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Tara Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Tara 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.

$53k
Granted FY2025still arriving
29
Grants FY2025still arriving
2
States reached
$15k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0192% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Health$216kEducation$53kFood & Nutrition$53kAnimals$19kHousing & Shelter$17kArts & Culture$16kPhilanthropy$12kHuman Services$9kOther$0
02FY2025 · 29 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k28 grants · $38k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $15k
$1,230
Median grant
2
States reached
$6k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Hollings Cancer Center$15,000
LowCountry Marine Mammal Network$3,000
Sea Island Hunger Awareness Foundation$2,800
Meet the Weeds Charleston$2,500
Backpack Buddies Seabrook Island$2,000
Third Serve Foundation$2,000
Sea Island Habitat for Humanity$2,000
Dragon Boat Charleston$1,900
LowCountry Marine Mammal Network$1,850
Charleston Animal Society$1,750
Arts Etc$1,700
Respite Care Charleston$1,500
Respite Care Charleston$1,250
John H Herbert Scholarship Fund - Elmhurst University$1,250
Naperville Newcomers and Neighbors Club$1,230
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, $24k) land where the poverty rate runs at 9%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 32% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%SGA Youth & Family Services: $2k → 14%360 Youth Services: $600 → 7%Little Friends: $2k → 7%Loaves and Fishes: $8k → 7%Loaves and Fishes: $2k → 7%Naperville Woman's Club: $1k → 7%Loaves & Fishes: $1k → 7%Naperville Woman's Club: $590 → 7%360 Youth Services: $500 → 7%360 Youth Services: $250 → 7%360 Youth Services: $240 → 7%Respite Care Charleston: $3k → 12%Respite Care Charleston: $2k → 12%Respite Care Charleston: $1k → 12%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
NY
TN
NC
SC
DC
OK
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.

75%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$353k · 33 repeat orgs$116k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +49% since the first grant, against +19% for those funded once.

33 repeat relationships: 18 still active in FY2025, 15 since wound down; 7 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

33
42

Total granted

$353k
$92k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+49%
+19%

Still filing today

58%
57%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 55% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $24k 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
HealthHuman ServicesAnimalsEducationPhilanthropyFood & 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

  • LE
    Lawndale Educational and Regional Network Charter School
    3× · 2017–2021 · $43k · revenue +78%
  • SI
    Sea Island Habitat For Humanity Inc
    5× · 2017–2025 · $13k · revenue +107%
  • BI
    BARRIER ISLANDS FREE MEDICAL CLINIC
    4× · 2017–2024 · $12k · revenue +94%

Funded once

  • AS
    Autism Speaks
    one grant, 2022 · $15k
  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2024 · $14k
  • MT
    Meet The Needs Charlestongraduated
    one grant, 2021 · $7k · revenue +252%
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
Humane Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

The primary mission of the humane society is to end animal cruelty, neglect and overpopulation in south carolina.

Animals
2
Feeding the Carolinas

The mission of the Organization is to coordinate, support, and advocate for member Food Banks across the Carolinas to create lasting solutions to address hunger.

Food & Nutrition
3
Harvest Hope Food Bank

Harvest hope is on a mission to eliminate hunger and food insecurity in south carolina. we rescue nutritious food from stores throughout the state and distribute it to food pantries, shelters, and soup kitchens. we operate programs that…

Food & Nutrition
4
South Carolina Cancer Alliance

The mission of the South Carolina Cancer Alliance(SCCA)is to reduce the impact of cancer on all South Carolinians.

—
5
Children's Trust of South Carolina

To strengthen families, organizations, and communities to prevent child abuse and neglect.

Human Services
6
South Carolina Network of Children's Advocacy Centers

Empowering south carolina communities and children's advocacy centers to deliver a best practice response to child abuse

Youth Development
7
Humane Society of Charlotte Inc

Humane Society of Charlotte mission is to champion the wellbeing of companion animals and strengthen their bond with the people who know, love, and need them.

Animals
8
South Carolina Legal Services

South carolina legal services is a statewide law firm that provides civil legal services to protect the rights and represent the interests of low income south carolinians.

Crime & Legal
9
Food Bank of Central & Eastern Nc Inc

Nourish people. build solutions. empower communities. no one goes hungry.

Food & Nutrition
10
Nourishing Hope

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

—
11
Paws Chicago

Paws chicago is a national leader in the no kill animal welfare movement, helping more than 23,842 homeless and at-risk pets each year through comprehensive spay/neuter, medical, and adoption programs.

Animals
12
Charleston Waterkeeper

Charleston waterkeeper's mission it to protect and restore charleston's waterways for our community and future generations. we do that through an effective mix of boots-on-the-water stewardship and data-driven advocacy designed to protect…

Environment
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Little Friends Inc; the most unlike its peers is Loving Luca Foundation. 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

47 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. 47 of the 82 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)
10
Early backer (in before they grew)
46/47
Grantees still filing
30/47
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Hollings Cancer Center - MUSC: $114,200 · OtherHollings Cancer Center - MUSCMedical University of South Carolina Health: $39,395 · OtherMedical University of South Carolina HealthThe Point: $16,700 · OtherThe PointAutism Speaks: $14,703 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $13,900 · OtherSea Island Habitat For Humanity Inc: $12,745 · OtherCharleston Wine and Food: $11,000 · Other+44 more: $77,380 · Other+44 moreLawndale Educational and Regional Network Charter School: $43,200 · EducationLawndale Educ…BACKPACK BUDDIES SEABROOK ISLAND: $7,300 · EducationBACKPACK BUDD…FOLDS OF HONOR FOUNDATION: $3,625 · EducationFOLDS OF HONO…KIAWAH WOMENS FOUNDATION: $2,480 · Education+1 more: $1,250 · EducationMEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA FOUNDATION: $15,000 · HealthMEDICAL U…BARRIER ISLANDS FREE MEDICAL CLINIC: $11,500 · HealthBARRIER I…DRAGON BOAT CHARLESTON: $4,400 · HealthDRAGON BO…CHARLESTON AREA THERAPEUTIC RIDING INC: $3,450 · HealthCHARLESTO…HELEN ROSS MCNABB FOUNDATION: $2,500 · HealthHELEN ROS…BOBBY JONES CHIARI & SYRINGOMYELIA FOUNDATION: $2,000 · Health+3 more: $1,332 · HealthLOAVES & FISHES COMMUNITY SERVICES: $10,510 · Human ServicesRESPITE CARE OF CHARLESTON: $5,550 · Human ServicesFIELDS TO FAMILIES: $2,950 · Human ServicesNAPERVILLE WOMANS CLUB: $2,050 · Human ServicesSGA YOUTH & FAMILY SERVICES NFP: $2,000 · Human ServicesLITTLE FRIENDS INC: $1,850 · Human Services360 YOUTH SERVICES: $1,590 · Human ServicesSea Island Hunger Awareness Foundation: $9,250 · Food & NutritionMeet The Needs Charleston: $6,500 · Food & NutritionAMOR HEALING KITCHEN INC: $2,650 · Food & NutritionCHARLESTON ANIMAL SOCIETY: $5,040 · AnimalsLOWCOUNTRY MARINE MAMMAL NETWORK: $5,000 · AnimalsNAPERVILLE AREA HUMANE SOCIETY: $3,900 · AnimalsSPAY ILLINOIS PET WELL CLINICS INC: $2,060 · AnimalsPET HELPERS INC: $1,500 · Animals+1 more: $500 · AnimalsARTS ETC: $7,450 · Arts & Culture
Other$300,023Education$57,855Health$40,182Human Services$26,500Food & Nutrition$18,400Animals$18,000Arts & Culture$7,450

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 budgetLawndale Educational and Regional Network Charter School: $43,200 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetMEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA FOUNDATION: $15,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSea Island Habitat For Humanity Inc: $12,745 over 5y, 0.2% of budgetBARRIER ISLANDS FREE MEDICAL CLINIC: $11,500 over 4y, 0.3% of budgetLOAVES & FISHES COMMUNITY SERVICES: $10,510 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSea Island Hunger Awareness Foundation: $9,250 over 6y, 0.5% of budgetARTS ETC: $7,450 over 3y, 2.3% of budgetBACKPACK BUDDIES SEABROOK ISLAND: $7,300 over 3y, 2.5% of budgetMeet The Needs Charleston: $6,500 over 1y, 2.1% of budgetLOWCOUNTRY FOOD BANK INC: $6,400 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetRESPITE CARE OF CHARLESTON: $5,550 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetCHARLESTON ANIMAL SOCIETY: $5,040 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetLOWCOUNTRY MARINE MAMMAL NETWORK: $5,000 over 2y, 2.0% of budgetDRAGON BOAT CHARLESTON: $4,400 over 2y, 1.0% of budgetNAPERVILLE AREA HUMANE SOCIETY: $3,900 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetFOLDS OF HONOR FOUNDATION: $3,625 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCHARLESTON AREA THERAPEUTIC RIDING INC: $3,450 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetFIELDS TO FAMILIES: $2,950 over 1y, 1.6% of budgetAMOR HEALING KITCHEN INC: $2,650 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetHELEN ROSS MCNABB FOUNDATION: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetKIAWAH WOMENS FOUNDATION: $2,480 over 3y, 0.5% of budgetSPAY ILLINOIS PET WELL CLINICS INC: $2,060 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNAPERVILLE WOMANS CLUB: $2,050 over 2y, 1.0% of budgetBOBBY JONES CHIARI & SYRINGOMYELIA FOUNDATION: $2,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetALIVE CENTER NFP: $1,985 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetLITTLE FRIENDS INC: $1,850 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCAREER & NETWORKING CENTER: $1,750 over 2y, 0.6% of budget360 YOUTH SERVICES: $1,590 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetPET HELPERS INC: $1,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetDUPAGE HABITAT FOR HUMANITY: $1,470 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetEDENS COMMUNITY ENRICHMENT FOUNDATION: $1,250 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetELMHURST UNIVERSITY: $1,250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetEdward Foundation: $1,100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDUPAGE PADS INC: $900 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCHARLESTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA LEAGUE INC: $850 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetLOWCOUNTRY LAND TRUST INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetILLINOIS ASSOCIATION OF THE DEAF: $500 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetSouth Carolina Aquarium: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBLOOD CANCER UNITED INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLoving Luca Foundation: $450 over 1y, 3.7% of budgetOPERATION SUPPORT OUR TROOPS - AMERICA INC: $450 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCHILDHOOD LEUKEMIA WARRIORS FOUNDATION: $382 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetWEST SUBURBAN COMMUNITY PANTRY INC: $350 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSwim Across America Inc: $200 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMULTIPLE SCLEROSIS FOUNDATION INC: $100 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.

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.

Coastal Community Fou…Kelly Family Foundati…The Joanna FoundationGeorge R & Janet E De…Beyond Our Gates Foun…The Dupage Community …Exchange Club Charita…Henry & Sylvia Yaschi…Arthur J Gallagher Fo…The Walter S & Lucien…The Gloria and Joseph…Kiawah Cares Foundati…
Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina IncSC28.9× affinity12 shared granteesties to 8 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina Inc · Kelly Family Foundation · The Joanna Foundation · George R & Janet E Desko Charitable Foundation · Beyond Our Gates Foundation of Kiawah & Seabrook · The Dupage Community Foundation · Exchange Club Charitable Organization · Henry & Sylvia Yaschik Foundation Inc · Arthur J Gallagher Foundation · The Walter S & Lucienne B Driskill Foundation · The Gloria and Joseph Bauer Foundation · Kiawah Cares 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 Tara Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Tara Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 20%0%1%3%5%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
    2get 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.

    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 82 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 Tara’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