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· Private foundation

McDonald Family Trust

Its FY2025 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$89k
Granted FY2025still arriving
24
Grants FY2025still arriving
2
States reached
$10k
Largest
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2021 to 2025.

Health$109kHuman Services$100kReligion$50kHousing & Shelter$46kFood & Nutrition$38kArts & Culture$35kCrime & Legal$30kYouth Development$13kOther$0
02FY2025 · 24 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k23 grants · $79k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $10k
$3,000
Median grant
2
States reached
$710k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry$10,000
House of Bread$5,000
Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation$5,000
Eversight$5,000
Greater Hartford Legal Aid Foundation$5,000
Hartford Stage$5,000
South Park Inn$4,000
Glastonbury Rotary Club$4,000
Greater Hartford Salvation Army$4,000
Oak Hill School$4,000
Individual grant recipient$3,500
Individual grant recipient$3,000
ImmaCare Inc$3,000
Prudence Crandell Center$3,000
Plainville Community Food Pantry$3,000
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 (FY21–25, $47k) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 8%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 8%Hartford Artisans Weaving Center: $3k → 11%Hands on Hartford: $2k → 11%Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation: $5k → 11%Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation: $5k → 11%Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation: $5k → 11%Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation: $5k → 11%Plainville Community Food Pantry: $3k → 11%Plainville Community Food Pantry: $3k → 11%Plainville Community Food Pantry Inc: $3k → 11%Plainville Community Food Pantry: $3k → 11%Plainville Community Food Pantry: $3k → 11%Hands on Hartford: $3k → 11%Hands on Hartford: $3k → 11%Hands on Hartford: $2k → 11%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.
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 100% of McDonald Family Trust’s grant dollars are earmarked for a different county than the recipient’s own address.

McDonald Family Trustlessmore of its giving
Placed by recipient address
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.

92%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$389k · 25 repeat orgs$34k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +39% since the first grant, against +2% for those funded once.

25 repeat relationships: 21 still active in FY2025, 4 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

25
8

Total granted

$389k
$26k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+39%
+2%

Still filing today

68%
38%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 91% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $8k went to new ones.

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

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

’21’22’23’24’25
Human ServicesHousing & ShelterArts & CultureHealthReligionCivil 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

  • HS
    HARTFORD STAGE COMPANY INC
    5× · 2021–2025 · $25k · revenue +61%
  • GH
    GREATER HARTFORD LEGAL AID FOUNDATION
    5× · 2021–2025 · $25k · revenue +39%
  • FG
    FIDELCO GUIDE DOG FOUNDATION INC
    4× · 2021–2025 · $20k · revenue +58%

Funded once

  • F
    Fidelco
    one grant, 2024 · $5k
  • GR
    Glastonbury Rotary Club Foundation
    one grant, 2024 · $4k
  • OL
    Old Lyme Lions Club
    one grant, 2024 · $3k
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
Connecticut Housing Coalition Inc

The connecticut housing coalition works to expand housing opportunity and to increase the quantity and quality of affordable housing available to people with low and moderate incomes in connecticut through advocacy, education and…

—
2
Visiting Nurse Services of Connecticut Inc

Visiting Nurse Services of Connecticut, Inc., (VNS) a nonprofit health care provider, finds its mission in the provision of quality home health and hospice services to individuals, families and the communities it serves. VNS is committed…

—
3
Connecticut Humane Society

The connecticut humane society is the leading resource in the state for companion animal welfare, enriching the lives of families and communities through adoption services, medical care, education, and prevention of cruelty.

Animals
4
Hartford HealthCare at Home Inc

The mission of the agency is to provide and safeguard quality home health care to all persons in need, especially the indigent and medically underserved population. The agency strongly believes that appropriate health care is a fundamental…

Health
5
The Hospital of Central Connecticut

The Hospital of Central Connecticut is dedicated to fostering, sustaining and improving the health status of the people in the communities we serve.

Health
6
Hartford Healthcare Senior Services Inc

To provide and promote wellness and independence to ensure optimal quality of life for the people we serve.

Health
7
Eastern Connecticut Housing Opportunities Inc

Eastern connecticut housing opportunities, inc. is a non-profit organization organized to provide affordable housing to low-income families of southeastern connecticut.

Housing & Shelter
8
The Humane Society of Harford County Inc

The humane society of harford county's mission is to promote the humane treatment of homeless, stray and abandoned animals by providing shelter, care, adoptions and community education.

Animals
9
Community Health Services Inc

To provide medical services for the residents of the greater hartford connecticut area. to provide quality health care services to low and moderate income individuals in the greater hartford connecticut area regardless of ability to pay.

Health
10
Mutual Housing Association of Greater Hartford Inc

The mutual housing association of greater hartford, inc. develops and manages affordable housing in greater hartford while engaging residents in leadership and educational opportunities.

—
11
Hartford Preservation Alliance Inc

Hartford Preservation Alliance's primary mission is to preserve and revitalize Hartford's unique architectural heritage and neighborhood character.

Arts & Culture
12
Hartford Catholic Worker Inc

The mission of Hartford Catholic Worker is to practice the works of mercy. We do this through our work with children and families in our neighborhood, helping to make sure the hungry are fed and helping secure housing for the homeless.

International
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Hands On Hartford Inc; the most unlike its peers is Noah Webster House Inc. 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

21 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. 21 of the 36 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)
6
Early backer (in before they grew)
21/21
Grantees still filing
16/21
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Oak Hill School: $24,000 · OtherOak Hill SchoolHOUSE OF BREAD INC: $23,000 · OtherHOUSE OF BREAD INCHARTFORD INTERVAL HOUSE INC: $19,000 · OtherHARTFORD INTERVAL HOUSE INCIndividual grant recipient: $17,500 · OtherIndividual grant recipientGlastonbury Rotary Club: $16,000 · OtherGlastonbury Rotary ClubEversight: $15,000 · OtherEversightGreater Hartford Salvation Army: $11,500 · OtherGreater Hartford Salvation ArmyIndividual grant recipient: $10,000 · OtherEversight: $10,000 · OtherOpen Hearth: $9,000 · OtherSalvation Army: $8,000 · Other+12 more: $45,000 · Other+12 moreFRANCISCAN CENTER FOR URBAN MINISTRY INC: $50,000 · ReligionFRANCISCAN CE…FIDELCO GUIDE DOG FOUNDATION INC: $20,000 · Human ServicesFIDELCO GUIDE…Plainville Community Food Pantry Inc: $15,000 · Human ServicesPlainville Co…HANDS ON HARTFORD INC: $9,000 · Human ServicesHANDS ON HART…PRUDENCE CRANDALL CENTER INC: $3,000 · Human ServicesPRUDENCE CRAN…HARTFORD ARTISANS WEAVING CENTER INC: $2,500 · Human ServicesSOUTH PARK INN INC: $15,500 · Housing & ShelterSOUTH PARK …IMMACARE INC: $15,000 · Housing & ShelterIMMACARE IN…MERCY HOUSING & SHELTER CORPORATION: $12,000 · Housing & ShelterMERCY HOUSI…HARTFORD STAGE COMPANY INC: $25,000 · Arts & CultureHARTFORD …Noah Webster House Inc: $10,000 · Arts & CultureNoah Webs…GREATER HARTFORD LEGAL AID FOUNDATION: $25,000 · Civil RightsMANCHESTER AREA CONFERENCE OF CHURCHES INC: $12,500 · Youth Development
Other$208,000Religion$50,000Human Services$49,500Housing & Shelter$42,500Arts & Culture$35,000Civil Rights$25,000Youth Development$12,500

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 budgetFRANCISCAN CENTER FOR URBAN MINISTRY INC: $50,000 over 5y, 5.5% of budgetHARTFORD STAGE COMPANY INC: $25,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetGREATER HARTFORD LEGAL AID FOUNDATION: $25,000 over 5y, 1.4% of budgetHOUSE OF BREAD INC: $23,000 over 5y, 0.2% of budgetFIDELCO GUIDE DOG FOUNDATION INC: $20,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetHARTFORD INTERVAL HOUSE INC: $19,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetSOUTH PARK INN INC: $15,500 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetEversight: $15,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetIMMACARE INC: $15,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetPlainville Community Food Pantry Inc: $15,000 over 5y, 0.6% of budgetMANCHESTER AREA CONFERENCE OF CHURCHES INC: $12,500 over 5y, 0.2% of budgetMERCY HOUSING & SHELTER CORPORATION: $12,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetNoah Webster House Inc: $10,000 over 5y, 0.4% of budgetHANDS ON HARTFORD INC: $9,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetTHE DIAPER BANK OF CONNECTICUT INC: $6,500 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetManes and Motions Therapeutic Riding Center Inc: $6,000 over 3y, 1.3% of budgetLAWYERS FOR CHILDREN AMERICA INC: $4,500 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetVISION HEALTH INTERNATIONAL: $3,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetPRUDENCE CRANDALL CENTER INC: $3,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetHARTFORD ARTISANS WEAVING CENTER INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetHospital For Special Care: $2,000 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.

  • Who funds FRANCISCAN CENTER FOR URBAN MINISTRY INC ↗
  • Who funds HARTFORD STAGE COMPANY INC ↗
  • Who funds GREATER HARTFORD LEGAL AID FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds HOUSE OF BREAD INC ↗
  • Who funds FIDELCO GUIDE DOG FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds HARTFORD INTERVAL HOUSE INC ↗
  • Who funds SOUTH PARK INN INC ↗
  • Who funds Eversight ↗
  • Who funds IMMACARE INC ↗
  • Who funds Plainville Community Food Pantry Inc ↗
  • Who funds MANCHESTER AREA CONFERENCE OF CHURCHES INC ↗
  • Who funds MERCY HOUSING & SHELTER CORPORATION ↗
  • Who funds Noah Webster House Inc ↗
  • Who funds HANDS ON HARTFORD INC ↗
  • Who funds THE DIAPER BANK OF CONNECTICUT INC ↗
  • Who funds Manes and Motions Therapeutic Riding Center Inc ↗
  • Who funds LAWYERS FOR CHILDREN AMERICA INC ↗
  • Who funds VISION HEALTH INTERNATIONAL ↗
  • Who funds PRUDENCE CRANDALL CENTER INC ↗
  • Who funds HARTFORD ARTISANS WEAVING CENTER INC ↗
  • Who funds Hospital For Special Care ↗

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.

Hartford Foundation for Public GivingCT33.4× affinity14 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Hartford Foundation for Public Giving · Aetna Foundation Inc · J Walton Bissell Foundation Inc · Farmington Bank Community Foundation Inc · The Maximilian E and Marion O Hoffman Foundation Inc · Liberty Bank Foundation Inc · Journey Home Inc · Clsj Foundation Inc · Sbm Charitable Foundation Inc · Lincoln Financial Foundation Inc · Sandra & Arnold Chase Family Foundation Inc · The William and Alice Mortensen 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 McDonald Family Trust funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from McDonald Family Trust. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 50%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 29%
  • Mercy Housing & Shelter Corporation: 77% of income from government
  • Immacare Inc: 52% of income from government
  • The Diaper Bank of Connecticut Inc: 49% of income from government
  • Noah Webster House Inc: 46% of income from government
  • Prudence Crandall Center Inc: 30% of income from government
  • South Park Inn Inc: 29% of income from government
  • Hands On Hartford Inc: 20% of income from government
  • Lawyers for Children America Inc: 19% of income from government
  • Hartford Stage Company Inc: 3% of income from government
  • Hartford Artisans Weaving Center Inc: 1% of income from government
  • Hospital for Special Care: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
5get no government money at all
3report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
2rely 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 36 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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