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The Higgs Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Higgs 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.

$490k
Granted FY2024still arriving
11
Grants FY2024still arriving
7
States reached
$295k
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.

Education$1.2MHuman Services$199kHousing & Shelter$135kYouth Development$126kHealth$117kReligion$110kPublic Benefit$20kPublic Safety & Disaster$5kOther$0
02FY2024 · 11 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k4 grants · $20k
  • $10k–50k4 grants · $65k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $110k
  • $250k+1 grant · $295k
$10,000
Median grant
7
States reached
$1.7M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
WEST POINT ASSOCIATION OF GRADUATES$295,000
BOYS SCOUTS OF AMERICA MECKLENBURG$60,000
INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF WAR$50,000
PATRIOT MILITARY FAMILY FOUNDATION$25,000
TURNING POINT$20,000
WEDDINGTON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH$10,000
MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER$10,000
HOME FOR OUR TROOPS$5,000
BOB WOODRUFF FOUNDATION$5,000
ST JUDE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL$5,000
NO ONE LEFT BEHIND FOUNDATION$5,000
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 (FY19–22, $14k) land where the poverty rate runs at 17%, against an area that typically sits at 8%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 8%CHARITY WATER: $5k → 17%CHARITY WATER: $4k → 17%IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN VETERANS OF AMERICA: $5k → 17%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

MT
NY
MA
CA
VA
TN
NC
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.

96%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.8M · 20 repeat orgs$69k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +48% since the first grant, against -23% for those funded once.

20 repeat relationships: 11 still active in FY2024, 9 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

20
7

Total granted

$1.8M
$69k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+48%
-23%

Still filing today

75%
57%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 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
Human ServicesPublic BenefitHealthPhilanthropyEducationHousing & ShelterOther
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

  • ASSOCIATION OF THE GRADUATES OF THE UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY
    7× · 2018–2024 · $1.0M · revenue +42%
  • PM
    Patriot Military Family Foundation
    5× · 2020–2024 · $86k · revenue +57%
  • HOMES FOR OUR TROOPS INC
    6× · 2017–2024 · $60k · revenue +89%

Funded once

  • W
    WESTPOINT
    one grant, 2017 · $35k
  • NO
    No One Left Behind
    one grant, 2021 · $10k · revenue -83%
  • TI
    THE INTREPID FALLEN HEROES FUND
    one grant, 2021 · $6k · revenue -23%
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
Special Operators Transition Foundation Inc

The special operators transition foundation ("sotf") assists special operation forces veterans transition from the military into their next successful career.

Public Benefit
2
Special Ops Survivors

Special ops survivors advances the mission "to embrace and empower surviving spouses of fallen special operations heroes to build healthy post-loss futures as they transition and rebuild their new lives." the foundation provides programs…

Human Services
3
Special Operations Fund

The Special Operations Fund (the "Fund") is a nonprofit organization that provides educational grants and support to the families of special mission unit warriors killed in action, killed in training, died in the line of duty, suicide, and…

Education
4
NextOp Inc

NextOp helps place talented enlisted service members and veterans into civilian careers through highly individualized preparation and an array of programming.

Public Benefit
5
Uso Foundation

The mission of the uso foundation (foundation) is to support uso inc.'s (uso) mission to strengthen the well-being of the people serving in america's military and their families.

—
6
Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States Incorporated

To serve the needs of veterans of foreign wars and their families.

Public Benefit
7
Special Forces Foundation

The special forces foundation provides immediate and ongoing support to the special forces community and their families.

Philanthropy
8
Usvets - Texas

The successful transition of u.s. military veterans and their families through the provision of housing, counseling, career development and comprehensive support.

Human Services
9
Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States Dept of Nc

To foster camaraderie among united states veterans of overseas conflicts. to serve our veterans, the military and our communities. to advocate on behalf of all veterans.

—
10
Troops First Foundation Incorporated

To develop, operate, and support a synergistic group of wellness, quality of life, and event-based initiatives in support of today's combat-wounded military personnel and their families, while facilitating a greater recognition and…

Public Benefit
11
Soldiers of America
Human Services
12
Quick Reaction Foundation

Quick reaction foundation (qrf) is a non-profit organization founded by veterans to provide rapid response to the developing needs of elite operators and their families from within select u.s. special operations command ("ussocom") teams.…

Public Benefit
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Bob Woodruff Family Foundation Inc; the most unlike its peers is Charity Global 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

20 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. 20 of the 27 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.

1
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
3
Early backer (in before they grew)
19/20
Grantees still filing
9/20
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

ASSOCIATION OF THE GRADUATES OF THE UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY: $1,023,700 · Public BenefitASSOCIATION OF THE GRADUATES OF THE UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMYPatriot Military Family Foundation: $86,285 · Public BenefitPatriot Military Family Foundation+2 more: $20,000 · Public BenefitWEDDINGTON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: $110,000 · OtherWEDDINGTON UNITED METHODIST…MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER: $84,000 · OtherMD ANDERSON CANCER CENTERTURNING POINT OF UNION COUNTY: $75,000 · OtherTURNING POINT OF UNION COUN…BOYS SCOUTS OF AMERICA MECKLENBURG: $75,000 · OtherBOYS SCOUTS OF AMERICA MECK…BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA MECKLENBURG COUNTY COUNCIL: $51,000 · OtherBOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA MECKL…WESTPOINT: $35,000 · OtherWESTPOINTUSO OF NORTH CAROLINA INC: $16,000 · Other+4 more: $14,500 · OtherINSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF WAR INC: $100,000 · EducationChildren of Fallen Patriots Foundation: $7,700 · EducationTURNING POINT INC: $35,000 · Human ServicesNo One Left Behind: $10,000 · Human ServicesCHARITY GLOBAL INC: $9,000 · Human ServicesIRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN VETERANS OF AMERICA INC: $5,000 · Human ServicesBABY BUNDLES: $4,000 · Human ServicesHOMES FOR OUR TROOPS INC: $60,000 · Housing & ShelterBOB WOODRUFF FAMILY FOUNDATION INC: $21,500 · HealthST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC: $21,500 · HealthGARY SINISE FOUNDATION: $12,000 · PhilanthropyTHE INTREPID FALLEN HEROES FUND: $6,000 · Philanthropy
Public Benefit$1,129,985Other$460,500Education$107,700Human Services$63,000Housing & Shelter$60,000Health$43,000Philanthropy$18,000

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

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetASSOCIATION OF THE GRADUATES OF THE UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY: $1,023,700 over 7y, 0.4% of budgetINSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF WAR INC: $100,000 over 2y, 0.6% of budgetPatriot Military Family Foundation: $86,285 over 5y, 15% of budgetHOMES FOR OUR TROOPS INC: $60,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetBOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA MECKLENBURG COUNTY COUNCIL: $51,000 over 5y, 0.4% of budgetTURNING POINT INC: $35,000 over 3y, 0.8% of budgetBOB WOODRUFF FAMILY FOUNDATION INC: $21,500 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC: $21,500 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetUSO OF NORTH CAROLINA INC: $16,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetGARY SINISE FOUNDATION: $12,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetNo One Left Behind Foundation Corporation: $10,000 over 2y, 56% of budgetNo One Left Behind: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetJOINT SERVICE SPECIAL OPERATIONS FUND INC: $10,000 over 2y, 4.9% of budgetCHARITY GLOBAL INC: $9,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetChildren of Fallen Patriots Foundation: $7,700 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE INTREPID FALLEN HEROES FUND: $6,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetIRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN VETERANS OF AMERICA INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetBABY BUNDLES: $4,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetSOS CHILDREN'S VILLAGES-USA INC: $2,000 over 2y, 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.

Foundation for the Ca…Duke Energy FoundationNatl Christian Charit…National Philanthropi…The Bank of America C…Donor Advised Charita…American Online Givin…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Foundation for the CarolinasNC14.9× affinity5 shared granteesties to 8 of 8Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Foundation for the Carolinas · Duke Energy Foundation · Natl Christian Charitable Fdn Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile 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 Higgs Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Higgs Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%4%15%34%60%funder's share of their income ↑0%10%20%30%40%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get no government money at all
    1report 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.
    05Through Plinth

    Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

    How do I get to The Higgs Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to The Higgs 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 27 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 Higgs’ 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