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Phantom Foundation at a glanceAlso receives grants: funding profile →

· Private foundation

Phantom Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$405k
Granted FY2024still arriving
6
Grants FY2024still arriving
2
States reached
$250k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0182% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Human Services$522kHealth$475kRecreation & Sports$250kYouth Development$43kArts & Culture$36kEducation$15kHousing & Shelter$10kPhilanthropy$10kOther$0
02FY2024 · 6 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k2 grants · $10k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $10k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $135k
  • $250k+1 grant · $250k
$50,000
Median grant
2
States reached
$549k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
MAIN ST PARK ALLIANCE$250,000
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN$85,000
FISHER HOUSE MI$50,000
SAFEHOUSE CTR$10,000
SO CAL PUBLIC RADIO$5,000
Individual grant recipient$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 (FY19–21, $20k) 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%OZONE HOUSE: $10k → 14%PEACE NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER: $10k → 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.

72%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.1M · 8 repeat orgs$428k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +47% since the first grant, against +16% for those funded once.

8 repeat relationships: 3 still active in FY2024, 5 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

8
13

Total granted

$1.1M
$123k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+47%
+16%

Still filing today

38%
85%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 25% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $305k went to new ones.

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

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
Human ServicesArts & CultureEducationPublic BenefitYouth DevelopmentHealthOther
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

  • UO
    University of Michigan
    4× · 2017–2024 · $415k · revenue +202% · 76% of their budget
  • FH
    FISHER HOUSE MICHIGAN
    4× · 2019–2022 · $242k · revenue +47%
  • PH
    Packard Health Inc
    2× · 2020–2021 · $60k · revenue +34%

Funded once

  • AI
    ARTRAIN INC
    one grant, 2017 · $11k · revenue -26%
  • JS
    Jackson School of the Arts Assoc
    one grant, 2018 · $10k · revenue -50%
  • AA
    Ann Arbor Young Men's Christian Association
    one grant, 2022 · $10k · revenue +20%
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
Michigan Family Resources

Michigan Family Resources mission is to deliver holistic family-centered services to children that promote their well-being and development.

Education
2
Lincoln Behavioral Services

To provide comprehensive outpatient mental health services to over 5400 individuals and their families in a consumer driven person centered delivery system. Approximately 15% of our staff members are our clients who are involved in a…

Health
3
Detroit Historical Society

The Detroit Historical Society tells Detroit's stories and why they matter through its exhibits, programs, outreach, and the preservation and dissemination of its artifacts and collections.

Arts & Culture
4
Community Education Commission

CEC works with diverse stakeholders across Detroit to develop critical resources and system-level solutions that address common challenges faced by Detroit families in accessing quality education.

Education
5
Land Conservancy of West Michigan

Our mission is conserving West Michigans ecologically critical land. We protect land by creating public nature preserves, providing support to communities and local governments in creating natural areas, and helping private landowners…

Environment
6
Alumni Association of the University of Michigan

The Association is an independent worldwide organization that nurtures lifelong relationships with and among current and future Michigan alumni. As a committed partner of the University the Association offers programs of relevance and…

Education
7
Michigan Assoc of Community Mental Health Boards

Assisting the community mental health boards of michigan in developing methods for mental health planning, care and treatment.

—
8
Michigan Advocacy Program

To advance the safety, independence, and economic stability of those most affected by poverty, racism, and other structurally oppressive systems by increasing access to justice and working for systemic solutions.

Crime & Legal
9
Area Agency On Aging of Western Michigan Inc

Through internal expertise, external partnerships, and advocacy, the area agency on aging of western michigan provides older adults, adults with disabilities, and their caregivers equitable access to services that promote independence and…

Human Services
10
Mid Michigan Community Action Agency Inc

Mid michigan community action guides local residents on the path to self-sufficiency through empowerment, education and community enrichment.

—
11
Business Leaders for Michigan

Business leaders for michigan is a nonprofit, nonpartisan statewide organization driven by ceos from the state's leading employers, all working toward a shared goal: making michigan a top 10 state for jobs, talent and a thriving economy.…

—
12
Ann Arbor Ypsilanti Regional Chamber

To foster greater regional economic success, community prosperity, and improved quality of life by advocating for, and supporting, the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti business community.

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Ozone House Inc; the most unlike its peers is Artrain 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

14 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. 14 of the 24 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)
3
Early backer (in before they grew)
14/14
Grantees still filing
11/14
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

University of Michigan: $415,000 · OtherUniversity of MichiganMAIN ST PARK ALLIANCE: $250,000 · OtherMAIN ST PARK ALLIANCESAFE HOUSE CENTER: $200,000 · OtherSAFE HOUSE CENTERIndividual grant recipient: $100,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipientFISHER HOUSE MI: $50,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $45,000 · Other+9 more: $105,500 · Other+9 moreFISHER HOUSE MICHIGAN: $242,000 · Public BenefitFISHER HOUSE MICH…Packard Health Inc: $60,000 · HealthJackson School of the Arts Assoc: $10,000 · Arts & CultureSOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PUBLIC RADIO: $10,000 · Arts & CulturePeace Neighborhood Center: $10,000 · Human ServicesOZONE HOUSE INC: $10,000 · Human ServicesWASHTENAW PROMISE INC: $10,000 · EducationFAMILY LEARNING INSTITUTE: $5,000 · EducationGirls on the Run of Southeastern Michigan: $10,000 · Youth Development
Other$1,165,500Public Benefit$242,000Health$60,000Arts & Culture$20,000Human Services$20,000Education$15,000Youth Development$10,000

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetUniversity of Michigan: $415,000 over 4y, 76% of budgetFISHER HOUSE MICHIGAN: $242,000 over 4y, 5.0% of budgetPackard Health Inc: $60,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetJackson School of the Arts Assoc: $10,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetAnn Arbor Young Men's Christian Association: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetPeace Neighborhood Center: $10,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetGirls on the Run of Southeastern Michigan: $10,000 over 1y, 2.5% of budgetFOOD GATHERERS: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PUBLIC RADIO: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFriends In Deed: $10,000 over 1y, 2.3% of budgetOZONE HOUSE INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetFAMILY LEARNING INSTITUTE: $5,000 over 1y, 3.1% 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.

Ann Arbor Area Commun…United Way of Washten…Harry a and Margaret …Community Foundation …Kiwanis Club of Ann A…Thrift Shop Associati…The Buhr FoundationJames a and Faith Kni…United Way for Southe…Fischer Family Founda…Esperance Family Foun…Edward F Redies Found…
Ann Arbor Area Community FoundationMI22× affinity8 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation · United Way of Washtenaw County · Harry a and Margaret D Towsley Foundation · Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan · Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor Foundation Inc · Thrift Shop Association of Ann Arbor · The Buhr Foundation · James a and Faith Knight Foundation · United Way for Southeastern Michigan · Fischer Family Foundation · Esperance Family Foundation Inc · Edward F Redies Foundation 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 Phantom Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Phantom Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%2%8%17%30%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    5report 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.
    05Through Plinth

    Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

    How do I get to Phantom Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Phantom 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 24 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 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Phantom’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