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

· Public charity

The Promise Foundation

To make a difference in the lives of young people affected by cancer and other terminal illnesses, through select funding of treatment, research and support programs to advance the fight against these diseases.

$85k
Granted FY2020
4
Grants FY2020
3
States reached
$50k
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 2020.

Health$794kEducation$55kEmployment$20kArts & Culture$20kYouth Development$10kInternational$8kPublic Benefit$5k
02FY2020 · 4 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2020

  • Under $10k1 grant · $5k
  • $10k–50k2 grants · $30k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $50k
$20,000
Median grant
3
States reached
$6k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
CHARLEY'S FUND$50,000
THE VALERIE FUND$20,000
HARLEM VILLAGE ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL$10,000
VIRTUAL ENTERPRISES INTERNATIONAL INC$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:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY17–20) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 12%. 97% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 12%CHARLEY'S FUND: $250k → 12%CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA: $10k → 22%MARCH TO THE TOP - AFRICA: $8k → 14%COLON CANCER CHALLANGE FOUNDATION: $10k → 9%HARLEM VILLAGE ACADEMIES: $15k → 17%MELANOMA RESEARCH FOUNDATION: $5k → 14%BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF AMERICA: $10k → 13%FRIENDS OF THE LEVITT PAVILLION: $10k → 9%HIRE HEROES USA: $10k → 13%VALERIE FUND: $20k → 16%CHARLEY'S FUND: $250k → 12%TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA: $10k → 22%HARLEM VILLAGE ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL: $10k → 17%FRIENDS OF THE LEVITT PAVILLION: $10k → 9%HIRE HEROES USA: $10k → 13%THE VALERIE FUND: $20k → 16%CHARLEY'S FUND: $150k → 12%VIRTUAL ENTERPRISES INTERNATIONAL: $5k → 17%CHARLEY'S FUND: $50k → 12%VIRTUAL ENTERPRISES INTERNATIONAL INC: $5k → 17%LEARNING SPRING SCHOOL: $10k → 17%SAMUEL WAXMAN CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION: $10k → 17%SAMUEL WAXMAN CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION: $9k → 17%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

NY
MA
PA
NJ
CT
CA
DC
GA
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.

90%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$809k · 6 repeat orgs$93k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +76% since the first grant, against +33% for those funded once.

6 repeat relationships: 3 still active in FY2020, 3 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2020 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

6
9

Total granted

$809k
$83k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+76%
+33%

Still filing today

100%
100%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2020, 88% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $10k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20
EducationHealthInternationalPublic BenefitOther
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

  • TV
    THE VALERIE FUND
    2× · 2017–2020 · $40k · revenue +76%
  • FO
    FRIENDS OF THE LEVITT PAVILION INC
    2× · 2018–2019 · $20k · revenue +133%
  • HH
    HIRE HEROES USA INC
    2× · 2017–2018 · $20k · revenue +284%

Funded once

  • VA
    VILLAGE ACADEMIES NETWORK INCgraduated
    one grant, 2018 · $15k · revenue +113%
  • CC
    COLON CANCER CHALLENGE FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2017 · $10k · revenue +21%
  • MH
    MS HOPE FOR A CURE INC
    one grant, 2017 · $10k · revenue -39%
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
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

The children's hospital of philadelphia, the oldest hospital in the united states dedicated exclusively to pediatrics, strives to be the world leader in the advancement of health care for children by integrating excellent patient care,…

Health
2
Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States Inc

The fsmb serves as the voice for state medical boards, supporting them through education, assessment, research and advocacy while providing services and initiatives that promote patient safety, quality health care and regulatory best…

Health
3
The V Foundation

We fund game-changing research and all-star scientists to accelerate victory over cancer and save lives.

Health
4
Stony Brook Surgical Associates University Faculty Practice Corporation

Provide clinical instruction to and supervision of medical school students, interns and residents and, incident thereto, rendering professional services.

Health
5
Stony Brook Urology University Faculty Practice Corporation

Provide clinical instruction to and supervision of medical school students, interns and residents and, incident thereto, rendering professional services.

Health
6
Highmark Health

As the parent entity of a blended health organization, highmark health seeks to improve the health and well-being of the people and communities it serves by providing affordable, accessible and high-quality healthcare.

Health
7
Neurology Associates of Stony Brook University Faculty Practice Corp

Provide clinical instruction to and supervision of medical school students, interns and residents and, incident thereto, rendering professional services.

Health
8
Stony Brook Childrens Services University Faculty Practice Corporation

Provide clinical instruction to and supervision of medical school students, interns and residents and, incident thereto, rendering professional services.

Health
9
University of Virginia Investment Management Company

The university of virginia investment management company (uvimco) is organized to invest funds on behalf of the rector and visitors of the university of virginia (the university or uva) and university-associated organizations (uaos).

Education
10
Curesearch for Children's Cancer

Curesearch's mission is to fund & support targeted & innovative cancer research with measurable results, & to be the authoritative source of information & resources for all those affected by children's cancer. see schedule o for…

Health
11
University of Maryland Oncology Associates Pa

Under the medical service plan of the university of maryland school of medicine, medical services are rendered by the members of the faculty on behalf of the school of medicine in connection with their duties to provide clinical…

Health
12
Stony Brook Orthopedic Associates University Faculty Practice Corporation

Provide clinical instruction to and supervision of medical school students, interns and residents and, incident thereto, rendering professional services.

Health
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Village Academies Network Inc; the most unlike its peers is Hope for Heroes 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

17 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.

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)
17/17
Grantees still filing
13/17
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

CHARLEY'S FUND INC: $700,000 · HealthCHARLEY'S FUND INC+2 more: $20,000 · HealthTHE VALERIE FUND: $40,000 · OtherTHE VALERIE …FRIENDS OF THE LEVITT PAVILION INC: $20,000 · OtherFRIENDS OF T…SAMUEL WAXMAN CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION: $18,500 · OtherSAMUEL WAXMA…COLON CANCER CHALLENGE FOUNDATION: $10,000 · OtherCOLON CANCER…Big Brothers Big Sisters Of America: $10,000 · OtherBig Brothers…MELANOMA RESEARCH FOUNDATION: $5,000 · OtherHIRE HEROES USA INC: $20,000 · EducationHIRE HERO…VILLAGE ACADEMIES NETWORK INC: $15,000 · EducationVILLAGE A…LEARNINGSPRING SCHOOL: $10,000 · EducationLEARNINGS…VIRTUAL ENTERPRISES INTERNATIONAL INC: $10,000 · EducationVIRTUAL E…HARLEM VILLAGE ACADEMIES CHARTER SCHOOLS: $10,000 · EducationHARLEM VI…TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA: $10,000 · EducationTRUSTEES …MARCH TO THE TOP - AFRICA: $8,200 · InternationalHOPE FOR HEROES INC: $5,000 · Public Benefit
Health$720,000Other$103,500Education$75,000International$8,200Public Benefit$5,000

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 budgetCHARLEY'S FUND INC: $700,000 over 4y, 9.0% of budgetTHE VALERIE FUND: $40,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetFRIENDS OF THE LEVITT PAVILION INC: $20,000 over 2y, 2.1% of budgetSAMUEL WAXMAN CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION: $18,500 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetVILLAGE ACADEMIES NETWORK INC: $15,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetCOLON CANCER CHALLENGE FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 2.9% of budgetMS HOPE FOR A CURE INC: $10,000 over 1y, 1.5% of budgetBig Brothers Big Sisters Of America: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLEARNINGSPRING SCHOOL: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetVIRTUAL ENTERPRISES INTERNATIONAL INC: $10,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetHARLEM VILLAGE ACADEMIES CHARTER SCHOOLS: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMARCH TO THE TOP - AFRICA: $8,200 over 1y, 1.3% of budgetHOPE FOR HEROES INC: $5,000 over 1y, 5.6% of budgetMELANOMA RESEARCH FOUNDATION: $5,000 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.

The Goldman Sachs Cha…National Philanthropi…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…Morgan Stanley Global…The Bank of America C…Vanguard Charitable E…American Online Givin…Fidelity Investments …Donor Advised Charita…Amazonsmile Foundation
The Goldman Sachs Charitable Gift FundNY12.8× affinity4 shared granteesties to 9 of 9Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Goldman Sachs Charitable Gift Fund · National Philanthropic Trust · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · 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 Promise Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Promise Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 30%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%15%30%45%60%share of the org’s income from government →median 21%
  • Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: 21% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
3get 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 · 0–60%
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 Promise Foundation?

Find your warmest path to The Promise 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 17 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 2020, released 2020. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Possibly out of date. A more recent filing (FY2025) is on record and reports no grant expense, so the figures above are from FY2020, the most recent year this funder made grants.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Promise’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