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The Lookout Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Lookout Foundation

Its FY2026 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$40k
Granted FY2026still arriving
3
Grants FY2026still arriving
2
States reached
$40k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its fieldRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2021 to 2025.

Environment$74kEducation$59kScience & Tech$50kHealth$8kReligion$6kPublic Safety & Disaster$5kHuman Services$4kCommunity Improvement$3kOther$0
02FY2026 · 3 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2026

  • Under $10k2 grants · $200
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $40k
$100
Median grant
2
States reached
$181k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
GUILFORD COLLEGE$40,000
BLADEN COUNTY COLLEGE FOUNDATION$100
AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION$100
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 (FY21–26) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 69% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%VOYAGEUR OUTWARD BOUND SCHOOL: $1k → 14%OUTWARD BOUND CALIFONIA: $1k → 10%OUTWARD BOUND USA: $35k → 9%NYC OUTWARD BOUND SCHOOL: $1k → 13%AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION: $100 → 14%SPASTIC PARAPLEGIA FOUNDATION: $3k → 5%NORTHWEST OUTWARD BOUND SCHOOL: $1k → 12%LEWIS A CHEEK LAW SCHOLARSHIP: $5k → 14%HIGHER ED WORKS: $2k → 8%CAROLINA CAY MARITIME FOUNDATION: $2k → 12%LIVING FREE MINISTRIES: $500 → 13%PEDIATRIC HEMATOLOGYONCOLOGY TRUST: $1k → 13%WAKE FOREST SCHOOL OF LAW: $1k → 15%FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: $5k → 16%BLADEN COUNTY COLLEGE FOUNDATION: $100 → 19%COLORADO OUTWARD BOUND SCHOOL: $1k → 12%THE SALVATION ARMY: $3k → 9%BALTIMORE CHESAPEAKE BAY OUTWARD BO: $1k → 11%HURRICANE ISLAND OUTWARD BOUND SCHO: $1k → 11%OUTWARD BOUND USA: $25k → 9%PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY FUND OF UNC: $3k → 13%BIG EQUITY FOUNDATION: $3k → 16%THE SALVATION ARMY: $1k → 9%OUTWARD BOUND USA: $8k → 9%MEDICAL FOUNDATION OF UNC: $1k → 13%STEPUP GREENSBORO: $500 → 16%OUTWARD BOUND USA: $732 → 9%GREENSBORO CHILDERN'S MUSEUM: $250 → 16%CAROLINA THEATRE OF GREENSBORO INC: $250 → 16%PIEDMONT LAND CONSERVANCY: $1k → 16%GUILFORD COLLEGE: $40k → 16%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $3k → 16%PEAK ADVENTURE MINISTRIES: $1k → 16%GREENSBORO SCIENCE CENTER: $50k → 16%GREENSBORO DAY SCHOOL: $50k → 16%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

ME
MN
NY
OR
CA
CO
MO
VA
MD
TN
NC
DC
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 96% of The Lookout Foundation’s grant dollars are earmarked for a different county than the recipient’s own address. By recipient address, 58% of the giving stays in NC; by stated purpose, 3%.

The Lookout Foundationlessmore 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 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 Outward Bound School

To change lives through challenge and discovery.

Environment
2
Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound School Inc

To inspire character development and self-discovery in people of all ages and walks of life through challenge and adventure and to impel them to achieve more than they ever thought possible, to show compassion for others and to actively…

Youth Development
3
The Peak School

The peak school seeks to ignite a passion for learning, to develop students of diverse talents and backgrounds who think critically and act with integrity, and to graduate compassionate, confident, capable students who will embrace their…

Education
4
Outdoor Journeys Inc

Inspiring individuals to connect with the natural world

Youth Development
5
Homeward Bound Inc

Providing innovative and life-enriching services for children, adolescents, and adults with disabilities.

Human Services
6
Greensboro College

Greensboro College provides a liberal arts education grounded in the traditions of the United Methodist Church and fosters the intellectual, social, and spiritual development of all students while supporting their individual needs.

Education
7
The Expedition School

Operation of a North Carolina public charter school.

Education
8
Open Campus Media Inc

Higher education shapes the future of every community in america-determining who moves up the economic ladder, where good jobs develop, and how regions prosper. this promise depends on the public's ability to see and understand how their…

Arts & Culture
9
Climate Breakthrough Inc

To launch breakthrough climate mitigation efforts by identifying, supporting, and unleashing innovative leaders with transformative strategies.

Human Services
10
Naturebridge

To connect young people to the wonder and science of the natural world, igniting self-discovery and inspiring stewardship of our planet.

Environment
11
Explorer West an Independent Middle School

We empower young people to explore and grow their unique intellectual, ethical, and creative capabilities, and to treasure diversity and growth in others.

Education
12
President and Trustees of Bates College

Bates is a college of the liberal arts and sciences, and is a coeducational, nonsectarian, residential college with special commitments to academic rigor, and to assuring in all of its efforts the dignity of each individual, and access to…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Outward Bound Inc; the most unlike its peers is Blood Cancer United Inc. 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, 2017–2026.

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. 21 of the 34 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)
3
Early backer (in before they grew)
21/21
Grantees still filing
11/21
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Greensboro Independent School Corp: $50,000 · EducationGreensboro Independent School CorpGUILFORD COLLEGE: $40,000 · EducationGUILFORD COLLEGE+1 more: $2,000 · EducationOUTWARD BOUND INC: $68,761 · EnvironmentOUTWARD BOUND INC+4 more: $4,000 · Environment+4 moreTHE NATURAL SCIENCE CENTER OF GREENSBORO INC DBA GREENSBORO SCIENCE CENTER: $50,000 · Arts & CultureTHE NATURAL SCIENCE CE…+1 more: $250 · Arts & CultureFIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: $5,000 · OtherFIRST PRESBYT…LEWIS A CHEEK LAW SCHOLARSHIP: $5,000 · OtherLEWIS A CHEEK…THE SALVATION ARMY: $3,500 · OtherTHE SALVATION…AMERICAN RED CROSS: $2,500 · OtherAMERICAN RED …BIG EQUITY FOUNDATION: $2,500 · OtherBIG EQUITY FO…PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY FUND OF UNC: $2,500 · OtherPEDIATRIC ONC…CAROLINA CAY MARITIME FOUNDATION: $1,700 · OtherCAROLINA CAY …+9 more: $7,350 · Other+9 moreSPASTIC PARAPLEGIA FOUNDATION INC: $2,500 · HealthBLOOD CANCER UNITED INC: $500 · HealthLIVING FREE MINISTRIES INC: $500 · Health+1 more: $100 · HealthWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $2,500 · InternationalOUTWARD BOUND CALIFORNIA: $1,000 · Recreation & SportsPEAK Adventure Ministries: $1,000 · Recreation & SportsREACH OUT FIRST INC: $500 · Employment
Education$92,000Environment$72,761Arts & Culture$50,250Other$30,050Health$3,600International$2,500Recreation & Sports$2,000Employment$500

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 budgetOUTWARD BOUND INC: $68,761 over 4y, 0.6% of budgetTHE NATURAL SCIENCE CENTER OF GREENSBORO INC DBA GREENSBORO SCIENCE CENTER: $50,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetGreensboro Independent School Corp: $50,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetSPASTIC PARAPLEGIA FOUNDATION INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetHIGHER ED WORKS: $2,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetVOYAGEUR OUTWARD BOUND SCHOOL: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetOUTWARD BOUND CALIFORNIA: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetThe Historic Preservation Foundation of North Carolina Inc: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCOLORADO OUTWARD BOUND SCHOOL: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNEW YORK CITY OUTWARD BOUND CENTER INC DBA NYC OUTWARD BOUND SCHOOLS: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNorthwest Outward Bound School: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPIEDMONT LAND CONSERVANCY: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPEAK Adventure Ministries: $1,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetREACH OUT FIRST INC: $500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBLOOD CANCER UNITED INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLIVING FREE MINISTRIES INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGREENSBORO CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCAROLINA THEATRE OF GREENSBORO INC: $250 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.

Hillsdale FundThe Arthur M Blank Fa…Lincoln Financial Fou…Hagan Family FundTannenbaum-Sternberge…The VF FoundationThe Cannon Foundation…Amg Charitable Gift F…Duke Energy FoundationGeorge Andreve Founda…Griffin Family Founda…The Stout Family Foun…
Hillsdale FundNC19.8× affinity7 shared granteesties to 10 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Hillsdale Fund · The Arthur M Blank Family Foundation · Lincoln Financial Foundation Inc · Hagan Family Fund · Tannenbaum-Sternberger Foundation Inc · The VF Foundation · The Cannon Foundation Inc · Amg Charitable Gift Foundation · Duke Energy Foundation · George Andreve Foundation Inc · Griffin Family Foundation · The Stout Family 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 Lookout Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Lookout Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%1%3%4%5%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get no government money at all
    10report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–5%
    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 34 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 2026, released 2026. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Lookout’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