Skip to content
The Heller Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Heller Family 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.

$88k
Granted FY2024still arriving
15
Grants FY2024still arriving
7
States reached
$25k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0199% 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$221kEducation$145kRecreation & Sports$43kPhilanthropy$33kPublic Benefit$26kHealth$24kEnvironment$18kYouth Development$17kOther$0
02FY2024 · 15 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k11 grants · $28k
  • $10k–50k4 grants · $60k
$3,500
Median grant
7
States reached
$1.0M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY$25,000
TAMPA MUSEUM OF ART$15,000
CUMBERLAND UNIVERSITY$10,000
THE ROLAND PARK COMMUNITY FOUNDATION$10,000
FUND FOR THE CITY OF NEW YORK - POWER OF TWO$5,000
FRANKLIN'S CHARGE$5,000
RISE EDUCATION FUND$5,000
THE PARTNERS PROGRAM AT COLLEGE PREP$3,500
EQUAL CHANCE FOR EDUCATION$2,500
UCSF BENIOFF CHILDREN'S HOSPITALS FOUNDATION$2,000
THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION$1,000
AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE SOCIETY$1,000
MONTCLAIR PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH$1,000
EAST BAY ASIAN YOUTH CENTER$1,000
ASIAN HEALTH SERVICES$1,000
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 10%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 44% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants spread fairly evenly across need levels.

area typical 11%LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY: $3k → 8%RISE EDUCATION FUND: $5k → 14%FUND FOR THE CITY OF NEW YORK - POWER OF TWO: $10k → 17%POWER OF TWO: $8k → 20%BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA: $2k → 14%REGISTER2VOTE FUND: $6k → 14%TAMPA MUSEUM OF ART: $15k → 13%STUDIO TENN THEATRE COMPANY: $30k → 4%CUMBERLAND UNIVERSITY: $15k → 7%PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: $25k → 11%MD LEAGUE OF CONSERVATION VOTERS EDUCATION FUND: $2k → 6%THE ROLAND PARK COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $10k → 19%FUND FOR THE CITY OF NEW YORK - POWER OF TWO: $10k → 17%STUDIO TENN THEATRE COMPANY: $25k → 4%CUMBERLAND UNIVERSITY: $10k → 7%THE LAND TRUST FOR TENNESSEE: $5k → 14%PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: $10k → 11%THE ROLAND PARK COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $10k → 19%FUND FOR CITY OF NEW YORK: $8k → 17%HERITAGE FOUNDATION: $10k → 14%HARPETH CONSERVANCY: $6k → 4%CUMBERLAND UNIVERSITY: $10k → 7%EQUAL CHANCE FOR EDUCATION: $10k → 14%WOODROW WILSON NATIONAL FELLOWSHIP FOUNDATION: $5k → 11%THE ROLAND PARK COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $10k → 19%FUND FOR THE CITY OF NEW YORK - POWER OF TWO: $8k → 17%WILLIAMSON MEDICAL CENTER: $5k → 4%CUMBERLAND UNIVERSITY: $10k → 7%EQUAL CHANCE FOR EDUCATION: $5k → 14%THE ROLAND PARK COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $10k → 19%FUND FOR THE CITY OF NEW YORK - POWER OF TWO: $5k → 17%BATTLE OF FRANKLIN TRUST INC: $39k → 4%CUMBERLAND UNIVERSITY: $10k → 7%EQUAL CHANCE FOR EDUCATION: $3k → 14%BATTLE OF FRANKLIN TRUST: $25k → 4%CUMBERLAND UNIVERSITY: $10k → 7%EQUAL CHANCE FOR EDUCATION: $3k → 14%STUDIO TENN THEATRE COMPANY: $20k → 4%ANDREW JACKSON FOUNDATION: $20k → 14%STUDIO TENN THEATRE COMPANY: $15k → 4%ANDREW JACKSON FOUNDATION: $10k → 14%MERCY COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE: $3k → 4%UCSF BENIOFF CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: $2k → 10%MONTCLAIR PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: $3k → 10%MONTCLAIR PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: $3k → 10%THE PARTNERS PROGRAM AT COLLEGE PREP: $4k → 10%THE PARTNERS PROGRAM AT COLLEGE PREP: $4k → 10%THE PARTNERS PROGRAM AT COLLEGE PREP: $3k → 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
NJ
CA
KY
VA
MD
TN
DC
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.

87%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$485k · 21 repeat orgs$72k to everyone else

21 repeat relationships: 11 still active in FY2024, 10 since wound down; 4 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

21
16

Total granted

$485k
$60k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+28%
+32%

Still filing today

81%
63%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 86% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $12k 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
Arts & CultureEducationEnvironmentHealthPhilanthropyPublic 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

  • ST
    STUDIO TENN THEATRE COMPANY
    4× · 2019–2023 · $90k · revenue +76%
  • CU
    CUMBERLAND UNIVERSITY
    6× · 2019–2024 · $65k · revenue +81%
  • BO
    BATTLE OF FRANKLIN TRUST INC
    3× · 2021–2023 · $65k · revenue +28%

Funded once

  • EVERYTOWN FOR GUN SAFETY SUPPORT FUND INC
    one grant, 2019 · $8k · revenue +10%
  • PO
    POWER OF TWO
    one grant, 2020 · $8k
  • HC
    HARPETH CONSERVANCYgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $6k · revenue +117%
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
Boston Architectural College

The bac is committed to provide excellence in design education grounded in practice and accessible to diverse communities.

—
2
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
3
Furman University

The primary mission of furman as a liberal arts institution is to provide a distinctive education in fine arts, humanities, social sciences, mathematics and the sciences, as well as selected professional disciplines.

Education
4
Augustana College

Rooted in the liberal arts & sciences & lutheran expression of the christian faith, & is committed to offering a challenging education that develops qualities of mind, spirit, & body necessary for a rewarding life of leadership & service…

Education
5
Wilson College

Wilson college empowers students to be confident and critical thinkers, creative visionaries, effective communicators, honorable leaders, and agents of justice.

Education
6
Point Park University

Provides innovative education in a dynamic urban setting. dedicated to academic excellence and community engagement,we prepare students of diverse backgrounds with the knowledge, skill,and experience to lead meaningful lives as informed…

—
7
Columbia College

Columbia college improves lives by providing quality education to both traditional and nontraditional students, helping them achieve their true potential.

Education
8
President and Fellows of Harvard College

Undergraduate, graduate, and professional education and research across a broad array of academic domains.

Education
9
Manhattanville University

To educate students to be ethical and socially responsible leaders in a global community.

Education
10
Lehigh University

The university's goal in the coming decade is to advance learning through the integration of teaching, research and service to others. the core of this goal is to prepare graduates to engage with the world and lead lives of meaning. to do…

Education
11
Northeast College of Health Sciences

Northeast college of health sciences (the college) is committed to academic excellence, leadership, and professional best practices in the health sciences.

Education
12
Gettysburg College

Gettysburg college is a residential, undergraduate college of the liberal arts and sciences.

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The Heritage Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Roland Park Community Foundation 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

32 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. 32 of the 42 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)
6
Early backer (in before they grew)
32/32
Grantees still filing
23/32
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

STUDIO TENN THEATRE COMPANY: $90,000 · Arts & CultureSTUDIO TENN THEATRE COMPANYBATTLE OF FRANKLIN TRUST INC: $64,988 · Arts & CultureBATTLE OF FRANKLIN TRUST INCANDREW JACKSON FOUNDATION FKA LADIES' HERMITAGE ASSOCIATION: $30,000 · Arts & CultureANDREW JACKSON FOUNDATION FKA LADIES' HER…TAMPA MUSEUM OF ART INC: $16,000 · Arts & CultureTAMPA MUSEUM OF ART INC+3 more: $4,500 · Arts & CultureCUMBERLAND UNIVERSITY: $65,000 · OtherCUMBERLAND UNIVERSITYMONTCLAIR PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: $12,000 · OtherMONTCLAIR PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHTHE PARTNERS PROGRAM AT COLLEGE PREP: $12,000 · OtherTHE PARTNERS PROGRAM AT COLLEGE…MOUNT VERNON LADIES' ASSOCIATION: $10,000 · OtherMOUNT VERNON LADIES' ASSOCIATIO…POWER OF TWO: $8,000 · OtherTENNESSEE HISTORICAL SOCIETY: $6,000 · OtherEVERYTOWN FOR GUN SAFETY SUPPORT FUND INC: $8,000 · Other+12 more: $36,500 · Other+12 moreThe Trustees of Princeton University: $35,000 · EducationThe Trustees…EQUAL CHANCE FOR EDUCATION: $20,000 · EducationEQUAL CHANCE…THE COLLEGE PREPARATORY SCHOOL: $4,000 · EducationTHE COLLEGE …THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY: $2,500 · Education+1 more: $1,000 · EducationROLAND PARK COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC: $40,000 · EnvironmentROLAND PARK…HARPETH CONSERVANCY: $6,000 · EnvironmentHARPETH CON…FRANKLINS CHARGE INC: $5,000 · EnvironmentFRANKLINS C…THE LAND TRUST FOR TENNESSEE INC: $5,000 · EnvironmentTHE LAND TR…FUND FOR THE CITY OF NEW YORK INC: $41,000 · PhilanthropyFUND FOR …RISE EDUCATION FUND: $5,000 · PhilanthropyRISE EDUC…THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION: $11,000 · Public BenefitGround Game Fund: $6,000 · Public BenefitCHILDREN'S HOSPITAL & RESEARCH CNTR FNDN: $7,500 · HealthASIAN HEALTH SERVICES: $5,000 · HealthMERCY HEALTH SERVICES INC: $2,500 · Health
Arts & Culture$205,488Other$157,500Education$62,500Environment$56,000Philanthropy$46,000Public Benefit$17,000Health$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$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetSTUDIO TENN THEATRE COMPANY: $90,000 over 4y, 2.5% of budgetCUMBERLAND UNIVERSITY: $65,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetBATTLE OF FRANKLIN TRUST INC: $64,988 over 3y, 1.5% of budgetFUND FOR THE CITY OF NEW YORK INC: $41,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetROLAND PARK COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC: $40,000 over 4y, 7.6% of budgetThe Trustees of Princeton University: $35,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetANDREW JACKSON FOUNDATION FKA LADIES' HERMITAGE ASSOCIATION: $30,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetEQUAL CHANCE FOR EDUCATION: $20,000 over 4y, 0.4% of budgetTAMPA MUSEUM OF ART INC: $16,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetTHE HERITAGE FOUNDATION: $11,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetEVERYTOWN FOR GUN SAFETY SUPPORT FUND INC: $8,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCHILDREN'S HOSPITAL & RESEARCH CNTR FNDN: $7,500 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetHARPETH CONSERVANCY: $6,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetTENNESSEE HISTORICAL SOCIETY: $6,000 over 2y, 1.2% of budgetGround Game Fund: $6,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetEAST BAY ASIAN YOUTH CENTER: $5,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetFRANKLINS CHARGE INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE LAND TRUST FOR TENNESSEE INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetINSTITUTE FOR CITIZENS AND SCHOLARS: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetASIAN HEALTH SERVICES: $5,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetRISE EDUCATION FUND: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetHARD BARGAIN MT HOPE REDEVELOPMENT INC: $4,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetTHE COLLEGE PREPARATORY SCHOOL: $4,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetDestiny Arts Center: $4,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetTHE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGREATER WASHINGTON EDUCATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATION INC: $2,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetFRIENDS OF FRANKLIN PARKS INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetMERCY HEALTH SERVICES INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAfrican American Heritage Society Museum Inc: $1,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetTHE PHILLIPS COLLECTION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCENTRE COLLEGE: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHIGH HOPES INC: $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.

The Community Foundat…Pam Lewis FoundationDorothy Cate and Thom…The Wade-Buntin Famil…Msb Cockayne Fund IncThe Frist FoundationAmerican Endowment Fo…Hca Healthcare Founda…Servant FoundationChristian B Currey Fa…Franklin Noon Rotary …Sandra Schatten Found…
The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee IncTN24.6× affinity11 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee Inc · Pam Lewis Foundation · Dorothy Cate and Thomas F Frist Foundation · The Wade-Buntin Family Foundation · Msb Cockayne Fund Inc · The Frist Foundation · American Endowment Foundation · Hca Healthcare Foundation · Servant Foundation · Christian B Currey Family Foundation · Franklin Noon Rotary Charitable Foundation Inc · Sandra Schatten 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 Heller Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Heller Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%10%20%30%40%share of the org’s income from government →median 11%
  • The Trustees of Princeton University: 11% of income from government
  • Tampa Museum of Art Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
1get no government money at all
9report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–40%
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 42 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 Heller Family’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