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Pond Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Pond Family Foundation

Its FY2021 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$166k
Granted FY2021
28
Grants FY2021
11
States reached
$25k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0190% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2021.

Arts & Culture$1.1MHealth$106kHuman Services$101kEducation$82kFood & Nutrition$48kEnvironment$24kInternational$23kPublic Safety & Disaster$20kOther$0
02FY2021 · 28 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2021

  • Under $10k21 grants · $66k
  • $10k–50k7 grants · $100k
$5,000
Median grant
11
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
CHILD CENTER OF NY$25,000
GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY$25,000
AMERICAN RED CROSS$10,000
MUSIC INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO$10,000
BRADY CENTER$10,000
WORLD FOOD PROGRAM$10,000
TIMELINE THEATER$10,000
NIGHT MINISTRY$6,000
AMERICANS UNITED FOR SEPARATION OF CHURCH & STATE$5,000
CARE$5,000
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH$5,000
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY$5,000
350ORG$5,000
AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION$5,000
BETTER GOV'T ASSOCIATION$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 (FY20–21, $59k) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 91% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%RIP MEDICAL DEBT: $5k → 9%WORLD FOOD PROGRAM: $10k → 14%NIGHT MINISTRY: $37k → 14%NIGHT MINISTRY: $6k → 14%CHRISTOPHER HOUSE: $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

VT
MT
IL
NY
MA
NJ
CT
CA
UT
MO
VA
TN
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.

82%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.3M · 20 repeat orgs$276k to everyone else

20 repeat relationships: 20 still active in FY2021, 0 since wound down; 7 grantees were first funded in FY2021 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

20
27

Total granted

$1.3M
$240k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+28%
+41%

Still filing today

55%
56%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2021, 78% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $36k went to new ones.

50%100%’20’21
RenewedFirst-time

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

’20’21
EducationHuman ServicesEnvironmentHealthArts & CultureInternationalOther
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
    2× · 2020–2021 · $38k · revenue +17%
  • TC
    THE CHILD CENTER OF NY INC
    2× · 2020–2021 · $35k · revenue +58%
  • AU
    AMERICANS UNITED FOR SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
    2× · 2020–2021 · $15k · revenue +106%

Funded once

  • BR
    BRAIN RESEARCH FOUNDATIONgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $60k · revenue +60%
  • Teach for America Inc
    one grant, 2020 · $50k · revenue -3%
  • TL
    THE LOOMIS INSTITUTE D/B/A THE LOOMIS CHAFFEE SCHOOLgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $25k · revenue +41%
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 Water Research Foundation

The purpose of the water research foundation (wrf) is a definitive research organization to advance the science of all things water to better meet the evolving needs of its subscribers and the water sector. to engage exclusively in…

Environment
2
World Resources Institute

Wri is committed to creating change that improves people's lives and ensures the natural world can thrive. (see schedule o)wri's bold vision requires a formula for success we call "count it. change it. scale it.":- count it: our work is…

International
3
National Opinion Research Center

See schedule onorc at the university of chicago conducts research and data science on critical societal issues to guide decision-making and the development of programs and public policy. our experts identify relationships and trends, and…

Social Science
4
The Rand Corporation

Help improve policy and decision making through research and analysis.

Public Benefit
5
Society for Neuroscience

Sfn's mission is to: 1. advance the understanding of the brain and the nervous system by bringing together scientists of all segments of neuroscience, by facilitating the integration of research directed at all levels of biological…

Health
6
United States Naval Institute

Provide an independent forum for those who dare to read, think, speak, and write to advance the professional, literary, and scientific understanding of sea power and other issues critical to global security.

—
7
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The mission of mit is to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century.

Education
8
Internet Society Foundation

At the internet society foundation, we focus on funding initiatives that strengthen the internet in function and reach so that it can effectively serve all people. our work advances the vision of the internet society (isoc): the internet…

International
9
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
10
Npr Foundation

The npr foundation ("foundation") is organized and operated exclusively for the benefit of its sole supported organization, national public radio, inc. ("npr inc."). the foundation supports npr inc. through various activities such as…

—
11
American Association for the Advancement of Science

Advance science, engineering, and innovation throughout the world for the benefit of all. the world's largest multidisciplinary scientific society and a leading publisher of cutting-edge research through its science family of journals,…

Science & Tech
12
The Union of Concerned Scientists Inc

The union of concerned scientists puts rigorous, independent science into action, developing solutions and advocating for a healthy, safe, and just future.

International
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Wikimedia Foundation Inc; the most unlike its peers is Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. 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

32 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. 32 of the 57 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)
32/32
Grantees still filing
23/32
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

TIMELINE THEATER: $1,020,000 · OtherTIMELINE THEATER+40 more: $207,950 · Other+40 moreBRAIN RESEARCH FOUNDATION: $60,000 · HealthRehabilitation Institute of Chicago: $25,000 · HealthAmerican Heart Association Inc: $5,000 · HealthTeach for America Inc: $50,000 · EducationTHE LOOMIS INSTITUTE D/B/A THE LOOMIS CHAFFEE SCHOOL: $25,000 · EducationPresident and Fellows of Middlebury College: $5,000 · Education+1 more: $1,000 · EducationTHE NIGHT MINISTRY: $43,000 · Human ServicesFRIENDS OF THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAM INC: $10,000 · Human ServicesMEDICAL DEBT RESOLUTION INC: $5,000 · Human Services+1 more: $500 · Human ServicesGREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY: $38,000 · Food & NutritionFIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY: $25,000 · Arts & CultureMUSIC INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO: $10,000 · Arts & CultureHUMAN RIGHTS WATCH INC: $15,000 · InternationalCOOPERATIVE FOR ASSISTANCE AND RELIEF EVERYWHERE INC: $7,000 · International
Other$1,227,950Health$90,000Education$81,000Human Services$58,500Food & Nutrition$38,000Arts & Culture$35,000International$22,000

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 budgetBRAIN RESEARCH FOUNDATION: $60,000 over 1y, 3.2% of budgetTeach for America Inc: $50,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE NIGHT MINISTRY: $43,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetGREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY: $38,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE CHILD CENTER OF NY INC: $35,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE LOOMIS INSTITUTE D/B/A THE LOOMIS CHAFFEE SCHOOL: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetRehabilitation Institute of Chicago: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY: $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetAMERICANS UNITED FOR SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE: $15,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetHUMAN RIGHTS WATCH INC: $15,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE NATURE CONSERVANCY: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFRIENDS OF THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAM INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMUSIC INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budget350ORG: $7,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCOOPERATIVE FOR ASSISTANCE AND RELIEF EVERYWHERE INC: $7,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE MONTANA LAND RELIANCE: $6,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMEDICAL DEBT RESOLUTION INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPresident and Fellows of Middlebury College: $5,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetAmerican Heart Association Inc: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetJ STREET EDUCATION FUND INC: $4,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetLINCOLN PARK CONSERVANCY: $3,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetCHICAGO FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN: $3,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetWOMEN EMPLOYED: $2,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetWIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAccess Living of Metropolitan Chicago: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFRIENDS OF THE PARKS: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetDRAVET SYNDROME FOUNDATION INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetNANTUCKET LAND & WATER COUNCIL INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF SARASOTA CO INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAMY KROUSE ROSENTHAL FOUNDATION: $500 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetCHRISTOPHER HOUSE: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPENINSULA OPEN SPACE TRUST: $300 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.

The Chicago Community…Hirsch-Schwartz Found…John D and Catherine …National Philanthropi…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…Vanguard Charitable E…The Bank of America C…The Blackbaud Giving …Charities Aid Foundat…Morgan Stanley Global…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …
The Chicago Community TrustIL15.6× affinity6 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Chicago Community Trust · Hirsch-Schwartz Foundation · John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation · National Philanthropic Trust · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · Charities Aid Foundation America · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund

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

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 50%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 1%
  • President and Fellows of Middlebury College: 1% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
5get no government money at all
4report 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 57 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 2021, released 2021. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Pond 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