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· Private foundation

Quest for the Best

Its FY2025 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$710k
Granted FY2025still arriving
68
Grants FY2025still arriving
5
States reached
$71k
Largest
01What it funds
0198% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

International$652kEducation$621kHealth$445kAnimals$357kHuman Services$309kHousing & Shelter$276kArts & Culture$205kPublic Safety & Disaster$204kOther$0
02FY2025 · 68 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k43 grants · $154k
  • $10k–50k23 grants · $435k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $121k
$5,000
Median grant
5
States reached
$7.0M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
LIFETIME WELLS INTERNATIONAL$70,998
ANN'S HEART INC$50,000
WILLIAMSON COLLEGE OF THE TRADES$38,900
HELPING HANDS INC$35,000
QUEST THERAPEUTIC SERVICES INC$33,000
TRELLIS FOR TOMORROW$30,000
CHARLES A MELTON ARTS & EDUCATION CENTER$30,000
MONTGOMERY COUNTY COMM COLLEGE FOUNDATION$27,548
GREENHOUSE PROJECT$25,000
CHESTER COUNTY OPPORTUNITIES IND CTR$23,630
ALLEGHENY COUNTY CHIEFS OF POLICE ASSOC$23,108
HORIZONS AT GREENE STREET FRIENDS SCHOOL$16,500
MANNA$15,000
BUILDING YOUTH AROUND THE WORLD$15,000
GOOD SAMARITAN$15,000
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 (FY18–25, $554k) land where the poverty rate runs at 7%, against an area that typically sits at 7%. 10% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 7%DRUEDING CENTER: $10k → 22%BATTLEBONE: $3k → 11%DRUEDING CENTER: $9k → 22%MINORITY CENTER FOR PARTICIPATION & EMPOWERMENT: $9k → 22%CHESTER EASTSIDE: $3k → 10%KENCREST: $10k → 7%FRIENDS ASSOCIATION: $51k → 6%EVERY GOOD GIFT: $7k → 7%COMMUNITY WAREHOUSE PROJECT OF CHESTER COUNTY: $20k → 6%KENCREST: $10k → 7%KENCREST: $1k → 7%FRIENDS ASSOCIATION FOR THE CARE & PROTECTION OF CHILDREN: $8k → 6%ELDERNET OF LOWER MERION AND NARBERTH: $5k → 10%PREPARED TO THRIVE: $3k → 6%UPPER MERION COMMUNITY CUPBOARD: $8k → 7%ANN'S HEART INC: $50k → 6%MAX'S KICKS FOR KIDS: $3k → 6%QUEST THERAPEUTIC SERVICES INC: $39k → 6%KENNETT AREA COMMUNITY SERVICES: $11k → 6%GERMANTOWN AVE CRISIS MINISTRY: $10k → 22%QUEST THERAPEUTIC SERVICES INC: $38k → 6%QUEST THERAPEUTIC SERVICES INC: $33k → 6%CHARLES A MELTON ARTS & EDUCATION CENTER: $30k → 6%QUEST THERAPEUTIC SERVICES INC: $23k → 6%LAUREL HOUSE: $5k → 7%PATHWAYS PA: $3k → 10%QUEST THERAPEUTIC SERVICES INC: $13k → 6%QUEST THERAPEUTIC SERVICES INC: $13k → 6%KENNETT AREA COMMUNITY SERVICES: $3k → 6%INTERFAITH HOUSING ALLIANCE: $20k → 7%QUEST THERAPEAUTIC SERVICES INC: $10k → 6%CECIL AND GRACE BEAN'S SOUP KITCHEN: $3k → 7%MATTIE DIXON COMMUNITY CUPBOARD: $3k → 7%FAMILY PROMISE MONTCO: $3k → 7%KENNETT AREA COMMUNITY SERVICES: $1k → 6%MATTIE DIXON COMMUNITY CUPBOARD: $3k → 7%MATTIE DIXON COMMUNITY CUPBOARD: $3k → 7%YOUNG MOMS: $1k → 6%MATTIE DIXON COMMUNITY CUPBOARD: $2k → 7%MATTIE DIXON COMMUNITY CUPBOARD: $2k → 7%MOM'S HOUSE OF GREATER PHILADELPHIA: $25k → 6%ANN'S HEART: $20k → 6%MOM'S HOUSE OF PHOENIXVILLE: $9k → 6%PHOENIXVILLE AREA COMMUNITY SERVICES: $3k → 6%PHOENIXVILLE AREA COMMUNITY SERVICES: $2k → 6%PHOENIXVILLE AREA COMMUNITY SERVICES: $2k → 6%PHOENIXVILLE AREA COMMUNITY SERVICES: $1k → 6%ANN'S HEART: $1k → 6%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

MA
IN
PA
NJ
CT
UT
WV
VA
MD
DE
NC
TX
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.

83%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$3.1M · 81 repeat orgs$626k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +23% since the first grant, against +14% for those funded once.

81 repeat relationships: 40 still active in FY2025, 41 since wound down; 24 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

81
78

Total granted

$3.1M
$401k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+23%
+14%

Still filing today

73%
60%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 68% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $225k 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
Human ServicesHealthEducationFood & NutritionHousing & ShelterPhilanthropyOther
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

  • LW
    LIFETIME WELLS INTERNATIONAL
    8× · 2017–2025 · $555k · revenue +67%
  • NZ
    NORRISTOWN ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY
    8× · 2017–2024 · $355k · revenue +201%
  • QT
    QUEST THERAPEUTIC SERVICES INC
    7× · 2019–2025 · $168k · revenue +58%

Funded once

  • FP
    FOR PETE'S SAKE CANCER RESPITE FOUNDATIONgraduated
    one grant, 2018 · $53k · revenue +354%
  • BC
    BULGARIAN CULTURAL CTR OF PANJDE
    one grant, 2017 · $40k
  • RC
    ROMAN CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL
    one grant, 2024 · $26k
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
Pennsylvania Organization for Women in Early Recovery

See schedule o.power's mission is to help women reclaim their lives from addiction and related emotional health issues and improve the well-being of future generations. we provide a range of gender-responsive, trauma-informed drug and…

Health
2
Ch Pennsylvania Under - 21

Our mission is to serve children and youth facing homelessness and human trafficking, and to protect and safeguard all children. we provide trauma-informed interventions for youth who are in need.covenant house pennsylvania (chpa) remains…

Housing & Shelter
3
Pennsylvania Community Real Estate Corp

None

Housing & Shelter
4
Community Human Services Corporation

Chs empowers individuals and families to live in stable housing, connect to community resources, build relationships and access quality food.

Human Services
5
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pgh

Catholic charities serves to not only meet the immediate needs of the vulnerable within our communities but to provide solutions that embrace a path to stability for those we are privileged to serve. catholic charities is the primary…

Human Services
6
Women Against Abuse Inc

The mission of women against abuse is to provide quality, compassionate, and nonjudgmental services in a manner that fosters self-respect and independence in persons experiencing intimate partner violence and to lead the struggle to end…

Human Services
7
Committee for Dignity and Fairness for the Homeless Housing Development

Dignity Housing's mission is to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty that confronts low-income families and individuals in the City of Philadelphia.

—
8
Family Promise of Philadelphia

To end family homelessness through direct aid, direct services, and advocacy.

Human Services
9
Philadelphia Veterans Comfort House Corp

Philadelphia veterans comfort house was established to give homeless veterans a chance to start over and become productive members of society while providing the foundation on which veterans can begin to rebuild and maintain a support for…

—
10
People's Place Ii Inc

People's place ii, inc. is dedicated to becoming the agency of choice to help people find their path to growth and independence. to this end, people's place ii, inc. identifies the social and mental health needs of delaware residents and…

Human Services
11
Shelter Service Inc

Shelter services inc provides temporary shelter to the homeless from multiple counties and facilitates programs to prevent homelessness through various housing/rent/utility assistance services.

—
12
Family Service Association of Bucks County

Mission: we listen, care and help. every day. vision: a community where anyone can achieve their full potential. programs: our services treat mental health issues; reduce substance use; shelter, feed, educate and seek permanent housing for…

Human Services
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Family Promise Montco Pa; the most unlike its peers is Historic Sugartown Incorporated. 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

127 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. 127 of the 184 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)
35
Early backer (in before they grew)
126/127
Grantees still filing
84/127
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

THE WETLANDS INSTITUTE: $134,833 · OtherTHE WETLANDS INSTITUTEDCCC EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION: $97,400 · OtherDCCC EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONDELAWARE MUSEUM OF NATURE AND SCIENCE INC: $82,220 · OtherDELAWARE MUSEUM OF NATURE AND SCIENCE …MONTGOMERY COUNTY COMM COLLEGE FOUNDATION: $57,548 · OtherALLEGHENY COUNTY POLICE CHIEFS' ASSOCIATION: $56,554 · OtherCOMMUNITY COLLEGE OF PHILADELPHIA: $45,000 · OtherPHOENIXVILLE WOMENS OUTREACH: $51,000 · OtherBUILDING YOUTH AROUND THE WORLD: $55,000 · Other+90 more: $690,695 · Other+90 moreLIFETIME WELLS INTERNATIONAL: $554,968 · PhilanthropyLIFETIME WELLS INTE…TRELLIS FOR TOMORROW: $83,500 · PhilanthropyTRELLIS FOR TOMORRO…+3 more: $12,850 · PhilanthropyWILLIAMSON COLLEGE OF THE TRADES: $126,970 · EducationWILLIAMSON COLLEGE…LA SALLE UNIVERSITY: $103,700 · EducationLA SALLE UNIVERSIT…NURTURING MINDS INC: $97,492 · EducationNURTURING MINDS IN…MONTGOMERY COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION: $61,292 · EducationMONTGOMERY COUNTY …THE GARAGE COMMUNITY & YOUTH CENTER: $49,885 · EducationTHE GARAGE COMMUNI…CRISTO REY PHILADELPHIA HIGH SCHOOL: $44,314 · EducationCRISTO REY PHILADE…THE FOUNDATION FOR INDIANA UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA (IUP): $40,020 · EducationTHE FOUNDATION FOR…CHESTER COUNTY OPPORTUNITIES INDUSTRIALIZATION CENTERS INC: $23,630 · Education+7 more: $59,304 · Education+7 moreQUEST THERAPEUTIC SERVICES INC: $168,144 · Human ServicesQUEST THERAPEUTI…ANN'S HEART INC: $71,030 · Human ServicesANN'S HEART INCFRIENDS ASSOCIATION FOR THE CARE AND PRO: $59,025 · Human ServicesFRIENDS ASSOCIAT…MOM'S HOUSE INC OF GREATER PHILADELPHIA: $33,500 · Human ServicesMOM'S HOUSE INC …CHARLES A MELTON ARTS & EDUCATION CENTER: $30,000 · Human ServicesCHARLES A MELTON…FAMILY PROMISE MONTCO PA: $23,500 · Human ServicesKENCREST SERVICES: $21,030 · Human ServicesCOMMUNITY WAREHOUSE PROJECT OF CHESTER COUNTY: $20,000 · Human ServicesDRUEDING CENTER: $19,250 · Human Services+29 more: $113,348 · Human Services+29 moreNORRISTOWN ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY: $354,500 · AnimalsNORRISTOWN…+1 more: $2,510 · AnimalsFOR PETE'S SAKE CANCER RESPITE FOUNDATION: $53,200 · HealthGOOD FRIENDS INC: $32,901 · HealthBRINGING HOPE HOME: $25,123 · HealthEYE CARE FOR KIDS - Utah: $25,000 · HealthCAMP DREAMCATCHER: $18,616 · HealthCOATESVILLE CENTER FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH: $15,000 · HealthActionAids Inc: $11,000 · HealthFIRST STOP RECOVERY: $10,000 · Health+10 more: $32,298 · HealthMETROPOLITAN AREA NEIGHBORHOOD NUTRITION ALLIANCE: $45,000 · Food & NutritionQUAKERTOWN FOOD PANTRY: $6,000 · Food & NutritionHONEY BROOK FOOD PANTRY: $3,529 · Food & NutritionPENNSYLVANIA HOME OF THE SPARROW: $3,500 · Food & NutritionNarberth Community Food Bank: $3,500 · Food & NutritionCARING FOR FRIENDS: $3,500 · Food & NutritionOperation143: $3,500 · Food & Nutrition+1 more: $1,000 · Food & Nutrition
Other$1,270,250Philanthropy$651,318Education$606,607Human Services$558,827Animals$357,010Health$223,138Food & Nutrition$69,529

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 budgetLIFETIME WELLS INTERNATIONAL: $554,968 over 8y, 15% of budgetNORRISTOWN ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY: $354,500 over 8y, 0.7% of budgetQUEST THERAPEUTIC SERVICES INC: $168,144 over 7y, 3.2% of budgetTHE WETLANDS INSTITUTE: $134,833 over 4y, 2.0% of budgetWILLIAMSON COLLEGE OF THE TRADES: $126,970 over 6y, 0.2% of budgetLA SALLE UNIVERSITY: $103,700 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetNURTURING MINDS INC: $97,492 over 5y, 2.0% of budgetTRELLIS FOR TOMORROW: $83,500 over 4y, 2.5% of budgetDELAWARE MUSEUM OF NATURE AND SCIENCE INC: $82,220 over 2y, 1.7% of budgetANN'S HEART INC: $71,030 over 3y, 7.3% of budgetMONTGOMERY COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION: $61,292 over 4y, 0.9% of budgetFRIENDS ASSOCIATION FOR THE CARE AND PRO: $59,025 over 3y, 0.8% of budgetBUILDING YOUTH AROUND THE WORLD: $55,000 over 4y, 2.7% of budgetFOR PETE'S SAKE CANCER RESPITE FOUNDATION: $53,200 over 1y, 3.6% of budgetPHOENIXVILLE WOMENS OUTREACH: $51,000 over 2y, 17% of budgetTHE GARAGE COMMUNITY & YOUTH CENTER: $49,885 over 6y, 2.6% of budgetMETROPOLITAN AREA NEIGHBORHOOD NUTRITION ALLIANCE: $45,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetCRISTO REY PHILADELPHIA HIGH SCHOOL: $44,314 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetTHE FOUNDATION FOR INDIANA UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA (IUP): $40,020 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetORION COMMUNITIES INC: $39,880 over 7y, 0.8% of budgetHELPING HANDS INC: $36,000 over 2y, 0.8% of budgetMOM'S HOUSE INC OF GREATER PHILADELPHIA: $33,500 over 2y, 4.9% of budgetGOOD FRIENDS INC: $32,901 over 3y, 1.3% of budgetCHARLES A MELTON ARTS & EDUCATION CENTER: $30,000 over 1y, 2.6% of budgetPLAYERS CLUB OF SWARTHMORE: $28,000 over 2y, 74% of budgetBRINGING HOPE HOME: $25,123 over 6y, 0.3% of budgetEYE CARE FOR KIDS - Utah: $25,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetCHESTER COUNTY OPPORTUNITIES INDUSTRIALIZATION CENTERS INC: $23,630 over 1y, 1.4% of budgetFAMILY PROMISE MONTCO PA: $23,500 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetKENCREST SERVICES: $21,030 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetCOMMUNITY WAREHOUSE PROJECT OF CHESTER COUNTY: $20,000 over 1y, 17% of budgetDRUEDING CENTER: $19,250 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetCAMP DREAMCATCHER: $18,616 over 3y, 1.7% of budgetFOUNDATION FOR POTTSTOWN EDUCATION: $15,228 over 1y, 3.3% of budgetCOATESVILLE CENTER FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH: $15,000 over 1y, 3.9% of budgetTHE HOME OF THE BRAVE FOUNDATION: $15,000 over 1y, 1.9% of budgetHOPECAM INC: $15,000 over 1y, 2.9% of budgetTHE CONCEPT SCHOOL: $14,984 over 3y, 1.0% of budgetKENNETT AREA COMMUNITY SERVICE: $14,530 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetWEST CHESTER COMMUNITIES THAT CARE: $13,076 over 5y, 3.6% of budgetJORDAN BAUMEISTER SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION: $13,000 over 5y, 2.8% of budgetMATTIE N DIXON COMMUNITY CUPBOARD INC: $12,500 over 5y, 0.3% of budgetActionAids Inc: $11,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetPATRICIAN SOCIETY OF CENTRAL NORRISTOWN: $10,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetFIRST STOP RECOVERY: $10,000 over 1y, 2.8% of budgetGermantown Avenue Crisis Ministry: $9,540 over 1y, 2.9% of budgetMinority Center for Participation: $9,033 over 1y, 13% of budgetNASD EDUCATION FOUNDATION: $8,500 over 2y, 9.2% 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 Philadelphia FoundationPA72.5× affinity47 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Philadelphia Foundation · W W Smith Charitable Trust · The Gordon Charter Foundation · Connelly Foundation · Chester County Community Foundation · Genuardi Family Foundation · The Leo and Peggy Pierce Family Foundation Inc · Philabundance · United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey · United Way of Chester County Inc · Justamere Foundation · Henry Dolfinger 2 Trust Uw

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 Quest for the Best funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Quest for the Best. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 30%5%19%42%75%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 8%
  • Delaware Zoological Society Inc: 16% of income from government
  • The Home of the Brave Foundation: 8% of income from government
  • The Wetlands Institute: 2% of income from government
  • Delaware Museum of Nature and Science Inc: 2% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
3get no government money at all
39report 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 Quest for the Best?

Find your warmest path to Quest for the Best 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 184 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 Quest for the Best’s filings →

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