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Ruth Anderson Wheeler & Henry O Wheeler Chari at a glance

· Private foundation

Ruth Anderson Wheeler & Henry O Wheeler Chari

Its FY2025 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$50k
Granted FY2025still arriving
9
Grants FY2025still arriving
2
States reached
$10k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0194% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Education$116kArts & Culture$40kHealth$40kFood & Nutrition$25kYouth Development$25kCrime & Legal$20kEnvironment$10kRecreation & Sports$10kOther$0
02FY2025 · 9 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k8 grants · $40k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $10k
$5,000
Median grant
2
States reached
$952k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
BACKPACK BRIGADE$10,000
PAGE AHEAD CHILDRENS LITERACY PRGM$5,000
TACOMA YOUTH SYMPHONY ASSOCIATION$5,000
CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER SNOHOMISH COUNTY$5,000
ARK INSTITUTE OF LEARNING$5,000
TOYS FOR KIDS$5,000
WA ALLIANCE FOR BETTER SCHOOLS$5,000
BUILDING YOUTH AROUND THE WORLD$5,000
WASHINGTON TRAILS 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 (FY25–25, $5k) land where the poverty rate runs at 9%, against an area that typically sits at 9%. 0% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 9%TOYS FOR KIDS: $5k → 9%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.

54%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$176k · 11 repeat orgs$151k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +30% since the first grant, against +10% for those funded once.

11 repeat relationships: 4 still active in FY2025, 7 since wound down; 5 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

11
19

Total granted

$176k
$126k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+30%
+10%

Still filing today

64%
89%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 50% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $25k 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
Arts & CultureEducationYouth DevelopmentHealthFood & NutritionPhilanthropyOther
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

  • AW
    ANNIE WRIGHT SCHOOLS
    5× · 2019–2024 · $71k · revenue +50%
  • BB
    BACKPACK BRIGADE
    2× · 2022–2025 · $15k · revenue +164%
  • WT
    WASHINGTON TRAILS ASSOCIATION
    2× · 2023–2025 · $10k · revenue +29%

Funded once

  • VA
    VETERAN ART INSTITUTEgraduated
    one grant, 2023 · $10k · revenue +80% · 29% of their budget
  • RH
    Rebirth Homes Incgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $10k · revenue +31%
  • A
    ADVOTgraduated
    one grant, 2021 · $10k · revenue +174%
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 Seattle Academy of Arts & Sciences

Seattle academy is a dynamic community that challenges students to question, imagine, and create in order to contribute to a changing world.

Education
2
School's Out Washington

School's out washington (sowa) drives positive systemic change so that all washington's children and youth, particularly those furthest from justice, have access to a robust ecosystem of high-quality expanded learning programs.

Youth Development
3
University Cooperative School

We take a joyful, community-oriented approach to raising engaged citizens, deep learners, and brave adventurers with the skills, creativity, and heart needed to better the world.

—
4
Seattle Girls' School

Seattle girls' school is a 5th through 8th grade middle school committed to inspiring and developing courageous leaders who think independently, work collaboratively, learn joyfully and champion change. we empower students to be leaders in…

Education
5
Seattle Country Day School

Seattle country day school is an independent, coeducational school serving kindergarten through eighth grade, inspiring gifted children to reach their potential through inquiry, curiosity, and wonder.

Education
6
Washington Leadership Academy Public Charter School

Wla combines best practices in teaching and learning, with the latest in educational technology to create an unparalleled high school experience. students will graduate from wla prepared for college, career, and lives of public leadership.

Education
7
Association of Washington Cities

The association of washington cities builds connections between our state's diverse cities and towns, while providing our members with the support needed to thrive through delivery of data-driven education, nationally recognized pooling…

—
8
Rainier Prep

Rainier prep provides public education to students in grades 5-8 in the highline area near seattle/tacoma. rainier prep seeks to prepare students for college, career readiness, and to become leaders in their communities.

Education
9
Northwest Harvest Emm

The organization's mission is growing food justice through collective action. the organization's vision is ending hunger in washington state.

—
10
Waldorf School Assoc of Seattle

The seattle waldorf school mission is: daily we strive to inspire learning, courage, and joy in the developing human being.

Education
11
Life Science Washington

Life science washington is a non-profit trade and professional association dedicated to promoting innovation and responsible growth in the life sciences and biomedical industries in the state of washington. promotion and education are…

—
12
Rainier Scholars

Cultivates the academic potential and leadership skills of underrepresented students. by creating access to opportunities and holistic support, we increase college graduation rates and empower new generations of leaders.

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Tacoma Arts Live; the most unlike its peers is Veteran Art Institute. 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

29 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. 29 of the 35 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)
5
Early backer (in before they grew)
28/29
Grantees still filing
17/29
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

ANNIE WRIGHT SCHOOLS: $70,500 · OtherANNIE WRIGHT SCHOOLSIndividual grant recipient: $17,500 · OtherIndividual grant recipientWASHINGTON TRAILS ASSOCIATION: $10,000 · OtherTHE BOARD OF TRUSTEES LELAND STANFORD JU: $10,000 · OtherNORTH COUNTY HEALTH PROJECT INC: $10,000 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON TACOMA CAMPUS: $7,500 · OtherEPIPHANY PARISH OF SEATTLE: $7,500 · OtherBUILDING YOUTH AROUND THE WORLD: $10,000 · OtherLOCAL ECOLOGY AND AGRICULTURE FREMONT: $10,000 · Other+8 more: $40,000 · Other+8 moreVETERAN ART INSTITUTE: $10,000 · Arts & CultureVETERAN ART I…TACOMA ARTS LIVE: $10,000 · Arts & CultureTACOMA ARTS L…PACIFIC SCIENCE CENTER FOUNDATION: $5,000 · Arts & CulturePACIFIC SCIEN…TACOMA YOUTH SYMPHONY ASSOCIATION: $5,000 · Arts & CultureTACOMA YOUTH …SEATTLE ARTS AND LECTURES: $5,000 · Arts & CultureSEATTLE ARTS …VOICES OF THE CHILDREN: $5,000 · Arts & CultureVOICES OF THE…ARK INSTITUTE OF LEARNING: $10,000 · EducationARK INSTITU…LAKESIDE SCHOOL: $7,500 · EducationLAKESIDE SC…LOS ANGELES CITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION: $5,500 · EducationLOS ANGELES…STEM PATHS INNOVATION NETWORK: $5,000 · EducationSTEM PATHS …PAGE AHEAD CHILDRENS LITERACY PRGM: $5,000 · EducationPAGE AHEAD …BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF THE COLUMBIA BASIN: $10,000 · Youth DevelopmentGIRL SCOUTS OF WESTERN WASHINGTON: $5,000 · Youth DevelopmentCHILD ADVOCACY CENTER OF SNOHOMISH COUNTY: $5,000 · Youth DevelopmentBACKPACK BRIGADE: $15,000 · Food & NutritionRebirth Homes Inc: $10,000 · HealthAMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS: $5,000 · HealthADVOT: $10,000 · Crime & Legal
Other$193,000Arts & Culture$40,000Education$33,000Youth Development$20,000Food & Nutrition$15,000Health$15,000Crime & Legal$10,000

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 budgetANNIE WRIGHT SCHOOLS: $70,500 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetBACKPACK BRIGADE: $15,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetVETERAN ART INSTITUTE: $10,000 over 1y, 29% of budgetWASHINGTON TRAILS ASSOCIATION: $10,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetRebirth Homes Inc: $10,000 over 1y, 1.8% of budgetADVOT: $10,000 over 1y, 3.0% of budgetTACOMA ARTS LIVE: $10,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetBUILDING YOUTH AROUND THE WORLD: $10,000 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetLOCAL ECOLOGY AND AGRICULTURE FREMONT: $10,000 over 1y, 14% of budgetBOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF THE COLUMBIA BASIN: $10,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetARK INSTITUTE OF LEARNING: $10,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetLAKESIDE SCHOOL: $7,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetLOS ANGELES CITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION: $5,500 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetFRESH START SURGICAL GIFTS: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetPACIFIC SCIENCE CENTER FOUNDATION: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHolocaust Center For Humanity: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetAMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTACOMA YOUTH SYMPHONY ASSOCIATION: $5,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetSEATTLE ARTS AND LECTURES: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetGIRL SCOUTS OF WESTERN WASHINGTON: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNourish Pierce County: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSTEM PATHS INNOVATION NETWORK: $5,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetPAGE AHEAD CHILDRENS LITERACY PRGM: $5,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetCHILD ADVOCACY CENTER OF SNOHOMISH COUNTY: $5,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetSECOND HARVEST OF THE GREATER VALLEY: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetVOICES OF THE CHILDREN: $5,000 over 1y, 8.7% of budgetPOINT DEFIANCE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetALLIANCE FOR CHILDREN'S RIGHTS: $5,000 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.

The Norcliffe Foundat…Seattle FoundationThe Bamford FoundationPuget Sound Energy Fo…Fuchsg & M Fdn TaiMoccasin Lake Foundat…Dv & Ida McEachern Ch…Greater Tacoma Commun…ArtsfundWm Kilworth Fdn TwFales Foundation TrustKilworth Florence Cha…
The Norcliffe FoundationWA35.3× affinity15 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Norcliffe Foundation · Seattle Foundation · The Bamford Foundation · Puget Sound Energy Foundation · Fuchsg & M Fdn Tai · Moccasin Lake Foundation · Dv & Ida McEachern Charitable Tr · Greater Tacoma Community Foundation · Artsfund · Wm Kilworth Fdn Tw · Fales Foundation Trust · Kilworth Florence Char Tr Fndn

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 Ruth Anderson Wheeler & Henry O Wheeler Chari funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Ruth Anderson Wheeler & Henry O Wheeler Chari. 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%10%20%30%40%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    12report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–40%
    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 35 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 Ruth Anderson Wheeler & Henry O Wheeler Chari’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