Skip to content
The Lynda and Tom C Nichols Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Lynda and Tom C Nichols 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.

$28k
Granted FY2025still arriving
5
Grants FY2025still arriving
1
States reached
$8k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its 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, FY2018 to 2025.

Housing & Shelter$53kFood & Nutrition$50kHuman Services$15kMembership Benefit$10kPublic Safety & Disaster$8kYouth Development$5kArts & Culture$5kPhilanthropy$5kOther$0
02FY2025 · 5 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$5,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$544k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
GENESIS WOMEN'S SHELTER$7,500
KERR COUNTY RELIEF FUND - COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY$5,000
NORTH TEXAS FOOD BANK$5,000
CASTRO COUNTY HISTORICAL COMMISSION$5,000
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS CHARITIES$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 (FY18–22, $18k) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%VOGEL ALCOVE: $10k → 14%YMCA OF METROPOLITAN FORT WORTH: $3k → 11%CENTER FOR TRANSFOMING LIVES: $3k → 11%YMCA OF METROPOLITAN FORT WORTH: $3k → 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.
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.

57%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$89k · 5 repeat orgs$67k to everyone else

5 repeat relationships: 0 still active in FY2025, 5 since wound down; 5 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

5
12

Total granted

$89k
$40k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

-2%
+35%

Still filing today

60%
67%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 0% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $28k went to new ones.

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

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

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Human ServicesHousing & ShelterPhilanthropyFood & NutritionHealthEducationOther
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

  • TA
    Tarrant Area Food Bank
    2× · 2020–2021 · $41k · revenue +26%
  • EP
    EMILY'S PLACE INC
    2× · 2022–2024 · $18k · revenue -52%
  • GW
    GENESIS WOMEN'S SHELTER SUPPORT
    2× · 2019–2024 · $18k

Funded once

  • VA
    VOGEL ALCOVEgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $10k · revenue +36%
  • DT
    DFW TOYS FOR TOTS
    one grant, 2020 · $5k
  • DC
    DIMMITT CEMETERY ASSOCIATION
    one grant, 2023 · $5k
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
Bread for Our Children

Provide nutrition meals for communities in the Dallas/Ft Worth, Texas areas

—
2
Food Bank of the Albemarle

To fight hunger and poverty in northeastern north carolina.

Food & Nutrition
3
Methodist Hospitals of Dallas

The primary mission or purpose of methodist health system is to serve people in defined service areas by meeting their health needs effectively and in a manner that reflects a "commitment to the christian concepts of life and learning" as…

Health
4
The Houston Food Bank

Houston food bank's mission is to provide food for better lives. last year we provided access to 136 million nutritious meals in 18 counties in southeast texas through our 1,600 community partners which includes food pantries, soup…

—
5
State Fair of Texas

The state fair of texas celebrates all things texan by promoting agriculture, education, and community involvement through quality entertainment in a family-friendly environment. the state fair of texas is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit…

Recreation & Sports
6
Feeding America Texas

Feeding America Texas operates exclusively for charitable purposes by supporting food assistance, hunger relief, and community aid initiatives for individuals and families experiencing food insecurity throughout Texas. The organization…

Food & Nutrition
7
Covenant Health System

As expressions of god's healing love, witnessed through the ministry of jesus, we are steadfast in serving all, especially those who are poor and vulnerable.

Health
8
North Dallas Food Pantry

North Dallas Food Pantry (DBA NTX Community Food Pantry) is dedicated to building relationships by sharing resources, hope and faith in a welcoming environment, with love and dignaty.

Human Services
9
Central Texas Food Bank Inc

To increase food access in Central Texas by providing nutritious food, leading hunger and poverty advocacy efforts, and transforming lives through programs, education, and innovative solutions.

Food & Nutrition
10
Catholic Charities- Diocese of Tyler

Catholic charities-diocese of tyler is a servant of the body of christ engaged in works of mercy to ease suffering of the poor, the hungry, the naked, the sick, the homeless, the immigrant, the least amoung us, our brethren in east texas.…

Philanthropy
11
HealthTexas Provider Network

To deliver the highest value patient experience through quality, safety, accessibility, and cost-effectiveness, enhanced by medical education and research in collaboration with Baylor Scott & White Health (BSWH).

Health
12
The Food Depot

The food depot fosters healthy communities by engaging a network of partners and developing solutions to create a hunger-free new mexico.

Human Services
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is North Texas Food Bank; the most unlike its peers is Tulia Cemetery Association. 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

13 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. 13 of the 22 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)
0
Early backer (in before they grew)
13/13
Grantees still filing
7/13
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Tarrant Area Food Bank: $41,000 · OtherTarrant Area Food BankGENESIS WOMEN'S SHELTER SUPPORT: $17,500 · OtherGENESIS WOMEN'S SHELTER SUPPORTTRINITY HABITAT FOR HUMANITY: $7,500 · OtherTRINITY HABITAT FOR HUMANITYGENESIS WOMEN'S SHELTER: $7,500 · OtherGENESIS WOMEN'S SHELTERKERR COUNTY RELIEF FUND - COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY: $5,000 · OtherDFW TOYS FOR TOTS: $5,000 · OtherDIMMITT CEMETERY ASSOCIATION: $5,000 · OtherNORTH TEXAS FOOD BANK: $5,000 · OtherCASTRO COUNTY HISTORICAL COMMISSION: $5,000 · OtherTULIA CEMETERY ASSOCIATION: $5,000 · Other+3 more: $7,500 · Other+3 moreVOGEL ALCOVE: $10,000 · Human ServicesVOGEL ALCOVEYMCA of Metropolitan Fort Worth: $5,000 · Human ServicesYMCA of Metrop…American National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $2,500 · Human ServicesAmerican Natio…CENTER FOR TRANSFORMING LIVES: $2,500 · Human ServicesCENTER FOR TRA…EMILY'S PLACE INC: $17,500 · Housing & ShelterEMILY'S PLAC…THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS CHARITIES: $5,000 · PhilanthropyNEIGHBORS NOURISHING NEIGHBORS: $1,000 · Food & NutritionCOVENANT HEALTH SYSTEM FOUNDATION: $500 · HealthLUBBOCK CHRISTIAN SCHOOL: $500 · Education
Other$111,000Human Services$20,000Housing & Shelter$17,500Philanthropy$5,000Food & Nutrition$1,000Health$500Education$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 budgetTarrant Area Food Bank: $41,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetEMILY'S PLACE INC: $17,500 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetVOGEL ALCOVE: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetTHE DALLAS MORNING NEWS CHARITIES: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetNORTH TEXAS FOOD BANK: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTULIA CEMETERY ASSOCIATION: $5,000 over 1y, 2.7% of budgetYMCA of Metropolitan Fort Worth: $5,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSHARE OUR STRENGTH: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCENTER FOR TRANSFORMING LIVES: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNEIGHBORS NOURISHING NEIGHBORS: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCOVENANT HEALTH SYSTEM FOUNDATION: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLUBBOCK CHRISTIAN SCHOOL: $500 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.

Communities Foundatio…Texas Instruments Fou…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…The Bank of America C…National Philanthropi…American Online Givin…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Communities Foundation of Texas IncTX12.5× affinity4 shared granteesties to 7 of 7Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Communities Foundation of Texas Inc · Texas Instruments Foundation · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · 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 Lynda and Tom C Nichols Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Lynda and Tom C Nichols 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%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    4report 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.

    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 22 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 Lynda and Tom C Nichols’ 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