Skip to content
The Molly Lawson Foundation at a glance

· Public charity

The Molly Lawson Foundation

To perform the functions of, or to carry out the purposes of the arizona community foundation, an az nonprofit corporation, so long as the arizona community foundation, inc.

$58k
Granted FY2025still arriving
5
Grants FY2025still arriving
2
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, FY2017 to 2025.

Health$145kEducation$50kScience & Tech$49kHousing & Shelter$40kHuman Services$37kEmployment$16kRecreation & Sports$15k
02FY2025 · 5 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 5 grants below total $48,000, the rows itemized in this filing. The $58,000 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $10,000 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k1 grant · $8k
  • $10k–50k4 grants · $40k
$10,000
Median grant
2
States reached
$1.4M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
EASTER SEALS BLAKE FOUNDATION$10,000
TREASURE HOUSE$10,000
UNIVERSITY OF UTAH$10,000
HORSES WITH HEART INC$10,000
ARIZONA RECREATION CENTER FOR THE HANDICAPPED$8,000
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 (FY17–25, $39k) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 8%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 8%EASTER SEALS BLAKE FOUNDATION: $10k → 15%EASTER SEALS BLAKE FOUNDATION: $10k → 15%Scottsdale Training and Rehabilitation Service: $7k → 11%SCOTTSDALE TRAINING AND REHABILITATION SERVICE: $6k → 11%SCOTTSDALE TRAINING AND REHABILITATION SERVICES (STARS): $6k → 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.

84%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$294k · 8 repeat orgs$58k to everyone else

8 repeat relationships: 4 still active in FY2025, 4 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

8
5

Total granted

$294k
$48k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+3%
+57%

Still filing today

88%
100%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 79% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $10k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Human ServicesEducationHealthEmploymentHousing & ShelterOther
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

  • TH
    TREASURE HOUSE
    5× · 2020–2025 · $48k · revenue +112%
  • V
    VALLEYLIFE
    4× · 2018–2024 · $31k · revenue +3%
  • ST
    SCOTTSDALE TRAINING & REHABILITATION SERVICES INC
    3× · 2017–2019 · $19k · revenue +26%

Funded once

  • University of Arizona Foundation
    one grant, 2019 · $15k · revenue +20%
  • HH
    HORSES HELP FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2021 · $10k · revenue -36%
  • NA
    NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATIONgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $10k · revenue +337%
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
Arc of Arizona Inc

Advocates for the rights and participation of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. together with our network of members and affiliated chapters, we improve systems of support, connect families, inspire communication,…

—
2
Spectrum for Living Development Inc

To enable individuals who have developmental and/or physical disabilities to have the opportunity to attain their highest level of skills, purpose and independence.

Human Services
3
The Centers for Habilitationtch

Finding creative and innovative ways to provide hope and purpose for individuals with disabilities.

Employment
4
Statewide Independent Living Council

Arizona Statewide Independent Living Council, AZSILC is one of 56 Statewide Independent Living Councils, SILCs which are federally mandated under the Rehabilitation Act. There is one SILC in each state and US territory. AZSILC members are…

Human Services
5
Abilitypath

Empower people with special needs to achieve their full potential through innovative, inclusive programs and community partnerships.

Employment
6
Arizona Training & Evaluation Center Inc

Provide educational employment related day services, residential and home and community based services and support to members with developmental disabilities.

Employment
7
Arizona Developmental Services Inc

Ads is a day treatment program designed to aid in personal empowerment and career training for young adults with cognitive disabilities. our mission is to transition young adults with disabilities to independent living and community…

Human Services
8
Dakotabilities Inc

Together, we create a warm and welcoming community enriching the lives of those we support.

Human Services
9
Via Rehabilitation Services Inc

Our mission is to empower people with disabilities and their families to grow, develop, and thrive by providing essential skill-building, therapeutic, and recreational programs.

Health
10
Abilities At Work

To provide employment and alternative service programs for developmentally disabled adults in the portland metro area.

Employment
11
Lifeworks Incorporated

Lifeworks provides education, jobs and homes for persons with developmental disabilities empowering them to lead meaningful lives within the community. our guiding principles ensure that lifeworks staff and volunteers strive to create and…

Human Services
12
Alta Vista Center for Autism

We are dedicated to celebrating the lives of individuals on the autism spectrum through learning, support, and solutions. we achieve this by building innovative, individualized programs and cultivating meaningful, impactful relationships…

Health
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Arizona Recreation Center for the Handicapped; the most unlike its peers is Detour Company Theater 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

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 14 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)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
13/13
Grantees still filing
8/13
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

UNIVERSITY OF UTAH: $88,500 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF UTAHLuMind IDSC Foundation: $50,000 · OtherLuMind IDSC FoundationArizona Recreation Center for the Handicapped: $13,000 · OtherArizona Recreation Center for the HandicappedHORSES HELP FOUNDATION: $10,000 · OtherHORSES HELP FOUNDATIONCIVITAN FOUNDATION INC: $7,500 · OtherDETOUR COMPANY THEATER INC: $25,275 · Human ServicesDETOUR COMPANY THEAT…EASTERSEALS BLAKE FOUNDATION: $20,000 · Human ServicesEASTERSEALS BLAKE FO…SCOTTSDALE TRAINING & REHABILITATION SERVICES INC: $19,000 · Human ServicesSCOTTSDALE TRAINING …TREASURE HOUSE: $47,500 · Housing & ShelterTREASURE HOUSEVALLEYLIFE: $30,870 · EmploymentVALLEYLIF…University of Arizona Foundation: $15,000 · EducationNORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $10,000 · EducationHORSES WITH HEART INC: $10,000 · HealthSOUTHWEST AUTISM RESEARCH AND RESOURCE CENTER: $5,000 · Health
Other$169,000Human Services$64,275Housing & Shelter$47,500Employment$30,870Education$25,000Health$15,000

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 budgetLuMind IDSC Foundation: $50,000 over 2y, 0.8% of budgetTREASURE HOUSE: $47,500 over 5y, 0.5% of budgetVALLEYLIFE: $30,870 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetDETOUR COMPANY THEATER INC: $25,275 over 3y, 3.4% of budgetEASTERSEALS BLAKE FOUNDATION: $20,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSCOTTSDALE TRAINING & REHABILITATION SERVICES INC: $19,000 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetUniversity of Arizona Foundation: $15,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetArizona Recreation Center for the Handicapped: $13,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetHORSES WITH HEART INC: $10,000 over 1y, 2.0% of budgetHORSES HELP FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 1.2% of budgetNORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCIVITAN FOUNDATION INC: $7,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSOUTHWEST AUTISM RESEARCH AND RESOURCE CENTER: $5,000 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.

Arizona Community Fou…Thunderbirds CharitiesCkko FoundationJohn F Long Foundatio…Fiesta Events IncVirginia G Piper Char…American Express Foun…American Endowment Fo…American Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Arizona Community FoundationAZ22.9× affinity9 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Arizona Community Foundation · Thunderbirds Charities · Ckko Foundation · John F Long Foundation Inc · Fiesta Events Inc · Virginia G Piper Charitable Trust · American Express Foundation · American Endowment Foundation · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving 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 Molly Lawson Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Molly Lawson 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
    7report 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 Molly Lawson Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to The Molly Lawson 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 14 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 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 Molly Lawson’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