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Mills Family Charitable Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Mills Family Charitable 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.

$581k
Granted FY2025still arriving
27
Grants FY2025still arriving
9
States reached
$250k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0199% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Crime & Legal$1.8MPhilanthropy$915kEducation$472kHealth$372kHuman Services$351kInternational$258kReligion$190kArts & Culture$181kOther$0
02FY2025 · 27 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k10 grants · $28k
  • $10k–50k16 grants · $303k
  • $250k+1 grant · $250k
$10,000
Median grant
9
States reached
$409k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
ISGAP - BREAKING THROUGH$250,000
JEWISH FEDERATION OF PALM BEACH COUNTY$40,000
JOHN HOWARD ASSOCIATION$35,000
ZACHARIAS CENTER$33,000
OUR PLACE OF NEW TRIER TOWNSHIP$30,000
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY$25,000
NORTH CHICAGO COMMUNITY PARTNERS$25,000
SGA YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES DONATION$15,000
PAIDEIA US$15,000
CITIZENSHIP COUNTS$15,000
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY$10,000
FRENCHMAN'S CREEK CHARITIES FOUNDATION$10,000
CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY$10,000
INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY ASSOCIATION$10,000
FRIENDS OF THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES$10,000
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 (FY17–25, $77k) land where the poverty rate runs at 12%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 78% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%THE NEW YORK FOUNDLING: $4k → 17%JEWISH CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES: $500 → 17%THE PEACE HOUSE: $5k → 5%LAKE COUNTY CENTER FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING: $10k → 8%PEACE HOUSE: $2k → 5%EL SOL JUPITER'S NEIGHBORHOOD RESOURCE CENTER: $2k → 11%SGA YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES NFP: $10k → 14%SGA YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES NFP: $10k → 14%EL SOL JUPITER'S NEIGHBORHOOD RESOURCE CENTER: $1k → 11%EL SOL JUPITER'S NEIGHBORHOOD RESOURCE CENTER INC: $1k → 11%KIND KITCHEN OF PALM BEACH: $2k → 11%MORSELIFE FOUNDATION INC: $4k → 11%JANE ADDAMS SENIOR CAUCUS: $5k → 14%JANE ADDAMS SENIOR CAUCUS: $5k → 14%JANE ADDAMS SENIOR CAUCUS: $5k → 14%JANE ADDAMS SENIOR CAUCUS: $4k → 14%JANE ADDAMS SENIOR CAUCUS: $4k → 14%FAMILIES HELPING FAMILIES CHICAGOLAND: $3k → 14%NORTH SHORE AUXILIARY OF THE JEWISH CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES: $75 → 14%CHICAGO FURNITURE BANK: $250 → 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.

Which US states its grants reach

WA
IL
NY
MA
OH
PA
NJ
CT
CA
UT
CO
MO
VA
MD
AZ
DC
HI
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.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

84%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$4.0M · 64 repeat orgs$754k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +45% since the first grant, against +33% for those funded once.

64 repeat relationships: 16 still active in FY2025, 48 since wound down; 9 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

64
88

Total granted

$4.0M
$418k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+45%
+33%

Still filing today

77%
64%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 37% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $337k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
HealthEducationHuman ServicesArts & CultureInternationalCrime & LegalOther
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

  • ZS
    ZACHARIAS SEXUAL ABUSE CENTER
    6× · 2017–2022 · $1.6M · revenue +27%
  • JU
    JEWISH UNITED FUND OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO
    8× · 2017–2024 · $444k · revenue +13%
  • JH
    JOHN HOWARD ASSOCIATION
    9× · 2017–2025 · $210k · revenue +29%

Funded once

  • OP
    OUR PLACE OF NEW TRIER
    one grant, 2024 · $50k
  • NU
    NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY - HOLOCAUST EDUCATION FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2024 · $50k
  • SY
    SGA YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES DONATION (SCHOLARSHIP AND GUIDANCE)
    one grant, 2024 · $50k
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
University of Chicago

The mission of the university of chicago has been to sustain at the highest level of excellence, the communication of knowledge, the creation of knowledge and the fostering of a dynamic community of scholars and students.

Education
2
American Academy of Neurology

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

Community Improvement
3
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
4
National Opinion Research Center

See schedule onorc at the university of chicago conducts research and data science on critical societal issues to guide decision-making and the development of programs and public policy. our experts identify relationships and trends, and…

Social Science
5
Bar Ilan University in Israel Inc

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

—
6
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.

—
7
Lehigh University

The university's goal in the coming decade is to advance learning through the integration of teaching, research and service to others. the core of this goal is to prepare graduates to engage with the world and lead lives of meaning. to do…

Education
8
New York University

Nyu is a private university with approximately 60,000 matriculating students in 20 schools and institutes. nyu's primary missions are education, research and scholarship, and patient care.

Education
9
Chicago Public Education Fund

The chicago public education fund (the fund) is a nonprofit organization that improves public schools in chicago by investing in the talented educators who lead them.

Education
10
Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Committed to exceptional healthcare quality for all and actively engaged with our community, einstein drives scientific discovery and educates compassionate leaders in health and science.

Education
11
Institute for Advanced Study - Louis Bamberger & Mrs Felix Fuld Foundation

The institute for advanced study (the institute) is one of the world's leading centers for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. see schedule o.

Science & Tech
12
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
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County Inc; the most unlike its peers is Citizenship Counts. 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

118 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. 118 of the 166 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.

1
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
29
Early backer (in before they grew)
114/118
Grantees still filing
80/118
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

ZACHARIAS SEXUAL ABUSE CENTER: $1,611,600 · Crime & LegalZACHARIAS SEXUAL ABUSE CENTERJOHN HOWARD ASSOCIATION: $210,000 · Crime & LegalJOHN HOWARD ASSOCIATION+2 more: $15,500 · Crime & LegalISGAP - BREAKING THROUGH: $250,000 · OtherISGAP - BREAKING THROUGHDIGESTIVE HEALTH FOUNDATION: $150,000 · OtherDIGESTIVE HEALTH FOUNDATIONZACHARIAS CENTER: $146,000 · OtherZACHARIAS CENTERCITIZENSHIP COUNTS: $85,000 · OtherCITIZENSHIP COUNTSOUR PLACE OF NEW TRIER: $50,000 · OtherNORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY - HOLOCAUST EDUCATION FOUNDATION: $50,000 · OtherSGA YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES DONATION (SCHOLARSHIP AND GUIDANCE): $50,000 · OtherSCHOLARSHIP & GUIDANCE (SGA YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES): $50,000 · OtherCITIZENSHIP COUNTS: $70,000 · Other+100 more: $512,990 · Other+100 moreJEWISH UNITED FUND OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO: $444,000 · PhilanthropyJEWISH UNITED FUND O…Highland Park Community Foundation: $210,000 · PhilanthropyHighland Park Commun…JEWISH FEDERATION OF PALM BEACH COUNTY INC: $190,000 · PhilanthropyJEWISH FEDERATION OF…FRENCHMANS CREEK CHARITIES FOUNDATION INC: $34,175 · Philanthropy+4 more: $35,900 · PhilanthropyLake Forest College: $205,000 · EducationCOLLEGE BOUND OPPORTUNITIES: $90,100 · EducationNorth Chicago Community Partners: $35,000 · EducationBRIARWOOD SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION: $16,450 · EducationKING'S COLLEGE: $15,000 · Education+8 more: $34,470 · EducationFRIENDS OF THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES: $128,000 · InternationalThe American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee Inc: $99,000 · InternationalAMERICAN FRIENDS OF HEBREW UNIVERSITY INC: $49,500 · InternationalALOHA MEDICAL MISSION: $15,000 · International+6 more: $19,225 · InternationalBLADDER CANCER ADVOCACY NETWORK INC: $42,000 · HealthOUR PLACE OF NEW TRIER TOWNSHIP: $30,000 · HealthMEMORY CARE HOME SOLUTIONS: $28,000 · HealthJupiter Medical Center Inc: $13,900 · HealthRush University Medical Center: $10,000 · Health+15 more: $26,805 · HealthNorthwestern University: $87,500 · Recreation & Sports+1 more: $1,500 · Recreation & Sports
Crime & Legal$1,837,100Other$1,413,990Philanthropy$914,075Education$396,020International$310,725Health$150,705Recreation & Sports$89,000

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 budgetZACHARIAS SEXUAL ABUSE CENTER: $1,611,600 over 6y, 9.4% of budgetJEWISH UNITED FUND OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO: $444,000 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetJOHN HOWARD ASSOCIATION: $210,000 over 9y, 3.8% of budgetHighland Park Community Foundation: $210,000 over 8y, 4.6% of budgetLake Forest College: $205,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetJEWISH FEDERATION OF PALM BEACH COUNTY INC: $190,000 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetDIGESTIVE HEALTH FOUNDATION: $150,000 over 4y, 2.3% of budgetFRIENDS OF THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES: $128,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetThe American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee Inc: $99,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetCOLLEGE BOUND OPPORTUNITIES: $90,100 over 5y, 2.2% of budgetNorthwestern University: $87,500 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetCITIZENSHIP COUNTS: $70,000 over 4y, 33% of budgetAMERICAN FRIENDS OF HEBREW UNIVERSITY INC: $49,500 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetBLADDER CANCER ADVOCACY NETWORK INC: $42,000 over 6y, 0.4% of budgetKESHET: $35,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetNorth Chicago Community Partners: $35,000 over 2y, 0.6% of budgetFRENCHMANS CREEK CHARITIES FOUNDATION INC: $34,175 over 9y, 1.7% of budgetOUR PLACE OF NEW TRIER TOWNSHIP: $30,000 over 1y, 1.6% of budgetMEMORY CARE HOME SOLUTIONS: $28,000 over 5y, 1.0% of budgetUNITED WAY OF LAKE COUNTY INC: $27,000 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetSPERTUS INSTITUTE FOR JEWISH LEARNING AND LEADERSHIP: $25,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetROBERT F KENNEDY CENTER FOR JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS: $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetJane Addams Senior Caucus: $23,000 over 5y, 1.1% of budgetINTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FOUNDATION INC: $20,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetSGA YOUTH & FAMILY SERVICES NFP: $20,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetBRIARWOOD SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION: $16,450 over 9y, 1.9% of budgetLyric Opera of Chicago: $15,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE CENTER FOR ENRICHED LIVING INC: $15,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetKING'S COLLEGE: $15,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetALOHA MEDICAL MISSION: $15,000 over 1y, 1.4% of budgetAwakenings Art: $15,000 over 1y, 5.3% of budgetFAMILY SERVICE OF LAKE COUNTY: $14,000 over 3y, 0.5% of budgetJupiter Medical Center Inc: $13,900 over 9y, 0.0% of budgetWATERKEEPER ALLIANCE INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCHICAGO YOUTH PROGRAMS INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetPAIDEIA INC: $10,000 over 1y, 2.4% of budgetINSIGHT THROUGH EDUCATION INC: $10,000 over 4y, 1.1% of budgetAMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE ISRAEL SPORT CENTER FOR THE DISABLED: $10,000 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetLAKE COUNTY CRISIS CENTER: $10,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetLAKE COUNTY CENTER FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING: $10,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetNOBLE NETWORK OF CHARTER SCHOOLS: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetRush University Medical Center: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetINVEST IN KIDS: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetPeace House Inc: $7,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: $7,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetKLEZMER MUSIC FOUNDATION: $6,000 over 2y, 2.9% of budgetLIVE 4 LALI INC: $5,000 over 6y, 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 ZACHARIAS SEXUAL ABUSE CENTER ↗
  • Who funds JEWISH UNITED FUND OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO ↗
  • Who funds JOHN HOWARD ASSOCIATION ↗
  • Who funds Highland Park Community Foundation ↗
  • Who funds Lake Forest College ↗
  • Who funds JEWISH FEDERATION OF PALM BEACH COUNTY INC ↗
  • Who funds DIGESTIVE HEALTH FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds FRIENDS OF THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES ↗
  • Who funds The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee Inc ↗
  • Who funds COLLEGE BOUND OPPORTUNITIES ↗
  • Who funds Northwestern University ↗
  • Who funds CITIZENSHIP COUNTS ↗
  • Who funds AMERICAN FRIENDS OF HEBREW UNIVERSITY INC ↗
  • Who funds BLADDER CANCER ADVOCACY NETWORK INC ↗
  • Who funds KESHET ↗
  • Who funds North Chicago Community Partners ↗
  • Who funds FRENCHMANS CREEK CHARITIES FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds OUR PLACE OF NEW TRIER TOWNSHIP ↗
  • Who funds MEMORY CARE HOME SOLUTIONS ↗
  • Who funds UNITED WAY OF LAKE COUNTY INC ↗
  • Who funds SPERTUS INSTITUTE FOR JEWISH LEARNING AND LEADERSHIP ↗
  • Who funds ROBERT F KENNEDY CENTER FOR JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS ↗
  • Who funds Jane Addams Senior Caucus ↗
  • Who funds INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds SGA YOUTH & FAMILY SERVICES NFP ↗
  • Who funds BRIARWOOD SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds Lyric Opera of Chicago ↗
  • Who funds THE CENTER FOR ENRICHED LIVING INC ↗
  • Who funds KING'S COLLEGE ↗
  • Who funds ALOHA MEDICAL MISSION ↗
  • Who funds Awakenings Art ↗

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.

Circle of Service Fou…Jewish Federation of …The Chicago Community…Vivo FoundationBaxter International …United Way of Metropo…The Lake County Commu…Trustmark FoundationNorthwestern Memorial…AbbVie FoundationHighland Park Communi…Eleven Eleven Foundat…
Circle of Service FoundationIL36.4× affinity16 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Circle of Service Foundation · Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago · The Chicago Community Trust · Vivo Foundation · Baxter International Foundation · United Way of Metropolitan Chicago Inc · The Lake County Community Foundation · Trustmark Foundation · Northwestern Memorial HealthCare Group · AbbVie Foundation · Highland Park Community Foundation · Eleven Eleven 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 Mills Family Charitable Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Mills Family Charitable Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 140%3%10%23%40%funder's share of their income ↑0%23%45%68%90%share of the org’s income from government →median 2%
  • Sharsheret Inc: 4% of income from government
  • Jupiter Medical Center Inc: 2% of income from government
  • Food for the Poor Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
14get no government money at all
27report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–90%
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 166 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 Mills 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