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The Mill Foundation at a glanceMostly funded, not a grantmaker: see who funds it →

· Private foundation

The Mill Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$124k
Granted FY2025still arriving
18
Grants FY2025still arriving
1
States reached
$10k
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, FY2019 to 2025.

Human Services$244kYouth Development$235kRecreation & Sports$83kHousing & Shelter$68kCommunity Improvement$57kArts & Culture$38kFood & Nutrition$30kReligion$28kOther$0
02FY2025 · 18 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k13 grants · $74k
  • $10k–50k5 grants · $50k
$8,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$2.2M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
PATRIOTS' GATEWAY COMMUNITY CENTER$10,000
NORTHWEST COMMUNITY CENTER$10,000
BOYS & GIRLS CLUB$10,000
ROCKFORD RESCUE MISSION$10,000
CASA OF WINNEBAGO COUNTY$10,000
THE MUSIC ACADEMY OF ROCKFORD$9,000
NORTHWEST CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT$8,900
REMEDIES RENEWING LIVES$8,000
NORTHERN ILLINOIS FOOD BANK$8,000
DISCOVERY CENTER MUSEUM$8,000
ROCKFORD BARBELL$7,200
BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA-BLACKHAWK AREA COUNCIL$7,000
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY$4,000
KEN-ROCK COMMUNITY CENTER$3,600
YMCA OF ROCK RIVER VALLEY$3,000
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 (FY19–25, $91k) land where the poverty rate runs at 15%, against an area that typically sits at 9%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 9%YOUTH SERVICES NETWORK: $14k → 15%WINNEBAGO COUNTY CASA: $27k → 15%WINNEBAGO COUNTY CASA: $15k → 15%WINNEBAGO COUNTY CASA: $13k → 15%YMCA - OF ROCK RIVER VALLEY: $10k → 15%YOUTH SERVICES NETWORK INC: $8k → 15%YMCA OF ROCK RIVER VALLEY: $3k → 15%CARPENTER'S PLACE: $2k → 15%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.

91%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$778k · 24 repeat orgs$76k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +31% since the first grant, against +25% for those funded once.

24 repeat relationships: 15 still active in FY2025, 9 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

24
9

Total granted

$778k
$58k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+31%
+25%

Still filing today

71%
56%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 85% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $19k went to new ones.

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

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

’19’21’22’23’24’25
Human ServicesHealthYouth DevelopmentRecreation & SportsEducationFood & NutritionOther
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

  • PG
    PATRIOTS' GATEWAY COMMUNITY CENTER
    6× · 2019–2025 · $83k · revenue +92%
  • WC
    WINNEBAGO COUNTY CASA
    3× · 2019–2022 · $55k · revenue +303%
  • BG
    BOYS & GIRLS CLUB ASSOCIATION OF ROCKFORD
    3× · 2019–2022 · $55k · revenue +91%

Funded once

  • CS
    CHILDREN'S SAFE HARBOR INC
    one grant, 2021 · $10k · revenue +25%
  • RP
    ROCKFORD PARK DISTRICT - WASHINGTON PARK
    one grant, 2022 · $10k
  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2021 · $8k
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
Rockford Regional Health Council

Rockford regional health council is a not-for-profit social service corporation organized under the laws of the state of illinois for the purpose of improving community health through data gatering and analysis, education and advocacy.

—
2
Transform Rockford
Community Improvement
3
Rock Rapids Kids Club Inc

To provide nurturing and educational childcare services.

Human Services
4
Stepping Stones of Rockford Inc

Residential rehabilitation for mentally and emotionally disabled adults.

Human Services
5
Rockford Christian Education Association

To challenge young people to know christ as lord, apply god's truth in all areas of life, love others sacrifically, and achieve the highest level of knowledge and skill in order to serve god and others

Education
6
Rockford Day Nursery

It is the mission of this corporation to provide quality care for children between the ages of six weeks and twelve years whose parents are employed or in training.

Human Services
7
Rockford Community Service Center

North kent connect is a christian organization committed to improving the lives of all people in northern kent county by providing access to basic needs and promoting economic independence.

Human Services
8
Rocksolid Community Teen Center

Provide a safe place for youth in the community to foster relationships with one another and become caring adults

Youth Development
9
Northern Illinois Blood Bank Inc D/B/a Rock River Valley Blood Center

Rock river valley blood center, in partnership with our community, is dedicated to providing safe, high value blood products and services to people in need.

Health
10
Community Action Inc of Rock & Walworth Counties

At community action we provide access and opportunity for those we serve and those who support our efforts. through innovative programs and strong community partnerships we eliminate barriers, establishing clear pathways to economic…

Community Improvement
11
Rockford University

To educate men & women to lead responsible lives by means of a curriculum grounded in liberal arts learning and complemented and extended by professional and practical experience, through the total academic and co-curricular experience,…

Education
12
The Rockford Institute

To provide analysis and commentary on cultural, economic, political, and educational issues through a published monthly opinion magazine and to operate continuing adult educational conferences in american and european literature and…

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Northwest Community Center; the most unlike its peers is Life Decisions 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

24 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. 24 of the 36 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)
5
Early backer (in before they grew)
24/24
Grantees still filing
16/24
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

NORTHWEST COMMUNITY CENTER: $89,500 · OtherNORTHWEST COMMUNITY CENTERBOYS & GIRLS CLUB ASSOCIATION OF ROCKFORD: $54,500 · OtherBOYS & GIRLS CLUB ASSOCIATION OF ROCKFORDNORTHWEST CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORP: $46,930 · OtherNORTHWEST CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPBOYS & GIRLS CLUB: $33,500 · OtherBOYS & GIRLS CLUBCASA OF WINNEBAGO COUNTY: $33,089 · OtherCASA OF WINNEBAGO COUNTYBLACKHAWK AREA COUNCIL OF BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA INC: $32,250 · OtherBLACKHAWK AREA COUNCIL OF BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA INCKEEPING FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES TOGETHER-KFACT: $27,500 · OtherKEEPING FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES TOGETHER-KFACTCHILDREN'S HOME & AID - NORTHERN REGION: $20,000 · OtherHABITAT FOR HUMANITY: $16,600 · OtherNORTHERN ILLINOIS FOOD BANK: $27,000 · OtherNORTHERN ILLINOIS FOOD BANKDISCOVERY CENTER MUSEUM OF ROCKFORD INC: $24,000 · OtherUNITED WAY OF ROCK RIVER VALLEY: $20,300 · Other+8 more: $67,350 · Other+8 moreWINNEBAGO COUNTY CASA: $54,500 · Human ServicesWINNEBAGO CO…YOUTH SERVICES NETWORK INC: $21,500 · Human ServicesYOUTH SERVIC…YMCA OF ROCK RIVER VALLEY: $13,000 · Human ServicesYMCA OF ROCK…+1 more: $2,365 · Human ServicesPATRIOTS' GATEWAY COMMUNITY CENTER: $82,800 · Recreation & SportsPATRIOTS' G…Rockford Barbell: $7,200 · Recreation & SportsRockford Ba…REMEDIES RENEWING LIVES: $28,226 · HealthTHE PREGNANCY CARE CENTER OF ROCKFORD: $12,500 · HealthROCKFORD SEXUAL ASSAULT COUNSELING INC: $6,750 · HealthHOPE REIGNS RANCH: $4,160 · HealthROCKFORD RESCUE MISSION MINISTRIES: $48,700 · EducationROCKFORD PROMISE: $2,500 · EducationROCK HOUSE KIDS: $28,171 · Youth DevelopmentLIFE DECISIONS INC: $8,000 · Youth DevelopmentGIRL SCOUTS OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS: $7,500 · Youth DevelopmentKEN-ROCK COMMUNITY CENTER INC: $33,560 · Community Improvement
Other$492,519Human Services$91,365Recreation & Sports$90,000Health$51,636Education$51,200Youth Development$43,671Community Improvement$33,560

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 budgetNORTHWEST COMMUNITY CENTER: $89,500 over 6y, 3.5% of budgetPATRIOTS' GATEWAY COMMUNITY CENTER: $82,800 over 6y, 4.9% of budgetWINNEBAGO COUNTY CASA: $54,500 over 3y, 4.8% of budgetBOYS & GIRLS CLUB ASSOCIATION OF ROCKFORD: $54,500 over 3y, 1.0% of budgetROCKFORD RESCUE MISSION MINISTRIES: $48,700 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetKEN-ROCK COMMUNITY CENTER INC: $33,560 over 4y, 4.5% of budgetBLACKHAWK AREA COUNCIL OF BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA INC: $32,250 over 5y, 0.3% of budgetREMEDIES RENEWING LIVES: $28,226 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetROCK HOUSE KIDS: $28,171 over 3y, 1.3% of budgetNORTHERN ILLINOIS FOOD BANK: $27,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetDISCOVERY CENTER MUSEUM OF ROCKFORD INC: $24,000 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetYOUTH SERVICES NETWORK INC: $21,500 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetUNITED WAY OF ROCK RIVER VALLEY: $20,300 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetYMCA OF ROCK RIVER VALLEY: $13,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetTHE PREGNANCY CARE CENTER OF ROCKFORD: $12,500 over 3y, 0.6% of budgetCHILDREN'S SAFE HARBOR INC: $10,000 over 1y, 2.6% of budgetLIFE DECISIONS INC: $8,000 over 1y, 4.4% of budgetTHE LITERACY COUNCIL: $8,000 over 1y, 2.1% of budgetGIRL SCOUTS OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS: $7,500 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetRockford Barbell: $7,200 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetROCKFORD SEXUAL ASSAULT COUNSELING INC: $6,750 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetHOPE REIGNS RANCH: $4,160 over 1y, 9.3% of budgetROCKFORD PROMISE: $2,500 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetCARPENTER'S PLACE INC: $2,365 over 1y, 0.1% 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.

Community Foundation …The Kjellstrom Family…United Way of Rock Ri…Bergstrom Inc Charita…Kristin L Anderson Ch…Ralph J Baudhuin Foun…Tracy E Anderson Char…The David & Colleen A…Northern Illinois Foo…Guy Reno Family Found…Ahlstrand Family Foun…SwedishAmerican Healt…
Community Foundation of Northern ILIL47.1× affinity20 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Community Foundation of Northern IL · The Kjellstrom Family Foundation · United Way of Rock River Valley · Bergstrom Inc Charitable Foundation Xxxxx2008 · Kristin L Anderson Charitable Foundation · Ralph J Baudhuin Foundation · Tracy E Anderson Charitable Foundation · The David & Colleen Anderson Charitable Foundation · Northern Illinois Food Bank · Guy Reno Family Foundation · Ahlstrand Family Foundation · SwedishAmerican Health 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 Mill Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Mill Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%3%5%8%10%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    14report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–10%
    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 Mill Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to The Mill 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 36 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 Mill’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