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McGraw Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

McGraw Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$544k
Granted FY2022
95
Grants FY2022
11
States reached
$100k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0193% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2019 to 2025.

Education$262kHealth$45kHuman Services$37kAnimals$29kCrime & Legal$24kHousing & Shelter$18kYouth Development$16kEnvironment$11kOther$0
02FY2022 · 95 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 95 grants below total $495,753, the rows itemized in this filing. The $543,503 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $47,750 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2022

  • Under $10k85 grants · $260k
  • $10k–50k9 grants · $136k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $100k
$3,000
Median grant
11
States reached
$7.9M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Associated Colleges of Illinois$100,000
Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation$25,000
Allendale Association$16,500
St. Margaret of Scotland School$15,000
Allendale Association$15,000
St. John De La Salle School$14,000
St. Helen School$14,000
St. Ferdinand School$14,000
St. Catherine of Siena-St. Lucy School$12,500
Windy Hill Foundation$10,000
St. Frances of Rome School$9,000
St. Bartholomew School$8,000
St. Constance School$8,000
Family Matters$8,000
Miami University Foundation$7,500
02Its 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
Illinois College

Illinois college is a co-educational institution of higher education learning providing a four-year educational program leading to the baccalaureate degree. illinois college is a community committed to the highest standards of scholarship…

Education
2
The University of Chicago Charter School Corporation

To Prepare Students for Success in Four-Year Colleges.

Education
3
Lake Forest Graduate School of Management

Lake Forest Graduate School of Management's mission is to bring the real world to business education and leadership development.

—
4
Star Farm Chicago

Star farm chicago is an urban farm in the back of the yards neighborhood that seeks to increase accessibility and of locally grown organic produce through affordable farm stands, csas, year-round farmers markets participation, food…

—
5
A Better Chicago

A better chicago is changing how chicago fights poverty by investing in bold ideas that create opportunity for our youth.

Human Services
6
Thrive Chicago Nfp

Thrive chicago's mission is to prepare chicago's youth for a vibrant future by aligning efforts and outcomes from cradle to career.

Human Services
7
Eastern National

Eastern national promotes the public's understanding and support of america's national parks and other public trust partners by providing quality educational experiences, products and services.

Recreation & Sports
8
Executive Service Corps of Chicago

Executive Service Corps is the premier nonprofit consultancy that engages highly skilled professionals who use their experience and expertise to provide nonprofits with the consulting services they need to be successful. Our vision is to…

Community Improvement
9
Racine Zoological Society Inc

The mission of the racine zoological society is to foster an enlightening and affordable wildlife experience that improves the bond between people and nature. the society will provide for the recreation and education of the people, the…

Animals
10
Coop Careers Inc

Building a movement of diverse, upwardly mobile college grads overcoming underemployment through digital skills and peer connections.

Education
11
Lincoln Park Zoological Society

Lincoln park zoo is dedicated to connecting people with nature by providing a free, family-oriented wildlife experience in the heart of chicago and by advancing the highest quality of animal care, horticulture, education, science and…

Animals
12
Naples Zoo Inc

Naples zoo is accredited by the american zoo & aquarium association (aza) and has numerous animal exhibits placed on its 45-acre site. (continued on schedule o)each exhibit is unique and designed to simulate typical conditions for the…

Animals
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Family Matters Inc; the most unlike its peers is Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
03the grantee network

56 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. 56 of the 89 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)
12
Early backer (in before they grew)
56/56
Grantees still filing
43/56
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

ALLENDALE ASSOCIATION: $32,500 · OtherALLENDALE ASSOCIATIONMax McGraw Wildlife Foundation: $25,000 · OtherMax McGraw Wildlife FoundationST MARGARET OF SCOTLAND PARISH & SCHOOL: $15,000 · OtherSt. Ferdinand School: $14,000 · OtherSt. John De La Salle School: $14,000 · OtherSt. Helen School: $14,000 · OtherST CATHERINE OF SIENA ST LUCY PARISH & SCHOOL: $12,500 · Other+50 more: $178,678 · Other+50 moreAssociated Colleges of Illinois Inc: $100,000 · EducationAssociated Colleges of Illinois…Miami University Foundation: $7,500 · EducationMiami University FoundationTHE COVE SCHOOL INC: $5,000 · EducationELGIN YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: $5,000 · EducationSAN MIGUEL FEBRES CORDERO SCHOOL INC: $5,000 · Education+6 more: $14,000 · Education+6 moreTHE NIGHT MINISTRY: $5,000 · Human ServicesMAIN STAY THERAPEUTIC FARM INC: $3,000 · Human ServicesCASA CENTRAL SOCIAL SERVICES CORPORATION: $3,000 · Human ServicesCHRISTOPHER HOUSE: $2,500 · Human Services5 Steps to Five: $525 · Human Services+2 more: $400 · Human ServicesCHICAGO CHILDREN'S ADVOCACY CENTER: $6,000 · Crime & LegalZACHARIAS SEXUAL ABUSE CENTER: $3,000 · Crime & LegalElyssas Mission NFP: $2,500 · Crime & LegalBOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF THE DUNDEE TOWNSHIP: $5,000 · Youth DevelopmentGirl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana: $3,000 · Youth DevelopmentBOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF CHICAGO: $3,000 · Youth DevelopmentFAMILY MATTERS INC: $8,000 · Community Improvement+2 more: $450 · Community ImprovementNAPLES BOTANICAL GARDEN INC: $4,000 · EnvironmentTHE LAND TRUST OF VIRGINIA INC: $2,750 · EnvironmentTHE PIEDMONT ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL: $1,000 · Environment+2 more: $450 · Environment
Other$305,678Education$136,500Human Services$14,425Crime & Legal$11,500Youth Development$11,000Community Improvement$8,450Environment$8,200

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 budgetAssociated Colleges of Illinois Inc: $100,000 over 1y, 7.6% of budgetALLENDALE ASSOCIATION: $32,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMax McGraw Wildlife Foundation: $25,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetWINDY HILL FOUNDATION INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetFAMILY MATTERS INC: $8,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetMiami University Foundation: $7,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNORTHERN ILLINOIS FOOD BANK: $7,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCHICAGO CHILDREN'S ADVOCACY CENTER: $6,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE COVE SCHOOL INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetELGIN YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: $5,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetBOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF THE DUNDEE TOWNSHIP: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSAN MIGUEL FEBRES CORDERO SCHOOL INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetBREAKTHROUGH URBAN MINISTRIES INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetRESTORING THE PATH: $5,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetTHE NIGHT MINISTRY: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAlain Locke Charter School: $4,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetNAPLES BOTANICAL GARDEN INC: $4,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDANIEL MURPHY SCHOLARSHIP FUND: $4,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetOPENLANDS: $3,250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDUPAGE HABITAT FOR HUMANITY: $3,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetZACHARIAS SEXUAL ABUSE CENTER: $3,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMAIN STAY THERAPEUTIC FARM INC: $3,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetChicago Zoological Society: $3,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGirl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana: $3,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetA JUST HARVEST: $3,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetBOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF CHICAGO: $3,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCASA CENTRAL SOCIAL SERVICES CORPORATION: $3,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWORKING IN THE SCHOOLS INC: $3,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetTHE LAND TRUST OF VIRGINIA INC: $2,750 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetCHRISTOPHER HOUSE: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetElyssas Mission NFP: $2,500 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetBig Shoulders Fund: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGIRLS 4 SCIENCE: $2,500 over 1y, 1.2% of budgetMIDDLEBURG COMMUNITY CENTER INC: $1,500 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetUniversity of Michigan: $1,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetTHE NATIONAL SPORTING LIBRARY AND MUSEUM: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCOLGATE UNIVERSITY: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE PIEDMONT ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetOLYMPIC CLUB FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetLittle People of America Inc: $800 over 1y, 0.2% of budget5 Steps to Five: $525 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetA PLACE TO BE: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE KELLY S BRUSH FOUNDATION INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetROTARY CLUB OF LEESBURG: $450 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetNaples Therapeutic Riding Center Inc: $350 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFELLOW MORTALS INC: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGO2 For Lung Cancer: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE PLAINS COMMUNITY LEAGUE: $250 over 1y, 0.3% 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 Associated Colleges of Illinois Inc ↗
  • Who funds ALLENDALE ASSOCIATION ↗
  • Who funds Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation ↗
  • Who funds WINDY HILL FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds FAMILY MATTERS INC ↗
  • Who funds Miami University Foundation ↗
  • Who funds NORTHERN ILLINOIS FOOD BANK ↗
  • Who funds CHICAGO CHILDREN'S ADVOCACY CENTER ↗
  • Who funds THE COVE SCHOOL INC ↗
  • Who funds ELGIN YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ↗
  • Who funds BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF THE DUNDEE TOWNSHIP ↗
  • Who funds SAN MIGUEL FEBRES CORDERO SCHOOL INC ↗
  • Who funds BREAKTHROUGH URBAN MINISTRIES INC ↗
  • Who funds RESTORING THE PATH ↗
  • Who funds THE NIGHT MINISTRY ↗
  • Who funds Alain Locke Charter School ↗

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 Luminescence Foun…The Van Metre Family …Dun FoundationThe Chicago Community…William M Backer Foun…Wise FoundationFrederick Henry Princ…James Lessing Kleebla…The Hall Family Found…MRC Full Circle Found…Awa Family FoundationAbbVie Foundation
The Luminescence Foundation IncVA30.4× affinity12 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Luminescence Foundation Inc · The Van Metre Family Foundation Inc · Dun Foundation · The Chicago Community Trust · William M Backer Foundation Inc · Wise Foundation · Frederick Henry Prince Testamentary Trust · James Lessing Kleeblatt Memorial Foundation Inc · The Hall Family Foundation Inc · MRC Full Circle Foundation · Awa Family Foundation · AbbVie 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.

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 89 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 2022, released 2022. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Possibly out of date. A more recent filing (FY2025) is on record and reports $622k of grant expense with no grantee named in the published copy. A private foundation itemizes every grant it makes, so a return carrying none has filed its list as an attachment that the public copy does not include. The figures above are therefore from FY2022, the most recent year this funder’s grantee list reached the public record.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on McGraw’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