 · Civil RightsFAIRMOUNT PARK CONSERVANCY: $5,195,000 · EnvironmentBISCAYNE BAY WATERKEEPER INC: $2,000,000 · EnvironmentCLIMATE SUMMIT MIAMI BEACH HOST COMMITTEE INC: $1,500,000 · EnvironmentNEW VENTURE FUND: $1,200,000 · EnvironmentSUMMIT METRO PARKS FOUNDATION: $785,000 · EnvironmentTHE EVERGLADES FOUNDATION INC: $770,000 · Environment
Education$167,419,107Philanthropy$140,472,784Arts & Culture$103,201,214Other$160,694,295Community Improvement$46,921,502Civil Rights$18,424,440Environment$11,450,000

Showing the 200 largest grantees by grant value.

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 budgetTHE MIAMI FOUNDATION INC: $113,680,480 over 7y, 28% of budgetTHE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK: $25,947,977 over 7y, 0.2% of budgetTHE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON FOUNDATION: $12,319,000 over 4y, 72% of budgetUniversity of Miami: $10,853,025 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetFOUNDATION FOR DETROIT'S FUTURE: $10,507,500 over 7y, 9.0% of budgetGEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: $8,571,877 over 6y, 0.2% of budgetTHE INT'L CENTER FOR JOURNALISTS INC: $8,504,560 over 7y, 45% of budgetThe Pew Charitable Trusts: $7,600,000 over 7y, 0.7% of budgetTHE GROUNDTRUTH PROJECT INC: $7,050,000 over 7y, 19% of budgetFLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC: $6,790,875 over 6y, 5.1% of budgetTHE LENFEST INSTITUTE FOR JOURNALISM SPECIAL ASSET FUND OF TPF: $6,718,500 over 3y, 14% of budgetTHE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY: $6,362,023 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetPRO PUBLICA INC: $6,354,133 over 7y, 3.0% of budgetPresident and Fellows of Harvard College: $6,021,003 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetOHIO & ERIE CANALWAY COALITION: $5,909,560 over 5y, 30% of budgetAKRON ART MUSEUM: $5,875,329 over 7y, 25% of budgetINSTITUTE FOR NONPROFIT NEWS: $5,850,873 over 6y, 19% of budgetCRAIG NEWMARK GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM CUNY FOUNDATION INC: $5,526,334 over 7y, 12% of budgetNew York University: $5,330,152 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetTHE WELL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION: $5,240,000 over 6y, 47% of budgetFAIRMOUNT PARK CONSERVANCY: $5,195,000 over 3y, 32% of budgetCOMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS INC: $4,975,015 over 6y, 16% of budgetDEMOCRACY WORKS INC: $4,850,000 over 5y, 20% of budgetMIAMI DADE COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC: $4,793,696 over 7y, 3.1% of budgetThe George Washington University: $4,785,899 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetNEWS REVENUE HUB INC: $4,775,000 over 7y, 38% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON FOUNDATION: $4,677,932 over 5y, 0.8% of budgetCENTER FOR DEMOCRACY AND TECHNOLOGY: $4,312,000 over 5y, 17% of budgetCHARLOTTE MECKLENBURG LIBRARY FOUNDATION: $4,260,000 over 4y, 11% of budgetTHE NEWS LITERACY PROJECT INC: $4,210,000 over 6y, 41% of budgetMIAMI CITY BALLET INC: $4,195,500 over 7y, 4.6% of budgetFOUNDATION FOR THE CAROLINAS: $4,180,714 over 7y, 0.2% of budgetSOLUTIONS JOURNALISM NETWORK INC: $4,136,942 over 6y, 22% of budgetNAVICENT HEALTH FOUNDATION INC: $4,000,000 over 4y, 14% of budgetDATA & SOCIETY RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC: $3,952,878 over 6y, 15% of budgetNEW WORLD SYMPHONY INC: $3,921,667 over 7y, 10% of budgetNATIONAL TRUST FOR LOCAL NEWS: $3,782,500 over 2y, 4.3% of budgetJORGE M PEREZ ART MUSEUM OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY INC: $3,696,666 over 7y, 3.9% of budgetLYRASIS: $3,624,687 over 3y, 2.6% of budgetTHE CORPORATION OF MERCER UNIVERSITY: $3,502,962 over 6y, 0.3% of budgetGREATER WASHINGTON EDUCATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATION INC: $3,440,000 over 6y, 0.9% of budgetLOCAL MEDIA FOUNDATION: $3,420,000 over 4y, 21% of budgetMOTOWN HISTORICAL MUSUEM INC: $3,250,000 over 3y, 17% of budgetTHE POYNTER INSTITUTE FOR MEDIA STUDIES INC: $3,231,680 over 7y, 9.2% of budgetCarnegie Mellon University: $3,177,682 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetCOMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN: $3,140,000 over 5y, 0.4% of budgetDETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA INC: $3,131,000 over 6y, 2.5% of budgetINSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART MIAMI INC: $3,107,600 over 6y, 8.9% 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 THE MIAMI FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK ↗
  • Who funds THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds University of Miami ↗
  • Who funds FOUNDATION FOR DETROIT'S FUTURE ↗
  • Who funds GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds THE INT'L CENTER FOR JOURNALISTS INC ↗
  • Who funds The Pew Charitable Trusts ↗
  • Who funds THE GROUNDTRUTH PROJECT INC ↗
  • Who funds FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds THE LENFEST INSTITUTE FOR JOURNALISM SPECIAL ASSET FUND OF TPF ↗
  • Who funds THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds PRO PUBLICA INC ↗
  • Who funds President and Fellows of Harvard College ↗
  • Who funds OHIO & ERIE CANALWAY COALITION ↗
  • Who funds AKRON ART MUSEUM ↗
  • Who funds INSTITUTE FOR NONPROFIT NEWS ↗
  • Who funds CRAIG NEWMARK GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM CUNY FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds New York University ↗
  • Who funds THE WELL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION ↗
  • Who funds FAIRMOUNT PARK CONSERVANCY ↗
  • Who funds COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS INC ↗
  • Who funds DEMOCRACY WORKS INC ↗
  • Who funds MIAMI DADE COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds The George Washington University ↗
  • Who funds NEWS REVENUE HUB INC ↗
  • Who funds UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds CENTER FOR DEMOCRACY AND TECHNOLOGY ↗
  • Who funds CHARLOTTE MECKLENBURG LIBRARY FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds THE NEWS LITERACY PROJECT INC ↗
  • Who funds MIAMI CITY BALLET INC ↗
  • Who funds FOUNDATION FOR THE CAROLINAS ↗
  • Who funds SOLUTIONS JOURNALISM NETWORK INC ↗
  • Who funds NAVICENT HEALTH FOUNDATION INC ↗

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 Miami Foundation …Democracy Fund IncInstitute for Nonprof…Gar FoundationFifty Over Fifty IncThe Kirk FoundationThe Andrew W Mellon F…The Ford FoundationThe Lenfest Institute…The William Penn Foun…John D and Catherine …Hudson-Webber Foundat…
The Miami Foundation IncFL89.1× affinity201 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Miami Foundation Inc · Democracy Fund Inc · Institute for Nonprofit News · Gar Foundation · Fifty Over Fifty Inc · The Kirk Foundation · The Andrew W Mellon Foundation · The Ford Foundation · The Lenfest Institute for Journalism Special Asset Fund of Tpf · The William Penn Foundation · John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation · Hudson-Webber 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 S and James L Knight Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from John S and James L Knight Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 160%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 2%
  • Friends of the Underline Inc: 66% of income from government
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology: 35% of income from government
  • Biscayne Bay Waterkeeper Inc: 19% of income from government
  • Trustees of Boston University: 12% of income from government
  • President and Fellows of Harvard College: 7% of income from government
  • Northeastern University: 7% of income from government
  • Living Arts Trust Inc Dba O Cinema: 6% of income from government
  • University of Miami: 5% of income from government
  • The Fountainhead Residency Inc: 3% of income from government
  • Digital Public Library of America: 2% of income from government
  • Bakehouse Art Complex Inc: 2% of income from government
  • Miami Music Project Inc: 2% of income from government
  • O Miami Inc: 2% of income from government
  • Nu Deco Ensemble Inc: 1% of income from government
  • Wesleyan University: 1% of income from government
  • The Poynter Institute for Media Studies Inc: 1% of income from government
  • Wgbh Educational Foundation: 1% of income from government
  • Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival Inc: 1% of income from government
  • Cortico Corporation: 0% of income from government
  • National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts Inc: 0% of income from government
  • New World Symphony Inc: 0% of income from government
  • Trinity College: 0% of income from government
  • St Thomas University Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
16get no government money at all
47report 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.

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 1316 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 S and James L Knight’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