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Laser Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Laser Family 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.

$82k
Granted FY2025still arriving
5
Grants FY2025still arriving
2
States reached
$36k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0193% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Education$309kPhilanthropy$180kArts & Culture$89kReligion$44kYouth Development$32kHealth$27kInternational$22kHuman Services$20kOther$0
02FY2025 · 5 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k2 grants · $11k
  • $10k–50k3 grants · $71k
$10,000
Median grant
2
States reached
$200
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
JEWISH UNITED FUND$36,000
ERIKSON INSTITUTE$25,000
ANSHE EMET SYNAGOGUE$10,000
FRIENDS OF ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES$7,200
CHICAGO CARES$3,600
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 (FY20–25) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 83% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%Help Hope Live: $5k → 6%UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM: $18k → 14%NAROPA UNIVERSITY: $5k → 12%SEE STATEMENT ATTACHED: $73k → 7%Northwestern University: $5k → 14%Reeve Foundation: $5k → 16%UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM: $18k → 14%Anshe Emet Synagogue: $10k → 14%UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM: $18k → 14%ANSHE EMET SYNAGOGUE: $10k → 14%ANSHE EMET SYNAGOGUE: $10k → 14%ANSHE EMET SYNAGOGUE: $10k → 14%CHICAGO CARES: $3k → 14%JEWISH UNITED FUND: $36k → 14%ERIKSON INSTITUTE: $25k → 14%JEWISH UNITED FUND: $36k → 14%ERIKSON INSTITUTE: $25k → 14%JEWISH UNITED FUND: $36k → 14%ERIKSON INSTITUTE: $25k → 14%Jewish United Fund: $18k → 14%ERIKSON INSTITUTE: $25k → 14%Youth & Opportunity United: $10k → 14%Family Action Network: $5k → 14%Family Action Network: $5k → 14%CHICAGO CARES: $4k → 14%CHICAGO CARES: $4k → 14%CHICAGO CARES: $4k → 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.
$677k · 11 repeat orgs$72k to everyone else

11 repeat relationships: 5 still active in FY2025, 6 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

11
13

Total granted

$677k
$72k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+12%
+14%

Still filing today

82%
69%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’21’22’23’24’25
EducationHealthPhilanthropyCivil RightsArts & CultureRecreation & SportsOther
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

  • EI
    Erikson Institute
    7× · 2017–2025 · $261k · revenue +5%
  • JU
    JEWISH UNITED FUND OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO
    7× · 2017–2025 · $180k · revenue +13%
  • TU
    The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
    5× · 2018–2024 · $88k · revenue +34%

Funded once

  • University of Chicagograduated
    one grant, 2017 · $18k · revenue +56%
  • UO
    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
    one grant, 2017 · $15k
  • KI
    KNOWTICE INC
    one grant, 2019 · $10k · revenue -64%
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
Loyola University of Chicago

We are chicago's jesuit, catholic university - a diverse community seeking god in all things and working to expand knowledge in the service of humanity through learning, justice, and faith.

Education
2
President and Fellows of Harvard College

Undergraduate, graduate, and professional education and research across a broad array of academic domains.

Education
3
The Trustees of Princeton University

Research, education and general - princeton university is a private not-for-profit, non-sectarian institution of higher learning with approximately 5,700 undergraduate and 3,300 graduate students. 2,500 students graduated in the 2024-2025…

Education
4
Manhattan University

Manhattan university is an independent catholic instituion of higher learning that embraces qualified men and women of all faiths, cultures, and traditions. the mission of manhattan university is to provide a contemporary, person-centered…

Education
5
University of New Haven

The University of New Haven is a student-centered comprehensive university with an emphasis on excellence in liberal arts and professional education. Our mission is to prepare our students to lead purposeful and fulfilling lives in a…

Education
6
American Academy of Neurology

The Academy's mission is to enhance member career fulfillment and promote brain health for all.

Community Improvement
7
Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute

The chicago psychoanalytic institute transforms the lives of individuals, families and communities, using psychoanalytic knowledge to help them grow and thrive.

Social Science
8
Roosevelt University

Roosevelt university is an independent, non-profit, metropolitan university and national leader in educating socially conscious citizens for active and dedicated lives as leaders in their professions and their communities. the university's…

—
9
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The mission of mit is to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century.

Education
10
Neurology Associates of Stony Brook University Faculty Practice Corp

Provide clinical instruction to and supervision of medical school students, interns and residents and, incident thereto, rendering professional services.

Health
11
Bar Ilan University in Israel Inc

Biu produces students who excel in the sciences, humanities, law, engineering, business & the arts.

—
12
Trustees of Tufts College

Education and Research

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is University of Chicago; the most unlike its peers is The Reeves Foundation 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

18 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. 18 of the 24 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)
18/18
Grantees still filing
13/18
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Erikson Institute: $261,250 · EducationErikson InstituteUniversity of Chicago: $18,000 · EducationUniversity of ChicagoKNOWTICE INC: $10,000 · EducationJEWISH UNITED FUND OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO: $180,000 · PhilanthropyJEWISH UNITED FUND OF METRO…ANSHE EMET SYNAGOGUE: $40,000 · OtherANSHE EMET SYNAGOGUEYOUTH & OPPORTUNITY UNITED INC: $31,950 · OtherYOUTH & OPPORTUNITY …FAMILY ACTION NETWORK: $20,000 · OtherFAMILY ACTION NETWOR…UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES: $15,000 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF CALIFO…NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS CHICAGO: $5,500 · OtherTHE REEVES FOUNDATION INC: $5,000 · OtherNaropa University: $5,000 · OtherNorthwestern University: $5,000 · Other+6 more: $9,250 · Other+6 moreThe United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: $87,750 · Arts & CultureThe United St…FRIENDS OF THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES: $21,600 · InternationalCHRISTOPHER REEVE FOUNDATION: $10,000 · HealthHELPHOPELIVE INC: $5,000 · HealthPLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC: $3,000 · HealthCHICAGO CARES INC: $16,300 · Community Improvement
Education$289,250Philanthropy$180,000Other$136,700Arts & Culture$87,750International$21,600Health$18,000Community Improvement$16,300

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 budgetErikson Institute: $261,250 over 7y, 0.3% of budgetJEWISH UNITED FUND OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO: $180,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetThe United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: $87,750 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetYOUTH & OPPORTUNITY UNITED INC: $31,950 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetFRIENDS OF THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES: $21,600 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetFAMILY ACTION NETWORK: $20,000 over 4y, 0.9% of budgetUniversity of Chicago: $18,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCHICAGO CARES INC: $16,300 over 5y, 0.2% of budgetCHRISTOPHER REEVE FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetKNOWTICE INC: $10,000 over 1y, 16% of budgetHELPHOPELIVE INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNorthwestern University: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE REEVES FOUNDATION INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetNaropa University: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC: $3,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetMUSEUM OF AMERICAN FINANCE: $1,500 over 1y, 0.1% 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 Chicago Community…National Philanthropi…Gs Donor Advised Phil…Vanguard Charitable E…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…Morgan Stanley Global…American Endowment Fo…The Bank of America C…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …American Online Givin…Amazonsmile Foundation
The Chicago Community TrustIL11.9× affinity4 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Chicago Community Trust · National Philanthropic Trust · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · American Endowment Foundation · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · 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 Laser Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Laser Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%0%1%3%5%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
    1get no government money at all
    2report 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 Laser Family Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Laser Family 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 24 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 Laser Family’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