Skip to content
The Hawkins Project at a glanceMostly funded, not a grantmaker: see who funds it →

· Public charity

The Hawkins Project

THE HAWKINS PROJECT encourages curiosity, awakens joy, and celebrates individuality.

$252k
Granted FY2024still arriving
11
Grants FY2024still arriving
9
States reached
$121k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0197% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2019 to 2024.

Arts & Culture$641kEducation$548kYouth Development$147kInternational$35kCivil Rights$25kHuman Services$15kOther$0
02FY2024 · 11 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 11 grants below total $230,640, the rows itemized in this filing. The $251,659 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $21,019 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2024

  • $10k–50k10 grants · $110k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $121k
$10,000
Median grant
9
States reached
$579k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
MCSWEENEYS LITERARY ARTS FUND$120,640
826 MSP$15,000
826 NOLA$15,000
826 VALENCIA$10,000
YOUNG AUTHORS GREENHOUSE$10,000
826 LA$10,000
826 MICHIGAN$10,000
RICHMOND YOUNG WRITERS$10,000
826 NYC$10,000
826 BOSTON$10,000
826 DC$10,000
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:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY19–24) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 12%. 42% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants spread fairly evenly across need levels.

area typical 12%826 BOSTON: $16k → 16%826 MSP: $26k → 11%MISSOULA CREATIVE WRITING CENTER: $15k → 9%REFUGEE EYE: $10k → 10%MCSWEENEYS LITERARY ARTS FUND: $125k → 10%826 LA: $25k → 14%826 NYC: $16k → 20%826 DC: $26k → 14%826 MICHIGAN: $26k → 14%LAKE ERIE INK: $15k → 17%826 CHICAGO: $20k → 14%RICHMOND YOUNG WRITERS: $20k → 22%826 NOLA: $16k → 23%YOUNG AUTHORS GREENHOUSE: $32k → 15%CHOOSE YOURSELF: $45k → 7%826 BOSTON: $11k → 16%826 MSP: $16k → 11%REFUGEE EYE: $10k → 10%MCSWEENEYS LITERARY ARTS FUND: $121k → 10%826 LA: $16k → 14%826 NYC: $16k → 20%826 DC: $16k → 14%826 MICHIGAN: $20k → 14%826 CHICAGO: $16k → 14%RICHMOND YOUNG WRITERS: $10k → 22%826 NOLA: $16k → 23%YOUNG AUTHORS GREENHOUSE: $21k → 15%CHOOSE YOURSELF: $35k → 7%826 BOSTON: $10k → 16%826 MSP: $15k → 11%MCSWEENEYS LITERARY ARTS FUND: $120k → 10%826 LA: $10k → 14%826 NYC: $11k → 20%826 DC: $16k → 14%826 MICHIGAN: $16k → 14%826 CHICAGO: $16k → 14%RICHMOND YOUNG WRITERS: $10k → 22%826 NOLA: $15k → 23%YOUNG AUTHORS GREENHOUSE: $13k → 15%826 BOSTON: $10k → 16%826 MSP: $10k → 11%CHAPTER 510: $10k → 10%MCSWEENEYS LITERARY ARTS FUND: $64k → 10%826 CHICAGO: $11k → 14%MCSWEENEYS LITERARY ARTS FUND: $60k → 10%VADF: $20k → 10%VOICE OF WITNESS: $15k → 10%VADF: $15k → 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

ME
MT
MN
IL
MI
NY
MA
OH
CA
KY
VA
DC
LA
GA
TX
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.

95%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.4M · 18 repeat orgs$69k to everyone else

18 repeat relationships: 11 still active in FY2024, 7 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

18
6

Total granted

$1.4M
$69k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+11%
+67%

Still filing today

83%
83%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 went to new ones.

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

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

’19’20’21’22’23’24
EducationArts & CultureYouth DevelopmentInternationalCivil RightsHuman ServicesOther
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

  • ML
    MCSWEENEY'S LITERARY ARTS FUND
    5× · 2020–2024 · $490k · revenue +170%
  • 8I
    826DC INC
    5× · 2020–2024 · $78k · revenue +46%
  • 8M
    826 MSP
    5× · 2019–2024 · $77k · revenue +61%

Funded once

  • KW
    KIDS WRITE GOOD
    one grant, 2022 · $15k · revenue -4%
  • MW
    MISSOULA WRITING COLLABORATIVE
    one grant, 2022 · $15k · revenue -14%
  • LE
    LAKE ERIE INKgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $15k · revenue +67%
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
826 National Inc

826 is the largest youth writing network in the country. 826 National serves as the hub of the movement to amplify student voices and champions the belief that strong writing skills are essential for lifelong success. Founded in 2002, the…

Education
2
LitShop

LitShop provides after-school and summer programming that pairs engaging literacy opportunities with building and making. By intentionally creating a supportive space where girls and gender-expansive youth can take risks, explore…

Education
3
Write the World Inc

Write the world is a global online writing community that empowers teenagers to become stronger and more confident writers, critical thinkers, and engaged global citizens. by offering free access to daily writing prompts, monthly writing…

Education
4
Writing By Writers

To create a rigorous, compassionate and inclusive environment to learn the art of reading and writing from accomplished authors.

Education
5
Uptown Stories Inc

The organizations mission is to empower young people in upper manhattan to write their own stories.

Education
6
The Writer's Block Ink Inc

To arm young voices with the power of pen and prose, reinforcing teamwork, accountability, and responsibility, igniting social change on the page and stage.

Arts & Culture
7
Writers in the Schools

The mission of Writers in the Schools (WITS) is to connect children and youth with professional writers and spoken word artists to unlock the joy and power of storytelling and creative expression.

Education
8
Mighty Writers

The mission of mighty writers is to teach kids to think clearly and write with clarity so they can achieve success in work and in life. mighty writers provides free year-round writing programs for over 3,500 students each year.

Education
9
WriteBoston Inc

See Statement O for description of programs and services.

Education
10
IWRITE

At iWrite, we embrace both sides of literacy, focusing on the importance of being a reader and a writer at a young age.

Education
11
Writers Matter

Writers Matter serves public school students and teachers to provide curriculum and training to improve critical writing thinking of students.

Education
12
J3 Foundation
Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is 826DC Inc; the most unlike its peers is Richmond Young Writers. 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

21 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. 21 of the 24 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)
7
Early backer (in before they grew)
20/21
Grantees still filing
12/21
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

YOUNG AUTHORS GREENHOUSE INC: $84,250 · EducationYOUNG AUTHORS GREENHOUSE INC826 MSP: $77,025 · Education826 MSP826 NEW ORLEANS: $67,000 · Education826 NEW ORLEANS826CHI INC: $63,000 · Education826CHI INC826NYC Inc: $62,979 · Education826NYC Inc826 Valencia: $61,000 · Education826 Valencia826LA: $61,000 · Education826LA826 BOSTON INC: $47,045 · Education826 BOSTON INCSCHOLARMATCH INC: $20,000 · Education+1 more: $7,000 · EducationMCSWEENEY'S LITERARY ARTS FUND: $489,531 · Arts & CultureMCSWEENEY'S LITERARY ARTS FUNDChapter 510 Ink: $30,000 · Arts & CultureChapter 510 Ink+2 more: $22,000 · Arts & CultureCHOOSE YOURSELF: $80,000 · OtherCHOOSE YOURSELF826 MICHIGAN INC: $72,034 · Other826 MICHIGAN INCRichmond Young Writers: $40,000 · OtherRichmond Young Wr…REFUGEE EYE: $29,000 · OtherREFUGEE EYEVALENTINO ACHAK DENG: $10,000 · Other826DC INC: $78,000 · Youth DevelopmentLAKE ERIE INK: $15,000 · Youth DevelopmentVALENTINO ACHAK DENG FOUNDATION: $35,000 · InternationalVOICE OF WITNESS A NONPROFIT PUBLIC BENEFIT CORPORATION: $25,000 · Civil RightsKIDS WRITE GOOD: $15,000 · Human Services
Education$550,299Arts & Culture$541,531Other$231,034Youth Development$93,000International$35,000Civil Rights$25,000Human Services$15,000

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

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetMCSWEENEY'S LITERARY ARTS FUND: $489,531 over 5y, 12% of budgetYOUNG AUTHORS GREENHOUSE INC: $84,250 over 5y, 13% of budget826DC INC: $78,000 over 5y, 3.9% of budget826 MSP: $77,025 over 5y, 3.2% of budget826 MICHIGAN INC: $72,034 over 4y, 3.1% of budget826 NEW ORLEANS: $67,000 over 5y, 4.0% of budget826CHI INC: $63,000 over 4y, 3.6% of budget826NYC Inc: $62,979 over 5y, 2.1% of budget826 Valencia: $61,000 over 4y, 0.5% of budget826LA: $61,000 over 4y, 1.1% of budget826 BOSTON INC: $47,045 over 4y, 0.6% of budgetVALENTINO ACHAK DENG FOUNDATION: $35,000 over 2y, 7.9% of budgetChapter 510 Ink: $30,000 over 3y, 1.7% of budgetVOICE OF WITNESS A NONPROFIT PUBLIC BENEFIT CORPORATION: $25,000 over 2y, 1.5% of budgetSCHOLARMATCH INC: $20,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetKIDS WRITE GOOD: $15,000 over 1y, 4.2% of budgetMISSOULA WRITING COLLABORATIVE: $15,000 over 1y, 3.9% of budgetLAKE ERIE INK: $15,000 over 1y, 3.8% of budgetDEEP CENTER INCORPORATED: $7,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetREAD AND WRITE KALAMAZOO: $7,000 over 1y, 2.7% 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.

The Apatow-Mann Famil…826 National IncThe Poetry FoundationDollar General Litera…The Robert Wood Johns…The San Francisco Fou…Mightycause Charitabl…Gs Donor Advised Phil…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…National Philanthropi…The Blackbaud Giving …Vanguard Charitable E…
The Apatow-Mann Family Foundation IncCA20× affinity7 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Apatow-Mann Family Foundation Inc · 826 National Inc · The Poetry Foundation · Dollar General Literacy Foundation · The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation · The San Francisco Foundation · Mightycause Charitable Foundation · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · National Philanthropic Trust · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program

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

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%1%4%8%15%funder's share of their income ↑0%6%13%19%25%share of the org’s income from government →median 3%
  • 826 Boston Inc: 3% of 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 · 0–25%
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 The Hawkins Project?

Find your warmest path to The Hawkins Project 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 24 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 e-file return for fiscal year 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Hawkins Project’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