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Sycamore Charities Inc Xxx-Xx-Xxxx at a glance

· Private foundation

Sycamore Charities Inc Xxx-Xx-Xxxx

Its FY2021 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$1.3M
Granted FY2021
17
Grants FY2021
1
States reached
$166k
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, FY2020 to 2021.

Human Services$312kArts & Culture$179kCrime & Legal$176kHousing & Shelter$176kCivil Rights$161kMembership Benefit$156kFood & Nutrition$85kHealth$42kOther$0
02FY2021 · 17 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2021

  • Under $10k5 grants · $20k
  • $10k–50k5 grants · $163k
  • $50k–250k7 grants · $1.1M
$39,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
HOPE HAVEN OF DEKALB CNTY$166,452
SAFE PASSAGE INC$166,452
KISHWAUKEE FAMILY YMCA$158,952
CASA DEKALB COUNTY INC$156,451
ELMWOOD CEMETERY$153,452
DEKALB CNTY HISTORY CENTER$153,451
FAMILY SERVICE AGENCY$148,451
DEKALB COUNTY COMMUNITY GARDENS$40,000
ADVENTUREWORKS OF DEKALB$39,000
SYCAMORE FOOD PANTRY$37,500
NORTHWESTERN MEDICINE HOSPITAL$34,000
DEKALB CNTY COMM FND$12,000
OPPORTUNITY HOUSE INC$7,000
PAY-IT-FORWARD HOUSE$4,500
SYCAMORE EDUCATION FOUNDATION$4,000
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:

Its human-services grants (FY20–21, $340k) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%KISHWAUKEE FAMILY YMCA: $159k → 13%KISHWAUKEE FAMILY YMCA: $5k → 13%SAFE PASSAGE INC: $166k → 13%SAFE PASSAGE INC: $10k → 13%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.

88%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.2M · 15 repeat orgs$156k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +38% since the first grant, against +13% for those funded once.

15 repeat relationships: 15 still active in FY2021, 0 since wound down; 2 grantees were first funded in FY2021 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

15
2

Total granted

$1.2M
$6k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+38%
+13%

Still filing today

67%
50%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2021, 88% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $150k went to new ones.

50%100%’20’21
RenewedFirst-time

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

’20’21
Human ServicesHousing & ShelterCivil RightsCommunity ImprovementYouth DevelopmentEmploymentOther
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

  • HH
    HOPE HAVEN OF DEKALB COUNTY INC
    2× · 2020–2021 · $176k · revenue +34%
  • SP
    SAFE PASSAGE INC
    2× · 2020–2021 · $176k · revenue +40%
  • KF
    KISHWAUKEE FAMILY YMCA
    2× · 2020–2021 · $164k · revenue +38%

Funded once

  • MM
    MIDWEST MUSEUM OF
    one grant, 2020 · $3k
  • VA
    VOLUNTARY ACTION CENTER OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS
    one grant, 2020 · $3k · revenue +13%
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
Dekalb County Children's Advocacy Center Inc

Prevent/intervene in child abuse situations

Crime & Legal
2
Dekalb Community Impact Corporation

Responds to community needs with compassionate, Christ-centered programs and services

Recreation & Sports
3
Habitat for Humanity of Dekalb County

The mission is to unite people to provide decent and affordable housing for families in need

—
4
Elder Care Services of Dekalb County Inc

Elder care services of dekalb county, inc. was established to promote and further the welfare of senior citizens and their families who live in dekalb county, through the provision of services which improve their well being and quality of…

Crime & Legal
5
Kankakee County Coalition Against Domestic Violence Inc

Providing assistance to victims of domestic violence

Human Services
6
Haven of Hope of Dekalb County Inc

Provide counselling services to those in need due to crisis.

Health
7
Community Workshop & Training Center Inc

Our central Illinois organization provides programs and services to adults with disabilities; enriching their quality of life, promoting social change, and optimizing their potential for independence.

Human Services
8
Depaul Community Services Inc

To provide residential and rehabilitation services to clients with mental illnesses

Health
9
Growing Strong Sexual Assault Center

Counsel sexual assault victims and family members.

Health
10
Dekalb Co Senior Citzens Council Inc

The dekalb co senior citizens councils mission statement is to promote, maintain, and enhance the quality of life for older persons and handicapped individuals

Community Improvement
11
Dekalb County Council On Aging Inc

To improve the quality of life of the seniors, disabled persons and others in our community through services and programs that meet their physical, mental, emotional, intellectual and mobile needs.

—
12
Kishwaukee United Way

To improve lives by sharing community resources

Philanthropy
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Adventure Works of Dekalb County Inc; the most unlike its peers is Kishwaukee Family Ymca. 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

13 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. 13 of the 19 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)
3
Early backer (in before they grew)
13/13
Grantees still filing
10/13
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

DEKALB CNTY HISTORY CENTER: $159,951 · OtherDEKALB CNTY HISTORY CENTERELMWOOD CEMETERY: $156,452 · OtherELMWOOD CEMETERYFAMILY SERVICE AGENCY OF DEKALB COUNTY INC: $148,451 · OtherFAMILY SERVICE AGENCY OF DEKALB COUNTY INCSYCAMORE FOOD PANTRY: $41,500 · OtherSYCAMORE FOOD PANTRYNORTHWESTERN MEDICINE HOSPITAL: $36,000 · OtherNORTHWESTERN MEDICINE HOSPITAL+6 more: $35,000 · Other+6 moreSAFE PASSAGE INC: $176,452 · Human ServicesSAFE PASSAGE INCKISHWAUKEE FAMILY YMCA: $163,952 · Human ServicesKISHWAUKEE FAMILY YMCAHOPE HAVEN OF DEKALB COUNTY INC: $176,452 · Housing & ShelterHOPE HAVEN OF …CASA DeKalb County Inc: $161,451 · Civil RightsCASA DeKalb C…DEKALB COUNTY COMMUNITY GARDENS: $43,000 · Community ImprovementADVENTURE WORKS OF DEKALB COUNTY INC: $42,000 · Youth DevelopmentOPPORTUNITY HOUSE INC: $9,500 · EmploymentVOLUNTARY ACTION CENTER OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS: $3,000 · Philanthropy
Other$577,354Human Services$340,404Housing & Shelter$176,452Civil Rights$161,451Community Improvement$43,000Youth Development$42,000Employment$9,500Philanthropy$3,000

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

25%50%75%100%$1.0Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetSAFE PASSAGE INC: $176,452 over 2y, 4.7% of budgetKISHWAUKEE FAMILY YMCA: $163,952 over 2y, 5.4% of budgetCASA DeKalb County Inc: $161,451 over 2y, 30% of budgetFAMILY SERVICE AGENCY OF DEKALB COUNTY INC: $148,451 over 1y, 6.3% of budgetDEKALB COUNTY COMMUNITY GARDENS: $43,000 over 2y, 3.3% of budgetADVENTURE WORKS OF DEKALB COUNTY INC: $42,000 over 2y, 7.1% of budgetOPPORTUNITY HOUSE INC: $9,500 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetSYCAMORE EDUCATION FOUNDATION: $6,000 over 2y, 3.6% of budgetPAY IT FORWARD HOUSE NFP: $6,000 over 2y, 3.3% of budgetKISHWAUKEE COLLEGE FOUNDATION: $4,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetKISHWAUKEE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: $2,000 over 1y, 6.5% 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.

Dekalb County Communi…Northwestern Memorial…George E& Betty Bdutt…Douglas C & Lynn M Ro…Ideal Industries Foun…Kishwaukee United WayNorthern Illinois Foo…Nebraska Community Fo…Charities Aid Foundat…Baird Foundation IncThe Bersted FoundationNorthwestern Memorial…
Dekalb County Community FoundationIL32.6× affinity13 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Dekalb County Community Foundation · Northwestern Memorial HealthCare Group · George E& Betty Bdutton Foundation · Douglas C & Lynn M Roberts Family Foundation · Ideal Industries Foundation · Kishwaukee United Way · Northern Illinois Food Bank · Nebraska Community Foundation · Charities Aid Foundation America · Baird Foundation Inc · The Bersted Foundation · Northwestern Memorial HealthCare

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 Sycamore Charities Inc Xxx-Xx-Xxxx funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Sycamore Charities Inc Xxx-Xx-Xxxx. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%3%10%23%40%funder's share of their income ↑0%19%38%56%75%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    7report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–75%
    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 19 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 2021, released 2021. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Sycamore Charities Inc Xxx-Xx-Xxxx’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