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Pearson Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Pearson Family 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.

$159k
Granted FY2025still arriving
12
Grants FY2025still arriving
4
States reached
$37k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Animals$268kReligion$108kEducation$86kRecreation & Sports$81kArts & Culture$60kHealth$52kFood & Nutrition$51kEnvironment$30kOther$0
02FY2025 · 12 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k5 grants · $21k
  • $10k–50k7 grants · $138k
$10,600
Median grant
4
States reached
$2.0M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
FOLDS OF HONOR - WISCONSIN CHAPTER$37,100
OZAUKEE FOOD ALLIANCE$26,500
DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST$18,550
LIPSETT LAKE ASSOCIATION$18,550
WINGED FREEDOM RAPTOR HOSPITAL$15,900
VOYAGEURS WOLF PROJECT$10,600
CEDARBURG CULTURAL CENTER$10,600
SPECIAL SPACES$5,300
ALL IOWA LAWN TENNIS CLUB$5,300
ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF MILWAUKEE COUNTY$5,300
CEDARBURG ATHLETIC BOOSTER CLUB$2,650
BEST BUDDIES WISCONSIN$2,650
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 (FY19–24, $8k) land where the poverty rate runs at 7%, against an area that typically sits at 9%. 12% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 9%HOMETOWN HEROES: $4k → 6%HOMETOWN HEROES: $1k → 6%OZAUKEE FAMILY SERVICES: $1k → 6%OZAUKEE FAMILY SERVICES: $1k → 6%SECUREFUTURES: $1k → 17%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
MT
MN
IL
WI
NY
IA
IN
CA
VA
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.

62%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$478k · 15 repeat orgs$289k to everyone else

15 repeat relationships: 7 still active in FY2025, 8 since wound down; 5 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

15
14

Total granted

$478k
$222k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+37%
+110%

Still filing today

60%
50%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 58% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $66k 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
AnimalsHealthHuman ServicesEducationInternationalEnvironmentOther
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

  • TD
    THE DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST USA INC
    2× · 2024–2025 · $37k · revenue +37%
  • CEDARBURG CULTURAL CENTER INC
    4× · 2020–2025 · $28k · revenue +10%
  • CC
    CONQUER CANCER FOUNDATION OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY
    4× · 2019–2022 · $23k · revenue +36%

Funded once

  • VE
    VARIOUS ENTITES
    one grant, 2023 · $108k
  • AU
    ARROWHEAD UNION HIGH SCHOOL
    one grant, 2022 · $38k
  • CP
    CEDARBURG POMS DANCE TEAM
    one grant, 2024 · $13k
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
Wisconsin Wildlife Federation Inc

The wisconsin wildlife federation has a dual mission to engage in conservation education and to advocate for sound conservation policy.

Environment
2
Zoological Society of Milwaukee Endowment Trust

To provide support & funding for the mission of the zoological society of milwaukee & the milwaukee county zoo.

Animals
3
Wisconsin's Green Fire Incorporated

Advance science-informed analysis and policy solutions that address wisconsin's greatest conservation challenges.

Environment
4
Fund for Lake Michigan Inc

Lake Michigan is one of Wisconsin's greatest assets, and its water is critical to the state's future. The Fund for Lake Michigan is here to help sustain the Lake on behalf of the people and places that depend on it. Our goal is to have a…

Environment
5
Natural Resources Foundation of

To protect wisconsin's lands, waters, and wildlife by providing funding, leading partnerships, and connecting all people with nature.

—
6
The Wisconsin Society for Ornithology Inc

The mission of wso is to promote the enjoyment, study and conservation of birds.

Science & Tech
7
Friends of Wisconsin State Parks Inc

To preserve, promote, protect, and enhance wisconsin state parks, forests, trails, and recreation areas.

Recreation & Sports
8
Cedar Lakes Conservation Foundation Inc

To conserve the natural environment of the cedar lakes region.

Environment
9
Wisconsin Association of Lakes Inc

The mission of the wisconsin association of lakes is to conserve, enhance, and restore wisconsin's 15,000 lakes to ensure their sustainability for the benefit and collective use and enjoyment for this and future generations.

Environment
10
Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha County Inc

The humane animal welfare society of waukesha county leads the community in animal welfare and assures sanctuary for animals in need.

Animals
11
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
12
West Shore Wildlife Center

To inspire coexistence between humans and wildlife.

Animals
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Wisconsin Humane Society; the most unlike its peers is Cedarburg Athletic Booster Club 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

21 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

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 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 21 of the 34 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)
7
Early backer (in before they grew)
20/21
Grantees still filing
15/21
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF MILWAUKEE: $137,300 · OtherZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF MILWAUKEEVARIOUS ENTITES: $108,000 · OtherVARIOUS ENTITESLIPSETT LAKE ASSOCIATION: $66,250 · OtherLIPSETT LAKE ASSOCIATIONDAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE PRESERVE: $60,100 · OtherDAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE PRESERVEOZAUKEE FOOD ALLIANCE: $41,200 · OtherOZAUKEE FOOD ALLIANCEARROWHEAD UNION HIGH SCHOOL: $38,400 · OtherARROWHEAD UNION HIGH SCHOOLVOYAGEURS WOLF PROJECT: $19,000 · Other+14 more: $98,350 · Other+14 moreCONQUER CANCER FOUNDATION OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY: $23,300 · HealthFISHER HOUSE WISCONSIN INC: $16,200 · HealthTHE CHARLES E KUBLY FOUNDATION INC: $12,000 · HealthTHE DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST USA INC: $37,450 · AnimalsZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF MILWAUKEE CTY: $5,300 · AnimalsWISCONSIN HUMANE SOCIETY: $4,200 · AnimalsFURBALL FARM PET SANCTUARY: $3,200 · AnimalsFOLDS OF HONOR WISCONSIN CHAPTER INC: $37,100 · EducationSTEPHEN SILLER TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION: $9,500 · Education+1 more: $1,000 · EducationCEDARBURG CULTURAL CENTER INC: $28,000 · Arts & CultureBest Buddies International Inc: $10,650 · InternationalYELLOWSTONE FOREVER: $10,200 · Environment
Other$568,600Health$51,500Animals$50,150Education$47,600Arts & Culture$28,000International$10,650Environment$10,200

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 budgetTHE DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST USA INC: $37,450 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetCEDARBURG CULTURAL CENTER INC: $28,000 over 4y, 1.6% of budgetCONQUER CANCER FOUNDATION OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY: $23,300 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetFISHER HOUSE WISCONSIN INC: $16,200 over 3y, 0.7% of budgetTHE CHARLES E KUBLY FOUNDATION INC: $12,000 over 1y, 1.1% of budgetBest Buddies International Inc: $10,650 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetYELLOWSTONE FOREVER: $10,200 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSAUKVILLE COMMUNITY FOOD PANTRY INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetSTEPHEN SILLER TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION: $9,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetHOMETOWN HEROES INC: $5,400 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF MILWAUKEE CTY: $5,300 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetRAINCOAST CONSERVATION FOUNDATION: $4,800 over 1y, 2.0% of budgetWISCONSIN HUMANE SOCIETY: $4,200 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFURBALL FARM PET SANCTUARY: $3,200 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetCEDARBURG ATHLETIC BOOSTER CLUB INC: $2,650 over 1y, 4.6% of budgetOZAUKEE FAMILY SERVICES INC: $2,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetSECUREFUTURES FOUNDATION INC: $1,000 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.

Greater Milwaukee Fou…Baird Foundation IncGreen Bay Packers Fou…Ge Aerospace Foundati…United Way of Greater…Herbert H Kohl Charit…Equitable Foundation …Jpmorgan Chase Founda…Charities Aid Foundat…National Philanthropi…The Blackbaud Giving …Network for Good
Greater Milwaukee Foundation IncWI17.2× affinity6 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Greater Milwaukee Foundation Inc · Baird Foundation Inc · Green Bay Packers Foundation · Ge Aerospace Foundation · United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County Inc · Herbert H Kohl Charities Inc · Equitable Foundation Inc · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · Charities Aid Foundation America · National Philanthropic Trust · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · Network for Good

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

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%4%8%11%15%share of the org’s income from government →median 4%
  • Best Buddies International Inc: 4% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get 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 · 0–15%
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 Pearson Family Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Pearson Family 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 34 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 Pearson 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