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Sweeney Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Sweeney Family 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.

$2.4M
Granted FY2025still arriving
15
Grants FY2025still arriving
3
States reached
$2.2M
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0194% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Philanthropy$2.2MHuman Services$329kInternational$138kHousing & Shelter$112kHealth$68kReligion$64kCrime & Legal$38kYouth Development$35kOther$0
02FY2025 · 15 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k6 grants · $23k
  • $10k–50k8 grants · $128k
  • $250k+1 grant · $2.2M
$10,000
Median grant
3
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
GREATER MILWAUKEE FOUNDATION- CHARITABLE FAMILY FUND$2,247,279
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS$30,000
HOUSING OPPORTUNTIES AND MAINTENANCE FOR THE ELDERLY (HOME)$20,000
LOTUS LEGAL CLINIC$15,000
THE NIGHT MINISTRY$15,000
CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF CHICAGO$15,000
ROOTED AND RISING WASHINGTON PARK$12,500
CENTRO SAN BONIFACIO$10,000
ASPIRE$10,000
MARYKNOLL SISTERS$5,000
Individual grant recipient$5,000
NEW LIFE CENTER$5,000
IL HUNGER COALITION$3,000
PILSEN FOOD PANTRY$2,500
VOCES DE LA FRONTERA(COMMUNITY SHARES OF WI)$2,500
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 (FY17–25, $190k) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 12%. 85% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 12%ASPIRITECH NFP: $8k → 8%ASPIRITECH NFP: $5k → 8%BEYOND LEGAL AID: $3k → 14%ASPIRITECH NFP: $5k → 8%ASPIRITECH NFP: $5k → 8%ASPIRITECH NFP: $5k → 14%ASPIRITECH NFP: $5k → 8%THE NIGHT MINISTRY: $10k → 14%THE NIGHT MINISTRY: $10k → 14%THE NIGHT MINISTRY: $10k → 14%ROOTED AND RISING WASHINGTON PARK: $13k → 17%THE NIGHT MINISTRY: $10k → 14%ASPIRE: $10k → 14%ASPIRE: $5k → 14%THE NIGHT MINISTRY: $5k → 14%ASPIRE: $3k → 14%THE NIGHT MINISTRY: $25k → 14%THE NIGHT MINISTRY: $15k → 14%FAMILY RESCUE: $10k → 14%FAMILY RESCUE: $10k → 14%FAMILY RESCUE: $10k → 14%FAMILY RESCUE: $5k → 14%THE WELL OF MERCY: $1k → 14%WELL OF MERCY: $1k → 14%PILSEN FOOD PANTRY: $3k → 14%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.

25%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$805k · 25 repeat orgs$2.4M to everyone else

25 repeat relationships: 7 still active in FY2025, 18 since wound down; 8 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

25
21

Total granted

$805k
$105k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+39%
+71%

Still filing today

64%
38%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 4% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $2.3M went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Human ServicesInternationalHealthCrime & LegalReligionFood & 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

  • MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC
    9× · 2017–2025 · $125k · revenue +98%
  • THE NIGHT MINISTRY
    7× · 2018–2025 · $85k · revenue +26%
  • CATHEDRAL CENTER INC
    6× · 2018–2023 · $58k · revenue +77%

Funded once

  • RA
    ROOTED AND RISING WASHINGTON PK
    one grant, 2024 · $25k
  • WF
    WELLPOINT FORMERLY SAINT A
    one grant, 2022 · $10k
  • PB
    PRECIOUS BLOOD MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION NFPgraduated
    one grant, 2018 · $7k · revenue +151%
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
Chicago Refugee Coalition

The Chicago Refugee Coalition is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated ot the alleviation of human suffering through innovative partnerships, advocacy and community empowerment.

Human Services
2
House of the Good Shepherd

House of Good Shepherd serves with love and compassion women and children affected by domestic violence by offering a safe place with opportunities for emotional, educational and spiritual growth, giving hope and continued support for a…

Human Services
3
Nourishing Hope

Nourishing hope provides food, mental health support, and social services to help all our neighbors thrive.

—
4
Chicago Workers' Collaborative Nfp

Chicago Workers' Collaborative's mission is to promote full employment and equality for the lowest wage-earners, primarily temporary staffing workers, in the Chicago region through leadership and skills training, critical assistance and…

Education
5
Casa Central Social Services Corporation

Casa central drives change by empowering individuals and families to thrive - delivering impactful services that transform lives and uplift communities.

Human Services
6
Respond Now

Respond now connects those in need with health, hunger, and housing services in the chicago southland.

Human Services
7
Center for Housing and Health

Chh honors every person's right to a home and health care, by bridging the housing and health care systems, to improve the lives of chicagoans experiencing homelessness.

Housing & Shelter
8
Latino Union of Chicago

Latino Union works to defend the rights and dignity of contingent workers, including the right to immigrate, work, live free of oppression and violence, and provide for oneself and one's family.

Human Services
9
The Network Advocating Against Domestic Violence

The Network is a group of 40+ member organizations dedicated to improving the lives of those impacted by gender-based violence through education, public policy and advocacy, and connecting community members with direct service providers.…

Human Services
10
Cornerstone Counseling Ctr Chicago

Cornerstone Counseling empowers people to reach their spiritual, relational, and emotional potential through exceptional counseling and personal development services.

—
11
Well Aware Inc

Well Aware's mission is to provide innovative and sustainable solutions to water scarcity and contamination in East Africa.

International
12
Legal Aid Chicago

At legal aid chicago, we work together to provide high quality civil legal aid to people living in poverty and other vulnerable groups.through advocacy, education, collaboration, and litigation we empower individuals, protect fundamental…

Crime & Legal
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Family Rescue Inc; the most unlike its peers is Lotus Legal Clinic 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

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 54 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)
9
Early backer (in before they grew)
28/28
Grantees still filing
21/28
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

GREATER MILWAUKEE FOUNDATION- CHARITABLE FAMILY FUND: $2,247,279 · OtherGREATER MILWAUKEE FOUNDATION- CHARITABLE FAMILY FUND+36 more: $517,096 · Other+36 moreTHE NIGHT MINISTRY: $85,000 · Human ServicesFAMILY RESCUE INC: $35,000 · Human ServicesASPIRITECH NFP: $32,500 · Human ServicesASPIRE OF ILLINOIS: $17,500 · Human ServicesUNITED METHODIST CHILDREN'S SERVICES OF WISCONSIN INC: $12,500 · Human Services+3 more: $7,000 · Human ServicesMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $125,000 · InternationalEL PORVENIR: $12,500 · InternationalSOUTH AFRICA PARTNERS INC: $5,000 · International+1 more: $2,500 · InternationalCATHEDRAL CENTER INC: $57,500 · ReligionRESILIENCE: $20,000 · HealthPENFIELD CHILDREN'S CENTER INC: $12,500 · HealthLOTUS LEGAL CLINIC INC: $15,000 · Crime & LegalGIRLFORWARD: $10,000 · Youth Development
Other$2,764,375Human Services$189,500International$145,000Religion$57,500Health$32,500Crime & Legal$15,000Youth Development$10,000

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 budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $125,000 over 9y, 0.0% of budgetTHE NIGHT MINISTRY: $85,000 over 7y, 0.2% of budgetCATHEDRAL CENTER INC: $57,500 over 6y, 1.0% of budgetCENTRO SAN BONIFACIO INC: $57,500 over 9y, 1.5% of budgetMETA HOUSE INC: $55,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetHOUSING OPPORTUNITIES AND MAINTENANCE FOR THE ELDERLY INC: $43,000 over 5y, 0.6% of budgetFAMILY RESCUE INC: $35,000 over 4y, 0.3% of budgetASPIRITECH NFP: $32,500 over 6y, 0.2% of budgetWELLPOINT CARE NETWORK INC: $27,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetRESILIENCE: $20,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetASPIRE OF ILLINOIS: $17,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetLOTUS LEGAL CLINIC INC: $15,000 over 1y, 1.9% of budgetCatholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago: $15,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetEL PORVENIR: $12,500 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetPENFIELD CHILDREN'S CENTER INC: $12,500 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetGIRLFORWARD: $10,000 over 2y, 1.1% of budgetPRECIOUS BLOOD MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION NFP: $7,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetILLINOIS HUNGER COALITION: $7,000 over 4y, 0.5% of budgetGREEN ERA EDUCATIONAL NFP: $5,000 over 1y, 8.3% of budgetSOUTH AFRICA PARTNERS INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCornerstone Community Outreach: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSOS OUTREACH: $2,500 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetFIGUEROA WU FAMILY FOUNDATION: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBEYOND LEGAL AID: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetWELL OF MERCY INC: $2,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetGrant a Wish Inc: $1,500 over 1y, 0.9% 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 MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC ↗
  • Who funds THE NIGHT MINISTRY ↗
  • Who funds CATHEDRAL CENTER INC ↗
  • Who funds CENTRO SAN BONIFACIO INC ↗
  • Who funds META HOUSE INC ↗
  • Who funds HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES AND MAINTENANCE FOR THE ELDERLY INC ↗
  • Who funds FAMILY RESCUE INC ↗
  • Who funds ASPIRITECH NFP ↗
  • Who funds WELLPOINT CARE NETWORK INC ↗
  • Who funds RESILIENCE ↗
  • Who funds ASPIRE OF ILLINOIS ↗
  • Who funds LOTUS LEGAL CLINIC INC ↗
  • Who funds Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago ↗
  • Who funds EL PORVENIR ↗
  • Who funds PENFIELD CHILDREN'S CENTER INC ↗
  • Who funds UNITED METHODIST CHILDREN'S SERVICES OF WISCONSIN INC ↗
  • Who funds GIRLFORWARD ↗
  • Who funds PRECIOUS BLOOD MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION NFP ↗
  • Who funds ILLINOIS HUNGER COALITION ↗
  • Who funds GREEN ERA EDUCATIONAL NFP ↗
  • Who funds SOUTH AFRICA PARTNERS INC ↗

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 …United Way of Greater…Greater Milwaukee Fou…AbbVie FoundationPatrick and Anna M Cu…Joseph and Vera Zilbe…Polk Bros Foundation …Circle of Service Fou…Greater Chicago Food …United Way of Metropo…Herbert H Kohl Charit…
The Chicago Community TrustIL19× affinity10 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Chicago Community Trust · John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation · United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County Inc · Greater Milwaukee Foundation Inc · AbbVie Foundation · Patrick and Anna M Cudahy Fund · Joseph and Vera Zilber Family Foundation Inc · Polk Bros Foundation Inc · Circle of Service Foundation · Greater Chicago Food Depository · United Way of Metropolitan Chicago Inc · Herbert H Kohl Charities Inc

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 Sweeney Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Sweeney Family Foundation. 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 42%
  • South Africa Partners Inc: 42% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
12report 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.
05Through Plinth

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to Sweeney Family Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Sweeney Family 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 54 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

Play a game based on Sweeney Family’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