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Student Freedom Initiative Inc at a glanceMostly funded, not a grantmaker: see who funds it →

· Public charity

Student Freedom Initiative Inc

Student freedom initiative is dedicated to ensuring freedom in professional and life choices for students attending minority serving institutions (msis).

$965k
Granted FY2025still arriving
17
Grants FY2025still arriving
13
States reached
$100k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0198% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2023 to 2025.

Education$2.1MOther$0
02FY2025 · 17 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 17 grants below total $394,523, the rows itemized in this filing. The $965,023 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $570,500 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k1 grant · $10k
  • $10k–50k14 grants · $235k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $150k
$10,000
Median grant
13
States reached
$141M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
CLAFLIN UNIVERSITY$100,000
TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY$50,100
MOREHOUSE COLLEGE$38,578
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY$31,000
UC RIVERSIDE FOUNDATION$25,000
ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY$20,000
VIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITY$20,000
SELMA UNIVERSITY$19,996
ILISAGVIK COLLEGE$10,000
RED LAKE NATION COLLEGE$10,000
BLUEFIELD STATE UNIVERSITY$10,000
ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION$10,000
VOORHEES UNIVERSITY$10,000
WILBERFORCE UNIVERSITY$10,000
FAYETTEVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY$10,000
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:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY23–25) land where the poverty rate runs at 19%, against an area that typically sits at 12%. 87% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 12%STACKWELL CAPITAL: $917k → 16%RED LAKE NATION COLLEGE: $10k → 11%LINCOLN UNIVERSITY: $31k → 6%UC RIVERSIDE FOUNDATION: $25k → 11%HUSTON-TILLOTSON UNIVERSITY: $50k → 10%PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY: $19k → 14%TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY: $50k → 16%CLAFLIN UNIVERSITY: $150k → 25%VOORHEES UNIVERSITY: $50k → 28%FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY: $15k → 19%ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC: $45k → 11%MILES COLLEGE: $50k → 16%STILLMAN COLLEGE: $50k → 17%ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY: $20k → 18%TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY: $50k → 32%SELMA UNIVERSITY: $50k → 33%LAC COURTE OREILLES OJIBWE UNIVERSITY: $10k → 15%FISK UNIVERSITY: $50k → 14%BENNETT COLLEGE: $19k → 16%MOREHOUSE COLLEGE: $45k → 13%PAINE COLLEGE: $50k → 18%ALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY: $50k → 28%CENTRAL STATE UNIVERSITY: $50k → 9%WEST VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $50k → 18%BLUEFIELD STATE UNIVERSITY: $50k → 21%TOUGALOO COLLEGE: $50k → 11%ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY: $70k → 34%MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY: $50k → 34%HAMPTON UNIVERSITY: $50k → 14%VIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITY: $80k → 22%XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA: $50k → 23%BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $39k → 11%LINCOLN UNIVERSITY: $13k → 6%UC RIVERSIDE FOUNDATION: $25k → 11%CLAFLIN UNIVERSITY: $100k → 25%DENMARK TECHNICAL COLLEGE: $50k → 28%LAWSON STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE: $50k → 16%ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY: $20k → 18%TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY: $15k → 32%SELMA UNIVERSITY: $20k → 33%MOREHOUSE COLLEGE: $39k → 13%HAMPTON UNIVERSITY: $15k → 14%VIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITY: $20k → 22%XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA: $31k → 23%MOREHOUSE COLLEGE: $33k → 13%DILLARD UNIVERSITY: $50k → 23%CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY INC: $14k → 13%DILLARD UNIVERSITY: $45k → 23%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

AK
MN
WI
MA
OH
PA
CA
WV
VA
MD
TN
NC
SC
LA
MS
AL
GA
TX
FL
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.

33%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$994k · 12 repeat orgs$2.0M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +27% since the first grant, against +7% for those funded once.

12 repeat relationships: 11 still active in FY2025, 1 since wound down; 6 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

12
23

Total granted

$994k
$2.0M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+27%
+7%

Still filing today

75%
61%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 85% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $60k went to new ones.

50%100%’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time
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

  • MC
    MOREHOUSE COLLEGE
    3× · 2023–2025 · $117k · revenue +27%
  • VU
    VIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITY
    2× · 2024–2025 · $100k · revenue +29%
  • SU
    SELMA UNIVERSITY
    2× · 2023–2025 · $70k · revenue +161%

Funded once

  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2023 · $917k
  • DU
    DILLARD UNIVERSITY
    one grant, 2024 · $95k · revenue -27%
  • XU
    XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
    one grant, 2024 · $81k · revenue -3%
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
Livingstone College

The College provides a Christian based environment suitable for learning, it provides liberal arts and religious programs for students from all ethnic backgrounds designed to develop their potential for leadership and service to a global…

Education
2
Texas College

To ensure that the student body experiences balanced intellectual, psychological, social and spiritual development, aimed at enabling them to become active productive members of society where they live and work.

Education
3
Union Institute & University

Union Institute & University educates highly motivated adults who seek academic programs to engage, enlighten, and empower them to pursue professional goals and a lifetime of learning and service. Offering accredited bachelors, masters,…

—
4
Coker University

Coker university is a student-centered, comprehensive university. it is dedicated to providing every student an academic curriculum based upon a uniformly excellent liberal arts core that enhances the structured development of key personal…

Education
5
University of Lynchburg

The mission of the University is to inspire independent thinkers who become trustworthy, effective leaders that shape caring communities. The vision of the University of Lynchburg is to cultivate a world that is innovative, authentic, and…

Education
6
Waynesburg University

Waynesburg university educates students to make connections between faith, learning and serving so they might faithfully transofrm their communiities and the world. see continuation on schedule o.as a christian comprehensive university, we…

Education
7
Lincoln University Aka Lincoln College

Lincoln college uniquely empowers students to realize their full potential

Education
8
Allen University

Allen University is an academic community which provides students an opportunity to obtain baccalaureate and graduate degrees in liberal arts and professional programs in traditional and distance education formats. The University has a…

Education
9
Cumberland University

The mission of cumberland university is to provide a personalized, high-quality, value-based educational experience that equips learners to lead, serve, and excel in an ever-evolving world.

—
10
Augustana College

Rooted in the liberal arts & sciences & lutheran expression of the christian faith, & is committed to offering a challenging education that develops qualities of mind, spirit, & body necessary for a rewarding life of leadership & service…

Education
11
Thomas University

Thomas university is an independent, not for profit, institution of higher education with undergraduate and graduate programs that prepare students for successful careers and responsible citizenship in a rapidly changing and complex world.

Education
12
Tusculum University

Building on a rich Presbyterian heritage and a pioneering spirit, Tusculum University provides an active and experiential education within a caring Christian environment to inspire civic engagement, enrich personal lives, and equip…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Bennett College; the most unlike its peers is Central State University National Alumni Association. 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

28 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. 28 of the 41 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.

1
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
4
Early backer (in before they grew)
28/28
Grantees still filing
14/28
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Individual grant recipient: $917,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipientBLUEFIELD STATE COLLEGE: $70,000 · OtherALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY: $70,000 · OtherTexas Southern University: $60,100 · OtherALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY: $60,000 · Other+12 more: $358,530 · Other+12 moreCLAFLIN UNIVERSITY: $250,000 · EducationCLAFLIN UNIVERSITYMOREHOUSE COLLEGE: $116,920 · EducationMOREHOUSE COLLEGEVIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITY: $100,030 · EducationVIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITYDILLARD UNIVERSITY: $94,510 · EducationDILLARD UNIVERSITYXAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA: $80,992 · EducationXAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANATuskegee University: $74,449 · EducationSELMA UNIVERSITY: $69,996 · EducationHAMPTON UNIVERSITY: $65,000 · EducationVoorhees College: $60,000 · EducationLINCOLN UNIVERSITY: $53,868 · EducationTougaloo College: $50,000 · EducationMiles College Inc: $50,000 · EducationWEST VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC: $50,000 · EducationCENTRAL STATE UNIVERSITY NATIONAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION: $50,000 · EducationUC RIVERSIDE FOUNDATION: $50,000 · EducationFISK UNIVERSITY: $50,000 · EducationStillman College: $50,000 · EducationPaine College: $50,000 · Education+6 more: $111,543 · Education+6 more
Other$1,535,630Education$1,477,308

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 budgetCLAFLIN UNIVERSITY: $250,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetMOREHOUSE COLLEGE: $116,920 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetVIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITY: $100,030 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetDILLARD UNIVERSITY: $94,510 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetXAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA: $80,992 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTuskegee University: $74,449 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSELMA UNIVERSITY: $69,996 over 2y, 4.6% of budgetHAMPTON UNIVERSITY: $65,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetVoorhees College: $60,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetLINCOLN UNIVERSITY: $53,868 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetTougaloo College: $50,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMiles College Inc: $50,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetLAWSON STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC: $50,000 over 1y, 65% of budgetWEST VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC: $50,000 over 1y, 1.4% of budgetUC RIVERSIDE FOUNDATION: $50,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetFISK UNIVERSITY: $50,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetStillman College: $50,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetPaine College: $50,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetHUSTON-TILLOTSON UNIVERSITY: $50,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetBOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC: $48,543 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetBENNETT COLLEGE: $19,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetClark Atlanta University Inc: $14,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetIlisagvik College: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetLAC COURTE OREILLES OJIBWE UNIVERSITY: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetWILBERFORCE UNIVERSITY WILBERFORCE UNIVERSITY: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIV FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.3% 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.

Strada Education Foun…Tom Joyner Foundation…Thurgood Marshall Col…National Collegiate A…United Negro College …Tulsa Community Found…Educational Credit Ma…Folds of Honor Founda…World Learning IncIbm International Fou…Partnership for Educa…Executive Leadership …
Strada Education Foundation IncIN42.3× affinity18 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Strada Education Foundation Inc · Tom Joyner Foundation Inc · Thurgood Marshall College Fund · National Collegiate Athletic Association · United Negro College Fund Inc · Tulsa Community Foundation · Educational Credit Management Corporation · Folds of Honor Foundation · World Learning Inc · Ibm International Foundation · Partnership for Education Advancement Inc · Executive Leadership Council

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 Student Freedom Initiative Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Student Freedom Initiative Inc. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%5%19%42%75%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    3report 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 41 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 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 Student Freedom Initiative’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