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Sonshine at Knight Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Sonshine at Knight 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.

$15k
Granted FY2025still arriving
10
Grants FY2025still arriving
7
States reached
$4k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2019 to 2024.

Human Services$29kAnimals$14kInternational$10kHealth$9kEducation$5kPublic Safety & Disaster$2k
02FY2025 · 10 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$1,500
Median grant
7
States reached
$321k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Better Together Animal Alliance$3,500
The Luke Commission Inc$2,000
Gary Sinise Foundation$2,000
K9 Konnection$1,500
Wounded Warriors$1,500
Semper Fi Fund$1,500
Folds of Honor Foundation$1,000
Tunnel To Towers$1,000
Boulder Crest Foundation$500
Guide Dog Foundation$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 (FY19–25, $13k) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 9%. 84% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 9%WOUNDED WARRIORS: $2k → 12%BOULDER CREST FOUNDATION: $500 → 7%Wounded Warriors: $2k → 12%Boulder Crest Foundation: $500 → 7%WOUNDED WARRIORS: $2k → 12%KINDERHAVEN INC: $500 → 12%BOULDER CREST FOUNDATION: $500 → 7%WOUNDED WARRIORS: $2k → 12%Boulder Crest Foundation: $500 → 7%Wounded Warriors: $2k → 12%KINDERHAVEN PRESCHOOL ACADEMY: $500 → 12%WOUNDED WARRIORS: $900 → 12%WOUNDED WARRIORS: $650 → 12%KINDERHAVEN INC: $500 → 12%KINDERHAVEN PRESCHOOL ACADEMY: $250 → 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

WA
ID
MI
NY
OR
OH
CA
NE
VA
TN
OK
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.

95%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$81k · 14 repeat orgs$4k to everyone else

14 repeat relationships: 9 still active in FY2025, 5 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

14
2

Total granted

$81k
$3k

Still filing today

93%
0%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 90% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $2k 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
AnimalsEducationHuman ServicesHealthPhilanthropyInternationalOther
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

  • FO
    Friends of the Shelter Inc dba Better Together Animal Alliance
    5× · 2021–2025 · $14k · revenue +41%
  • GARY SINISE FOUNDATION
    6× · 2020–2025 · $13k · revenue +75%
  • TL
    The Luke Commission
    7× · 2019–2025 · $11k · revenue +210%

Funded once

  • GS
    GARY SINSE FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2019 · $2k
  • AI
    ACTION INTERNATIONAL MINISTRIES
    one grant, 2024 · $1k
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
Duty First Assistance Dogs

Providing service dogs to veterans and first responders

Human Services
2
CJ3 Foundation

Cj3 foundation provides services, support, and advocacy to united states military service members, veterans/disabled veterans, law enforcement, and emergency responders who need/require assistance, and then connecting them with resources…

Human Services
3
The Veterans and First Responders
Human Services
4
Frontline to Field Foundation

Frontline to field is a nonprofit organization founded from the hearts of two individuals deeply committed to the well-being of those who serve and sacrifice for others. inspired by their personal connections to the military, first…

Recreation & Sports
5
America's Vetdogs the Veterans K-9 Corps Inc

To assist disabled veterans, active military personnel, first responders with disabilities, and those who have served our country honorably to live with dignity and independence. america's vetdogs trains and places guide dogs for…

Public Benefit
6
Homes for Heroes Foundation
Housing & Shelter
7
For Veterans Sake Foundation

For veteran's sake foundation is here to provide an alternative solution to dealing with pts (post traumatic stress). we use a combination of a (non-therapeutic) neuro-traumatic resourcing, service dogs and consulting. working with the…

Health
8
Homes for Veterans a Nj Non Profit Corporation

Our mission is to provide a holistic approach to support veterans with disabilities by removing barriers in every aspect of their lives. this includes funding customized, barrier-free home modificationssuch as wheelchair-accessible…

Housing & Shelter
9
Heroes First Foundation Inc

The heroes first foundation, inc. was established to provide additional support to our military and first responder families. the heroes first foundation recognizes the countless hours spent and sacrifices made by our military heroes,…

Philanthropy
10
Companions for Heroes

To champion public awareness of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and challenges confronting our countrys heroes and rally support for shelter animal adoption by connecting heroes and companions.

Human Services
11
Lead the Way Fund Inc

Army ranger lead the way fund is an active duty, casualty assistance, recovery, transition and veterans organization that provides financial support to u.s. army rangers and the families of those who have died, have been disabled or who…

Human Services
12
Operational K9 Medical Team of Wisconsin
Animals
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Folds of Honor Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Friends of the Shelter. 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

14 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. 14 of the 17 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)
1
Early backer (in before they grew)
14/14
Grantees still filing
10/14
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Friends of the Shelter Inc dba Better Together Animal Alliance: $14,000 · AnimalsFriends of the Shelter In…Friends of the Shelter: $3,800 · AnimalsFriends of the ShelterK9 KONNECTION: $1,500 · AnimalsK9 KONNECTIONGARY SINISE FOUNDATION: $13,300 · PhilanthropyGARY SINISE FOUND…WOUNDED WARRIORS FAMILY SUPPORT INC: $9,050 · Human ServicesWOUNDED WARRIORS …BOULDER CREST FOUNDATION: $2,000 · Human ServicesBOULDER CREST FOU…KINDERHAVEN INC: $1,750 · Human ServicesKINDERHAVEN INCSEMPER FI & AMERICA'S FUND: $8,800 · HealthSEMPER FI & AMER…ST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC: $3,800 · HealthST JUDE CHILDREN…The Luke Commission: $11,300 · InternationalThe Luke Commis…ST JUDE'S CHILDREN'S RESEARCH: $3,000 · OtherST JUDE'S C…GUIDE DOG FOUNDATION FOR THE BLIND INC: $2,950 · OtherGUIDE DOG F…GARY SINSE FOUNDATION: $1,500 · OtherGARY SINSE …ACTION INTERNATIONAL MINISTRIES: $1,000 · OtherACTION INTE…FOLDS OF HONOR FOUNDATION: $4,000 · EducationFOLDS OF …STEPHEN SILLER TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION: $2,500 · EducationSTEPHEN S…GEORGE FOX UNIVERSITY: $750 · EducationGEORGE FO…
Animals$19,300Philanthropy$13,300Human Services$12,800Health$12,600International$11,300Other$8,450Education$7,250

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 budgetFriends of the Shelter Inc dba Better Together Animal Alliance: $14,000 over 5y, 0.2% of budgetGARY SINISE FOUNDATION: $13,300 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetThe Luke Commission: $11,300 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetWOUNDED WARRIORS FAMILY SUPPORT INC: $9,050 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetSEMPER FI & AMERICA'S FUND: $8,800 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetFOLDS OF HONOR FOUNDATION: $4,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC: $3,800 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetGUIDE DOG FOUNDATION FOR THE BLIND INC: $2,950 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetSTEPHEN SILLER TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION: $2,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetBOULDER CREST FOUNDATION: $2,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetKINDERHAVEN INC: $1,750 over 4y, 1.0% of budgetK9 KONNECTION: $1,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetGEORGE FOX UNIVERSITY: $750 over 3y, 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.

Vanguard Charitable E…Amazonsmile Foundation
Vanguard Charitable Endowment ProgramPA9.4× affinity4 shared granteesties to 1 of 1Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · 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 Sonshine at Knight Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Sonshine at Knight Foundation. 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%3%5%8%10%share of the org’s income from government →median 2%
  • George Fox University: 2% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
1get no government money at all
1report 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 17 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

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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