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The Good Sparrow Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Good Sparrow Foundation

Its FY2023 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$17k
Granted FY2023
3
Grants FY2023
2
States reached
$10k
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, FY2021 to 2023.

Health$41kHuman Services$29kAnimals$9kHousing & Shelter$4k
02FY2023 · 3 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2023

  • Under $10k2 grants · $7k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $10k
$4,000
Median grant
2
States reached
$382k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
BRIDGEPORT RESCUE MISSION INC$10,000
ST JUDE CHILDRENS RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC$4,000
HOUSE OF HEROES INC$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 (FY21–23, $29k) land where the poverty rate runs at 10%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 42% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants spread fairly evenly across need levels.

area typical 10%YOUTH ADVOCATE PROGRAMS INC: $5k → 12%COVENANT HOUSE: $1k → 17%SOUTHEASTERN GUIDE DOGS INC: $3k → 10%BRIDGEPORT RESCUE MISSION INC: $10k → 9%COVENANT HOUSE: $1k → 17%SOUTHEASTERN GUIDE DOGS INC: $3k → 10%BRIDGEPORT RESCUE MISSION INC: $3k → 9%BRIDGEPORT RESCUE MISSION INC: $3k → 9%BRIDGEPORT RESCUE MISSION INC: $2k → 9%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
PA
CT
CA
CO
VA
TN
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.

69%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$57k · 5 repeat orgs$26k to everyone else

5 repeat relationships: 2 still active in FY2023, 3 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2023 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

5
8

Total granted

$57k
$23k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+10%
+24%

Still filing today

100%
88%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2023, 85% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $3k went to new ones.

50%100%’21’22’23
RenewedFirst-time

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

’21’22’23
HealthHuman ServicesHousing & ShelterRecreation & 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

  • RV
    RARE VILLAGE FOUNDATION
    2× · 2021–2022 · $19k · revenue +58%
  • ST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC
    3× · 2021–2023 · $10k · revenue +74%
  • SG
    Southeastern Guide Dogs Inc
    2× · 2021–2022 · $5k · revenue +10%

Funded once

  • ORGANIZATION FOR AUTISM RESEARCH
    one grant, 2022 · $5k · revenue -7%
  • NN
    NAMI Nationalgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $5k · revenue +54%
  • YA
    YOUTH ADVOCATE PROGRAMS INCgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $5k · revenue +25%
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
Noah's Animal House Foundation

To remove the "no pets allowed" sign on the doors of domestic violence shelters. women should not have to choose between leaving their abuser and leaving their pets behind to be abused.

Animals
2
New York Genome Center Inc

Operate a state-of-the-art, world-class genomic research center that creates and uses advanced genomics to understand the genetic basis of disease. for more information, see schedule o.

Health
3
Hope for China Dogs Rescue

At Hope for China Dogs, we are committed to combating the cruel and inhumane practice of the dog meat trade in China. We believe that every dog deserves to live a life free from pain and suffering, and we are dedicated to rescuing and…

Animals
4
American Academy of Neurology

The Academy's mission is to enhance member career fulfillment and promote brain health for all.

Community Improvement
5
Alaqua Animal Refuge Inc

To be a leading advocate for all animals, to maximize the healing power animals have on the human spirit, and to provide shelter, safety, and second chances to animals in need.

Animals
6
North Shore Animal League America Inc

Since 1944, the north shore animal league america's mission has been to save the lives of pets through adoption, rescue, education, medical care, spay/neuter and advocacy.

Animals
7
Arc Research Institute

Our mission is to accelerate scientific progress, understand the root causes of disease, and narrow the gap between discoveries and impact on patients.

Health
8
The N 1 Collaborative Inc

To make individualized medicines routinely and rapidly accessible to rare disease patients worldwide.

Health
9
Nonhuman Rights Project Inc

The Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) is the only civil rights organization in The United States dedicated solely to securing fundamental rights for nonhuman animals and the leading force in building a national and global nonhuman rights…

Animals
10
City of Hope

City of Hope's mission is to make hope a reality for all touched by cancer and diabetes. PLEASE SEE SCHEDULE O FOR A CONTINUATION OF OUR MISSION

Health
11
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

The children's hospital of philadelphia, the oldest hospital in the united states dedicated exclusively to pediatrics, strives to be the world leader in the advancement of health care for children by integrating excellent patient care,…

Health
12
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc

The mission of dfci is to provide expert, compassionate, and equitable care to children, adults, and their families, while advancing the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, cure, and prevention of cancer and related diseases. we train new…

Health
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Bridgeport Rescue Mission Inc; the most unlike its peers is National Mill Dog Rescue. 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 14 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)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
13/13
Grantees still filing
11/13
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

RARE VILLAGE FOUNDATION: $18,500 · HealthRARE VILLAGE FOUNDATIONST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC: $9,750 · HealthST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INCORGANIZATION FOR AUTISM RESEARCH: $5,000 · HealthORGANIZATION FOR AUTISM RESEARCHNAMI National: $5,000 · HealthNAMI NationalCROHN'S & COLITIS FOUNDATION INC: $2,500 · HealthCROHN'S & COLITIS FOUNDATION INCBRIDGEPORT RESCUE MISSION INC: $21,500 · Human ServicesBRIDGEPORT RESCUE MISSION INCYOUTH ADVOCATE PROGRAMS INC: $5,000 · Human ServicesYOUTH ADVOCATE PROGRAMS INCSoutheastern Guide Dogs Inc: $5,000 · Human ServicesSoutheastern Guide Dogs IncCOVENANT HOUSE: $2,000 · Human ServicesCOVENANT HOUSEUNITED ANIMAL NATIONS DBA REDROVER: $2,500 · OtherHouse of Heroes Connecticut Chapter Inc: $2,500 · OtherHABITAT FOR HUMANITY INTERNATIONAL INC: $1,000 · OtherNEW REACH INC: $1,000 · Housing & ShelterNational Mill Dog Rescue: $1,000 · Recreation & Sports
Health$40,750Human Services$33,500Other$6,000Housing & Shelter$1,000Recreation & Sports$1,000

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 budgetBRIDGEPORT RESCUE MISSION INC: $21,500 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetRARE VILLAGE FOUNDATION: $18,500 over 2y, 0.6% of budgetST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC: $9,750 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetORGANIZATION FOR AUTISM RESEARCH: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetNAMI National: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetYOUTH ADVOCATE PROGRAMS INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSoutheastern Guide Dogs Inc: $5,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetUNITED ANIMAL NATIONS DBA REDROVER: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCROHN'S & COLITIS FOUNDATION INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHouse of Heroes Connecticut Chapter Inc: $2,500 over 1y, 1.6% of budgetCOVENANT HOUSE: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNEW REACH INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNational Mill Dog Rescue: $1,000 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.

National Philanthropi…Vanguard Charitable E…American Online Givin…Fidelity Investments …
National Philanthropic TrustPA9.7× affinity4 shared granteesties to 3 of 3Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: National Philanthropic Trust · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund

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 Good Sparrow Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Good Sparrow Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%15%30%45%60%share of the org’s income from government →median 49%
  • New Reach Inc: 49% of income from government
  • Southeastern Guide Dogs Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
1get no government money at all
2report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–60%
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 14 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 2023, released 2023. 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