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The Joe R & Joella F Utley Foundation Inc at a glance

· Private foundation

The Joe R & Joella F Utley Foundation Inc

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.

$218k
Granted FY2024still arriving
17
Grants FY2024still arriving
4
States reached
$75k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0196% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Arts & Culture$735kEducation$220kHealth$150kEnvironment$100kAnimals$53kRecreation & Sports$45kHuman Services$25kCommunity Improvement$20kOther$0
02FY2024 · 17 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k6 grants · $28k
  • $10k–50k10 grants · $116k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $75k
$10,000
Median grant
4
States reached
$6.9M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
MONDAYS HOPE$75,000
WE MUST PROTECT$20,000
FOOTHILLS HUMANE SOCIETY INC$15,000
S C BACH$10,800
SPARTANBURG PHILHARMONIC$10,000
WE DEFY$10,000
Individual grant recipient$10,000
THERMAL BELT OUTREACH MINISTRY$10,000
SPARTANBURG HUMANE SOCIETY INC$10,000
Individual grant recipient$10,000
SPARTANBURG COUNTY FOUNDATION$10,000
FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN ATHLETES$5,000
Individual grant recipient$5,000
RED BELL RUN FOUNDATION INC$5,000
MOTLOW CREEK BAPTIST CHURCH$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 (FY23–23, $5k) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, 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%CHILD RESCUE COALITION INC: $5k → 11%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

SD
KY
VA
TN
NC
SC
HI
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.
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 10% of The Joe R & Joella F Utley Foundation Inc’s grant dollars are earmarked for a different county than the recipient’s own address.

The Joe R & Joella F Utley Foundation Inclessmore of its giving
Placed by recipient address
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.

77%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.1M · 10 repeat orgs$330k to everyone else

10 repeat relationships: 5 still active in FY2024, 5 since wound down; 8 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

10
7

Total granted

$1.1M
$245k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+33%
+36%

Still filing today

80%
71%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 59% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $85k went to new ones.

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

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

’17’19’20’21’22’23’24
Arts & CultureAnimalsEducationYouth DevelopmentHuman ServicesPhilanthropyOther
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

  • NM
    NATIONAL MUSIC MUSEUM (AMERICAS SHRINE TO MUSIC)
    6× · 2017–2023 · $652k · revenue +173%
  • BM
    BREVARD MUSIC CENTER INCORPORATED
    2× · 2017–2019 · $26k · revenue +33%
  • CONVERSE UNIVERSITY
    3× · 2019–2024 · $20k · revenue +45%

Funded once

  • UO
    UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA FOUNDATIONgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $200k · revenue +36%
  • TM
    THE MUSIC FOUNDATION OF SPARTANBURG
    one grant, 2017 · $20k
  • CR
    CHILD RESCUE COALITION INCgraduated
    one grant, 2023 · $5k · revenue +44%
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 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
2
Spoleto Festival Usa Inc

As the nation's preeminent performing arts festival, spoleto produces and presents work of the highest artistic caliber to diverse and adventurous audiences. through innovation, education, and a commitment to our community, we harness the…

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
Humane Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

The primary mission of the humane society is to end animal cruelty, neglect and overpopulation in south carolina.

Animals
5
Spartanburg Methodist College

SMC Delivers an exceptional education that fuses the empowerment of the liberal arts with crucial career skills. Our mission is to equip our students with the knowledge, skills, virtues, and mindset needed to thrive personally, create…

Education
6
Carolina Ballet Inc

Carolina ballet's mission is to perform world-class professional ballet, entertaining and enlightening audiences in raleigh, the triangle region, the state of north carolina, and beyond. carolina ballet works to accomplish this mission by…

Arts & Culture
7
South Bend Symphony Orchestra Association Inc

We inspire, entertain, and connect people with the transformative power of orchestral music. as michiana's premiere professional orchestra, the south bend symphony engages the community in the exploration of orchestral music in all its…

Arts & Culture
8
San Francisco Conservatory of Music

The san francisco conservatory of music (sfcm) educates exceptionally talented musicians from around the world to become artists of the highest caliber, as well as musical citizens prepared for the challenges of the twenty-first century.

Education
9
Chamber Music Raleigh Inc

To enrich and connect individuals in the greater raleigh community through intimate and exceptional chamber music experiences. we are committed to presenting world class artists performing music of the highest caliber, providing…

Arts & Culture
10
Charlotte Symphony Orchestra Society Inc

Our mission is to ignite the human spirit through the passion and unifying power of live symphonic music.

Arts & Culture
11
Seattle Symphony Orchestra Inc

To present symphonic music of the highest quality in a distinctive way for the cultural enrichment, education, engagement and enjoyment of the people of our community.

Arts & Culture
12
Safe Haven for Cats

The mission of safe haven for cats is to use no-kill principles and education to save cats' lives through rescue, adoption, spay/neuter services and community programs.

Animals
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Steps to Hope Inc; the most unlike its peers is National Trumpet Competition Association. 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

21 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. 21 of the 26 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)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
21/21
Grantees still filing
15/21
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

NATIONAL MUSIC MUSEUM (AMERICAS SHRINE TO MUSIC): $651,753 · Arts & CultureNATIONAL MUSIC MUSEUM (AMERICAS SHRINE TO MUSIC)+3 more: $27,300 · Arts & CultureIndividual grant recipient: $125,000 · OtherIndividual grant recip…Individual grant recipient: $55,000 · OtherIndividual grant recip…BREVARD MUSIC CENTER INCORPORATED: $26,000 · OtherBREVARD MUSIC CENTER I…THE MUSIC FOUNDATION OF SPARTANBURG: $20,167 · OtherTHE MUSIC FOUNDATION O…SPARTANBURG HUMANE SOCIETY INC: $10,000 · OtherSPARTANBURG PHILHARMONIC: $10,000 · OtherWe Defy: $10,000 · OtherTHERMAL BELT OUTREACH MINISTRY INC: $10,000 · Other+4 more: $20,000 · Other+4 moreUNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA FOUNDATION: $200,000 · EducationUNIVERSITY OF SOU…CONVERSE UNIVERSITY: $20,000 · EducationCONVERSE UNIVERSI…MONDAYS HOPE: $150,000 · Youth DevelopmentMONDAYS HOPE+1 more: $5,000 · Youth DevelopmentBROOKE USA INC: $17,500 · AnimalsFoothills Humane Society Inc: $15,000 · AnimalsRED BELL RUN FOUNDATION INC: $10,000 · AnimalsWe Must Protect Inc: $20,000 · Public BenefitSpartanburg County Foundation: $10,000 · PhilanthropyGARY SINISE FOUNDATION: $5,000 · Philanthropy
Arts & Culture$679,053Other$286,167Education$220,000Youth Development$155,000Animals$42,500Public Benefit$20,000Philanthropy$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 budgetNATIONAL MUSIC MUSEUM (AMERICAS SHRINE TO MUSIC): $651,753 over 6y, 8.2% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA FOUNDATION: $200,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetMONDAYS HOPE: $150,000 over 2y, 43% of budgetBREVARD MUSIC CENTER INCORPORATED: $26,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetWe Must Protect Inc: $20,000 over 1y, 2.0% of budgetCONVERSE UNIVERSITY: $20,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetBROOKE USA INC: $17,500 over 3y, 1.1% of budgetFoothills Humane Society Inc: $15,000 over 1y, 1.9% of budgetWe Defy: $10,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetTHERMAL BELT OUTREACH MINISTRY INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetRED BELL RUN FOUNDATION INC: $10,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetSPARTANBURG HUMANE SOCIETY INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetSpartanburg County Foundation: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSPARTANBURG PHILHARMONIC: $10,000 over 1y, 1.0% of budgetCHILD RESCUE COALITION INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetGARY SINISE FOUNDATION: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSTEPS TO HOPE INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetFELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN ATHLETES: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL TRUMPET COMPETITION ASSOCIATION: $4,000 over 2y, 1.6% 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.

Roger B Smith Family …J M Smith FoundationDuke Energy FoundationBlack & Phillips Foun…Polk County Community…Milliken & Company Ch…Foundation for the Ca…Edward Jones Foundati…Verizon FoundationThe Blackbaud Giving …The Bank of America C…The Pfizer Foundation…
Roger B Smith Family Charitable TrustFL15.7× affinity5 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Roger B Smith Family Charitable Trust · J M Smith Foundation · Duke Energy Foundation · Black & Phillips Foundation Inc · Polk County Community Foundation Inc · Milliken & Company Charitable Foundation · Foundation for the Carolinas · Edward Jones Foundation · Verizon Foundation · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · The Pfizer Foundation Inc

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 Joe R & Joella F Utley Foundation Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Joe R & Joella F Utley Foundation Inc. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%3%13%28%50%funder's share of their income ↑0%13%25%38%50%share of the org’s income from government →median 20%
  • Child Rescue Coalition Inc: 20% 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 26 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 Joe R & Joella F Utley’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