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Quality Connection at a glance

· Public charity

Quality Connection

Labor management cooperative.

$185k
Granted FY2025still arriving
10
Grants FY2025still arriving
2
States reached
$25k
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, FY2017 to 2024.

Health$270kEducation$180kHuman Services$113kPublic Benefit$91kCommunity Improvement$33kEmployment$32kFood & Nutrition$13kCrime & Legal$10kOther$0
02FY2025 · 10 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 10 grants below total $138,700, the rows itemized in this filing. The $184,857 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $46,157 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k3 grants · $18k
  • $10k–50k7 grants · $121k
$10,500
Median grant
2
States reached
$1.5M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
CHALLENGER LEARNING CENTER OF NW IN$25,000
LAKE COUNTY CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU$25,000
FRANCISCAN HEALTH FOUNDATION$25,000
AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION$15,000
HESSVILLE COMMERCE AND COMMUNITY CREATIVE$10,500
MEALS ON WHEELS OF NORTHWEST INDIANA$10,000
TRADEWINDS SERVICES INC$10,000
MENTAL HEALTH AMERICA OF LAKE COUNTY INC$7,500
CITY OF HAMMOND$5,500
PIRATES INC$5,200
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 (FY17–22, $113k) land where the poverty rate runs at 15%, against an area that typically sits at 14%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 14%SOUTHLAKE YMCA: $13k → 15%HAMMOND YMCA CAPITAL CAMPAIGN: $20k → 15%HAMMOND YMCA CAPITAL CAMPAIGN: $20k → 15%HAMMOND YMCA CAPITAL CAMPAIGN: $20k → 15%HAMMOND YMCA CAPITAL CAMPAIGN: $20k → 15%HAMMOND YMCA CAPITAL CAMPAIGN: $20k → 15%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.

92%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$823k · 10 repeat orgs$74k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +33% since the first grant, against -38% for those funded once.

10 repeat relationships: 8 still active in FY2025, 2 since wound down; 2 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

10
5

Total granted

$823k
$59k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+33%
-38%

Still filing today

80%
20%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 89% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $15k 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
HealthEducationHuman ServicesPhilanthropyEmploymentCommunity ImprovementOther
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

  • CL
    CHALLENGER LEARNING CENTER OF NORTHWEST INDIANA INC
    9× · 2017–2025 · $190k · revenue +241%
  • FH
    FRANCISCAN HEALTH FOUNDATION INC
    7× · 2019–2025 · $179k · revenue +20%
  • CY
    CROSSROADS YMCA INC
    6× · 2017–2022 · $113k · revenue +81%

Funded once

  • TO
    TOWN OF MERRILLVILLE
    one grant, 2020 · $15k
  • PA
    PARENTS AS TEACHERS OF LAKE COUNTY
    one grant, 2017 · $15k
  • LC
    LAKE COURT HOUSE FOUNDATION INC
    one grant, 2018 · $10k · revenue +9%
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 Lakes Community Health Center Inc

To respond to the healthcare needs of our communities with an integrated array of quality services and actively remove barriers to wellness. the lakes community health center, inc. is proud to be a community health center (chc) working to…

—
2
Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce

To be a voice for business and a forum for the exchange of ideas and through a variety of chamber programs and services, strengthen the economic vitality of east chicago, hammond, and northwest indiana.

Community Improvement
3
Heartland Lakes Development Commiss

Inspire and retain economic growth

Community Improvement
4
Eldercare Lake County

Promote the health and independence of lake county, il, older adults

Human Services
5
Lake County in Economic Alliance Inc

Lcea is organized for the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding of economics; matters of public concern; finance; education and training; science and technology; economic planning and development; and other subjects…

—
6
Lake County Center for Independent Living

To empower people with disabilities to lead self-directed lives as valued members of the community.

Human Services
7
Lakeshore Community Health Care Inc

Lakeshore community health care provides access to comprehensive, integrated health care, regardless of ability to pay, eliminating health disparities among the underserved.

Health
8
Lakeshore Community Services Inc

The mission of lakeshore is to enhance the ability of persons with mental and physical disabilities to live as independently as possible through acquisition of skills and utilization of services that promote each individual's self…

Human Services
9
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

To administer intercollegiate athletic programs for colleges and universities

Recreation & Sports
10
Lake Area United Way Inc

Uniting people and resources to advance the health, education, and financial stability of our communities.

Philanthropy
11
Community Clinic Inc

Empower patients to partner with staff for an unparalleled healthcare experience through integrated primary care services teams in a learning environment. we deliver high quality, affordable care to every patient during all stages of life.

Health
12
Lake Superior Community Health Center

To improve access to quality health care for all.

Health
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Crossroads Ymca Inc; the most unlike its peers is Hessville Commerce and Community Creative. 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

13 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. 13 of the 17 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)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
11/13
Grantees still filing
9/13
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

CITY OF HAMMOND: $71,000 · OtherCITY OF HAMMONDLAKE COUNTY CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU: $35,000 · OtherLAKE COUNTY CONVENTION & VIS…MENTAL HEALTH AMERICA OF LAKE COUNTY INC: $30,000 · OtherMENTAL HEALTH AMERICA OF LAK…MEALS ON WHEELS OF NORTHWEST INDIANA INC: $22,500 · OtherMEALS ON WHEELS OF NORTHWEST…TOWN OF MERRILLVILLE: $15,000 · OtherTOWN OF MERRILLVILLEPARENTS AS TEACHERS OF LAKE COUNTY: $15,000 · OtherPARENTS AS TEACHERS OF LAKE …LAKE COURT HOUSE FOUNDATION INC: $10,000 · OtherINDIANA PLAN: $10,000 · OtherCROWN POINT YOUTH SPORTS COMMISSION INC: $8,999 · Other+1 more: $5,200 · OtherCHALLENGER LEARNING CENTER OF NORTHWEST INDIANA INC: $190,000 · EducationCHALLENGER LEARNING CEN…FRANCISCAN HEALTH FOUNDATION INC: $179,000 · PhilanthropyFRANCISCAN HEALTH FOUN…American Heart Association Inc: $108,000 · HealthAmerican Heart…TRADEWINDS SERVICES INC: $10,000 · HealthTRADEWINDS SER…CROSSROADS YMCA INC: $112,500 · Human ServicesCROSSROADS YMC…Hessville Commerce and Community Creative: $43,000 · Community ImprovementLOCAL 697 IBEW APPRENTICE: $32,312 · Employment
Other$222,699Education$190,000Philanthropy$179,000Health$118,000Human Services$112,500Community Improvement$43,000Employment$32,312

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

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetCHALLENGER LEARNING CENTER OF NORTHWEST INDIANA INC: $190,000 over 9y, 6.4% of budgetFRANCISCAN HEALTH FOUNDATION INC: $179,000 over 7y, 0.4% of budgetCROSSROADS YMCA INC: $112,500 over 6y, 0.2% of budgetAmerican Heart Association Inc: $108,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetHessville Commerce and Community Creative: $43,000 over 4y, 21% of budgetLOCAL 697 IBEW APPRENTICE: $32,312 over 3y, 0.8% of budgetMENTAL HEALTH AMERICA OF LAKE COUNTY INC: $30,000 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetMEALS ON WHEELS OF NORTHWEST INDIANA INC: $22,500 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetPARENTS AS TEACHERS OF LAKE COUNTY: $15,000 over 1y, 4.0% of budgetTRADEWINDS SERVICES INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetLAKE COURT HOUSE FOUNDATION INC: $10,000 over 1y, 6.0% of budgetPIRATES INC: $5,200 over 1y, 2.6% 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.

Legacy Foundation IncCrown Point Community…John W Anderson Found…Nisource Charitable F…Lake Area United Way …Dean & Barbara White …Community Foundation …Porter County Communi…Amazonsmile Foundation
Legacy Foundation IncIN19.9× affinity7 shared granteesties to 8 of 8Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Legacy Foundation Inc · Crown Point Community Foundation Inc · John W Anderson Foundation · Nisource Charitable Foundation · Lake Area United Way Inc · Dean & Barbara White Family Foundation Inc · Community Foundation of Northwest Indiana Inc · Porter County Community Foundation Inc · Amazonsmile 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 Quality Connection funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Quality Connection. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%2%6%14%25%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
    3report 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 Quality Connection?

    Find your warmest path to Quality Connection 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 17 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 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 Quality Connection’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