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Lyons Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Lyons 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.

$57k
Granted FY2025still arriving
10
Grants FY2025still arriving
5
States reached
$20k
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.

Education$89kReligion$28kRecreation & Sports$16kHealth$2kArts & Culture$1kCommunity Improvement$1kEnvironment$500Food & Nutrition$500
02FY2025 · 10 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k8 grants · $19k
  • $10k–50k2 grants · $38k
$2,000
Median grant
5
States reached
$1.2M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
ALTAMONT SCHOOL$20,000
INDEPENDENT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH$18,000
TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA$7,000
BIRMINGHAM ULTRA TRAIL SOCIETY$6,000
HELP ONE NOW$2,000
CHILDRENS HARBOR INC$1,000
ROTARY CLUB OF BIRMINGHAM FOUNDATION$1,000
WIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION INC$500
AMERICAN NATIONAL RED CROSS$500
WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INCORPORATED$500
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 (FY25–25, $500) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 13%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 13%AMERICAN NATIONAL RED CROSS: $500 → 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.

94%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$163k · 4 repeat orgs$11k to everyone else

4 repeat relationships: 3 still active in FY2025, 1 since wound down; 6 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

4
8

Total granted

$163k
$5k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+30%
+33%

Still filing today

50%
88%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 89% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $6k went to new ones.

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

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

’20’21’22’23’24’25
EducationCommunity ImprovementHealthArts & CultureInternationalFood & NutritionOther
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

  • TA
    THE ALTAMONT SCHOOL
    6× · 2020–2025 · $93k · revenue +30%
  • IP
    INDEPENDENT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
    5× · 2020–2025 · $46k
  • BU
    BIRMINGHAM ULTRA TRAIL SOCIETY
    5× · 2020–2025 · $22k

Funded once

  • JL
    JUNIOR LEAGUE OF BIRMINGHAM INC
    one grant, 2020 · $1k · revenue -21%
  • S
    SMILE-A-MILEgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $1k · revenue +44%
  • MM
    MASON MUSIC FOUNDATIONgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $750 · revenue +33%
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
Alabama Partnership for Children

To work in partnership with families and organizations to ensure that all alabama children (birth to five) get everything they need to develop to their fullest potential.

Education
2
The Children's Hospital of Alabama

The mission of Children's of Alabama is to provide the finest pediatric health services to all children in an environment that fosters excellence in research and medical education. Children's will be an advocate for all children and work…

Health
3
Alabama Bankers Association Inc

To promote the preservation and continued development of commercial banking in alabama.

—
4
Food & Water Watch

Food & water watch conducts extensive research and public education to ensure the food and water we consume is safe, accessible and sustainably produced. so we can all enjoy and trust in what we eat and drink, we help people take charge of…

Food & Nutrition
5
International Biomedical Research Alliance

Our mission is to invest in and accelerate the development of the most promising future leaders in biomedical research with global impact.

Health
6
The Common Application Inc

The common application is a not-for-profit membership organization of over 1,100 colleges and universities across the globe committed to access, equity, and integrity in the college admission process. every year, over 1.5 million students…

Education
7
Common Future

Common future is a network of pioneering leaders across the u.s. and canada who work deeply within their communities to create alternative approaches to business, philanthropy, and investing. we envision an economy that has transitioned…

Community Improvement
8
Atlanta Community Food Bank Inc

The mission of the atlanta community food bank is to engage, educate and empower our community to fight hunger. our bold goal is to see that all people in our service area have access to the nutritious meals they need when they need them.

Food & Nutrition
9
Ummah Relief International

Ummah relief international is a dedicated grassroots relief organization providing humanitarian services to bring help and hope to thousands of victims of natural and human disasters with quick and targeted action.

International
10
Climate Breakthrough Inc

To launch breakthrough climate mitigation efforts by identifying, supporting, and unleashing innovative leaders with transformative strategies.

Human Services
11
Arbor Research Collaborative for Health

Arbor research collaborative for health is committed to improving patient care through research that shapes medical policies and practice. in particular, arbor research conducts health outcomes research on chronic disease and end-stage…

Health
12
Amazon Conservation Association

Amazon conservation unites science, people, and innovation to protect the amazon - the greatest wild forest on earth. as guardians of the most iconic forest on the planet, we bring together the power of the latest science and technology…

Environment
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Children's Harbor Inc; the most unlike its peers is Desert Island Supply Co. 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 19 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)
3
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

THE ALTAMONT SCHOOL: $93,200 · EducationTHE ALTAMONT SCHOOLTRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA: $20,500 · EducationTRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA+1 more: $500 · EducationINDEPENDENT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: $45,564 · OtherINDEPENDENT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHBIRMINGHAM ULTRA TRAIL SOCIETY: $21,800 · OtherBIRMINGHAM ULTRA TRAIL SOCIETYDESERT ISLAND SUPPLY CO: $2,500 · Other+4 more: $2,000 · OtherHELP ONE NOW: $2,000 · InternationalWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $500 · InternationalCHILDREN'S HARBOR INC: $1,000 · HealthSMILE-A-MILE: $1,000 · HealthJUNIOR LEAGUE OF BIRMINGHAM INC: $1,000 · Community ImprovementCahaba River Society Inc: $500 · Community ImprovementMASON MUSIC FOUNDATION: $750 · Arts & CulturePACIFIC BATTLESHIP CENTER: $500 · Arts & CultureROTARY CLUB OF BIRMINGHAM FOUNDATION: $1,000 · Philanthropy
Education$114,200Other$71,864International$2,500Health$2,000Community Improvement$1,500Arts & Culture$1,250Philanthropy$1,000

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 ALTAMONT SCHOOL: $93,200 over 6y, 0.3% of budgetTRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA: $20,500 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetDESERT ISLAND SUPPLY CO: $2,500 over 3y, 0.7% of budgetCHILDREN'S HARBOR INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetJUNIOR LEAGUE OF BIRMINGHAM INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetROTARY CLUB OF BIRMINGHAM FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetSMILE-A-MILE: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMASON MUSIC FOUNDATION: $750 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetCahaba River Society Inc: $500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCOMMUNITY FOOD BANK OF CENTRAL ALABAMA: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetRED MOUNTAIN PARK FOUNDATION: $500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetPACIFIC BATTLESHIP CENTER: $500 over 1y, 0.0% 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.

Mike and Gillian Good…Susan Mott Webb Chari…Hill Crest Foundation…The Daniel Foundation…The Community Foundat…The Hugh Kaul Foundat…Dunn-French FoundationRobert R Meyer Founda…Protective Life Found…The Joseph S Bruno Ch…Debardeleben Foundati…The Maynard Nexsen Fo…
Mike and Gillian Goodrich FoundationAL19.9× affinity7 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Mike and Gillian Goodrich Foundation · Susan Mott Webb Charitable Trust · Hill Crest Foundation Inc · The Daniel Foundation of Alabama · The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham · The Hugh Kaul Foundation · Dunn-French Foundation · Robert R Meyer Foundation · Protective Life Foundation · The Joseph S Bruno Charitable Foundation · Debardeleben Foundation Inc · The Maynard Nexsen 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 Lyons Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Lyons Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%3%5%8%10%share of the org’s 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)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–10%
    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 Lyons Family Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Lyons 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 19 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 Lyons 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