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The Joel R Anderson Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Joel R Anderson 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.

$538k
Granted FY2025still arriving
26
Grants FY2025still arriving
4
States reached
$150k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
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 2025.

Education$530kInternational$494kArts & Culture$290kHealth$249kRecreation & Sports$216kCommunity Improvement$215kPhilanthropy$212kHuman Services$181kOther$0
02FY2025 · 26 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k11 grants · $43k
  • $10k–50k13 grants · $279k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $216k
$10,000
Median grant
4
States reached
$4.9M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA FOUNDATION$150,000
UNA FOUNDATION$66,000
BEAR CREEK COLLABORATIVE$44,000
UNITED WAY OF NORTHWEST ALABAMA$33,000
SHOALS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA$30,000
SHOALS COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES (CASA)$30,000
SHOALS DREAM CENTER$27,000
WILLIAM PORTER FOUNDATION$25,000
CARING PLACE$25,000
SHOALS COMMUNITY CLINIC$15,000
LIFTED SPIRITS GARAGE$10,000
BIG BROTHER BIG SISTER OF THE SHOALS$10,000
ALABAMA KIDNEY FOUNDATION$10,000
NORTHWEST ALABAMA SPAY AND NEUTER ASSISTANCE (NASANA)$10,000
LAND TRUST OF NORTH ALABAMA$10,000
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 (FY20–24, $66k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%ALABAMA SHERIFFS YOUTH RANCHES INC: $6k → 19%ONE PLACE OF THE SHOALS: $19k → 13%ONE PLACE OF THE SHOALS: $18k → 13%ONE PLACE OF THE SHOALS: $13k → 13%ONE PLACE OF THE SHOALS: $10k → 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.
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.

87%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$2.7M · 40 repeat orgs$385k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +5% since the first grant, against +3% for those funded once.

40 repeat relationships: 16 still active in FY2025, 24 since wound down; 10 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

40
23

Total granted

$2.7M
$183k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+5%
+3%

Still filing today

63%
39%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 62% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $202k went to new ones.

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

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

’17’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
HealthCommunity ImprovementEducationRecreation & SportsAnimalsArts & CultureOther
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

  • SS
    SHOALS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
    5× · 2021–2025 · $140k · revenue +35%
  • SR
    SINGING RIVER TRAIL
    2× · 2022–2024 · $125k · revenue ×17
  • FB
    Food Bank of North Alabama Inc
    2× · 2023–2024 · $93k · revenue +33%

Funded once

  • SM
    SHOALS MOUNTAIN BIKE CLUB
    one grant, 2022 · $25k
  • PA
    PETS ARE WORTH SAVING INC
    one grant, 2024 · $20k · revenue -12%
  • FILM INDEPENDENT
    one grant, 2024 · $20k · revenue -9%
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
Shelby County Historical Society

Preserve the history of shelby county al

—
2
Alabama Animal Adoption Society

To help strays and unwanted family pets find loving and responsible homes and to educate the public regarding the problem of pet overpopulation and the importance of spaying and neutering their pets.

Animals
3
Randolph County Animal Shelter

Randolph county animal shelter was established to provide shelter for the homeless animals of randolph county alabama.

Animals
4
Alabama Affordable Housing Association Inc

To promote the common interest of those involved in the development & management of rural multi-family housing.

Community Improvement
5
Humane Society of West Alabama Inc

Animal welfare and care

—
6
Tails From Alabama

Rescue Dogs from Alabama

Animals
7
Muscle Shoals Music Foundation

To preserve, archive, and curate audio, visual and tangible materials related to music written or recorded in and around muscle shoals, alabama, as well as mucic performed by musicians from that same geographical area.

—
8
Alabama Animal Alliance Inc

The Alabama Animal Alliance, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to ending companion animal overpopulation by providing low cost, high quality spay and neuter services.

Animals
9
North Alabama Coalition for the Homeless

To provide the coordination of community agencies and to engage in fundraising efforts to effectively reduce homelessness on north alabama for children, adults and families

Housing & Shelter
10
Family Services of North Alabama

Strengthens families and serve sexual assault victims

Human Services
11
Alabama Healthcare Hall of Fame
Arts & Culture
12
Southeast Affordable Housing Corporation Inc

To provide decent, safe, and affordable housing to very low, low, and moderate income residents in northport, alabama.

Housing & Shelter
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Shoals Dream Center Inc; the most unlike its peers is Riverhill School. 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

41 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. 41 of the 73 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.

5
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
6
Early backer (in before they grew)
39/41
Grantees still filing
21/41
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

UNA FOUNDATION: $493,578 · OtherUNA FOUNDATIONRIVERHILL FOUNDATION INC: $200,000 · OtherRIVERHILL FOUNDATION INCSHOALS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: $139,640 · OtherSHOALS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAWILLIAM PORTER FOUNDATION: $132,500 · OtherWILLIAM PORTER FOUNDATIONSHOALS COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES (CASA): $107,500 · OtherSHOALS COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES (CASA)SHOALS COMMUNITY THEATRE: $85,915 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $76,276 · OtherTHE HEALING PLACE: $75,000 · OtherUnited Way of Northwest Alabama: $79,700 · Other+44 more: $591,270 · Other+44 moreSINGING RIVER TRAIL: $125,000 · Community ImprovementSINGING RIV…SHOALS DREAM CENTER INC: $89,500 · Community ImprovementSHOALS DREA…SHOALS AREA CHAMBER FOUNDATION INC: $70,000 · Community ImprovementSHOALS AREA…DOWNTOWN FLORENCE ALLIANCE: $17,000 · Community ImprovementDOWNTOWN FL…University of South Florida Foundation Inc: $150,000 · EducationUniversit…THE WEBB SCHOOL: $65,000 · EducationTHE WEBB …RIVERHILL SCHOOL: $45,000 · EducationRIVERHILL…+1 more: $2,745 · EducationBear Creek Collaborative: $180,000 · Recreation & SportsSOUTHERN OFF-ROAD BICYCLE ASSOCIATION: $10,000 · Recreation & Sports+1 more: $500 · Recreation & SportsSHOALS COMMUNITY CLINIC: $67,978 · HealthAlabama Kidney Foundation Inc: $30,000 · HealthKRUZN FOR A KURE FOUNDATION: $24,675 · HealthRENEWED SPIRITS INC: $11,794 · HealthAmerican Heart Association Inc: $7,000 · HealthHOLOS HOPE: $5,000 · Health+1 more: $2,500 · HealthCRAMER CHILDRENS CENTER INC: $95,680 · Civil RightsFood Bank of North Alabama Inc: $93,403 · Food & Nutrition
Other$1,981,379Community Improvement$301,500Education$262,745Recreation & Sports$190,500Health$148,947Civil Rights$95,680Food & Nutrition$93,403

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 budgetRIVERHILL FOUNDATION INC: $200,000 over 2y, 24% of budgetBear Creek Collaborative: $180,000 over 4y, 36% of budgetUniversity of South Florida Foundation Inc: $150,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSHOALS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: $139,640 over 5y, 17% of budgetSINGING RIVER TRAIL: $125,000 over 2y, 6.4% of budgetCRAMER CHILDRENS CENTER INC: $95,680 over 6y, 3.6% of budgetFood Bank of North Alabama Inc: $93,403 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetSHOALS DREAM CENTER INC: $89,500 over 3y, 3.9% of budgetUnited Way of Northwest Alabama: $79,700 over 3y, 3.9% of budgetSHOALS AREA CHAMBER FOUNDATION INC: $70,000 over 2y, 34% of budgetSHOALS COMMUNITY CLINIC: $67,978 over 6y, 12% of budgetTHE WEBB SCHOOL: $65,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetONE PLACE OF THE SHOALS INC: $59,262 over 4y, 5.4% of budgetHome Free Haven Inc: $50,000 over 3y, 14% of budgetRIVERHILL SCHOOL: $45,000 over 3y, 1.8% of budgetNORTHWEST ALABAMA READING AIDES INC: $40,000 over 4y, 37% of budgetAlabama Kidney Foundation Inc: $30,000 over 3y, 0.5% of budgetHASRA INC: $25,000 over 2y, 5.5% of budgetKRUZN FOR A KURE FOUNDATION: $24,675 over 4y, 2.1% of budgetMUSCLE SHOALS SONGWRITERS FOUNDATION: $22,500 over 5y, 5.1% of budgetPETS ARE WORTH SAVING INC: $20,000 over 1y, 22% of budgetFILM INDEPENDENT: $19,505 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetDOWNTOWN FLORENCE ALLIANCE: $17,000 over 4y, 5.2% of budgetNATIONAL BRAIN TUMOR SOCIETY INC: $15,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetRENEWED SPIRITS INC: $11,794 over 3y, 11% of budgetCOMMON GROUND SHOALS INC: $10,522 over 3y, 2.8% of budgetHABITAT FOR HUMANITY: $10,000 over 1y, 63% of budgetSLEEP IN HEAVENLY PEACE INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSAFEPLACE INC: $10,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetCHLOESFUNDLIMITED: $10,000 over 2y, 6.6% of budgetAmerican Heart Association Inc: $7,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetALABAMA SHERIFFS' YOUTH RANCHES INC: $6,400 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMUSCLE SHOALS MUSIC ASSOCIATION INC: $5,000 over 1y, 26% of budgetPROJECT THREADWAYS INC: $2,745 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSMILE-A-MILE: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetZIP CITY VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT: $2,000 over 1y, 2.3% 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.

  • Who funds RIVERHILL FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds Bear Creek Collaborative ↗
  • Who funds University of South Florida Foundation Inc ↗
  • Who funds SHOALS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ↗
  • Who funds SINGING RIVER TRAIL ↗
  • Who funds CRAMER CHILDRENS CENTER INC ↗
  • Who funds Food Bank of North Alabama Inc ↗
  • Who funds SHOALS DREAM CENTER INC ↗
  • Who funds United Way of Northwest Alabama ↗
  • Who funds SHOALS AREA CHAMBER FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds SHOALS COMMUNITY CLINIC ↗
  • Who funds THE WEBB SCHOOL ↗
  • Who funds ONE PLACE OF THE SHOALS INC ↗
  • Who funds Home Free Haven Inc ↗
  • Who funds RIVERHILL SCHOOL ↗
  • Who funds NORTHWEST ALABAMA READING AIDES INC ↗
  • Who funds Alabama Kidney Foundation Inc ↗
  • Who funds HASRA INC ↗
  • Who funds KRUZN FOR A KURE FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds MUSCLE SHOALS SONGWRITERS FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds PETS ARE WORTH SAVING INC ↗
  • Who funds FILM INDEPENDENT ↗
  • Who funds DOWNTOWN FLORENCE ALLIANCE ↗
  • Who funds NATIONAL BRAIN TUMOR SOCIETY INC ↗
  • Who funds RENEWED SPIRITS INC ↗
  • Who funds COMMON GROUND SHOALS INC ↗
  • Who funds HABITAT FOR HUMANITY ↗

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 Long Lewis Founda…The Daniel Foundation…The Community Foundat…Community Foundation …Publix Super Markets …The Bank of America C…Charities Aid Foundat…Morgan Stanley Global…Paypal Charitable Giv…Network for GoodNatl Christian Charit…Donor Advised Charita…
The Long Lewis FoundationAL46.5× affinity20 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Long Lewis Foundation · The Daniel Foundation of Alabama · The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham · Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville · Publix Super Markets Charities Inc · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Charities Aid Foundation America · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Paypal Charitable Giving Fund · Network for Good · Natl Christian Charitable Fdn Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving 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 Joel R Anderson Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Joel R Anderson Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 20%5%19%42%75%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    2get no government money at all
    12report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    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 Joel R Anderson Family Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to The Joel R Anderson Family 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 73 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 Joel R Anderson 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
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    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