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Shierson Family Foundation Inc at a glance

· Private foundation

Shierson Family Foundation Inc

Its FY2025 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$7k
Granted FY2025still arriving
6
Grants FY2025still arriving
2
States reached
$2k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0193% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2018 to 2025.

Education$20kReligion$13kHealth$13kHuman Services$11kPhilanthropy$7kFood & Nutrition$5kScience & Tech$5kRecreation & Sports$4kOther$0
02FY2025 · 6 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$2,000
Median grant
2
States reached
$14k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Davidson College$2,000
The Pines at Davidson$2,000
Davidson College Presbyterian Churc$2,000
Adrian College$1,000
Wake Forest University$200
Swim Across America$100
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 (FY21–25, $10k) land where the poverty rate runs at 10%, against an area that typically sits at 9%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 9%The Pines at Davidson: $2k → 10%The Pines at Davidson: $2k → 10%The Pines at Davidson: $2k → 10%The Pines at Davidson: $2k → 10%The Pines at Davidson: $2k → 10%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

NH
WA
MN
IL
MI
NY
MD
TN
NC
DC
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.

53%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$45k · 11 repeat orgs$40k to everyone else

11 repeat relationships: 5 still active in FY2025, 6 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

11
30

Total granted

$45k
$40k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

-1%
+16%

Still filing today

73%
37%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 99% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $100 went to new ones.

50%100%’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
HealthEducationPhilanthropyHuman ServicesScience & TechEnvironmentOther
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

  • TP
    THE PINES AT DAVIDSON INC
    5× · 2021–2025 · $10k · revenue +59%
  • Davidson College
    4× · 2018–2025 · $8k · revenue +52%
  • WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY
    2× · 2023–2025 · $300 · revenue +23%

Funded once

  • AG
    ARBORCREST GARDENSgraduated
    one grant, 2023 · $5k · revenue +29%
  • HL
    Hidden Lake Gardens
    one grant, 2023 · $5k
  • CC
    Carolina Comfort Coalition
    one grant, 2018 · $5k · revenue -54%
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
North Carolina State University Alumni Association Inc

The nc state alumni association engages alumni and friends through programs and services that foster pride and enhance a lifelong connection to nc state university ("nc state").

—
2
Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

We educate the next generation of leaders to improve the health of our society.

Education
3
American College of Health Care Administrators

The american college of health care administrators (achca) is the catalyst for excellence in post-acute and aging services leadership.

Health
4
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc

The mission of dfci is to provide expert, compassionate, and equitable care to children, adults, and their families, while advancing the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, cure, and prevention of cancer and related diseases. we train new…

Health
5
American Academy of Neurology

The Academy's mission is to enhance member career fulfillment and promote brain health for all.

Community Improvement
6
Lehigh Valley Hospital

Our mission is to heal, comfort and care for the people of our community by providing advanced and compassionate health care of superior quality and value, supported by education and research.

Health
7
The Carolina Trust
Philanthropy
8
Rex Hospital Inc

To improve the health and well-being of north carolinians and others whom we serve. we accomplish this by providing leadership and excellence in the interrelated areas of patient care, education, and research.

Health
9
Barton College

Founded in 1902, barton college is a four-year, private, liberal arts college located in wilson, n.c. the barton experience focuses on academic excellence within a wide range of professional and liberal arts programs leading to…

Education
10
North Carolina Biotechnology Center

The north carolina biotechnology center aids the biotechnology-related efforts of researchers, businesses, state and federal governments, and other agencies primarily through awards of grants and loans related to specific programs and…

Science & Tech
11
Carolinas Center for Medical Excellence Found ation
Health
12
Trustees of Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College educates the most promising students and prepares them for a lifetime of learning and of responsible leadership, through a faculty dedicated to teaching and the creation of knowledge.

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The Pines At Davidson Inc; the most unlike its peers is Arborcrest Gardens. 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

22 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. 22 of the 43 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)
21/22
Grantees still filing
12/22
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Davidson College Presbyterian Churc: $12,100 · OtherDavidson College Presbyterian ChurcHidden Lake Gardens: $5,000 · OtherHidden Lake GardensCarolina Comfort Coalition: $5,000 · OtherCarolina Comfort CoalitionPeninsular Foundation of Alpha Delt: $5,000 · OtherPeninsular Foundation of Alpha DeltIndividual grant recipient: $5,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipientADRIAN SCHOOLS EDUCATION FOUNDATION: $4,000 · OtherADRIAN SCHOOLS EDUCATION FOUNDATIONWashington Nationals Youth Baseball: $3,000 · OtherWashington Nationals Youth Baseball+16 more: $6,050 · Other+16 moreDavidson College: $8,100 · EducationDavidson CollegeADRIAN COLLEGE: $3,500 · EducationADRIAN COLLEGECANNON SCHOOL INC: $2,000 · EducationCANNON SCHOOL INCFRIENDS OF LES CHENEAUX COMMUNITY LIBRARY: $1,000 · EducationFRIENDS OF LES CHEN…+1 more: $300 · EducationTHE PINES AT DAVIDSON INC: $10,000 · Human ServicesTHE PINES AT …United Way of Iredell County Inc: $4,000 · PhilanthropyUNITED WAY OF GREATER CHARLOTTE INC: $1,000 · PhilanthropyLENAWEE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $600 · Philanthropy+1 more: $100 · PhilanthropyARBORCREST GARDENS: $5,000 · Science & TechBLOOD CANCER UNITED INC: $1,500 · HealthALZHEIMER'S DISEASE & RELATED DISORDERS ASSOCIATION INC: $500 · HealthNATIONAL PANCREAS FOUNDATION: $200 · HealthHOPE AT THE LAKE FOUNDATION: $150 · HealthALZHEIMER'S FOUNDATION OF AMERICA INC: $100 · HealthSEATTLE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: $100 · Health+1 more: $53 · HealthCORNELIUS ARTS COMMUNITY CENTER INC: $1,000 · Arts & CultureDavidson Lands Conservancy Inc: $1,000 · Environment
Other$45,150Education$14,900Human Services$10,000Philanthropy$5,700Science & Tech$5,000Health$2,603Arts & Culture$1,000Environment$1,000

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 budgetTHE PINES AT DAVIDSON INC: $10,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetDavidson College: $8,100 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetARBORCREST GARDENS: $5,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetCarolina Comfort Coalition: $5,000 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetUnited Way of Iredell County Inc: $4,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetADRIAN SCHOOLS EDUCATION FOUNDATION: $4,000 over 4y, 0.3% of budgetADRIAN COLLEGE: $3,500 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetCANNON SCHOOL INC: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBLOOD CANCER UNITED INC: $1,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetUNITED WAY OF GREATER CHARLOTTE INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFRIENDS OF LES CHENEAUX COMMUNITY LIBRARY: $1,000 over 1y, 1.4% of budgetCORNELIUS ARTS COMMUNITY CENTER INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDavidson Lands Conservancy Inc: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLENAWEE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $600 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetALZHEIMER'S DISEASE & RELATED DISORDERS ASSOCIATION INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY: $300 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL PANCREAS FOUNDATION: $200 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetALZHEIMER'S FOUNDATION OF AMERICA INC: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSEATTLE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSwim Across America Inc: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAmerican Heart Association Inc: $53 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.

Foundation for the Ca…Duke Energy FoundationRenaissance Charitabl…Charities Aid Foundat…American Endowment Fo…The Bank of America C…National Philanthropi…Donor Advised Charita…Vanguard Charitable E…American Online Givin…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Foundation for the CarolinasNC14.5× affinity5 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Foundation for the Carolinas · Duke Energy Foundation · Renaissance Charitable Foundation Inc · Charities Aid Foundation America · American Endowment Foundation · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · 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 Shierson Family Foundation Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Shierson Family Foundation Inc. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%4%8%11%15%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get 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
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–15%
    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 43 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 Shierson 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