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Sickler Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Sickler Foundation

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.

$71k
Granted FY2025still arriving
15
Grants FY2025still arriving
4
States reached
$15k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0195% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2025.

Education$99kScience & Tech$52kHealth$37kReligion$33kArts & Culture$30kSocial Science$25kFood & Nutrition$5kYouth Development$3kOther$0
02FY2025 · 15 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k11 grants · $26k
  • $10k–50k4 grants · $45k
$2,500
Median grant
4
States reached
$702k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Wilkes University$15,000
Monument Academy Public Charter School$10,000
Franklin Institute$10,000
National Constitution Center$10,000
Tunnels to Towers$5,000
St Basil Church$3,000
Make the World Better$2,500
St Monica Parish$2,500
ESU Foundation$2,500
Sunday Love Project$2,500
Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education$2,500
Vetri Community Partnership$2,500
Shriner's Hospital$1,000
Special Olympics$1,000
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia$600
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 (FY22–25, $3k) land where the poverty rate runs at 21%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%Boys Town: $250 → 12%Sunday Love Project: $3k → 22%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.

82%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$235k · 13 repeat orgs$52k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +26% since the first grant, against -23% for those funded once.

13 repeat relationships: 9 still active in FY2025, 4 since wound down; 6 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

13
9

Total granted

$235k
$37k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+26%
-23%

Still filing today

69%
56%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 79% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $15k went to new ones.

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

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

’20’21’22’23’24’25
EducationHealthArts & CultureHuman ServicesHousing & ShelterYouth DevelopmentOther
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

  • TF
    THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE
    5× · 2021–2025 · $49k · revenue +60%
  • WU
    WILKES UNIVERSITY
    5× · 2020–2025 · $36k · revenue +18%
  • TD
    THE DIENER SCHOOL INC
    4× · 2020–2023 · $30k · revenue +101%

Funded once

  • FI
    Franklin Institute Third Century
    one grant, 2020 · $25k
  • HS
    HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF THE PHOENIXVILLE AREA
    one grant, 2024 · $5k · revenue -42%
  • FI
    Franklin Institute Benefactor
    one grant, 2020 · $3k
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
Drexel University

Drexel university fulfills its founder's vision of preparing each new generation of students for productive professional and civic lives while also focusing its collective expertise on solving society's greatest problems. drexel is an…

Education
2
Phillips Exeter Academy

Unite goodness and knowledge and inspire youth from every quarter to lead purposeful lives. [text in quotations is taken from the academy's deed of gift, drafted in 1781] knowledge and goodness "above all, it is expected that the attention…

Education
3
Springside Chestnut Hill Academy

See schedule owe are an inclusive community on a mission to inspire unbounded curiosity and independent thought in every one of our students. in a unique educational environment that extends well beyond campus, we nurture students'…

Education
4
The Philadelphia School

The philadelphia school educates children for a future that is impossible to know but not impossible to shape. learn here. go anywhere.

—
5
The Trustees of Princeton University

Research, education and general - princeton university is a private not-for-profit, non-sectarian institution of higher learning with approximately 5,700 undergraduate and 3,300 graduate students. 2,500 students graduated in the 2024-2025…

Education
6
Saint Joseph's University

As philadelphia's jesuit catholic university, saint joseph's provides a rigorous, student-centered education rooted in the liberal arts. we prepare students for personal excellence, professional success, and engaged citizenship. striving…

Education
7
Institute for Advanced Study - Louis Bamberger & Mrs Felix Fuld Foundation

The institute for advanced study (the institute) is one of the world's leading centers for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. see schedule o.

Science & Tech
8
Philadelphia University

The organization is an affiliate within thomas jefferson university/jefferson health; a comprehensive professional university and tax-exempt integrated healthcare delivery system ("system"), with a tripartite mission of education, research…

Education
9
Pembroke Hill School

A preschool through 12th grade, private, college preparatory school. the school's mission statement is "together, cultivating the best in each for the benefit of all."

Education
10
Thomas Jefferson University

Thomas jefferson university ("tju") is a comprehensive university with preeminence in transdisciplinary, experiential professional education, research and discovery, delivering exceptional value for the 21st century students with…

Education
11
The Trustees of the Smith College

Smith college educates women of promise for lives of distinction and purpose. a college of and for the world, smith college links the power of the liberal arts to excellence in research and scholarship, developing leaders for society's…

Education
12
Temple University Hospital Inc

See Schedule OOur mission is to support Temple University and its Health Sciences Center academic programs by providing the clinical environment and service to support the highest quality teaching and training programs for health care…

Health
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Special Olympics Pennsylvania Inc; the most unlike its peers is Father Flanagan's Boys' Home. 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

19 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. 19 of the 29 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)
19/19
Grantees still filing
12/19
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

WILKES UNIVERSITY: $36,000 · EducationWILKES UNIVERSITYTHE DIENER SCHOOL INC: $30,000 · EducationTHE DIENER SCHOOL INCMONUMENT ACADEMY INC: $17,500 · EducationMONUMENT ACADEMY INCSTEPHEN SILLER TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION: $10,000 · EducationSTEPHEN SILLER TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUND…+2 more: $3,000 · EducationSt Basil Church: $29,000 · OtherSt Basil ChurchPenn Medicine: $27,500 · OtherPenn MedicineFranklin Institute Third Century: $25,000 · OtherFranklin Institute Third Century+8 more: $12,000 · Other+8 moreTHE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE: $49,000 · Arts & CultureTHE FRANKLIN INSTITUTENATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTER: $25,000 · Arts & CultureNATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTERHISTORICAL SOCIETY OF THE PHOENIXVILLE AREA: $5,000 · Arts & CultureHISTORICAL SOCIETY OF THE PHOE…THE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA: $5,600 · HealthVETRI FOUNDATION FOR CHILDREN: $2,500 · HealthSHRINERS HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN: $2,000 · HealthPHOENIXVILLE FREE CLINIC: $1,000 · HealthTHE SUNDAY LOVE PROJECT INC: $2,500 · Human ServicesFather Flanagan's Boys' Home: $250 · Human ServicesMAKE THE WORLD BETTER FOUNDATION INC: $2,500 · Youth DevelopmentED SNIDER YOUTH HOCKEY & EDUCATION: $2,500 · Recreation & SportsPHOENIXVILLE WOMENS OUTREACH: $1,000 · Housing & Shelter
Education$96,500Other$93,500Arts & Culture$79,000Health$11,100Human Services$2,750Youth Development$2,500Recreation & Sports$2,500Housing & Shelter$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 FRANKLIN INSTITUTE: $49,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetWILKES UNIVERSITY: $36,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetTHE DIENER SCHOOL INC: $30,000 over 4y, 0.5% of budgetNATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTER: $25,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetMONUMENT ACADEMY INC: $17,500 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetSTEPHEN SILLER TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA: $5,600 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetHISTORICAL SOCIETY OF THE PHOENIXVILLE AREA: $5,000 over 1y, 1.6% of budgetVETRI FOUNDATION FOR CHILDREN: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetED SNIDER YOUTH HOCKEY & EDUCATION: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSHRINERS HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSPECIAL OLYMPICS PENNSYLVANIA INC: $1,250 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetPHOENIXVILLE WOMENS OUTREACH: $1,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetChurch Farm School: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFather Flanagan's Boys' Home: $250 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.

The Philadelphia Foun…The Pfizer Foundation…Charities Aid Foundat…National Philanthropi…Vanguard Charitable E…American Endowment Fo…Natl Christian Charit…Donor Advised Charita…The Bank of America C…American Online Givin…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
The Philadelphia FoundationPA15.1× affinity5 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Philadelphia Foundation · The Pfizer Foundation Inc · Charities Aid Foundation America · National Philanthropic Trust · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · American Endowment Foundation · Natl Christian Charitable Fdn Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · 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 Sickler Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Sickler Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%3%5%8%10%share of the org’s income from government →median 0%
  • Shriners Hospitals for Children: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
9report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–10%
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 29 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 Sickler’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