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Out of the Box Foundation Inc at a glance

· Private foundation

Out of the Box Foundation Inc

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.

$122k
Granted FY2025still arriving
30
Grants FY2025still arriving
6
States reached
$15k
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.

Religion$231kHousing & Shelter$162kFood & Nutrition$118kEducation$93kCrime & Legal$92kInternational$64kHealth$32kCivil Rights$16kOther$0
02FY2025 · 30 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k28 grants · $96k
  • $10k–50k2 grants · $26k
$5,000
Median grant
6
States reached
$1.1M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY$15,000
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY$11,000
Individual grant recipient$6,000
NORTHWESTERN CENTER ON WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS$5,000
IRC INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE$5,000
HIMALAYAN YOUTH FOUNDATION$5,000
ACLU$5,000
HEIFER INTERNATIONAL$5,000
LASALLE STREET CHURCH BREAKTHROUGH FUND$5,000
PLANNED PARENTHOOD$5,000
LASALLE STREET CHURCH FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE$5,000
LASALLE STREET CHURCH FUND$5,000
HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN FUND$5,000
CABRINI GREEN LEGAL AID CLINIC$5,000
OPEN BOOKS$5,000
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 (FY20–25, $9k) 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%NIGHT MINISTRY: $1k → 14%MIDWEST IMMIGRATION BOND FUND: $1k → 14%NEW MOMS: $2k → 14%NEW MOMS: $1k → 14%NEW MOMS: $1k → 14%BRAVE SPACE ALLIANCE: $1k → 14%BRAVE SPACE ALLIANCE: $1k → 14%BRAVE SPACE ALLIANCE: $500 → 14%BRAVE SPACE ALLIANCE: $500 → 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

MN
IL
AR
NC
DC
LA
AL
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.

94%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$793k · 40 repeat orgs$51k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +63% since the first grant, against +0% for those funded once.

40 repeat relationships: 20 still active in FY2025, 20 since wound down; 10 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

40
8

Total granted

$793k
$29k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+63%
+0%

Still filing today

48%
38%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 82% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $22k 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
EducationHuman ServicesHousing & ShelterCrime & LegalInternationalArts & CultureOther
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

  • GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY
    9× · 2017–2025 · $75k · revenue +140%
  • CG
    CABRINI GREEN LEGAL AID
    9× · 2017–2025 · $45k · revenue +32%
  • LP
    LINCOLN PARK COMMUNITY SERVICES
    9× · 2017–2025 · $38k · revenue +9%

Funded once

  • LS
    LASALLE STREET CHURCH - BONES BEAUTY
    one grant, 2020 · $15k
  • LS
    LASALLE STREET CHURCH- REFUGEES
    one grant, 2017 · $5k
  • EQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE
    one grant, 2024 · $5k · revenue -8%
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
Live Free Chicago

Live Free Illinois is a statewide organization partnering with over 120 congregations and directly impacted individuals to build safer more equitable communities across Illinois. Operating at the intersection of criminal justice reform and…

—
2
Chicago United for Equity

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

Civil Rights
3
True Chicago
Arts & Culture
4
Students Run Chicago
Health
5
University of Chicago Medical Center

Our mission at the university of chicago medicine is to provide superior health care through rigorous research, innovative education, and comprehensive care and healing. in partnership with our colleagues, we pursue life-changing…

Health
6
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
7
Chicago Refugee Coalition

The Chicago Refugee Coalition is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated ot the alleviation of human suffering through innovative partnerships, advocacy and community empowerment.

Human Services
8
Enlace Chicago

Enlace Chicago convenes, organizes, and builds the capacity of little village stakeholders to confront systemic inequities and barriers to economic and social access. Enlace Chicago is dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives…

Community Improvement
9
Heal Chicago

To strengthen communities through educational dialogue, leadership development, emotional resilience, and intercultural competence programs that help people bridge differences and build trust.

Public Benefit
10
Chicago Jobs Council

Chicago Jobs Council (CJC) pursues its mission through advocacy, applied research, public education and capacity-building initiatives focused on influencing the development or reform of public policies and programs. From 18 original…

—
11
Latino Union of Chicago

Latino Union works to defend the rights and dignity of contingent workers, including the right to immigrate, work, live free of oppression and violence, and provide for oneself and one's family.

Human Services
12
Covenant House Chicago
—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is New Moms Inc; the most unlike its peers is Midwest Immigration Bond Fund. 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

27 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. 27 of the 58 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)
26/27
Grantees still filing
22/27
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY: $91,000 · OtherHABITAT FOR HUMANITYPACIFIC GARDEN MISSION: $43,000 · OtherPACIFIC GARDEN MISSIONLASALLE STREET CHURCH PLEDGE: $40,000 · OtherLASALLE STREET CHURCH PLEDGEBREAKTHROUGH URBAN MINISTRIES INC: $35,000 · OtherBREAKTHROUGH URBAN MINISTRIES INCLASALLE STREET CHURCH- CAPITAL CAMPAIGN: $30,000 · OtherLASALLE STREET CHURCH- CAPITAL CAMPAIGNLASALLE STREET CHURCH - BENEVOLENCE FUND: $27,000 · OtherLASALLE STREET CHURCH - BENEVOLENCE FUNDLAWNDALE CHRISTIAN HEALTH CENTER: $26,000 · OtherLAWNDALE CHRISTIAN HEALTH CENTERIRC INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE: $20,000 · Other+36 more: $167,686 · Other+36 moreOPEN BOOKS LTD: $36,000 · EducationOPEN BOOKS…LINK Unlimited Scholars: $30,000 · EducationLINK Unlim…Cornerstone Academy co Richard Van der Molen: $8,500 · EducationCornerston…THE ADMINISTRATORS OF THE TULANE EDUCATIONAL FUND: $6,000 · EducationTHE ADMINI…+1 more: $100 · EducationGREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY: $75,000 · Food & NutritionGREATER CH…LINCOLN PARK COMMUNITY SERVICES: $37,600 · Housing & ShelterLINCOLN P…CHICAGO COALITION TO END HOMELESSNESS: $29,000 · Housing & ShelterCHICAGO C…+1 more: $1,000 · Housing & ShelterCABRINI GREEN LEGAL AID: $45,000 · Crime & LegalCABRINI G…LAWNDALE CHRISTIAN LEGAL CENTER: $22,000 · Crime & LegalLAWNDALE …HIMALAYAN YOUTH FOUNDATION INC: $34,500 · InternationalInternational Rescue Committee INC: $3,000 · InternationalINTERFAITH AMERICA: $36,000 · Religion
Other$479,686Education$80,600Food & Nutrition$75,000Housing & Shelter$67,600Crime & Legal$67,000International$37,500Religion$36,000

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 budgetGREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY: $75,000 over 9y, 0.0% of budgetCABRINI GREEN LEGAL AID: $45,000 over 9y, 0.2% of budgetLINCOLN PARK COMMUNITY SERVICES: $37,600 over 9y, 0.2% of budgetOPEN BOOKS LTD: $36,000 over 8y, 0.3% of budgetINTERFAITH AMERICA: $36,000 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetBREAKTHROUGH URBAN MINISTRIES INC: $35,000 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetHIMALAYAN YOUTH FOUNDATION INC: $34,500 over 9y, 1.9% of budgetLINK Unlimited Scholars: $30,000 over 6y, 0.3% of budgetCHICAGO COALITION TO END HOMELESSNESS: $29,000 over 9y, 0.1% of budgetLAWNDALE CHRISTIAN HEALTH CENTER: $26,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetLAWNDALE CHRISTIAN LEGAL CENTER: $22,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetUptown People's Law Center: $12,000 over 4y, 0.3% of budgetCornerstone Academy co Richard Van der Molen: $8,500 over 8y, 0.3% of budgetART ON SEDGWICK: $7,000 over 7y, 1.5% of budgetTHE ADMINISTRATORS OF THE TULANE EDUCATIONAL FUND: $6,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetEQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetYOUNG LIFE: $4,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetNEW MOMS INC: $4,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetSTREETWISE: $3,000 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetBRAVE SPACE ALLIANCE: $3,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetInternational Rescue Committee INC: $3,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetTHE NIGHT MINISTRY: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetThe Resurrection Project: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetThe Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Inc: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNorth Chicago Community Partners: $100 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 GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY ↗
  • Who funds CABRINI GREEN LEGAL AID ↗
  • Who funds LINCOLN PARK COMMUNITY SERVICES ↗
  • Who funds OPEN BOOKS LTD ↗
  • Who funds INTERFAITH AMERICA ↗
  • Who funds BREAKTHROUGH URBAN MINISTRIES INC ↗
  • Who funds HIMALAYAN YOUTH FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds LINK Unlimited Scholars ↗
  • Who funds CHICAGO COALITION TO END HOMELESSNESS ↗
  • Who funds LAWNDALE CHRISTIAN HEALTH CENTER ↗
  • Who funds LAWNDALE CHRISTIAN LEGAL CENTER ↗
  • Who funds Uptown People's Law Center ↗
  • Who funds Cornerstone Academy co Richard Van der Molen ↗
  • Who funds ART ON SEDGWICK ↗
  • Who funds THE ADMINISTRATORS OF THE TULANE EDUCATIONAL FUND ↗
  • Who funds EQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE ↗
  • Who funds YOUNG LIFE ↗
  • Who funds NEW MOMS INC ↗

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 Chicago Community…Robert R McCormick Fo…Polk Bros Foundation …John D and Catherine …AbbVie FoundationArie and Ida Crown Me…Circle of Service Fou…United Way of Metropo…Jewish Federation of …Jpmorgan Chase Founda…National Philanthropi…Morgan Stanley Global…
The Chicago Community TrustIL28.2× affinity14 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Chicago Community Trust · Robert R McCormick Foundation · Polk Bros Foundation Inc · John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation · AbbVie Foundation · Arie and Ida Crown Memorial · Circle of Service Foundation · United Way of Metropolitan Chicago Inc · Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · National Philanthropic Trust · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc

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 Out of the Box Foundation Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Out of the Box Foundation Inc. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%10%20%30%40%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get no government money at all
    10report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–40%
    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 58 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 Out of the Box’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