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Short Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Short Family Foundation

Its FY2018 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$527k
Granted FY2018
38
Grants FY2018
8
States reached
$501k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its fieldRead

Read this first · the figures below need context

95% of Short Family Foundation’s FY2018 grant dollars went to Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund, not to grantees.

Its money now reaches organizations through that sponsor, which does not report who recommended each grant. FY2018 names 22 organizations directly, so a portfolio cannot be read from it.

01What it funds
01FY2018 · 38 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2018

  • Under $10k37 grants · $26k
  • $250k+1 grant · $501k
$500
Median grant
8
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
FIDELITY INVESTMENT CHARITABLE GIFT FUND$500,538
MONMOUTH CONSERVATION FOUNDATION$2,500
CAPE HENRY COLLEGIATE$2,500
CHET & WILL GRISWOLD SUICIDE PREVENTIION FUND$2,000
RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES$2,000
THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION$2,000
FRIENDS OF THE MONMOUTH COUNTY PARK SYSTEM INC$1,000
BARRIER ISLAND CENTER$1,000
YOUNG AMERICA'S FOUNDATION$1,000
Individual grant recipient$1,000
THE GILDER LEHRMAN INSTITUTE$1,000
JOHNS HOPKINS$1,000
HAMPDEN SYDNEY COLLEGE$1,000
FREEDOM ALLIANCE$1,000
CANCER RESEARCH INSTITUTE$750
02The need
02

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 (FY18–18, $500) land where the poverty rate runs at 24%, against an area that typically sits at 8%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 8%JACKSONFIELD HOMES: $500 → 24%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

NY
MA
OH
NJ
VA
MD
AZ
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 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
Jefferson Scholars Foundation

The jefferson scholars foundation (foundation) provides academic merit-based scholarship, fellowship and professorship support to students and faculty at the university of virginia (uva).

Philanthropy
2
University of Virginia Investment Management Company

The university of virginia investment management company (uvimco) is organized to invest funds on behalf of the rector and visitors of the university of virginia (the university or uva) and university-associated organizations (uaos).

Education
3
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.

—
4
University of Virginia Foundation

To provide administrative services to university of virginia (university) entities, university associated organizations, or other entities involved in activities which support the university. to engage in matters pertaining to real…

Education
5
Thomas Jefferson School of Law

The mission of the school is to provide outstanding legal education in a collegial and supportive environment with attention to newly emerging areas of law, particularly those related to technological development, globalization and the…

Education
6
Northeast College of Health Sciences

Northeast college of health sciences (the college) is committed to academic excellence, leadership, and professional best practices in the health sciences.

Education
7
Foreign Policy Research Institute

The foreign policy research institute (frpi) is dedicated to producing the highest quality scholarship and nonpartisan policy analysis focused on crucial foreign policy and national security challenges facing the united states. we educate…

International
8
Wilson College

Wilson college empowers students to be confident and critical thinkers, creative visionaries, effective communicators, honorable leaders, and agents of justice.

Education
9
University of New Haven

The University of New Haven is a student-centered comprehensive university with an emphasis on excellence in liberal arts and professional education. Our mission is to prepare our students to lead purposeful and fulfilling lives in a…

Education
10
President and Fellows of Harvard College

Undergraduate, graduate, and professional education and research across a broad array of academic domains.

Education
11
Furman University

The primary mission of furman as a liberal arts institution is to provide a distinctive education in fine arts, humanities, social sciences, mathematics and the sciences, as well as selected professional disciplines.

Education
12
Williams College

Williams College strives to achieve educational excellence by fostering a community of learning in collaboration with students, faculty, staff, devoted alumni and parents.

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The Heritage Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Barry Goldwater Institute for Public Policy Research. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
03the grantee network

23 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. 23 of the 38 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)
4
Early backer (in before they grew)
23/23
Grantees still filing
20/23
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND: $500,538 · Community ImprovementFIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUNDCHET & WILL GRISWOLD SUICIDE PREVENTIION FUND: $2,000 · OtherRONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES: $2,000 · OtherJOHNS HOPKINS: $1,000 · OtherYoung America's Foundation: $1,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $1,000 · OtherTHE GILDER LEHRMAN INSTITUTE: $1,000 · OtherBARRIER ISLAND CENTER: $1,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $500 · OtherCOLLEY DICKINSON HEALTH CARE: $500 · OtherFAMILIES OF AUTISTIC CHILDREN: $500 · OtherTHOMAS JEFFERSON FOR POLICE POLICY: $500 · OtherTHOMAS JEFFERSON FOUNDATION INC: $500 · OtherCANCER RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC: $750 · OtherJACKSON FEILD HOMES: $500 · Other+12 more: $1,850 · OtherMONMOUTH CONSERVATION FOUNDATION: $2,500 · EnvironmentFRIENDS OF THE MONMOUTH COUNTY PARK SYSTEM INC: $1,000 · EnvironmentCHESAPEAKE BAY FOUNDATION INC: $250 · EnvironmentCAPE HENRY COLLEGIATE SCHOOL INC: $2,500 · EducationHAMPDEN-SYDNEY COLLEGE: $1,000 · Education+1 more: $100 · EducationTHE HERITAGE FOUNDATION: $2,000 · Public BenefitBARRY GOLDWATER INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY RESEARCH: $250 · Public BenefitFREEDOM ALLIANCE: $1,000 · InternationalHAMPTON ROADS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $500 · PhilanthropyTHE PHILANTHROPY ROUNDTABLE: $500 · Philanthropy
Community Improvement$500,538Other$14,600Environment$3,750Education$3,600Public Benefit$2,250International$1,000Philanthropy$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 budgetFIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND: $500,538 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCAPE HENRY COLLEGIATE SCHOOL INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE HERITAGE FOUNDATION: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetYoung America's Foundation: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFRIENDS OF THE MONMOUTH COUNTY PARK SYSTEM INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetFREEDOM ALLIANCE: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCANCER RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC: $750 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHAMPTON ROADS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE PHILANTHROPY ROUNDTABLE: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetJACKSON FEILD HOMES: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHOMAS JEFFERSON FOUNDATION INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetVIRGINIA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetREGENT UNIVERSITY: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCHESAPEAKE BAY FOUNDATION INC: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBARRY GOLDWATER INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY RESEARCH: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSTATE POLICY NETWORK: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetVIRGINIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHOROUGHBRED RETIREMENT FOUNDATION INC: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetJAMESTOWN-YORKTOWN FOUNDATION INC: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetVIRGINIA HORSE CENTER FOUNDATION: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE NORFOLK ACADEMY: $100 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.

Hampton Roads Communi…Tidewater Jewish Foun…The Bank of America C…Bm Stanton FoundationFolds of Honor Founda…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…National Philanthropi…The Pfizer Foundation…Charities Aid Foundat…Morgan Stanley Global…Donor Advised Charita…Vanguard Charitable E…
Hampton Roads Community FoundationVA17.6× affinity6 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Hampton Roads Community Foundation · Tidewater Jewish Foundation Inc · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Bm Stanton Foundation · Folds of Honor Foundation · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · National Philanthropic Trust · The Pfizer Foundation Inc · Charities Aid Foundation America · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program

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

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 20%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%10%20%30%40%share of the org’s income from government →median 2%
  • Chesapeake Bay Foundation Inc: 2% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
2get 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 · 0–40%
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 38 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 2018, released 2018. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Short 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