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Illinois · Private foundation

The Henderson 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.

$195k
Granted FY2025(still arriving)
29
Grants FY2025
39
Organizations funded FY2024
15%
First-time grantees FY2024
Read the full brief
Median grant, FY2025
$5,500
Largest grant, FY2025
$40,000
Organizations funded a year
31 to 39
FY2018 to FY2024
States reached, FY2025
5
Total assets, FY2025
$3.3M
Applications
Preselected organizations only
Per its most recent filing; check its own site

How open it is to new grantees

In FY2024, 15% of the organizations The Henderson Foundation funded were first-time grantees, receiving 1% of its grant dollars.

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 99% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $5k went to new ones.

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

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

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
Human ServicesPublic BenefitArts & CultureReligionFood & NutritionHealthOther
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.
The numbers by year
Fiscal yearOrganizations fundedTo those organizationsFirst-time grantees
FY2025still arriving29$195k10%
FY202439$483k15%
FY202333$153k6%
FY202238$250k18%
FY202137$119k14%
FY202032$769k19%
FY201938$117k24%
FY201831$158k16%
92% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Youth Development$718kHuman Services$592kEducation$549kReligion$285kArts & Culture$60kHealth$40kFood & Nutrition$25kEmployment$25kOther$0

Where its grants go

Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.

Which US states its grants reach

ND
MN
IL
WI
MI
NY
MA
CA
CO
MO
VA
TN
DC
OK
TX
FL

Top grantees

Largest recipients by total granted, FY2017 to FY2025, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.

GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Cool Ministries$495,420922%
Trinity International University$166,35070%
Village Church of Gurnee$158,1508n/a
The Salvation Army$37,2707n/a
United Arts of Central Florida Inc$30,00030%
Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra Inc$30,00020%
Bethel Lutheran Church$28,1009n/a
The Beacon Place NFP$27,65082%
Teen Mother Choices International$25,01085%
BiG Great Lakes$24,60145%
Show all 48 grantees
All grantees of The Henderson Foundation by total granted
GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Cool Ministries$495,420922%
Trinity International University$166,35070%
Village Church of Gurnee$158,1508n/a
The Salvation Army$37,2707n/a
United Arts of Central Florida Inc$30,00030%
Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra Inc$30,00020%
Bethel Lutheran Church$28,1009n/a
The Beacon Place NFP$27,65082%
Teen Mother Choices International$25,01085%
BiG Great Lakes$24,60145%
Northern Illinois Food Bank$20,47570%
Erie Family Health Center Inc$19,50090%
Words on Wheels$17,250730%
Kindred Life Ministries Inc$17,00082%
PADS Lake County Inc$12,50040%
University of Minnesota Foundation$10,00010%
Northpoint Church Inc$10,0001n/a
Smile Train Inc$7,25080%
Medecins Sans Frontieres USA Inc$7,00080%
Knicker Open Charities$6,0001n/a
Help Them to Hope Inc$5,0005n/a
A Gift for Teaching Inc$4,75090%
Shriners Hospitals for Children$4,60080%
Joni and Friends$4,50090%
Global Intercultural Services$4,40040%
St Jude Children's Research Hospital Inc$4,10080%
Coastal Bend Food Bank$3,00010%
East Lake Academy$3,00030%
Youthbuild Global Inc$2,00020%
Woodlands Academy$2,0002n/a
Compassion International Incorporated$1,9002n/a
International Medical Corps$1,50010%
Ablelight Inc$1,05050%
Kids Around the World Inc$1,00040%
Gurnee Community Church$1,0001n/a
Christian Heritage Academy$1,00010%
American National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches$90030%
Village Family Service Center$50010%
Working Dogs for Vets$50010%
Olivet Nazarene University$50010%
Living Hope for Children$42010%
Judicial Watch Inc$40030%
Upper Peninsula Bible Camp$30020%
Mercy Ships International$20010%
Christ in Youth Inc$20010%
Feed My Starving Children Inc$20010%
American Lung Association$10010%
The Heritage Foundation$2510%

What it could do for these grantees

Plus 29 recipients with no EIN on record ($1.2M), not named here.

Where it is load-bearing

The Henderson Foundation supplied at least a quarter of the budget for 1 of its grantees at some point. The chart plots its 39 largest grantees; load-bearing ones sit top left.

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetCool Ministries: $495,420 over 9y, 22% of budgetTrinity International University: $166,350 over 7y, 0.2% of budgetUnited Arts of Central Florida Inc: $30,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetOrlando Philharmonic Orchestra Inc: $30,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetThe Beacon Place NFP: $27,650 over 8y, 1.6% of budgetTeen Mother Choices International: $25,010 over 8y, 5.3% of budgetBiG Great Lakes: $24,601 over 4y, 5.1% of budgetNorthern Illinois Food Bank: $20,475 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetErie Family Health Center Inc: $19,500 over 9y, 0.0% of budgetWords on Wheels: $17,250 over 7y, 30% of budgetKindred Life Ministries Inc: $17,000 over 8y, 1.5% of budgetPADS Lake County Inc: $12,500 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetUniversity of Minnesota Foundation: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSmile Train Inc: $7,250 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetMedecins Sans Frontieres USA Inc: $7,000 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetA Gift for Teaching Inc: $4,750 over 9y, 0.0% of budgetShriners Hospitals for Children: $4,600 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetJoni and Friends: $4,500 over 9y, 0.0% of budgetGlobal Intercultural Services: $4,400 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetSt Jude Children's Research Hospital Inc: $4,100 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetCoastal Bend Food Bank: $3,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetEast Lake Academy: $3,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetYouthbuild Global Inc: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetInternational Medical Corps: $1,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAblelight Inc: $1,050 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetKids Around the World Inc: $1,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetChristian Heritage Academy: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $900 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetVillage Family Service Center: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWorking Dogs for Vets: $500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetOlivet Nazarene University: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLiving Hope for Children: $420 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetJudicial Watch Inc: $400 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetUpper Peninsula Bible Camp: $300 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMercy Ships International: $200 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetChrist in Youth Inc: $200 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFeed My Starving Children Inc: $200 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAmerican Lung Association: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetThe Heritage Foundation: $25 over 1y, 0.0% of budget

Tap a dot to name the grantee.

How this is measured
Share of budget is the funder’s grant in a year over the grantee’s total revenue that year, at its highest across the years we hold; revenue is from all sources. Only grantees confirmed against their own filings, whose grants do not exceed their revenue, are plotted: the largest 39.

Nonprofits that may fit its grantmaking

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.

AbbVie FoundationIL29× affinity17 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: AbbVie Foundation · The Northside Community Bank Charitable Foundation · Helen V Brach Foundation · Baxter International Foundation · United Way Worldwide · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · The Lake County Community Foundation · George M Eisenberg Foundation for Charities · Natl Christian Charitable Fdn Inc · Trustmark Foundation · Northwestern Memorial HealthCare Group · The Blackbaud Giving 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.

Compare The Henderson Foundation with peer funders

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to The Henderson Foundation?

Find your warmest path to The Henderson 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.

About The Henderson Foundation

How much does The Henderson Foundation give?
The Henderson Foundation reported 29 grants totaling $195,075 in its FY2025 IRS filing. It funded between 31 and 39 organizations a year over FY2018 to FY2024.
What does The Henderson Foundation fund?
By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2025, its largest causes are Youth Development (29%), Human Services (24%), Education (23%).
Who are The Henderson Foundation's largest grantees?
By total granted over FY2017 to FY2025: Cool Ministries ($495k), Trinity International University ($166k), Village Church of Gurnee ($158k).
Does The Henderson Foundation fund new organizations?
In FY2024, 15% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
Does The Henderson Foundation accept unsolicited applications?
Its most recent filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and does not take unsolicited requests. Check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.
Which funders back the same organizations as The Henderson Foundation?
Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include AbbVie Foundation, The Northside Community Bank Charitable Foundation, Helen V Brach Foundation.
Where is The Henderson Foundation based?
The Henderson Foundation is based in IL.

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 78 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

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