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Sparkhound Foundation Inc at a glance

· Private foundation

Sparkhound Foundation Inc

Its FY2024 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$12k
Granted FY2024still arriving
4
Grants FY2024still arriving
1
States reached
$6k
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, FY2017 to 2024.

Food & Nutrition$80kHealth$21kEducation$17kRecreation & Sports$9kArts & Culture$8kScience & Tech$5kCrime & Legal$4kHuman Services$4kOther$0
02FY2024 · 4 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$2,500
Median grant
1
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
GREATER BATON ROUGE FOOD BANK$6,301
THE EMERGE CENTER$2,500
THE WALLS PROJECT$1,500
SPECIAL OLYMPICS LOUISIANA$1,500
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 (FY17–18, $3k) land where the poverty rate runs at 16%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 70% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%HOPE'S PATH: $750 → 9%THE ARC OF BATON ROUGE: $1k → 19%WOMAN'S NEW LIFE CENTER: $500 → 19%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.

76%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$128k · 17 repeat orgs$40k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +41% since the first grant, against -2% for those funded once.

17 repeat relationships: 3 still active in FY2024, 14 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

17
27

Total granted

$128k
$38k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+41%
-2%

Still filing today

76%
56%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 79% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $3k 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
EducationHuman ServicesYouth DevelopmentHealthArts & CultureFood & NutritionOther
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

  • GB
    GREATER BATON ROUGE FOOD BANK
    5× · 2018–2024 · $41k · revenue +99%
  • The Houston Food Bank
    3× · 2018–2023 · $17k · revenue +28%
  • CF
    COMMUNITY FOOD BANK OF CENTRAL ALABAMA
    2× · 2020–2023 · $8k · revenue +22%

Funded once

  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2017 · $9k
  • Central Texas Food Bank Inc
    one grant, 2020 · $5k · revenue -28%
  • LF
    LSU FOUNDATIONgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $3k · revenue +103%
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
Hope Ministries of Baton Rouge

Prevent homelessness. promote self-sufficiency and dignity.

Housing & Shelter
2
Northwest Louisiana Food Bank

Nw la food bank's mission is to be the primary resource for fighting hunger in northwest louisiana.

Food & Nutrition
3
The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri

The food bank for central & northeast missouri is a regional disaster and hunger relief network that acquires and distributes millions of meals each year to help neighbors get the food they need to thrive. (continued on schedule o)the…

Food & Nutrition
4
Louisiana Center for Children's Rights

Using direct representation and advocacy, we fight to keep children out of the justice system so that they can thrive in their homes and communities.

Crime & Legal
5
The Food Bank of Central Louisiana

To alleviate hunger in central louisiana

—
6
Partners for Children South La

To improve children's access to healthcare, education, & support services.

Human Services
7
The Arc of Louisiana

The arc of louisiana advocates for and with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

—
8
Tarc Inc

Tarc, inc. is a nonprofit corporation which provides opportunities for children and adults with disabilities to realize their full potential, and to become self-directed and contributing citizens.

—
9
Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana Inc

Provide food, hope and dignity to our neighbors who struggle with hunger, and lead the movement to alleviate hunger through education, collaboration and advocacy.

Human Services
10
Brighter Bites Inc

To create communities of health through fresh food. Brighter Bites seeks to improve health outcomes among children and families in under-resourced communities by using data-driven, evidence-based strategies for providing fresh produce and…

Food & Nutrition
11
Louisiana Appleseed Center for Law and Justice Inc

Louisiana appleseed solves our state's toughest problems at their root cause by advocating for access to justice, opportunity, and education. we believe that our state will be stronger through fair and equitable access to the courts, the…

Human Services
12
The Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas

The food bank of northeast arkansas provides hunger relief to people in need in twelve counties in northeast arkansas by raising awareness, securing resources, and distributing food through a network of non-profit agencies and programs.

Human Services
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank; the most unlike its peers is Brazilian Cultural Institute. 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

29 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. 29 of the 45 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)
29/29
Grantees still filing
18/29
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

GREATER BATON ROUGE FOOD BANK: $40,762 · OtherGREATER BATON ROUGE FOOD BANKThe Houston Food Bank: $17,330 · OtherThe Houston Food BankIndividual grant recipient: $8,517 · OtherIndividual grant recipientNORTH TEXAS FOOD BANK: $7,790 · OtherNORTH TEXAS FOOD BANKCYCLE: $6,500 · OtherGENERAL HEALTH SYSTEM FOUNDATION: $6,500 · OtherSPECIAL OLYMPICS LOUISIANA INC: $4,500 · OtherAMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY: $4,500 · Other+24 more: $28,790 · Other+24 moreCOMMUNITY FOOD BANK OF CENTRAL ALABAMA: $8,420 · Food & NutritionCOMMUNITY…Central Texas Food Bank Inc: $5,025 · Food & NutritionCentral T…DONORSCHOOSEORG: $6,000 · EducationLSU FOUNDATION: $2,500 · EducationMANNERS OF THE HEART INC: $1,850 · EducationThrive Foundation: $1,000 · EducationTHE WALLS PROJECT: $6,500 · Arts & CultureBrazilian Cultural Institute: $300 · Arts & CultureWOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY: $5,000 · Science & TechTANKPROOF: $1,500 · Youth DevelopmentBATON ROUGE CHILDREN'S ADVOCACY CENTER: $1,000 · Youth DevelopmentNorthStar Soccer Ministries: $1,000 · Youth DevelopmentCAPITAL AREA CASA ASSOCIATION: $3,000 · Civil Rights
Other$125,189Food & Nutrition$13,445Education$11,350Arts & Culture$6,800Science & Tech$5,000Youth Development$3,500Civil Rights$3,000

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 budgetGREATER BATON ROUGE FOOD BANK: $40,762 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetThe Houston Food Bank: $17,330 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetCOMMUNITY FOOD BANK OF CENTRAL ALABAMA: $8,420 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNORTH TEXAS FOOD BANK: $7,790 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE WALLS PROJECT: $6,500 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetDONORSCHOOSEORG: $6,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetCentral Texas Food Bank Inc: $5,025 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY: $5,000 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetSPECIAL OLYMPICS LOUISIANA INC: $4,500 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetCAPITAL AREA CASA ASSOCIATION: $3,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetLSU FOUNDATION: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE EMERGE CENTER INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetCITY YEAR INC: $2,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMANNERS OF THE HEART INC: $1,850 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetTHE ARC BATON ROUGE: $1,250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetThrive Foundation: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetKNOCK KNOCK CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGARDERE INITIATIVE INC: $1,000 over 1y, 1.1% of budgetCEREBRAL PALSY ASSOCIATION OF GREATER BATON ROUGE INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetNorthStar Soccer Ministries: $1,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetHOPES PATH: $750 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetFOUNDATION FOR AUTISM CARE EDUCATION AND SERVICES: $500 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetMORNING STAR RISING: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBrazilian Cultural Institute: $300 over 1y, 0.1% 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.

Baton Rouge Area Foun…The Huey & Angelina W…Albemarle FoundationCapital Area United W…The Merice Boo Johnst…The Charles Lamar Fam…The Credit Bureau of …Irene W & Cb Penningt…Shell USA Company Fou…Our Lady of the Lake …Pennington Family Fou…Rotary Club of Baton …
Baton Rouge Area FoundationLA29.9× affinity12 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Baton Rouge Area Foundation · The Huey & Angelina Wilson Foundation · Albemarle Foundation · Capital Area United Way · The Merice Boo Johnston Grigsby Foundation · The Charles Lamar Family Foundation · The Credit Bureau of Baton Rouge Foundation · Irene W & Cb Pennington Private Foundation · Shell USA Company Foundation · Our Lady of the Lake Hospital Inc · Pennington Family Foundation · Rotary Club of Baton Rouge 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 Sparkhound Foundation Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Sparkhound Foundation Inc. 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%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 11%
  • City Year Inc: 11% 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
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 45 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

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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