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The Hearthland Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Hearthland Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$27M
Granted FY2024still arriving
91
Grants FY2024still arriving
26
States reached
$2.0M
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Arts & Culture$23MPublic Benefit$18MReligion$17MEducation$9.7MCrime & Legal$6.3MCivil Rights$6.2MPhilanthropy$5.3MEnvironment$5.1MOther$0
02FY2024 · 91 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k3 grants · $3k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $25k
  • $50k–250k42 grants · $5.2M
  • $250k+45 grants · $22M
$225,000
Median grant
26
States reached
$513M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
CHILDRENS HOSPITAL OF LOS ANGELES$2,000,000
THE STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM$1,675,000
AMERICAN EXCHANGE PROJECT INC$1,250,000
REWILD$1,000,000
THE BARACK OBAMA FOUNDATION$1,000,000
ETERNAL SEEDS INC$1,000,000
AMERICAN EXCHANGE PROJECT INC$750,000
GROUNDTRUTH PROJECT INC$750,000
FACING HISTORY AND OURSELVES$500,000
SOLUTIONS JOURNALISM NETWORK$500,000
MORE PERFECT UNION FOUNDATION$500,000
PROPUBLICA INC$500,000
WORKMONEY FOUNDATION INC$500,000
LIBERATION VENTURES INC$500,000
ON BEING PROJECT$500,000
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 (FY17–24, $6.0M) land where the poverty rate runs at 16%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 93% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%THE LINK: $50k → 11%SPORTS ACADEMY FOUNDATION (MAMBA & MAMBACITA SPORTS FOUNDATION): $25k → 10%WORKMONEY FOUNDATION INC: $500k → 17%FREEDOM READS: $250k → 12%MOUNTAIN PLAINS YOUTH WORKS: $50k → 10%CENTER FOR RURAL STRATEGIES INC: $200k → 29%THE LINK: $50k → 11%TRANSLASH MEDIA INC: $200k → 20%WORKMONEY FOUNDATION INC: $500k → 17%FREEDOM READS: $250k → 12%THE NIGHT MINISTRY: $50k → 14%MOUNTAIN-PLAINS YOUTH SERVICES COALITION: $50k → 10%CENTER FOR RURAL STRATEGIES INC: $102k → 29%THE LINK: $50k → 11%TRANSLASH MEDIA INC: $200k → 20%WORKMONEY FOUNDATION INC: $500k → 17%FREEDOM READS: $100k → 12%NIGHT MINISTRY: $50k → 14%MOUNTAIN-PLAINS YOUTH SERVICES COALITION: $50k → 10%CENTER FOR RURAL STRATEGIES: $100k → 29%LARKIN STREET YOUTH SERVICES: $50k → 10%NIGHT MINISTRY: $50k → 14%LARKIN STREET YOUTH SERVICES: $50k → 10%LARKIN STREET YOUTH SERVICES: $50k → 10%TIDES CENTER: $300k → 10%TIDES CENTER: $250k → 10%WESTSIDE CHILDREN'S CENTER INC: $25k → 14%WESTSIDE CHILDREN'S CENTER INC: $25k → 14%ALLIES FOR EVERY CHILD: $25k → 14%WESTSIDE CHILDREN'S CENTER INC: $25k → 14%FRIENDS OF GEORGICA POND FOUNDATION INC: $25k → 7%TIDES CENTER: $35k → 14%FRIENDS OF GEORGICA POND FOUNDATION INC: $25k → 7%FRIENDS OF GEORGICA POND FOUNDATION INC: $25k → 7%TIDES CENTER: $33k → 14%FRIENDS OF GEORGICA POND FOUNDATION INC: $25k → 7%TIDES CENTER: $33k → 14%MORE IN COMMON INC: $225k → 17%MORE IN COMMON INC: $200k → 17%MORE IN COMMON INC: $100k → 17%MOTION PICTURE AND TELEVISION FUND: $100k → 14%MOTION PICTURE AND TELEVISION FUND: $100k → 14%HENRY STREET SETTLEMENT: $100k → 17%INTERNATIONAL REFUGEE ASSISTANCE PROJECT INC: $150k → 17%INTERNATIONAL REFUGEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: $50k → 17%JOYFUL HEART FOUNDATION: $50k → 17%PARA LOS NINOS: $100k → 14%PARA LOS NINOS: $100k → 14%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

NH
WA
ND
MN
IL
WI
MI
NY
MA
OR
SD
IA
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
UT
CO
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
AZ
KS
AR
TN
NC
DC
LA
AL
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.

78%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$80M · 135 repeat orgs$23M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +33% since the first grant, against +24% for those funded once.

135 repeat relationships: 41 still active in FY2024, 94 since wound down; 34 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

135
159

Total granted

$80M
$11M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+33%
+24%

Still filing today

86%
75%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 54% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $12M went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
Arts & CultureHuman ServicesCivil RightsEducationHealthCrime & LegalOther
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

  • TR
    THE RIGHTEOUS PERSONS FOUNDATION
    6× · 2017–2022 · $16M · revenue +131% · 100% of their budget
  • THE BARACK OBAMA FOUNDATION
    7× · 2018–2024 · $11M · revenue +27%
  • TA
    THE AMERICAN EXCHANGE PROJECT INC
    3× · 2022–2024 · $4.1M · revenue +793%

Funded once

  • SH
    SAG HARBOR CINEMA ARTS CENTER INC CO SUSAN MEAD
    one grant, 2019 · $1.0M · revenue -66%
  • TM
    THE MAYOR'S FUND FOR LOS ANGELES
    one grant, 2020 · $500k · revenue -89%
  • SH
    SAG HARBOR PARTNERSHIP INC
    one grant, 2017 · $500k · revenue -97%
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
Academy of Television Arts and Sciences

The Television Academy is dedicated to celebrating excellence, innovation and the advancement of the telecommunications arts and sciences through recognition, education and leadership, while fostering a diverse, inclusive and accessible…

—
2
Npr Foundation

The npr foundation ("foundation") is organized and operated exclusively for the benefit of its sole supported organization, national public radio, inc. ("npr inc."). the foundation supports npr inc. through various activities such as…

—
3
United States Naval Institute

Provide an independent forum for those who dare to read, think, speak, and write to advance the professional, literary, and scientific understanding of sea power and other issues critical to global security.

—
4
Open Markets Institute

The open markets institute works to help people relearn how to use competition policy to build stronger democracies, more just and equitable societies, more innovative and sustainable economies, and a more secure and peaceful world.

Education
5
American Association for the Advancement of Science

Advance science, engineering, and innovation throughout the world for the benefit of all. the world's largest multidisciplinary scientific society and a leading publisher of cutting-edge research through its science family of journals,…

Science & Tech
6
The Paris Review Foundation Inc

The mission of the organization is to foster the development of creative individuals as writers and artists and to promote public appreciation of excellence in the literary and graphic arts by publishing a magazine containing fiction,…

Education
7
The Union of Concerned Scientists Inc

The union of concerned scientists puts rigorous, independent science into action, developing solutions and advocating for a healthy, safe, and just future.

International
8
American Gas Association

American gas association's (the association) mission is to develop and advocate for informed, innovative, and durable policy that fulfills our nation's energy needs, environmental aspirations and economic potential. we are committed to…

—
9
America's Newspapers

Providing research, education and practical information all aimed at optimizing newspapers' business operations, deepening their community engagement and enhancing the quality of their journalism.

Employment
10
American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research

The american enterprise institute is a community of scholars and supporters committed to expanding liberty, increasing individual opportunity, and strengthening free enterprise. aei pursues these ideals through independent thinking and the…

Social Science
11
American Civil Liberties Union Fund of the District of Columbia

Preservation of civil liberties through litigation and public education.

—
12
University of New Haven

The University of New Haven is a student-centered comprehensive university with an emphasis on excellence in liberal arts and professional education. Our mission is to prepare our students to lead purposeful and fulfilling lives in a…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is One Fair Wage Inc; the most unlike its peers is Institute for Media Analysis Inc. 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

290 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

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 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 290 of the 346 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.

5
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
51
Early backer (in before they grew)
284/290
Grantees still filing
187/290
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

THE RIGHTEOUS PERSONS FOUNDATION: $15,552,966 · OtherTHE RIGHTEOUS PERSONS FOUNDATIONNATIONAL WOMEN'S LAW CENTER: $2,000,000 · OtherChildren's Hospital Los Angeles: $2,000,000 · OtherREWILD: $2,837,000 · OtherREWILD+96 more: $24,832,834 · Other+96 moreTHE BARACK OBAMA FOUNDATION: $11,025,000 · Arts & CultureTHE BARACK OBAMA FOUNDATIONTHE STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM: $1,675,000 · Arts & CultureTHE STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEMSTORYCORPS INC: $1,516,000 · Arts & CultureSTORYCORPS INCETERNAL SEEDS INC: $1,250,000 · Arts & CultureUTAH FILM CENTER: $1,130,000 · Arts & CultureSAG HARBOR CINEMA ARTS CENTER INC CO SUSAN MEAD: $1,000,000 · Arts & CultureFACING HISTORY & OURSELVES INC: $1,000,000 · Arts & CultureGEFFEN PLAYHOUSE INC: $970,000 · Arts & Culture+33 more: $8,111,950 · Arts & Culture+33 moreFIRELIGHT MEDIA INC: $2,000,000 · Civil RightsEQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE: $1,663,500 · Civil RightsMORE PERFECT UNION FOUNDATION: $500,000 · Civil RightsLIBERATION VENTURES INC: $500,000 · Civil RightsBVM CAPACITY BUILDING INSTITUTE INC: $400,000 · Civil RightsVOTEORG: $380,000 · Civil RightsCOLOR OF CHANGEORG EDUCATION FUND: $321,250 · Civil RightsMOTHERING JUSTICE: $315,000 · Civil Rights+13 more: $2,150,000 · Civil RightsTHE AMERICAN EXCHANGE PROJECT INC: $4,075,000 · EducationJUILLIARD SCHOOL: $1,100,000 · EducationSOLUTIONS JOURNALISM NETWORK INC: $1,000,000 · EducationWe the People MI: $350,000 · EducationPINE RIDGE GIRLS SCHOOL INC: $273,000 · Education+7 more: $1,044,750 · EducationWORKMONEY FOUNDATION INC: $1,500,000 · Human ServicesTIDES CENTER: $676,000 · Human ServicesFREEDOM READS INC: $600,000 · Human ServicesMORE IN COMMON INC: $525,000 · Human ServicesTHE CENTER FOR RURAL STRATEGIES INC: $402,000 · Human ServicesTranslash Media Inc: $400,000 · Human ServicesMOTION PICTURE AND TELEVISION FUND: $225,000 · Human ServicesINTERNATIONAL REFUGEE ASSISTANCE PROJECT INC: $200,000 · Human ServicesPARA LOS NINOS: $200,000 · Human Services+9 more: $1,115,000 · Human ServicesHUMAN RIGHTS WATCH INC: $2,000,000 · InternationalWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $1,200,000 · InternationalPOLARIS PROJECT: $500,000 · InternationalSave The Children Federation Inc: $482,544 · International+1 more: $100,000 · InternationalON BEING PROJECT: $3,850,000 · Public BenefitCITIZEN UNIVERSITY: $200,000 · Public BenefitRURAL DIGITAL YOUTH RESILIENCY PROJECT: $200,000 · Public Benefit
Other$47,222,800Arts & Culture$27,677,950Civil Rights$8,229,750Education$7,842,750Human Services$5,843,000International$4,282,544Public Benefit$4,250,000

Showing the 200 largest grantees by grant value.

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 budgetTHE RIGHTEOUS PERSONS FOUNDATION: $15,552,966 over 6y, 100% of budgetTHE BARACK OBAMA FOUNDATION: $11,025,000 over 7y, 1.4% of budgetTHE AMERICAN EXCHANGE PROJECT INC: $4,075,000 over 3y, 24% of budgetON BEING PROJECT: $3,850,000 over 6y, 44% of budgetREWILD: $2,837,000 over 3y, 1.9% of budgetFIRELIGHT MEDIA INC: $2,000,000 over 4y, 9.9% of budgetNATIONAL WOMEN'S LAW CENTER: $2,000,000 over 3y, 3.4% of budgetHUMAN RIGHTS WATCH INC: $2,000,000 over 6y, 0.8% of budgetChildren's Hospital Los Angeles: $2,000,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM: $1,675,000 over 1y, 3.9% of budgetEQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE: $1,663,500 over 7y, 0.7% of budgetSTORYCORPS INC: $1,516,000 over 3y, 4.1% of budgetROCKEFELLER PHILANTHROPY ADVISORS INC: $1,500,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetWORKMONEY FOUNDATION INC: $1,500,000 over 3y, 15% of budgetETERNAL SEEDS INC: $1,250,000 over 1y, 59% of budgetCITY YEAR INC: $1,200,000 over 5y, 0.3% of budgetWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $1,200,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetUTAH FILM CENTER: $1,130,000 over 3y, 2.7% of budgetJUILLIARD SCHOOL: $1,100,000 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetSAG HARBOR CINEMA ARTS CENTER INC CO SUSAN MEAD: $1,000,000 over 1y, 6.8% of budgetFACING HISTORY & OURSELVES INC: $1,000,000 over 2y, 1.9% of budgetSOLUTIONS JOURNALISM NETWORK INC: $1,000,000 over 3y, 5.7% of budgetGEFFEN PLAYHOUSE INC: $970,000 over 8y, 1.8% of budgetNEW VENTURE FUND: $960,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetSMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION: $887,500 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetTHE GROUNDTRUTH PROJECT INC: $850,000 over 2y, 4.7% of budgetTIDES FOUNDATION: $760,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetART AND ADVOCACY SOCIETY: $725,000 over 2y, 12% of budgetTIDES CENTER: $676,000 over 5y, 0.2% of budgetHOPEWELL FUND: $650,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetSANDY HOOK PROMISE FOUNDATION: $600,000 over 6y, 1.0% of budgetFREEDOM READS INC: $600,000 over 3y, 6.9% of budgetPRO PUBLICA INC: $575,000 over 2y, 0.8% of budgetMORE IN COMMON INC: $525,000 over 3y, 8.5% of budgetLOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC ASSOCIATION: $500,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetMORE PERFECT UNION FOUNDATION: $500,000 over 1y, 6.1% of budgetPEOPLE'S ACTION INSTITUTE: $500,000 over 2y, 1.4% of budgetTHE MAYOR'S FUND FOR LOS ANGELES: $500,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetPOLARIS PROJECT: $500,000 over 4y, 1.6% of budgetLIBERATION VENTURES INC: $500,000 over 1y, 13% of budgetSAG HARBOR PARTNERSHIP INC: $500,000 over 1y, 6.6% of budgetWINDWARD FUND: $500,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetJEWISH COUNCIL FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS INC: $500,000 over 1y, 24% of budgetSave The Children Federation Inc: $482,544 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetUtah Dine Bikeyah: $435,000 over 2y, 23% of budgetTHE CENTER FOR RURAL STRATEGIES INC: $402,000 over 3y, 6.0% of budgetEQUIS INSTITUTE: $401,000 over 1y, 3.3% of budgetTranslash Media Inc: $400,000 over 2y, 8.0% 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.

The Ford FoundationCalifornia Community …The Annenberg Foundat…The Ahmanson Foundati…The Ralph M Parsons F…Amalgamated Charitabl…Weingart FoundationRockefeller Philanthr…Silicon Valley Commun…Tides FoundationThe Katie McGrath & J…Conrad N Hilton Found…
The Ford FoundationNY46.5× affinity40 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Ford Foundation · California Community Foundation · The Annenberg Foundation · The Ahmanson Foundation · The Ralph M Parsons Foundation · Amalgamated Charitable Foundation Inc · Weingart Foundation · Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Inc · Silicon Valley Community Foundation · Tides Foundation · The Katie McGrath & Jj Abrams Family Foundation · Conrad N Hilton 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 Hearthland Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Hearthland Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 60%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 2%
  • Save the Children Federation Inc: 30% of income from government
  • Freedom Reads Inc: 12% of income from government
  • Thread Inc: 12% of income from government
  • City Year Inc: 11% of income from government
  • President and Fellows of Harvard College: 7% of income from government
  • Artists for Humanity Inc: 2% of income from government
  • Portland Art Museum: 1% of income from government
  • Norman Rockwell Museum at Stockbridge Inc: 1% of income from government
  • Monmouth University Inc: 0% of income from government
  • Sandy Hook Promise Foundation: 0% of income from government
  • Americares Foundation Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
6get no government money at all
50report 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.
05Through Plinth

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to The Hearthland Foundation?

Find your warmest path to The Hearthland Foundation 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 346 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 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Hearthland’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