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· Private foundation

The Belk 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.

$2.1M
Granted FY2025still arriving
40
Grants FY2025still arriving
4
States reached
$150k
Largest
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2019 to 2025.

Education$10MPhilanthropy$1.3MHuman Services$1.2MYouth Development$858kHealth$257kPublic Benefit$194kEmployment$135kHousing & Shelter$120kOther$0
02FY2025 · 40 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k2 grants · $10k
  • $10k–50k17 grants · $507k
  • $50k–250k21 grants · $1.6M
$50,000
Median grant
4
States reached
$43M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
FOUNDATION FOR THE CAROLINAS$150,000
CMS FOUNDATION (NBCT & TLP)$125,000
FOUNDATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA CHARLOTTE (TUTORING)$122,439
EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC$120,462
TEACH FOR AMERICA INC$100,000
HEART MATH TUTORING INC$100,000
INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF METROLINA INC$80,000
YMCA OF GREATER CHARLOTTE$75,000
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHARLOTTE$72,018
NATIONAL BLACK CHILD DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE-CAROLINAS$68,000
URBANPROMISE CHARLOTTE$65,000
COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS OF CHARLOTTE-MECKLENBURG INC$60,000
NATIONAL COUNCIL ON TEACHER QUALITY$50,000
AUGUSTINE LITERACY PROJECT-CHARLOTTE$50,000
CMS FOUNDATION (TEACHER INNOVATION)$50,000
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 (FY19–25, $675k) land where the poverty rate runs at 10%, 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%YMCA of Greater Charlotte: $75k → 10%YMCA of Greater Charlotte: $75k → 10%YMCA OF GREATER CHARLOTTE: $75k → 10%YMCA OF GREATER CHARLOTTE: $75k → 10%YMCA OF GREATER CHARLOTTE: $75k → 10%OURBRIDGE INC: $50k → 10%OURBRIDGE INC: $50k → 10%OURBRIDGE: $50k → 10%OURBRIDGE INC: $35k → 10%OURBRIDGE: $35k → 10%ourBRIDGE Inc: $35k → 10%OurBRIDGE Inc: $30k → 10%ourBRIDGE Inc: $10k → 10%ourBRIDGE Inc: $5k → 10%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

NY
CA
VA
NC
DC
LA
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.
04

Where the work is directed

The same grants placed two ways: where each recipient sits, and where its stated purpose sends the money.

About 7% of The Belk Foundation’s grant dollars are earmarked for a different county than the recipient’s own address. By recipient address, 91% of the giving stays in NC; by stated purpose, 84%.

The Belk Foundationlessmore of its giving
Placed by recipient address · 11% directed abroad (not shown)
How this is measured
Recipient view: each grant at its grantee’s ZIP, mapped to a county. Directed view: each grant at the county its stated purpose names, falling back to the recipient’s county when the purpose names no place; US grants only. A county shows only if it carries the top 95% of that view’s dollars. Purposes are read from the funder’s own 990 grant descriptions.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

83%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$11M · 51 repeat orgs$2.2M to everyone else

51 repeat relationships: 22 still active in FY2025, 29 since wound down; 14 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

51
33

Total granted

$11M
$1.5M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+26%
+41%

Still filing today

63%
36%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 61% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $758k went to new ones.

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

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

’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
EducationYouth DevelopmentHuman ServicesHealthInternationalPublic BenefitOther
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

  • HM
    Heart Math Tutoring Inc
    7× · 2019–2025 · $510k · revenue +155%
  • UC
    UrbanPromise Charlotte
    7× · 2019–2025 · $433k · revenue +298%
  • CF
    CMS FOUNDATION
    6× · 2019–2025 · $425k · revenue +26%

Funded once

  • NL
    NEW LEADERS INC
    one grant, 2019 · $150k · revenue -28%
  • NC
    North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
    one grant, 2019 · $100k
  • TI
    TNTP INC
    one grant, 2022 · $100k · revenue -5%
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
North Carolina Assoc of Educators Inc

To advocate for members and students, to enhance the education profession, and to advance public education.

—
2
North Carolina Council On Economic Education Inc

The nccee provides economic and financial education for educators and students throughout north carolina. this mission is accomplished through standards based workshops and a variety of resources for educators, academic competitions for…

Social Science
3
Junior Achievement of Central Carolinas Inc

Junior achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to educating private and public school students in grades k-12 about entrepreneurship, workforce readiness, and financial literacy, through experiential, hands-on programs.

International
4
North Carolina Foundation for Public School Children

To provide basic necessities for public school children as well as improving parenting skills in order for the children to be successful in school and to expand professional development opportunities for educators.

Philanthropy
5
North Carolina Association of School Administrators

To support public school adminisrators in north carolina through services in communications, professional development, and public policy.

Community Improvement
6
Carolina Charter Academy

Operation of a public charter school.

Education
7
The National Center on Education and the Economy

The Center is dedicated to providing tools the nation needs to lead the world in education & training in a swiftly globalizing world economy.

Public Benefit
8
Sparknc

Sparknc empowers students to discover careers in high-tech fields like cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and machine learning, software development and computer systems engineering. we help schools move away from traditional classes…

Education
9
North Carolina Charter Educational Foundation Inc

North carolina charter educational foundation is a north carolina not-for-profit entity organized exclusively for educational purposes. the foundation is comprised of respected leaders in the state of north carolina who are committed to…

Education
10
Communities in Schools of North Carolina Inc

Cisnc's mission is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. cisnc serves as the backbone for its statewide network of 20 independent nonprofit organizations that serve local…

Human Services
11
Great Schools Nc

Great schools north carolina (gsnc) was founded to remove barriers to success for both existing and new public charter schools across the state. gsnc supports leaders with strategic funding and collaborative partnerships to increase access…

Education
12
North Carolina Association of Independent Schools

NCAIS promotes educational excellence and empowers member schools to thrive in pursuit of their missions. Our core commitments are to provide leading-edge educational opportunities communities of colleagues guidance in school leadership…

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is North Carolina Education Corps; the most unlike its peers is Black Child Development Institute-Carolinas. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
05the grantee network

53 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. 53 of the 99 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.

3
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
14
Early backer (in before they grew)
52/53
Grantees still filing
28/53
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Teach for America Inc: $700,000 · EducationTeach for America IncHeart Math Tutoring Inc: $510,000 · EducationHeart Math Tutoring IncNORTH CAROLINA BUSINESS LEADERS FOR EDUC: $471,000 · EducationNORTH CAROLINA BUSINESS LEADERS FOR EDUCCMS FOUNDATION: $425,000 · EducationCMS FOUNDATIONTHE HELPS EDUCATION FUND INC: $402,500 · EducationTHE HELPS EDUCATION FUND INCAugustine Literacy Project - Charlotte: $275,000 · EducationNORTH CAROLINA ALLIANCE FOR SCHOOL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT: $253,000 · EducationQueens University of Charlotte: $235,000 · EducationBOARD OF CONTROL FOR SOUTHERN REGIONAL EDUCATION: $231,650 · EducationLATINX EDUCATION CENTER: $200,000 · EducationNATIONAL COUNCIL ON TEACHER QUALITY INC: $200,000 · Education+20 more: $2,050,554 · Education+20 moreUNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL: $447,209 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL …FOUNDATION FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHARLOTTE INC (TUTORING): $297,854 · OtherFOUNDATION FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH …NATIONAL BLACK CHILD DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE - CHARLOTTE: $242,660 · OtherFOUNDATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHARLOTTE: $237,951 · OtherThe Fdn for the University of NC at Charlotte Inc: $225,824 · OtherNORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY: $223,121 · OtherCMS FOUNDATION (TEACHER RESIDENCY): $175,000 · OtherNORTH CAROLINA BUSINESS LEADERS FOR EDUCATION BEST NC: $175,000 · OtherNORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY (TURNAROUND): $172,443 · Other+49 more: $2,821,152 · Other+49 moreFOUNDATION FOR THE CAROLINAS: $1,302,130 · PhilanthropyFOUNDATION…+1 more: $21,500 · PhilanthropyUrbanPromise Charlotte: $432,500 · Youth DevelopmentPROFOUND GENTLEMEN INC: $365,000 · Youth DevelopmentFreedom School Partners Inc: $150,000 · Youth DevelopmentYOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF GREATER CHARLOTTE: $375,000 · Human ServicesourBRIDGE Inc: $300,000 · Human ServicesInternational House of Metrolina Inc: $397,340 · InternationalCharlotte Speech and Hearing Center Inc: $202,500 · Health+1 more: $5,000 · Health
Education$5,953,704Other$5,018,214Philanthropy$1,323,630Youth Development$947,500Human Services$675,000International$397,340Health$207,500

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 budgetFOUNDATION FOR THE CAROLINAS: $1,302,130 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetTeach for America Inc: $700,000 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetHeart Math Tutoring Inc: $510,000 over 7y, 4.3% of budgetNORTH CAROLINA BUSINESS LEADERS FOR EDUC: $471,000 over 5y, 18% of budgetUrbanPromise Charlotte: $432,500 over 7y, 4.5% of budgetCMS FOUNDATION: $425,000 over 6y, 3.9% of budgetTHE HELPS EDUCATION FUND INC: $402,500 over 4y, 15% of budgetInternational House of Metrolina Inc: $397,340 over 7y, 4.9% of budgetYOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF GREATER CHARLOTTE: $375,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetPROFOUND GENTLEMEN INC: $365,000 over 5y, 4.4% of budgetourBRIDGE Inc: $300,000 over 7y, 4.7% of budgetAugustine Literacy Project - Charlotte: $275,000 over 4y, 6.0% of budgetNORTH CAROLINA ALLIANCE FOR SCHOOL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT: $253,000 over 4y, 12% of budgetFOUNDATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHARLOTTE: $237,951 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetQueens University of Charlotte: $235,000 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetBOARD OF CONTROL FOR SOUTHERN REGIONAL EDUCATION: $231,650 over 3y, 0.5% of budgetCharlotte Speech and Hearing Center Inc: $202,500 over 7y, 1.6% of budgetLATINX EDUCATION CENTER: $200,000 over 4y, 5.3% of budgetNATIONAL COUNCIL ON TEACHER QUALITY INC: $200,000 over 4y, 2.1% of budgetPUBLIC SCHOOL FORUM OF NC INC: $182,927 over 3y, 2.6% of budgetCommunities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Inc: $180,000 over 4y, 1.2% of budgetEDUCATIONNC: $162,500 over 5y, 2.9% of budgetFOUNDATION FOR EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION INC: $160,000 over 2y, 1.0% of budgetFreedom School Partners Inc: $150,000 over 3y, 2.7% of budgetTRUESCHOOL: $150,000 over 2y, 34% of budgetNEW LEADERS INC: $150,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetDIGILEARN DIGITAL LEARNING INSTITUTE: $140,000 over 3y, 71% of budgetMYFUTURENCINC: $135,000 over 5y, 0.8% of budgetEAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC: $120,462 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetRenaissance West Community Initiative: $120,000 over 3y, 2.3% of budgetResearch Triangle Institute: $120,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetTNTP INC: $100,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetPROFOUND LADIES INC: $100,000 over 4y, 31% of budgetJAMES B HUNT JR INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP & POLICY FDN: $95,000 over 1y, 1.3% of budgetNEW AMERICA FOUNDATION: $93,609 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetNORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC: $79,165 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetNORTH CAROLINA EDUCATION CORPS: $50,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetTHE HILL CENTER INC: $50,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetEcho Foundation: $50,000 over 1y, 6.6% of budgetDeans for Impact: $50,000 over 1y, 2.7% of budgetCENTER FOR RACIAL EQUITY IN EDUCATION: $50,000 over 2y, 3.8% of budgetNORTH CAROLINA BUSINESS COMMITTEE FOR EDUCATION INC: $40,000 over 1y, 1.8% of budgetKIPP NORTH CAROLINA: $40,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetDEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION OF THE NCCAT INC: $40,000 over 1y, 12% of budgetNORTH CAROLINA EARLY CHILDHOOD FOUNDATION INC: $30,000 over 1y, 5.7% of budgetAPPALACHIAN STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetWATAUGA EDUCATION FOUNDATION INC: $25,000 over 1y, 24% of budgetUNITED WAY OF GREATER CHARLOTTE INC: $21,500 over 2y, 0.1% 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 FOUNDATION FOR THE CAROLINAS ↗
  • Who funds Teach for America Inc ↗
  • Who funds Heart Math Tutoring Inc ↗
  • Who funds NORTH CAROLINA BUSINESS LEADERS FOR EDUC ↗
  • Who funds UrbanPromise Charlotte ↗
  • Who funds CMS FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds THE HELPS EDUCATION FUND INC ↗
  • Who funds International House of Metrolina Inc ↗
  • Who funds YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF GREATER CHARLOTTE ↗
  • Who funds PROFOUND GENTLEMEN INC ↗
  • Who funds ourBRIDGE Inc ↗
  • Who funds Augustine Literacy Project - Charlotte ↗
  • Who funds NORTH CAROLINA ALLIANCE FOR SCHOOL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT ↗
  • Who funds FOUNDATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHARLOTTE ↗
  • Who funds Queens University of Charlotte ↗
  • Who funds BOARD OF CONTROL FOR SOUTHERN REGIONAL EDUCATION ↗
  • Who funds Charlotte Speech and Hearing Center Inc ↗
  • Who funds LATINX EDUCATION CENTER ↗
  • Who funds NATIONAL COUNCIL ON TEACHER QUALITY INC ↗
  • Who funds PUBLIC SCHOOL FORUM OF NC INC ↗
  • Who funds Communities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Inc ↗
  • Who funds EDUCATIONNC ↗
  • Who funds FOUNDATION FOR EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION INC ↗
  • Who funds Freedom School Partners Inc ↗
  • Who funds TRUESCHOOL ↗
  • Who funds NEW LEADERS INC ↗
  • Who funds DIGILEARN DIGITAL LEARNING INSTITUTE ↗
  • Who funds MYFUTURENCINC ↗

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.

Foundation for the CarolinasNC41.5× affinity22 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Foundation for the Carolinas · The Leon Levine Foundation · Gates Foundation · Duke Energy Foundation · United Way of Greater Charlotte Inc · The Presbyterian Hospital · Z Smith Reynolds Foundation Inc · Barnhill Family Foundation · The Goodnight Educational Foundation · Merancas Foundation Inc · Carnegie Corporation of New York · The Winston-Salem 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 The Belk Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Belk Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%5%19%42%75%funder's share of their income ↑0%23%45%68%90%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get no government money at all
    11report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–90%
    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 99 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 Belk’s filings →

    More from the funding graph