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Sonja & F Conrad Fischer Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Sonja & F Conrad Fischer Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$553k
Granted FY2024still arriving
14
Grants FY2024still arriving
5
States reached
$125k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0191% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Arts & Culture$2.0MEducation$590kHealth$235kHuman Services$223kEnvironment$117kPhilanthropy$75kPublic Benefit$21kScience & Tech$11kOther$0
02FY2024 · 14 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k5 grants · $11k
  • $10k–50k5 grants · $97k
  • $50k–250k4 grants · $445k
$15,000
Median grant
5
States reached
$9.4M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
RAY OF HOPE CANCER FOUNDATION$125,000
KALAMAZOO COLLEGE$120,000
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO BOOTH SCHOOL OF BUSINESS$100,000
JOFFREY BALLET$100,000
Individual grant recipient$45,000
CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER$16,500
Art Institute of Chicago$15,000
GREATER CHICAGO FOOD BANK$10,000
THE CENTER FOR INTUITIVE AND OUTSIDER ART$10,000
CATO INSTITUTE$4,000
DEERFIELD ACADEMY$3,000
SALVATION ARMY$2,500
HARVARD COLLEGE$1,000
SPECIAL OLYMPICS$500
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 (FY18–24, $300k) land where the poverty rate runs at 12%, 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%RAY OF HOPE CANCER FOUNDATION: $125k → 12%RAY OF HOPE CANCER FOUNDATION: $75k → 12%RAY OF HOPE: $25k → 12%RAY OF HOPE: $25k → 12%RAY OF HOPE: $25k → 12%RAY OF HOPE: $25k → 12%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

ID
IL
MI
NY
MA
CA
CO
MO
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.

94%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$3.2M · 37 repeat orgs$206k to everyone else

37 repeat relationships: 10 still active in FY2024, 27 since wound down; 4 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

37
29

Total granted

$3.2M
$85k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+35%
+39%

Still filing today

62%
45%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 78% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $121k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
Arts & CultureEducationEnvironmentRecreation & SportsPublic BenefitHuman ServicesOther
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

  • TJ
    THE JOFFREY BALLET
    6× · 2017–2024 · $1.3M · revenue +90%
  • KC
    KALAMAZOO COLLEGE
    7× · 2017–2024 · $255k · revenue +41%
  • TO
    TRUSTEES OF DEERFIELD ACADEMY
    6× · 2017–2024 · $118k · revenue +122%

Funded once

  • RW
    RAYMOND WENTZ FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2017 · $25k
  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2020 · $15k
  • IC
    ILLINOIS CHARITY BOARD
    one grant, 2021 · $15k
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
Columbia College Chicago

The organization's mission is to educate students for creative occupations in diverse fields of arts and media.

Education
2
Chicago Opera Theater

Chicago opera theater expands the tradition of opera as a living art form by engaging lovers of music and storytelling through innovative experiences, predominantly of new and rarely performed works.

Arts & Culture
3
Boston Architectural College

The bac is committed to provide excellence in design education grounded in practice and accessible to diverse communities.

—
4
Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University Inc

The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University ("The Auditorium"), an Illinois not-for-profit corporation, is committed to presenting the finest in international, cultural, community and educational programming to Chicago and to the…

Arts & Culture
5
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The mission of mit is to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century.

Education
6
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
7
Music Institute of Chicago

The music institute of chicago ("music institute") leads people toward a lifelong engagement with music, by providing widely accessible resources for high quality music teaching, performing, and service activities.

Arts & Culture
8
Lehigh University

The university's goal in the coming decade is to advance learning through the integration of teaching, research and service to others. the core of this goal is to prepare graduates to engage with the world and lead lives of meaning. to do…

Education
9
Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago

Achieving international impact through world-class research and education in fundamental computer science and information technology.

Education
10
Trustees of Tufts College

Education and Research

Education
11
Music and Dance Theater Chicago Inc
Arts & Culture
12
Illinois College

Illinois college is a co-educational institution of higher education learning providing a four-year educational program leading to the baccalaureate degree. illinois college is a community committed to the highest standards of scholarship…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Chicago Theatre Group Inc; the most unlike its peers is Ray of Hope Inc. 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

41 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. 41 of the 73 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)
7
Early backer (in before they grew)
40/41
Grantees still filing
32/41
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

THE JOFFREY BALLET: $1,271,688 · Arts & CultureTHE JOFFREY BALLETCHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER: $520,079 · Arts & CultureCHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATERLyric Opera of Chicago: $72,000 · Arts & Culture+10 more: $72,300 · Arts & CultureKALAMAZOO COLLEGE: $255,000 · EducationKALAMAZOO COLLEGETRUSTEES OF DEERFIELD ACADEMY: $117,730 · EducationTRUSTEES OF DEERF…University of Chicago: $100,000 · EducationUniversity of Chi…THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO: $44,500 · EducationTHE ART INSTITUTE…+4 more: $24,200 · EducationIndividual grant recipient: $81,000 · OtherIndividual grant…THE SALVATION ARMY: $76,500 · OtherTHE SALVATION AR…UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO - WOMENS BOARD: $75,500 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF CH…CHICAGO CHILD CARE: $45,000 · OtherCHICAGO CHILD CA…THE GILMORE FOUNDATION: $35,000 · OtherTHE GILMORE FOUN…Individual grant recipient: $29,500 · OtherIndividual grant…MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION OF ILLINOIS INC: $27,000 · OtherRAYMOND WENTZ FOUNDATION: $25,000 · Other+32 more: $116,300 · Other+32 moreRAY OF HOPE CANCER FOUNDATION: $200,000 · Human ServicesRAY OF HO…RAY OF HOPE INC: $100,000 · Human ServicesRAY OF HO…CHICAGO HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY: $105,000 · EnvironmentKalamazoo Nature Center: $9,500 · Environment+2 more: $2,500 · EnvironmentMETROSQUASH NFP: $27,000 · Recreation & SportsSPECIAL OLYMPICS INC: $4,750 · Recreation & Sports+1 more: $400 · Recreation & SportsCATO INSTITUTE: $11,500 · Public BenefitJUDICIAL WATCH INC: $2,000 · Public BenefitTHE HERITAGE FOUNDATION: $1,000 · Public Benefit
Arts & Culture$1,936,067Education$541,430Other$510,800Human Services$300,000Environment$117,000Recreation & Sports$32,150Public Benefit$14,500

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 JOFFREY BALLET: $1,271,688 over 6y, 4.2% of budgetCHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER: $520,079 over 6y, 0.8% of budgetKALAMAZOO COLLEGE: $255,000 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetRAY OF HOPE CANCER FOUNDATION: $200,000 over 2y, 14% of budgetTRUSTEES OF DEERFIELD ACADEMY: $117,730 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetCHICAGO HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY: $105,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetUniversity of Chicago: $100,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLyric Opera of Chicago: $72,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetTHE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO: $44,500 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetMETROSQUASH NFP: $27,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetMAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION OF ILLINOIS INC: $27,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetWriters Theatre Inc: $12,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetCATO INSTITUTE: $11,500 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetPresident and Fellows of Harvard College: $11,200 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetKalamazoo Nature Center: $9,500 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetLINCOLN PARK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY: $8,500 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetMusic Theatre Works Inc: $8,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetWINDOW TO THE WORLD COMMUNICATIONS INC: $5,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSMILE TRAIN INC: $5,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetTHE NEWBERRY LIBRARY: $5,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetSPECIAL OLYMPICS INC: $4,750 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetTHE FORTNIGHTLY OF CHICAGO: $4,500 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetTHE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY: $4,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetHILLSDALE COLLEGE: $4,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetChicago Humanities Festival: $3,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetKalamazoo Institute of Arts: $3,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetCHICAGO THEATRE GROUP INC: $3,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetJUDICIAL WATCH INC: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL REVIEW INSTITUTE: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetChicago Architecture Foundation: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHISTORIC PRESERVATION FOUNDATION OF THE FORTNIGHTLY: $1,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetRush University Medical Center: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE HERITAGE FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHIRD COAST PERCUSSION NFP: $800 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetNorthwestern University: $400 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUNITED STATES FUND FOR UNICEF: $300 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.

  • Who funds THE JOFFREY BALLET ↗
  • Who funds CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER ↗
  • Who funds KALAMAZOO COLLEGE ↗
  • Who funds RAY OF HOPE CANCER FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds TRUSTEES OF DEERFIELD ACADEMY ↗
  • Who funds CHICAGO HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ↗
  • Who funds RAY OF HOPE INC ↗
  • Who funds University of Chicago ↗
  • Who funds Lyric Opera of Chicago ↗
  • Who funds THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO ↗
  • Who funds METROSQUASH NFP ↗
  • Who funds MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION OF ILLINOIS INC ↗
  • Who funds Writers Theatre Inc ↗
  • Who funds CATO INSTITUTE ↗
  • Who funds President and Fellows of Harvard College ↗
  • Who funds Kalamazoo Nature Center ↗
  • Who funds LINCOLN PARK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY ↗
  • Who funds Music Theatre Works Inc ↗
  • Who funds WINDOW TO THE WORLD COMMUNICATIONS INC ↗
  • Who funds SMILE TRAIN INC ↗
  • Who funds THE NEWBERRY LIBRARY ↗
  • Who funds SPECIAL OLYMPICS INC ↗
  • Who funds THE FORTNIGHTLY OF CHICAGO ↗
  • Who funds THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds HILLSDALE COLLEGE ↗

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 Chicago Community…John D and Catherine …Morgan Stanley Global…National Philanthropi…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …American Online Givin…Amazonsmile Foundation
The Chicago Community TrustIL16.6× affinity7 shared granteesties to 7 of 7Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Chicago Community Trust · John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · 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 Sonja & F Conrad Fischer Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Sonja & F Conrad Fischer Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%1%4%8%15%funder's share of their income ↑0%10%20%30%40%share of the org’s income from government →median 7%
  • President and Fellows of Harvard College: 7% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
1get no government money at all
8report 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.
05Through Plinth

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to Sonja & F Conrad Fischer Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Sonja & F Conrad Fischer Foundation 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 73 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 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Sonja & F Conrad Fischer’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