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Moving Lives Ahead Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Moving Lives Ahead 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.

$632k
Granted FY2025still arriving
2
Grants FY2025still arriving
2
States reached
$552k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead

Read this first · the figures below need context

87% of Moving Lives Ahead Foundation’s FY2025 grant dollars went to Schwab Charitable Fund, not to grantees.

Its money now reaches organizations through that sponsor, which does not report who recommended each grant. FY2025 names 0 organizations directly, so a portfolio cannot be read from it.

Organizations named directly on the return

2
’17
2
’18
1
’19
6
’20
4
’21
3
’22
0
’23
1
’24
0
’25

Amber years are those where most dollars went to a sponsor.

01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Philanthropy$2.5MEducation$530kReligion$70kRecreation & Sports$70kHealth$52kEmployment$50kFood & Nutrition$22kYouth Development$6k
02FY2025 · 2 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • $50k–250k1 grant · $80k
  • $250k+1 grant · $552k
$551,500
Median grant
2
States reached
$11M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
SCHWAB CHARITABLE$551,500
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN$80,000
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 (FY20–20, $6k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%URBAN INITIATIVES: $6k → 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.
$717k · 7 repeat orgs$83k to everyone else

7 repeat relationships: 1 still active in FY2025, 6 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

7
12

Total granted

$717k
$83k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+13%
+114%

Still filing today

43%
67%

New vs renewed · share of each year

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

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

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’24’25
Arts & CultureFood & NutritionEmploymentHuman ServicesHealthEducationOther
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

  • SH
    Sacred Heart Schools
    4× · 2017–2021 · $307k
  • UO
    UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN
    3× · 2020–2025 · $110k
  • AH
    AMERICAN HEARING IMPAIRED HOCKEY ASSN INC
    2× · 2020–2021 · $70k · revenue +52%

Funded once

  • UO
    University of WI
    one grant, 2017 · $20k
  • MF
    MOVE FOR HUNGER INCgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $11k · revenue +190%
  • WE
    WATER'S EDGE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
    one grant, 2020 · $10k
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
The Northern Michigan University Foundation

The nmu foundation will establish and foster relationships to generate resources that benefit the strategic goals of northern michigan university.

Education
2
National Association of Independent Schools Inc

As the largest association of independent schools, nais co-creates the future of education by uniting and empowering our community. we do this through thought leadership, research, creation and curation of resources, and direct…

—
3
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
4
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.

—
5
Gastro Intestinal Research Foundation Inc

The GI Research Foundation works to treat, prevent, and cure digestive diseases. In collaboration with the physicians and scientists at the University of Chicago Digestive Diseases Center, we fund innovative clinical and laboratory…

Health
6
University of Illinois Foundation

The Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, is an independent and separate nonprofit entity from the University of Illinois. Our mission is to encourage and administer private gifts and serve the UI System by working closely with…

Education
7
United States Anti-Doping Agency

Preserve the integrity of competition, inspire true sport, protect the rights of u.s. athletes

Recreation & Sports
8
Northern Illinois University Foundation

The niu foundation's mission is to energize and connect the private sector with the niu community to secure and steward resources that support the future and growth of niu.

Education
9
National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors

Empowering financial professionals and consumers through world-class advocacy and education.

—
10
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation

Through philanthropy, empower current and future food and nutrition practitioners to optimize global health.

Health
11
National Committee for Quality Assurance

Our mission: to improve the quality of health care.our vision: better health care. better choices. better health.

Health
12
Indiana University Health Foundation Inc

Indiana university health foundation leverages the power of philanthropy to support the iu health goal of making indiana one of the healthiest states in the nation.

Health
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is National Philanthropic Trust; the most unlike its peers is Feeding America. 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

13 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. 13 of the 21 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)
13/13
Grantees still filing
11/13
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

DONOR ADVISED CHARITABLE GIVING INC: $1,526,500 · PhilanthropyDONOR ADVISED CHARITABLE GIVING INCNATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TRUST: $985,825 · PhilanthropyNATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TRUSTSacred Heart Schools: $307,232 · OtherSacred Heart SchoolsUNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN: $110,000 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF WISCONS…LAKE FOREST COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL: $70,000 · OtherLAKE FOREST COUNTRY D…PARK COMMUNITY CHURCH: $60,080 · OtherPARK COMMUNITY CHURCHLurie Childrens Hospital: $50,000 · OtherLurie Childrens Hospi…+6 more: $44,100 · Other+6 moreAMERICAN HEARING IMPAIRED HOCKEY ASSN INC: $70,000 · Arts & CultureELAWA FARM FOUNDATION: $6,100 · Arts & CultureCAREER TRANSITIONS CENTER OF CHICAGO: $50,000 · EmploymentMOVE FOR HUNGER INC: $10,500 · Food & NutritionFeeding America: $5,000 · Food & NutritionIndiana University Foundation: $10,000 · EducationURBAN INITIATIVES INC: $6,400 · Human ServicesNATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY: $500 · Health
Philanthropy$2,512,325Other$641,412Arts & Culture$76,100Employment$50,000Food & Nutrition$15,500Education$10,000Human Services$6,400Health$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 budgetDONOR ADVISED CHARITABLE GIVING INC: $1,526,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TRUST: $985,825 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetAMERICAN HEARING IMPAIRED HOCKEY ASSN INC: $70,000 over 2y, 22% of budgetLAKE FOREST COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL: $70,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetCAREER TRANSITIONS CENTER OF CHICAGO: $50,000 over 5y, 4.4% of budgetMOVE FOR HUNGER INC: $10,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetIndiana University Foundation: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGOLDEN APPLE FOUNDATION FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetURBAN INITIATIVES INC: $6,400 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetELAWA FARM FOUNDATION: $6,100 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetFeeding America: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNAMI Chicago: $600 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY: $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.

Baird Foundation IncThe Chicago Community…United Way of Metropo…Charities Aid Foundat…National Philanthropi…American Endowment Fo…Network for GoodAmerican Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Baird Foundation IncWI15.8× affinity6 shared granteesties to 10 of 10Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Baird Foundation Inc · The Chicago Community Trust · United Way of Metropolitan Chicago Inc · Charities Aid Foundation America · National Philanthropic Trust · American Endowment Foundation · Network for Good · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · 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 Moving Lives Ahead Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Moving Lives Ahead Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%2%6%14%25%funder's share of their income ↑0%1%3%4%5%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 · 0–5%
    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 Moving Lives Ahead Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Moving Lives Ahead 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 21 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 Moving Lives Ahead’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