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Summers Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Summers 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.

$104k
Granted FY2025still arriving
33
Grants FY2025still arriving
14
States reached
$34k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0190% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Religion$146kPhilanthropy$115kYouth Development$96kHuman Services$73kEducation$32kArts & Culture$29kRecreation & Sports$20kCivil Rights$10kOther$0
02FY2025 · 33 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k30 grants · $43k
  • $10k–50k3 grants · $62k
$1,000
Median grant
14
States reached
$1.1M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
BRIGHTSTONE$34,000
TRAIL LIFE USA$15,000
FRIENDSLIFE COMMUNITY$12,500
BACKLIGHT PRODUCTIONS$7,000
NATIONAL PARENTS ORGANIZATION$5,000
ON THE AVENUE FOUNDATION OF TN$5,000
TURNING POINT USA$2,500
NASHVILLE DOLPHINS$2,000
VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY$2,000
GRACE RESOURCES$1,500
OPERATION FREEDOM$1,500
FRONTIERS$1,400
EAST WEST MINISTRIES$1,400
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS INC$1,400
YOUNG LIFE CAPERNAUM$1,200
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 (FY21–25, $69k) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 8%. 80% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 8%NATIONAL PARENTS ORGANIZATION: $5k → 8%NATIONAL PARENTS ORGANIZATION: $3k → 8%NATIONAL PARENTS ORGANIZATION: $2k → 8%NATIONAL PARENTS ORGANIZATION: $2k → 8%FRIENDSLIFE COMMUNITY: $13k → 14%FRIENDSLIFE COMMUNITY: $13k → 14%FRIENDSLIFE COMMUNITY: $13k → 14%FRIENDSLIFE COMMUNITY: $10k → 14%FRIENDSLIFE COMMUNITY: $8k → 14%MYBAGMYSTORY: $1k → 4%MYBAGMYSTORY: $1k → 4%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

IL
MI
NY
MA
PA
CA
CO
KY
VA
MD
AZ
TN
NC
SC
DC
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.

92%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$623k · 42 repeat orgs$52k to everyone else

42 repeat relationships: 28 still active in FY2025, 14 since wound down; 4 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

42
11

Total granted

$623k
$46k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+18%
+28%

Still filing today

48%
36%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 94% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $6k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
EducationReligionYouth DevelopmentCivil RightsHuman ServicesRecreation & SportsOther
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

  • TL
    TRAIL LIFE USA INC
    5× · 2021–2025 · $62k · revenue +129%
  • FL
    Friends Life Community
    5× · 2021–2025 · $55k · revenue +37%
  • DA
    DOLPHIN AQUATICS DBA NASHVILLE DOLPHINS
    8× · 2017–2025 · $20k · revenue +210%

Funded once

  • YL
    YOUNG LIFEgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $23k · revenue +59%
  • VP
    VARIOUS PUBLIC CHARITIES TCS
    one grant, 2017 · $6k
  • VP
    VARIOUS PUBLIC CHARITIES WHS
    one grant, 2017 · $6k
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
Union University

Union university provides christ-centered education that promotes excellence and character development in service to church and society.

Education
2
Furman University

The primary mission of furman as a liberal arts institution is to provide a distinctive education in fine arts, humanities, social sciences, mathematics and the sciences, as well as selected professional disciplines.

Education
3
Evangel University

Evangel is a comprehensive christian university that is committed to excellence in educating and equipping students to become spirit empowered servants of god who will impact the church and society globally.

Education
4
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
5
George Fox University

George fox university, a christ centered community, prepares students spiritually, academically, and professionally to think with clarity, act with integrity, and serve with passion.

Education
6
United States Naval Institute

Provide an independent forum for those who dare to read, think, speak, and write to advance the professional, literary, and scientific understanding of sea power and other issues critical to global security.

—
7
Fielding Graduate University

We provide exemplary interdisciplinary programs for a community of scholar-practitioners within a distributed learning model grounded in student-driven inquiry and leading to enhanced knowledge.

—
8
Trinity University

Trinity university is an independent co-educational university whose mission is excellence in the interrelated areas of teaching, research and services.

Education
9
North Greenville University

North greenville university exists to glorify god by cultivating graduates who are equipped to serve as transformational leaders for church and society.

Education
10
Arizona Christian University

Arizona christian university provides a biblically-integrated, liberal arts education equipping graduates to serve the lord jesus christ in all aspects of life, as leaders of influence and excellence.

Education
11
Dallas International University

As a christian university, we provide education and research opportunities preparing global leaders to partner with local communities.

Education
12
Criswell College

The mission of criswell college is to provide ministerial and professional higher education for men and women preparing to serve as christian leaders throughout society, while maintaining an institutional commitment to biblical inerrancy.

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The Heritage Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Samaritan's Purse. 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

32 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. 32 of the 59 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)
3
Early backer (in before they grew)
29/32
Grantees still filing
19/32
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Individual grant recipient: $106,520 · OtherIndividual grant recipientBRENTWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH WHS: $88,500 · OtherBRENTWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH WHSBRIGHTSTONE: $69,500 · OtherBRIGHTSTONEVARIOUS PUBLIC CHARITIES: $32,501 · OtherVARIOUS PUBLIC CHARITIESLIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY: $15,500 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $15,150 · OtherFRIENDS LIFE: $14,574 · Other+29 more: $89,182 · Other+29 moreTRAIL LIFE USA INC: $61,500 · Youth DevelopmentTRAIL LIFE USA …YOUNG LIFE: $23,000 · Youth DevelopmentYOUNG LIFEBACKLIGHT PRODUCTIONS: $10,000 · Youth DevelopmentBACKLIGHT PRODU…Friends Life Community: $55,000 · Human ServicesFriends Lif…National Parents Organization Inc: $11,500 · Human ServicesNational Pa…+1 more: $2,000 · Human ServicesDOLPHIN AQUATICS DBA NASHVILLE DOLPHINS: $19,660 · Recreation & SportsBACKFIELD IN MOTION: $11,000 · Recreation & SportsGRACE RESOURCES: $12,000 · EducationON THE AVENUE FOUNDATION OF TENNESSEE: $5,000 · EducationVanderbilt University: $3,400 · EducationHILLSDALE COLLEGE: $2,000 · Education+4 more: $1,600 · EducationEast-West Ministries International: $14,829 · ReligionOPERATION FREEDOM INC FKA SAR ADVENTURES INC: $3,900 · ReligionMIO Frontiers: $2,600 · ReligionSAMARITAN'S PURSE: $2,500 · ReligionALLIANCE DEFENDING FREEDOM: $2,250 · Civil RightsINSTITUTE FOR JUSTICE: $2,000 · Civil RightsFOUNDATION FOR INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS AND EXPRESSION INC: $1,500 · Civil Rights
Other$431,427Youth Development$94,500Human Services$68,500Recreation & Sports$30,660Education$24,000Religion$23,829Civil Rights$5,750

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetTRAIL LIFE USA INC: $61,500 over 5y, 0.4% of budgetFriends Life Community: $55,000 over 5y, 0.9% of budgetYOUNG LIFE: $23,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDOLPHIN AQUATICS DBA NASHVILLE DOLPHINS: $19,660 over 8y, 1.3% of budgetLIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY: $15,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetEast-West Ministries International: $14,829 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetGRACE RESOURCES: $12,000 over 8y, 4.0% of budgetNational Parents Organization Inc: $11,500 over 4y, 1.9% of budgetBACKFIELD IN MOTION: $11,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetBACKLIGHT PRODUCTIONS: $10,000 over 2y, 2.1% of budgetTURNING POINT USA INC: $6,700 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetPROJECT VERITAS: $5,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetOPERATION FREEDOM INC FKA SAR ADVENTURES INC: $3,900 over 2y, 5.9% of budgetVanderbilt University: $3,400 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetSAMARITAN'S PURSE: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetALLIANCE DEFENDING FREEDOM: $2,250 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetNRA FOUNDATION INC: $2,250 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetINSTITUTE FOR JUSTICE: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetHILLSDALE COLLEGE: $2,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetMy Bag My Story: $2,000 over 2y, 0.6% of budgetNASHVILLE HUMANE ASSOCIATION AKA NASHVILLE HUMANE SOCIETY: $1,532 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetFOUNDATION FOR INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS AND EXPRESSION INC: $1,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE HERITAGE FOUNDATION: $1,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetNASHVILLE RESCUE MISSION: $1,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetTHE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE INC: $1,250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBelmont University: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCURREY INGRAM ACADEMY: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMONTGOMERY BELL ACADEMY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NASHVILLE: $350 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE ENSWORTH SCHOOL: $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.

  • Who funds TRAIL LIFE USA INC ↗
  • Who funds Friends Life Community ↗
  • Who funds YOUNG LIFE ↗
  • Who funds DOLPHIN AQUATICS DBA NASHVILLE DOLPHINS ↗
  • Who funds LIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds East-West Ministries International ↗
  • Who funds GRACE RESOURCES ↗
  • Who funds National Parents Organization Inc ↗
  • Who funds BACKFIELD IN MOTION ↗
  • Who funds BACKLIGHT PRODUCTIONS ↗
  • Who funds TURNING POINT USA INC ↗
  • Who funds PROJECT VERITAS ↗
  • Who funds ON THE AVENUE FOUNDATION OF TENNESSEE ↗
  • Who funds OPERATION FREEDOM INC FKA SAR ADVENTURES INC ↗
  • Who funds Vanderbilt University ↗
  • Who funds MIO Frontiers ↗
  • Who funds SAMARITAN'S PURSE ↗
  • Who funds ALLIANCE DEFENDING FREEDOM ↗
  • Who funds NRA FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds INSTITUTE FOR JUSTICE ↗
  • Who funds HILLSDALE COLLEGE ↗
  • Who funds My Bag My Story ↗

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 Community Foundat…Nashville Predators F…Hca Healthcare Founda…Louie M & Betty M Phi…The Steven & Laurie E…The Frist FoundationRaymond James Charita…Natl Christian Charit…Gs Donor Advised Phil…The Blackbaud Giving …Morgan Stanley Global…American Endowment Fo…
The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee IncTN23.6× affinity10 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee Inc · Nashville Predators Foundation · Hca Healthcare Foundation · Louie M & Betty M Phillips Foundatn · The Steven & Laurie Eskind Family Foundation · The Frist Foundation · Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund · Natl Christian Charitable Fdn Inc · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · American Endowment 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 Summers Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Summers Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%4%8%11%15%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get no government money at all
    5report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–15%
    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 59 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