Skip to content
The Irwin Belk Educational Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Irwin Belk Educational Foundation

Its FY2018 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$240k
Granted FY2018
43
Grants FY2018
12
States reached
$60k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0197% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2018.

Philanthropy$124kArts & Culture$61kEnvironment$57kEducation$46kHealth$30kPublic Safety & Disaster$30kHuman Services$18kAnimals$14kOther$0
02FY2018 · 43 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2018

  • Under $10k38 grants · $121k
  • $10k–50k4 grants · $59k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $60k
$2,500
Median grant
12
States reached
$265k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
FOUNDATION OF THE CAROLINAS$60,000
Individual grant recipient$20,000
THE LYNNWOOD FOUNDATION$17,000
WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC$12,000
AMERICAN RED CROSS$10,000
PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF SOUTHERN$9,000
FRIENDS OF THE BERMUDA MARITIME$8,500
MYSTIC SEAPORT$5,000
EMORY UNIVERSITY$5,000
TREE CONSERVANCY OF DARIEN$4,000
MARSOC FOUNDATION$4,000
DENVER ART MUSEUM$4,000
DAWN REDWOOD TRUST$4,000
NC AQUARIUM SOCIETY$4,000
ST HELENA FARMER MARKET$4,000
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 (FY17–18, $26k) land where the poverty rate runs at 9%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 23% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $10k → 9%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $10k → 9%YMCA OF GREATER CHARLOTTE: $2k → 10%YMCA OF GREATER CHARLOTTE: $2k → 10%SONIC AUTOMOTIVE FAMILY EMERGENCY FUND: $2k → 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

AK
ND
NY
MA
CT
CA
CO
NC
SC
DC
OK
GA
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.
04

Where the work is directed

The same grants placed two ways: where each recipient sits, and where its stated purpose sends the money.

About 23% of The Irwin Belk Educational Foundation’s grant dollars are earmarked for a different county than the recipient’s own address.

The Irwin Belk Educational Foundationlessmore of its giving
Placed by recipient address · 2.8% directed abroad (not shown)
How this is measured
Recipient view: each grant at its grantee’s ZIP, mapped to a county. Directed view: each grant at the county its stated purpose names, falling back to the recipient’s county when the purpose names no place; US grants only. A county shows only if it carries the top 95% of that view’s dollars. Purposes are read from the funder’s own 990 grant descriptions.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

80%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$288k · 30 repeat orgs$71k to everyone else

30 repeat relationships: 30 still active in FY2018, 0 since wound down; 12 grantees were first funded in FY2018 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

30
16

Total granted

$288k
$39k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+46%
+50%

Still filing today

60%
69%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2018, 82% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $32k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18
Arts & CultureEducationEnvironmentHuman ServicesHealthPhilanthropyOther
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

  • TL
    THE LYNNWOOD FOUNDATION
    2× · 2017–2018 · $22k · revenue +37%
  • AN
    American National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches
    2× · 2017–2018 · $20k · revenue +46%
  • EU
    Emory University
    2× · 2017–2018 · $10k · revenue +80%

Funded once

  • IF
    INSTITUTE FOR ETHNOMEDICINE INC
    one grant, 2017 · $5k
  • CS
    CONGRESSIONAL SPORTMANDS FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2017 · $4k
  • AC
    AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY INC
    one grant, 2017 · $4k · revenue -83%
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
North Carolina Museum of Life & Science Inc

To create a place of lifelong learning where people, from young child to senior citizen, embrace science as a way of knowing about themselves, their community, and their world.

Arts & Culture
2
North Carolina Symphony Society Inc

To be north carolina's state orchestra, an orchestra achieving the highest level of artistic quality and performance standards, and embracing its dual legacies of statewide service and music education.

Arts & Culture
3
North Carolina Symphony Foundation

To receive and hold the endowment of the north carolina symphony society, inc. (the "society"), solicit additions to the endowment, safeguard assets, and expend funds for the exclusive use and benefit of the society.

Arts & Culture
4
Museum of Modern Art

The Museum of Modern Art is a private, non-profit institution chartered by the State of New York Department of Education in 1929 to foster public awareness of modern and contemporary art. (Continued in Schedule O)

Arts & Culture
5
The Pierpont Morgan Library

The Morgan Library & Museum celebrates and shares the history and process of human creativity from antiquity to the present day through the preservation, study, and interpretation of a dynamic and growing collection.

Education
6
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.

—
7
American Museum of Natural History

The museum's mission statement is: "to discover, interpret, and disseminate - through scientific research and education - knowledge about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe."

Arts & Culture
8
North Carolina Zoological Society Inc

To champion our zoo and its initiatives, wildlife and wild places, with an emphasis on the future.

Animals
9
Carolina Art Association Dba Gibbes Museum of Art

The mission of the gibbes museum of art is to enhance lives through art by engaging people of every background and experience with art and artists of enduring quality; collect and preserve the art that touches charleston; and provide…

Arts & Culture
10
Nc State Natural Resources Foundation Inc

To promote education and research in the college of natural resources of north carolina state university as well as aid and promote, by financial assistance and otherwise, all types of education, research and extension in the college of…

Education
11
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

See schedule osfmoma believes the art of our time is vital and shares it with passion and purpose, and that art and the creative process can open minds and help build a better world. for that reason, we assemble unparalleled collections,…

Arts & Culture
12
California Academy of Sciences

The academy is a renowned scientific and educational institution with a mission to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration. based in san francisco's golden gate park, it is home to a world-class aquarium,…

Arts & Culture
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Foundation for the Carolinas; the most unlike its peers is North Carolina Sports Legacy Foundation Fka Promote the Youth Foundation. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
05the grantee network

36 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. 36 of the 59 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)
5
Early backer (in before they grew)
36/36
Grantees still filing
27/36
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Individual grant recipient: $40,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipientWOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC: $23,500 · OtherWOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHICPLANNED PARENTHOOD OF SOUTHERN: $18,000 · OtherPLANNED PARENTHOOD OF SOUTHERNCLEMSON UNIVERSITY: $17,000 · OtherCLEMSON UNIVERSITYFRIENDS OF THE BERMUDA MARITIME: $13,500 · OtherFRIENDS OF THE BERMUDA MARITIMEST HELENA FARMERS MARKET: $8,000 · OtherGRACE EPISCOPAL CHURCH: $8,000 · OtherAMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION: $7,500 · OtherMARINE RAIDER FOUNDATION: $8,000 · Other+23 more: $77,000 · Other+23 moreFOUNDATION FOR THE CAROLINAS: $120,000 · PhilanthropyFOUNDATION FOR THE CAROLINAS+2 more: $6,000 · PhilanthropyTHE LYNNWOOD FOUNDATION: $22,000 · Arts & CultureTHE LYNNWOOD …NIMBUS ARTS: $8,000 · Arts & CultureNIMBUS ARTSMYSTIC SEAPORT MUSEUM INC: $7,000 · Arts & CultureMYSTIC SEAPOR…Andreas H Bechtler Arts Foundation: $5,000 · Arts & CultureAndreas H Bec…MINT MUSEUM OF ART INC: $5,000 · Arts & CultureMINT MUSEUM O…DENVER ART MUSEUM: $4,000 · Arts & CultureDENVER ART MU…LIGHT OPERA OF NEW YORK INC: $2,000 · Arts & CultureMUSEUM OF THE NEW SOUTH INC: $2,000 · Arts & CultureEmory University: $10,000 · EducationSONOMA COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL: $8,000 · EducationQueens University of Charlotte: $5,000 · EducationMyers Park High School Foundation Inc: $2,000 · EducationSONOMA ACADEMY: $2,000 · EducationCLASSROOM CENTRAL INC: $2,000 · EducationAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $20,000 · Human ServicesYOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF GREATER CHARLOTTE: $4,000 · Human ServicesSONIC AUTOMOTIVE FAMILY EMERGENCY FUND: $2,000 · Human ServicesSAVE THE SOUND: $4,000 · EnvironmentCALIFORNIA WATERFOWL ASSOCIATION: $4,000 · EnvironmentPEPPERWOOD FOUNDATION: $2,000 · EnvironmentPollinator Partnership: $2,000 · EnvironmentThe Noroton Heights Fire Department Incorporated: $4,000 · HealthAMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY INC: $3,500 · HealthHeartBright Foundation Inc: $2,000 · Health
Other$220,500Philanthropy$126,000Arts & Culture$55,000Education$29,000Human Services$26,000Environment$12,000Health$9,500

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 budgetFOUNDATION FOR THE CAROLINAS: $120,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE LYNNWOOD FOUNDATION: $22,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $20,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetEmory University: $10,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMARINE RAIDER FOUNDATION: $8,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetSONOMA COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL: $8,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetNIMBUS ARTS: $8,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetMYSTIC SEAPORT MUSEUM INC: $7,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetAndreas H Bechtler Arts Foundation: $5,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetQueens University of Charlotte: $5,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMINT MUSEUM OF ART INC: $5,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSAVE THE SOUND: $4,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetJUNEAU MOUNTAIN RESCUE: $4,000 over 1y, 2.7% of budgetCALIFORNIA WATERFOWL ASSOCIATION: $4,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetYOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF GREATER CHARLOTTE: $4,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetWorld Affairs Council of Charlotte: $4,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetThe Noroton Heights Fire Department Incorporated: $4,000 over 2y, 2.5% of budgetDelta Waterfowl Foundation: $4,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNEW YORK YACHT CLUB FOUNDATION: $4,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetDENVER ART MUSEUM: $4,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY INC: $3,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetREPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM FOR ALL FOUNDATION: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetKIDS OUTDOOR SPORTS CAMP: $2,000 over 1y, 1.1% of budgetNORTH CAROLINA SPORTS LEGACY FOUNDATION FKA PROMOTE THE YOUTH FOUNDATION: $2,000 over 1y, 9.0% of budgetMecklenburg Bar Foundation: $2,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetMyers Park High School Foundation Inc: $2,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetHeartBright Foundation Inc: $2,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSANGHAPALA FOUNDATION: $2,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetPEPPERWOOD FOUNDATION: $2,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetLIGHT OPERA OF NEW YORK INC: $2,000 over 1y, 11% of budgetSONOMA ACADEMY: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMUSEUM OF THE NEW SOUTH INC: $2,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCLASSROOM CENTRAL INC: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPollinator Partnership: $2,000 over 1y, 0.2% 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 FoundationThe Presbyterian Hosp…Community Foundation …Marin Community Found…The Bank of America C…The Ayco Charitable F…Baird Foundation IncGs Donor Advised Phil…National Philanthropi…Morgan Stanley Global…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…
Foundation for the CarolinasNC17.3× affinity7 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Foundation for the Carolinas · Duke Energy Foundation · The Presbyterian Hospital · Community Foundation of the Napa Valley · Marin Community Foundation · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · The Ayco Charitable Foundation · Baird Foundation Inc · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Jpmorgan Chase 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 Irwin Belk Educational Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Irwin Belk Educational Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%13%25%38%50%share of the org’s income from government →median 5%
  • Save the Sound: 37% of income from government
  • Mystic Seaport Museum Inc: 5% of income from government
  • The Noroton Heights Fire Department Incorporated: 2% 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 · 0–50%
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 59 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 2018, released 2018. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Irwin Belk Educational’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