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The McNair Law Firm Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The McNair Law Firm Foundation

Its FY2019 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$58k
Granted FY2019
11
Grants FY2019
1
States reached
$38k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2019.

Human Services$44kHealth$38kArts & Culture$11kCommunity Improvement$5kRecreation & Sports$4kYouth Development$4kEducation$3kInternational$2kOther$0
02FY2019 · 11 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2019

  • Under $10k10 grants · $20k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $38k
$1,500
Median grant
1
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
SISTERCARE$38,249
PRISMA HEALTH MIDLANDS FOUNDATION - WALK FOR LIFE$5,000
PRISMA HEALTH MIDLANDS FOUNDATION - FESTIVAL OF TREES$5,000
THORNWELL$2,500
PRISMA HEALTH MIDLANDS FOUNDATION - THE DRIVE GOLF TOURNAMENT$2,000
JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF GREATER SC INC$1,500
MAKE-A-WISH SOUTH CAROLINA$1,000
SISTERCARE$1,000
CONGRESSIONAL SPORTSMEN'S FOUNDATION$1,000
SC FARM BUREAU EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION$1,000
SCJGF$250
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 (FY18–19, $3k) land where the poverty rate runs at 18%, against an area that typically sits at 12%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 12%THORNWELL: $3k → 18%LRADAC FOUNDATION: $250 → 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.
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.

75%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$85k · 8 repeat orgs$29k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +60% since the first grant, against +2% for those funded once.

8 repeat relationships: 3 still active in FY2019, 5 since wound down; 5 grantees were first funded in FY2019 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

8
26

Total granted

$85k
$22k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+60%
+2%

Still filing today

50%
38%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2019, 89% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $6k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19
HealthArts & CultureHuman ServicesEducationCrime & LegalYouth DevelopmentOther
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

  • SI
    SISTERCARE INC
    2× · 2018–2019 · $41k · revenue +17%
  • PH
    PRISMA HEALTH MIDLANDS FOUNDATION F/K/A PALMETTO HEALTH FOUNDATION
    2× · 2017–2019 · $14k · revenue +68%
  • MF
    MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION OF SC INC
    3× · 2017–2019 · $2k · revenue +60%

Funded once

  • TT
    TOWN THEATRE
    one grant, 2018 · $4k
  • PH
    PALMETTO HEALTH FOUNDATION'S GOLF CLASSIC
    one grant, 2018 · $2k
  • JA
    JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT
    one grant, 2017 · $2k
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
Sc Chamber of Commerce

Enhancing the quality of life for all south carolinians, achieving global competiteveness and ultimately increasing prosperity for sc citizens.

—
2
South Carolina Public Interest Foundation
Crime & Legal
3
South Carolina Council On Competitiveness

The south carolina council on competitiveness is a nonpartisan, business-led non-profit organization committed to advancing the long term competitiveness of south carolina through actionable research, support of industry clusters and…

Community Improvement
4
South Carolina Cancer Alliance

The mission of the South Carolina Cancer Alliance(SCCA)is to reduce the impact of cancer on all South Carolinians.

—
5
Scbio Foundation

By focusing on the mission to enhance the development and growth of south carolina's life sciences industry ecosystem and by strengthening the state's workforce, education, innovation, and research infracstructure, the foundation works to…

Science & Tech
6
Alliance for a Healthier South Carolina

Convene and connect diverse stakeholders to align and catalyze efforts to improve health and well-being for communities across South Carolina.

—
7
South Carolina Research Foundation

the south carolina research foundation operates for the benefit of, or to carry out the purposes of, the university of south carolina. These activities include but are not limited to promoting, encouraging, and aiding scientific research…

—
8
Sc Launch Inc

Fuel south carolina's innovation economy by accelerating technology-enabled growth in research, academia, entrepreneurship and industry.

Community Improvement
9
South Carolina Council On Economic Education

Sc economics is the only sc non-profit organization exclusively dedicated to improving economic education and financial literacy by preparing teachers and students to be active, successful, and prosperous members of our global economy.

—
10
Sc Educational Communications Inc

South Carolina Educational Communications, Inc. ("SCEC") supports and promotes educational public media activities in South Carolina and across the United States, including the development and creation of original content for broadcast and…

Arts & Culture
11
University of South Carolina Educational Foundation

To support the University of South Carolina in its academic, research and charitable endeavors by promoting a culture of philanthropy, managing and stewarding donor gifts, and providing financial resources to support students and faculty…

Education
12
South Carolina Childrens Fund

To make strategic, catalytic investments and provide expertise and technical assistance to educational organizations across south carolina.

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Make-a-Wish Foundation of Sc Inc; the most unlike its peers is Junior Achievement of Greater South Carolina 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

19 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. 19 of the 39 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)
8
Early backer (in before they grew)
16/19
Grantees still filing
13/19
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

SISTERCARE INC: $41,249 · OtherSISTERCARE INCPALMETTO HEALTH FOUNDATION - WALK FOR LIFE: $10,000 · OtherPALMETTO HEALTH FOUNDATION - WALK FOR LIFEPALMETTO HEALTH FOUNDATION - FOT: $10,000 · OtherPALMETTO HEALTH FOUNDATION - FOTSC STATE MUSEUM FOUNDATION: $4,500 · OtherTOWN THEATRE: $3,750 · Other+22 more: $17,075 · Other+22 morePRISMA HEALTH MIDLANDS FOUNDATION F/K/A PALMETTO HEALTH FOUNDATION: $14,000 · HealthPRISMA HEALTH MID…MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION OF SC INC: $2,000 · HealthMAKE-A-WISH FOUND…Roper St Francis Foundation: $1,500 · HealthRoper St Francis …+1 more: $500 · HealthTHORNWELL: $2,500 · Human ServicesLRADAC FOUNDATION: $250 · Human ServicesSOUTH CAROLINA CHILDREN'S THEATRE: $1,500 · Arts & CultureCOLUMBIA MUSEUM OF ART: $1,000 · Arts & CultureJUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF GREATER SOUTH CAROLINA INC: $1,500 · InternationalGREENVILLE KIWANIS FOUNDATION: $1,450 · Youth DevelopmentLeadership South Carolina: $500 · EducationIsland School Council: $450 · Education
Other$86,574Health$18,000Human Services$2,750Arts & Culture$2,500International$1,500Youth Development$1,450Education$950

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

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetSISTERCARE INC: $41,249 over 2y, 1.1% of budgetPRISMA HEALTH MIDLANDS FOUNDATION F/K/A PALMETTO HEALTH FOUNDATION: $14,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHORNWELL: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION OF SC INC: $2,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetSOUTH CAROLINA CHILDREN'S THEATRE: $1,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetRoper St Francis Foundation: $1,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSANDHILLS SCHOOL: $1,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCOLUMBIA MUSEUM OF ART: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE SOUTH CAROLINA BAR FOUNDATION INC: $750 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLeadership South Carolina: $500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSCOA Cares Inc: $500 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetIsland School Council: $450 over 1y, 1.3% of budgetENGENUITYSC: $300 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSC Christian Action Council Inc: $300 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetLRADAC FOUNDATION: $250 over 1y, 0.3% 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.

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.

Central Carolina Comm…Dominion Energy Chari…Publix Super Markets …Lipscomb Family Found…Kw Beverage Foundatio…Michael J Mungo Found…The Bank of America C…The Blackbaud Giving …American Endowment Fo…Charities Aid Foundat…Natl Christian Charit…National Philanthropi…
Central Carolina Community FoundationSC23.3× affinity9 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Central Carolina Community Foundation · Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation · Publix Super Markets Charities Inc · Lipscomb Family Foundation · Kw Beverage Foundation Inc · Michael J Mungo Foundation · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · American Endowment Foundation · Charities Aid Foundation America · Natl Christian Charitable Fdn Inc · National Philanthropic Trust

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 McNair Law Firm Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The McNair Law Firm 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%6%13%19%25%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 · 0–25%
    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 McNair Law Firm Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to The McNair Law Firm 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 39 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 2019, released 2019. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on McNair Law Firm’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