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The Isdell Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Isdell Family 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.

$2.5M
Granted FY2025still arriving
18
Grants FY2025still arriving
6
States reached
$551k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0180% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Education$2.8MAnimals$2.5MEnvironment$2.1MArts & Culture$660kHealth$285kYouth Development$75kRecreation & Sports$45kOther$0
02FY2025 · 18 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • $10k–50k9 grants · $230k
  • $50k–250k5 grants · $630k
  • $250k+4 grants · $1.7M
$60,000
Median grant
6
States reached
$10M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Pace Academy$550,800
Friends of South Georgia Island$500,000
American Friends of Birdlife International$359,883
Fernbank Museum of Natural History$250,000
Atlanta Botanical Garden$200,000
Atlanta Humane Society$150,000
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta$120,000
Individual grant recipient$100,000
Georgia River Network$60,000
The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International$45,000
Wildlife Media$30,000
Trust for Public Land$30,000
Captain Planet Foundation$25,000
The Nature Conservancy of GA$25,000
Individual grant recipient$25,000
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 (FY17–25) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 96% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%University of Cape Town Fund: $1.5M → 17%World Parrot Trust: $20k → 10%Fernbank Museum of Natural History: $250k → 14%Georgia River Network: $60k → 27%Friends of South Georgia Island: $500k → 6%Wildlife Media: $50k → 12%The Nature Conservancy of Africa: $200k → 7%American Friends of Birdlife International: $879k → 17%Fernbank Museum of Natural History: $210k → 14%Georgia River Network: $60k → 27%Wildlife Media: $50k → 12%American Friends of Birdlife International: $382k → 17%Fernbank Museum of Natural History: $200k → 14%Georgia River Network: $50k → 27%Wildlife Media: $30k → 12%American Friends of Birdlife International: $360k → 17%See: $2.1M → 13%Trees for Atlanta: $25k → 14%See: $1.5M → 13%Trees for Atlanta: $25k → 14%See: $1.2M → 13%Trees for Atlanta: $25k → 14%See: $1.1M → 13%Children's Healthcare of Atlanta: $120k → 14%See: $1.1M → 13%Skyland Trails Atlanta: $100k → 14%See: $949k → 13%Skyland Trails Atlanta: $100k → 14%The Nature Conservancy of GA: $275k → 13%Children's Healthcare of Atlanta: $95k → 14%Atlanta Botanical Garden: $250k → 13%Children's Healthcare of Atlanta: $70k → 14%Atlanta Botanical Garden: $200k → 13%Atlanta Botanical Garden: $200k → 13%The Nature Conservancy of GA: $200k → 13%The Nature Conservancy of GA: $25k → 13%Atlanta Humane Society: $330k → 13%Atlanta Humane Society: $150k → 13%Atlanta Humane Society: $130k → 13%The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International: $45k → 13%Pace Academy: $561k → 13%The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund Innternational: $40k → 13%Pace Academy: $551k → 13%The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International: $35k → 13%Pace Academy: $100k → 13%Captain Planet Foundation: $25k → 13%Captain Planet Foundation: $25k → 13%Captain Planet Foundation: $25k → 13%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

WA
NY
CA
CO
VA
SC
DC
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.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

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

85%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$14M · 18 repeat orgs$2.5M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +26% since the first grant, against -55% for those funded once.

18 repeat relationships: 16 still active in FY2025, 2 since wound down; 2 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

18
3

Total granted

$14M
$1.9M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+26%
-55%

Still filing today

67%
33%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 79% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $530k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
AnimalsEnvironmentInternationalEducationArts & CultureRecreation & SportsOther
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

  • FO
    FRIENDS OF BIRDLIFE INTERNATIONAL INC
    3× · 2023–2025 · $1.6M · revenue +26%
  • PA
    PACE ACADEMY INC
    3× · 2023–2025 · $1.2M · revenue +24%
  • FI
    Fernbank Inc
    3× · 2023–2025 · $660k · revenue +39%

Funded once

  • UO
    UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN FUND INC
    one grant, 2023 · $1.5M · revenue -55% · 59% of their budget
  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2024 · $250k
  • TN
    The Nature Conservancy of Africa
    one grant, 2024 · $200k
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
Rainforest Trust

Rainforest trust saves endangered wildlife and protects our planet by creating rainforest reserves through partnerships, community engagement, and donor support.

International
2
Wildlife Conservation Global Inc

Wildlife conservation global, inc. operates the okapi conservation project (ocp) which works in the democratic republic of the congo with the institute in congo for the conservation of nature (iccn) and local communities throughout the…

Animals
3
Global Forest Generation

Global Forest Generation restores and protects forest ecosystems in partnership with grassroots leaders and local communities across vast landscapes which play a critical role in preserving water, protecting biodiversity, storing carbon,…

Environment
4
The South Fork Conservancy Incorporated

The mission of the South Fork Conservancy is to restore and preserve habitat along the tributaries of Peachtree Creek. We give the community access to these healthy, restored greenspaces by designing, building and maintaining nature trails.

Environment
5
Int'l Union for Conservation of Nature & Natural Resources - Us

Iucn-us fund builds bridges between us donors and iucn by catalyzing, accelerating, funding and promoting iucn's work - conserving nature and natural resources in the united states and throughout the world.

Environment
6
Dunwoody Nature Center Inc

Inspires the love of nature and cultivates environmental understanding and stewardship by: (1)Conserving and enhancing Dunwoody Park (2)Educating children, families and adults of all ages about the natural world and our place in…

Environment
7
Fauna & Flora International Usa Inc

Our mission is to act to conserve threatened species and ecosystems worldwide, choosing solutions that are sustainable, based on sound science and take into account human needs.

Philanthropy
8
South Carolina Aquarium

Our mission is to inspire conservation of the natural world by exhibiting and caring for animals, by excelling in education and research, and by providing an exceptional visitor experience.

Animals
9
African Parks Foundation of America

To engage the united states and its citizens in the work of african parks and to promote access to american experience and expertise in the african parks actiities by 1) raising funds for specific projects, activities, training, equipment…

Recreation & Sports
10
Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation Inc

To champion a collaborative campaign to permanently connect, protect and restore the Florida Wildlife Corridor, a statewide network of lands and waters that supports wildlife and people. We combine conservation science with compelling…

Environment
11
Wild Tomorrow Fund

Wild tomorrow fund's mission is to protect threatened and endangered species and the habitats they depend on for survival in southern africa. our vision is for a world in which wildlife habitats are expanded and protected, and where…

International
12
Wildlife Protection Solutions

To protect endangered species.

Animals
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Chattahoochee Riverkeeper Inc; the most unlike its peers is Friends of Birdlife International 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

15 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. 15 of the 23 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)
1
Early backer (in before they grew)
15/15
Grantees still filing
11/15
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

See: $7,927,222 · OtherSeeThe Nature Conservancy of GA: $500,000 · Other+8 more: $1,255,000 · Other+8 moreFRIENDS OF BIRDLIFE INTERNATIONAL INC: $1,621,026 · AnimalsFRIENDS OF BIRDL…Atlanta Humane Society & Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Inc: $610,000 · AnimalsAtlanta Humane S…Wildlife Media: $130,000 · AnimalsWildlife Media+1 more: $37,676 · AnimalsUNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN FUND INC: $1,500,000 · InternationalUNIVERSITY…PACE ACADEMY INC: $1,211,600 · EducationTHE ATLANTA BOTANICAL GARDEN INC: $650,000 · EnvironmentGEORGIA RIVER NETWORK INC dba GEORGIA RIVERS: $170,000 · EnvironmentCHATTAHOOCHEE RIVERKEEPER INC: $35,000 · EnvironmentTHE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND: $30,000 · EnvironmentFernbank Inc: $660,000 · Arts & CultureFRIENDS OF SOUTH GEORGIA ISLAND: $500,000 · PhilanthropyPATH FOUNDATION INC: $45,000 · Recreation & Sports
Other$9,682,222Animals$2,398,702International$1,500,000Education$1,211,600Environment$885,000Arts & Culture$660,000Philanthropy$500,000Recreation & Sports$45,000

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

25%50%75%100%$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetFRIENDS OF BIRDLIFE INTERNATIONAL INC: $1,621,026 over 3y, 16% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN FUND INC: $1,500,000 over 1y, 59% of budgetPACE ACADEMY INC: $1,211,600 over 3y, 1.1% of budgetFernbank Inc: $660,000 over 3y, 1.5% of budgetTHE ATLANTA BOTANICAL GARDEN INC: $650,000 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetAtlanta Humane Society & Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Inc: $610,000 over 3y, 2.1% of budgetFRIENDS OF SOUTH GEORGIA ISLAND: $500,000 over 1y, 21% of budgetGEORGIA RIVER NETWORK INC dba GEORGIA RIVERS: $170,000 over 3y, 4.5% of budgetWildlife Media: $130,000 over 3y, 15% of budgetDian Fossey Gorilla Fund International Inc: $120,000 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetCaptain Planet Foundation Inc: $75,000 over 3y, 1.6% of budgetPATH FOUNDATION INC: $45,000 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetWORLD PARROT TRUST USA INC: $37,676 over 2y, 2.2% of budgetCHATTAHOOCHEE RIVERKEEPER INC: $35,000 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetTHE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND: $30,000 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…National Philanthropi…American Endowment Fo…Morgan Stanley Global…Network for GoodAmerican Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…Vanguard Charitable E…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta IncGA13× affinity4 shared granteesties to 9 of 9Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · American Endowment Foundation · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Network for Good · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · 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 Isdell Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Isdell Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%4%15%34%60%funder's share of their income ↑0%19%38%56%75%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    2report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–75%
    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 23 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

    Play a game based on Isdell 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