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The Philecology Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Philecology 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.

$18M
Granted FY2025still arriving
8
Grants FY2025still arriving
6
States reached
$13M
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.

Arts & Culture$18MRecreation & Sports$18MYouth Development$9.1MScience & Tech$3.2MAnimals$2.4MEducation$1.6MEnvironment$1.1MInternational$200k
02FY2025 · 8 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • $50k–250k2 grants · $225k
  • $250k+6 grants · $18M
$815,000
Median grant
6
States reached
$225M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
MULTIPURPOSE ARENA FORT WORTH$13,000,000
CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART INC$2,000,000
MULTIPURPOSE ARENA FORT WORTH$1,725,413
JAZZ ASPEN SNOWMASS$815,000
THE WILLIAM A FARNSWORTH LIBRARY AND ART MUSEUM$400,000
NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN$250,000
THE CLIBURN$125,000
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI FROST SCHOOL OF MUSIC$100,000
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 (FY17–17, $100k) 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%FLORA OF NORTH AMERICA ASSOCIATION: $100k → 18%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
NY
CA
CO
AR
DC
TX
FL
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.

48%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$26M · 7 repeat orgs$28M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +19% since the first grant, against -10% for those funded once.

7 repeat relationships: 3 still active in FY2025, 4 since wound down; 4 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

7
10

Total granted

$26M
$25M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+19%
-10%

Still filing today

100%
90%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 86% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $2.6M 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
Arts & CultureEnvironmentEducationAnimalsRecreation & SportsHuman ServicesOther
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

  • MA
    MULTIPURPOSE ARENA FORT WORTH
    3× · 2023–2025 · $18M · revenue +19%
  • BR
    BOTANICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF TEXAS INC
    4× · 2018–2022 · $3.2M · revenue +317%
  • TF
    THE FORT WORTH ZOOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION
    2× · 2017–2018 · $2.4M · revenue +21%

Funded once

  • PA
    PERFORMING ARTS FORT WORTH INC
    one grant, 2017 · $14M · revenue -36% · 36% of their budget
  • EF
    EVENT FACILITIES FORT WORTH INC
    one grant, 2024 · $9.1M · revenue -27% · 96% of their budget
  • UO
    University of Miami
    one grant, 2024 · $1.0M · revenue +9%
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
American Museum of Natural History

The museum's mission statement is: "to discover, interpret, and disseminate - through scientific research and education - knowledge about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe."

Arts & Culture
2
The Pierpont Morgan Library

The Morgan Library & Museum celebrates and shares the history and process of human creativity from antiquity to the present day through the preservation, study, and interpretation of a dynamic and growing collection.

Education
3
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Inc

We harness the power of plants for humankind and share the joy and beauty of tropical gardening with everyone. fairchild tropical botanic garden is a museum of tropical plants within a world famous, 83-acre designed landscape. it was…

Environment
4
William Marsh Rice University

As a leading research university with a distinctive commitment to undergraduate education, Rice University aspires to path breaking research, unsurpassed teaching, and contributions to the betterment of our world. It seeks to fulfill this…

Education
5
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Inc

Organization's mission statement true to the ambitious vision of its founder and her spirit of creative risk-taking, the mission of the isabella stewart gardner museum is: - to bring to life and preserve the rich historic collection; - to…

Arts & Culture
6
Kimbell Art Foundation
Arts & Culture
7
Witte Museum

The witte museum inspires people to shape the future of texas through transformative and relevant experiences in nature, science and culture.

Arts & Culture
8
Boston Architectural College

The bac is committed to provide excellence in design education grounded in practice and accessible to diverse communities.

—
9
California Academy of Sciences

The academy is a renowned scientific and educational institution with a mission to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration. based in san francisco's golden gate park, it is home to a world-class aquarium,…

Arts & Culture
10
The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia

The mission is "to understand the natural world and inspire everyone to care for it." the academy implements its mission through understanding the diversity of life; developing and applying science to protect the environment; and informing…

Science & Tech
11
Clyfford Still Museum

Home to the art and legacy of the american painter clyfford still, we invite all to explore the potential of individual creative endeavor.

Arts & Culture
12
World Wildlife Fund Inc

Wwf's mission is to conserve nature and reduce the most pressing threats to the diversity of life on earth. (continued on schedule o)

Environment
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers' Foundation; the most unlike its peers is The William a Farnsworth Library and Art Museum 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 21 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.

3
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
3
Early backer (in before they grew)
19/19
Grantees still filing
10/19
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

PERFORMING ARTS FORT WORTH INC: $14,013,959 · Arts & CulturePERFORMING ARTS FORT WORTH INCCrystal Bridges-Museum of American Art Inc: $2,000,000 · Arts & CultureCrystal Bridges-Museum of American Art…JAZZ AT ASPEN-SNOWMASS: $1,630,000 · Arts & CultureJAZZ AT ASPEN-SNOWMASS+3 more: $575,000 · Arts & CultureMULTIPURPOSE ARENA FORT WORTH: $17,601,688 · Recreation & SportsMULTIPURPOSE ARENA FORT WORTHEVENT FACILITIES FORT WORTH INC: $9,100,000 · Youth DevelopmentEVENT FACILITIES FO…BOTANICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF TEXAS INC: $3,193,306 · Science & TechTHE FORT WORTH ZOOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION: $2,400,000 · Animals+1 more: $25,000 · AnimalsUniversity of Miami: $1,000,000 · EducationTEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY: $600,000 · EducationNEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN: $500,000 · EnvironmentAMAZON CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION: $200,000 · EnvironmentNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOUNDATION INC: $50,000 · EnvironmentTHE AMAZON BIODIVERSITY CENTER: $200,000 · OtherThe Bhutan Foundation: $200,000 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF MIAMI FROST SCHOOL OF MUSIC: $100,000 · OtherTHE FROST SCHOOL OF MUSIC AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI: $100,000 · OtherFlora of North America Association: $100,000 · Other
Arts & Culture$18,218,959Recreation & Sports$17,601,688Youth Development$9,100,000Science & Tech$3,193,306Animals$2,425,000Education$1,600,000Environment$750,000Other$700,000

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 budgetMULTIPURPOSE ARENA FORT WORTH: $17,601,688 over 3y, 16% of budgetPERFORMING ARTS FORT WORTH INC: $14,013,959 over 1y, 36% of budgetEVENT FACILITIES FORT WORTH INC: $9,100,000 over 1y, 96% of budgetBOTANICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF TEXAS INC: $3,193,306 over 4y, 15% of budgetTHE FORT WORTH ZOOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION: $2,400,000 over 2y, 3.5% of budgetJAZZ AT ASPEN-SNOWMASS: $1,630,000 over 2y, 4.5% of budgetUniversity of Miami: $1,000,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY: $600,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetNEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN: $500,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetTHE WILLIAM A FARNSWORTH LIBRARY AND ART MUSEUM INC: $400,000 over 1y, 3.4% of budgetAMAZON CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION: $200,000 over 2y, 3.2% of budgetTHE AMAZON BIODIVERSITY CENTER: $200,000 over 2y, 10.0% of budgetThe Bhutan Foundation: $200,000 over 1y, 7.0% of budgetVan Cliburn Foundation Inc: $125,000 over 1y, 1.4% of budgetFlora of North America Association: $100,000 over 1y, 39% of budgetTEXAS & SOUTHWESTERN CATTLE RAISERS' FOUNDATION: $50,000 over 1y, 5.6% of budgetNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOUNDATION INC: $50,000 over 1y, 1.6% of budgetMERLIN TUTTLES BAT CONSERVATION INC: $25,000 over 1y, 4.3% 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.

Tj Brown & Ca Lupton …The Bratton Family Fo…Alice L Walton Founda…Amon G Carter Foundat…Bnsf Railway Foundati…Burnett FoundationAdeline & George McQu…Leo Potishman Foundat…Sid W Richardson Foun…Thomas M Helen McKee …National Philanthropi…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…
Tj Brown & Ca Lupton FoundationTX15.8× affinity5 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Tj Brown & Ca Lupton Foundation · The Bratton Family Foundation · Alice L Walton Foundation · Amon G Carter Foundation · Bnsf Railway Foundation · Burnett Foundation · Adeline & George McQueen Foundation Xxxxx1007 · Leo Potishman Foundation Xxxxx3002 · Sid W Richardson Foundation · Thomas M Helen McKee & John P Ryan Fo John P Ryan Foundation Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · Jpmorgan Chase 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 Philecology Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Philecology Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%19%38%56%75%share of the org’s income from government →median 5%
  • University of Miami: 5% of 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
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–75%
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 Philecology Foundation?

Find your warmest path to The Philecology 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 21 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 Philecology’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