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Origami Works Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Origami Works 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.

$244k
Granted FY2025still arriving
33
Grants FY2025still arriving
6
States reached
$17k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0188% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Employment$238kYouth Development$153kEducation$112kHuman Services$55kReligion$46kHousing & Shelter$37kCommunity Improvement$35kCrime & Legal$23kOther$0
02FY2025 · 33 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k18 grants · $56k
  • $10k–50k15 grants · $188k
$6,000
Median grant
6
States reached
$4.0M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Farmworker and Landscaper Advocacy$16,600
Audubon Great Lakes$16,600
Jobs for the Future$16,600
Current$16,600
VOCEL$16,600
LINK Unlimited Scholars$12,600
Cara Collective$12,500
Manufacturing Renaissance$10,000
Women in Trucking Foundation$10,000
Genesys Works$10,000
New Moms$10,000
North Lawndale Employment Network$10,000
BUILD Chicago$10,000
ProPath Fund$10,000
Chicago Commons$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 (FY22–25, $55k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%New Moms: $15k → 14%New Moms: $10k → 14%New Moms: $5k → 14%New Moms: $3k → 14%Chicago Commons: $10k → 14%Share Our Spare: $13k → 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

IL
WI
MI
MA
MD
DC
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.

64%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$531k · 21 repeat orgs$295k to everyone else

21 repeat relationships: 13 still active in FY2025, 8 since wound down; 19 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

21
18

Total granted

$531k
$148k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+2%
+32%

Still filing today

62%
67%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 40% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $147k went to new ones.

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

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

’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
EmploymentEducationYouth DevelopmentHuman ServicesCommunity ImprovementCrime & 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

  • VV
    Vocel Viewing our Children as Emerging Leaders
    3× · 2023–2025 · $49k · revenue +90%
  • TC
    The Cara Program
    4× · 2022–2025 · $39k · revenue +79%
  • AI
    ALTERNATIVES INC
    4× · 2021–2024 · $38k · revenue +113%

Funded once

  • GI
    GIRLS IN THE GAME NFP
    one grant, 2023 · $18k · revenue +3%
  • CC
    CHICAGO CARES INC
    one grant, 2023 · $18k · revenue -38%
  • CF
    Center for Changing Lives
    one grant, 2024 · $17k · revenue 0%
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
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
2
Coop Careers Inc

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

Education
3
Chicago Workers' Collaborative Nfp

Chicago Workers' Collaborative's mission is to promote full employment and equality for the lowest wage-earners, primarily temporary staffing workers, in the Chicago region through leadership and skills training, critical assistance and…

Education
4
Chicago United for Equity

Connecting and amplifying the power of individuals to build a just, equitable, and inclusive city.

Civil Rights
5
Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce

The chicagoland chamber of commerce combines the power of people, with our legacy of leadership and business advocacy, to drive a dynamic economy. we focus on delivering value for our members, making chicagoland a world-class place to live…

—
6
Chicago Votes

Chicago Votes is a non-partisan, non-profit organization building a more inclusive democracy by putting power in the hands of young Chicagoans. We're engaging and developing a new generation of leaders by opening the doors of government,…

Civil Rights
7
Chicago United

To achieve parity in economic opportunity for people of color by advancing multiracial leadership in corporate governance, expanding the talent pipline for executive-level management, and growing minority businesses.

Philanthropy
8
Junior Achievement of Chicago

To inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy

International
9
Chicago Youth Centers

To provide high-quality early learning and out-of-school time enrichment in under-resourced neighborhoods to holistically support children of all ages, their families, and their communities.

Youth Development
10
Central Indiana Corporate Partnership Inc

Central indiana corporate partnership (cicp) is an alliance of indiana's business and research university leaders coming together to foster long-term prosperity for the region. cicp's mission is to transform the economy of indiana in order…

Community Improvement
11
Goodwill Industries of Metropolitan Chicago Inc

Goodwill industries of metropolitan chicago, inc. ("goodwill-chicago") is a nonstock, not-for-profit illinois corporation, whose sole member is goodwill industries of southeastern wisconsin, inc. ("goodwill"), a wisconsin nonstock,…

Human Services
12
Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Inc

Secure racial equity and economic opportunity for all

Crime & Legal
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is New Moms Inc; the most unlike its peers is National Audubon Society Inc. 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

40 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. 40 of the 59 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)
9
Early backer (in before they grew)
39/40
Grantees still filing
22/40
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Christopher House Chicago: $33,550 · OtherChristopher House ChicagoBottom Line: $30,000 · OtherBottom LineChicago Jobs Council: $29,250 · OtherChicago Jobs CouncilCLARETIAN ASSOCIATES INC: $29,100 · OtherCLARETIAN ASSOCIATES INCUtmostU: $27,975 · OtherUtmostUGenesys Works: $25,000 · OtherGenesys WorksProPath Fund: $20,000 · OtherGIRLS IN THE GAME NFP: $17,500 · OtherCurrent: $16,600 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $16,000 · OtherThe Chicago Community Trust: $20,000 · OtherNATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY INC: $16,600 · OtherCenter for Changing Lives: $16,600 · Other+20 more: $107,357 · Other+20 moreThe Cara Program: $38,500 · EmploymentThe Cara ProgramSKILLS FOR CHICAGO: $38,500 · EmploymentSKILLS FOR CHICAGOJOBS FOR THE FUTURE INC: $16,600 · EmploymentJOBS FOR THE FUTUR…FARMWORKER AND LANDSCAPER ADVOCACY PROJECT: $16,600 · EmploymentFARMWORKER AND LAN…NORTH LAWNDALE EMPLOYMENT NETWORK: $10,000 · EmploymentNORTH LAWNDALE EMP…WOMEN EMPLOYED: $7,000 · EmploymentREVOLUTION WORKSHOP: $6,200 · EmploymentCODE PLATOON NFP: $5,000 · EmploymentVocel Viewing our Children as Emerging Leaders: $49,150 · Youth DevelopmentVocel Viewin…BRAVEN INC: $30,000 · Youth DevelopmentBRAVEN INCEMBARC INC: $15,000 · Youth DevelopmentEMBARC INC+1 more: $2,000 · Youth DevelopmentKIDS FIRST CHICAGO FOR EDUCATION: $26,600 · EducationKIDS FIRST…SCALELIT FKA CHICAGO CITYWIDE LITERACY COALITION: $15,000 · EducationSCALELIT F…LINK Unlimited Scholars: $12,600 · EducationLINK Unlim…Young Mens Educational Network: $12,500 · EducationYoung Mens…The Partnership for College Completion: $10,000 · EducationThe Partne…+3 more: $3,700 · EducationNEW MOMS INC: $32,500 · Human ServicesShare our Spare: $12,500 · Human ServicesChicago Commons Association: $10,000 · Human ServicesALTERNATIVES INC: $37,600 · HealthCHICAGO CARES INC: $17,500 · Community ImprovementALLIES FOR COMMUNITY BUSINESS INC: $15,000 · Community Improvement
Other$405,532Employment$138,400Youth Development$96,150Education$80,400Human Services$55,000Health$37,600Community Improvement$32,500

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 budgetVocel Viewing our Children as Emerging Leaders: $49,150 over 3y, 1.0% of budgetThe Cara Program: $38,500 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetSKILLS FOR CHICAGO: $38,500 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetALTERNATIVES INC: $37,600 over 4y, 0.3% of budgetNEW MOMS INC: $32,500 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetBRAVEN INC: $30,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetChicago Jobs Council: $29,250 over 3y, 1.3% of budgetKIDS FIRST CHICAGO FOR EDUCATION: $26,600 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetThe Chicago Community Trust: $20,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetGIRLS IN THE GAME NFP: $17,500 over 1y, 1.1% of budgetCHICAGO CARES INC: $17,500 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetNATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY INC: $16,600 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCenter for Changing Lives: $16,600 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetSCALELIT FKA CHICAGO CITYWIDE LITERACY COALITION: $15,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetALLIES FOR COMMUNITY BUSINESS INC: $15,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetEMBARC INC: $15,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetMUSIC BOX FOUNDATION: $12,625 over 1y, 8.4% of budgetLINK Unlimited Scholars: $12,600 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetYoung Mens Educational Network: $12,500 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetShare our Spare: $12,500 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetRECIPE FOR CHANGE: $12,500 over 1y, 3.8% of budgetChicago Commons Association: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBUILD INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCENTRAL STATES SER JOBS FOR PROGRESS INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetMANUFACTURING RENAISSANCE FKA CENTER FOR LABOR AND COMMUN: $10,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetThe Partnership for College Completion: $10,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetSafer Foundation: $10,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNORTH LAWNDALE EMPLOYMENT NETWORK: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetWOMEN EMPLOYED: $7,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetREVOLUTION WORKSHOP: $6,200 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetCODE PLATOON NFP: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetWOMEN'S BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCHILDREN FIRST FUND THE CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOUNDATION: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetClassroom Champions Inc: $1,200 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetLITERACY WORKS: $500 over 1y, 0.1% 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.

Polk Bros Foundation …United Way of Metropo…The Chicago Community…Robert R McCormick Fo…Circle of Service Fou…Arie and Ida Crown Me…Chicago Foundation fo…Lloyd a Fry FoundationThe Allstate Foundati…John D and Catherine …The Christopher Famil…Fifth Third Chicagola…
Polk Bros Foundation IncIL48.1× affinity21 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Polk Bros Foundation Inc · United Way of Metropolitan Chicago Inc · The Chicago Community Trust · Robert R McCormick Foundation · Circle of Service Foundation · Arie and Ida Crown Memorial · Chicago Foundation for Women · Lloyd a Fry Foundation · The Allstate Foundation · John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation · The Christopher Family Foundation · Fifth Third Chicagoland 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 Origami Works Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Origami Works Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 11%
  • Jobs for the Future Inc: 11% of income from government
  • Classroom Champions Inc: 1% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
18report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely 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 59 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 Origami Works’ 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