Skip to content
Plinth
Foundation Dossiers
Plinth

· Private foundation

The Rhoades Foundation

Its FY2019 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$965k
Granted FY2017
126
Grants FY2017
11
States reached
$100k
Largest
01What you fundRead
02The needRead
03Your edgeRead
04Your fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead

Read this first · the figures below need context

100% of The Rhoades Foundation’s FY2019 grant dollars went to The Chicago Community Trust, not to grantees.

Its money now reaches organizations through that sponsor, which does not report who recommended each grant. FY2019 names 0 organizations directly, so a portfolio cannot be read from it. Everything below is therefore FY2017, the last year The Rhoades Foundation named its own grantees at scale: 79 organizations, $966k. It is dated, not current.

Organizations named directly on the return

79
’17
0
’18
0
’19

Amber years are those where most dollars went to a sponsor.

01What you fund
01100% classified

What you funded, over time

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

Philanthropy$13MArts & Culture$333kEducation$149kFood & Nutrition$93kInternational$88kHealth$83kHousing & Shelter$75kPublic Benefit$68kOther$0
02FY2017 · 126 grants

Where the money goes

Your grants by size, and where they go.

By grant size · FY2017

  • Under $10k100 grants · $286k
  • $10k–50k21 grants · $310k
  • $50k–250k5 grants · $370k
$3,000
Median grant
11
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO$100,000
THE NEWBERRY LIBRARY$100,000
HEARTLAND ALLIANCE FOR HUMAN NEEDS & HUMAN RIGHTS$60,000
NORTHERN ILLINOIS FOOD BANK$60,000
MERCY HOUSING LAKEFRONT$50,000
HOLY FAMILY MINISTRIES$30,000
SARAH SIDDONS SOCIETY$25,000
DOCTOR'S WITHOUT BORDERS$20,000
GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY$20,000
HUBBARD STREET DANCE CHICAGO$20,000
WINGS$20,000
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO-MEDICINE$17,000
THE GOODMAN THEATRE$15,000
ALLIANCE FRANCAISE DE CHICAGO$15,000
BARRINGTON COUNCIL ON AGING INC$12,500
02The need
03

Do your dollars go where the need is?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, then read against the area’s typical level.

show:

Your human-services grants (FY17–17, $21k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 12%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of your grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 12%JUVENILE PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION: $3k → 14%RAHAB'S DAUGHTERS: $500 → 14%METROPOLITAN FAMILY SERVICES: $3k → 14%MARYVILLE ACADEMY: $1k → 14%CENTER ON HALSTED: $3k → 14%CLEARBROOK CENTER: $5k → 14%LITTLE BROTHERS FRIENDS OF THE ELDERLY: $3k → 14%CHICAGO CHILD CARE SOCIETY: $3k → 14%CHICAGO COMMONS: $1k → 14%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount

Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty linein the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP; grantee ZIP can differ from where services are delivered.

Which US states your grants reach

IL
WI
NY
MA
IA
IN
CT
CA
VA
HI
TX

US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are actually delivered. Need from public data — U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA — shown as context about the area, never attributed to your giving.

03Your edge
04Your field

The map has a center of gravity: the average direction from the rest of the sector toward the organizations the foundation funds — the shape of its giving. Scoring every nonprofit along that direction surfaces the ones that look most like the portfolio. These are the closest matchesthat aren’t grantees — a resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Columbia College Chicago

The organization's mission is to educate students for creative occupations in diverse fields of arts and media.

Education
2
Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University Inc

The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University ("The Auditorium"), an Illinois not-for-profit corporation, is committed to presenting the finest in international, cultural, community and educational programming to Chicago and to the…

Arts & Culture
3
Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute

The chicago psychoanalytic institute transforms the lives of individuals, families and communities, using psychoanalytic knowledge to help them grow and thrive.

Social Science
4
Chicago Historical Society

The Chicago History Museum strives to be a destination for learning, inspiration, and civic engagement. Through dynamic exhibitions, tours, programs, digital resources, and special events, the Museum connects people to Chicago's history…

Arts & Culture
5
True Chicago
Arts & Culture
6
The Chicago Bar Foundation

The chicago bar foundation brings the legal community together through advocacy, funding, and innovation to improve access to justice for people in need and to make the legal system more fair, equitable, and effective.

Education
7
Concordia University Chicago

Steadfast in jesus christ as revealed in the holy scriptures, concordia university chicago promotes academic rigor in its liberal arts and professional programs; grounds students in objective truth, integrity, and excellence; and practices…

Education
8
Children's Museum of Oak Park

To spark curiosity and creativity in all young children through positive, play-based learning experiences.

Arts & Culture
9
Illinois College

Illinois college is a co-educational institution of higher education learning providing a four-year educational program leading to the baccalaureate degree. illinois college is a community committed to the highest standards of scholarship…

Education
10
Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce

The chicagoland chamber of commerce combines the power of people, with our legacy of leadership and business advocacy, to drive a dynamic economy. we focus on delivering value for our members, making chicagoland a world-class place to live…

—
11
Chicago Public Education Fund

The chicago public education fund (the fund) is a nonprofit organization that improves public schools in chicago by investing in the talented educators who lead them.

Education
12
Loyola University of Chicago

We are chicago's jesuit, catholic university - a diverse community seeking god in all things and working to expand knowledge in the service of humanity through learning, justice, and faith.

Education

For reference, the grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Chicago Theatre Group Inc and the most unlike its peers is Court Theatre Fund. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.

Your grantees are a median of 45 years old; the field is 18. You back the established end — and your money leans older still.

THE FIELDby orgYOUR GRANTEESby number20%1%<5yr14%0%5–10yr19%12%10–20yr19%17%20–35yr14%36%35–55yr14%35%55yr+
THE FIELDby orgYOUR MONEYby value20%0%<5yr14%0%5–10yr19%0%10–20yr19%1%20–35yr14%2%35–55yr14%97%55yr+

The field is 20% startups (under 5 years old) — 1% of your grantees by number, and just 0% of your money.

Closures · last 5 years

The orgs you fund almost never close — 1% lost their exemption, against 14% of the field you don’t fund.

orgs you fund
1%1/81
the rest of the field
14%
7,119/51,612

Age = years since IRS exemption (a founding proxy). “Closed” = auto-revocation for 3 years of non-filing — a floor on closure, not proof, and bigger established orgs lapse least. Association, not causation.

04the grantee network

77 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each one resolved to its own IRS returns and tracked year by year — your grant beside their revenue from every source. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

Counted here: distinct organizations you funded across 2017–2025, not grant rows in a single year — so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 77 of the 127 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile; the rest are funded organizations whose filings we could not track year by year.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
16
Early backer (in before they grew)
75/77
Grantees still filing
54/77
Grew since you first funded

Where your money sits — by cause, then by grantee

The Chicago Community Trust — $13,372,562 · PhilanthropyThe Chicago Community TrustHeartland Alliance for Human Needs and Rights — $60,000 · OtherALLIANCE FRANCAISE DE CHICAGO — $30,000 · OtherSarah Siddons Society Inc — $25,000 · OtherWINGS — $20,000 · OtherTHE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO-MEDICINE — $17,000 · Other+84 more — $278,550 · OtherTHE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO — $100,000 · EducationTHE NEWBERRY LIBRARY — $100,000 · EducationHOLY FAMILY MINISTRIES — $30,000 · Education+5 more — $17,000 · EducationHUBBARD STREET DANCE CHICAGO — $20,000 · Arts & CultureCHICAGO THEATRE GROUP INC — $15,000 · Arts & CultureSTEPPENWOLF THEATRE COMPANY — $12,500 · Arts & CultureLyric Opera of Chicago — $10,000 · Arts & CultureCHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER — $10,000 · Arts & CultureMUSIC AND DANCE THEATER CHICAGO INC — $10,000 · Arts & CultureELGIN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATION — $10,000 · Arts & CultureCHICAGO OPERA THEATER — $7,500 · Arts & CultureChicago Symphony Orchestra — $5,000 · Arts & CultureAMERICAN FRIENDS OF CAPODIMONTE MUS — $5,000 · Arts & Culture+8 more — $16,600 · Arts & CultureNORTHERN ILLINOIS FOOD BANK — $60,000 · Food & NutritionGREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY — $20,000 · Food & NutritionMERCY HOUSING LAKEFRONT — $50,000 · Housing & ShelterTHE TIME IS NOW TO HELP INC — $10,000 · Housing & ShelterCHICAGO COALITION TO END HOMELESSNESS — $7,500 · Housing & ShelterHome of the Sparrow Inc — $6,000 · Housing & Shelter+1 more — $1,500 · Housing & ShelterMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC — $20,000 · InternationalWORLD HUNGER RELIEF INSTITUTE — $5,000 · InternationalAMERICAN ACADEMY IN ROME — $2,500 · InternationalSAVE VENICE INC — $1,000 · International
Philanthropy$13,372,562Other$430,550Education$247,000Arts & Culture$121,600Food & Nutrition$80,000Housing & Shelter$75,000International$28,500

Each org by its size and your share of it — top-left is where you’re load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ your share of their budgetThe Chicago Community Trust — $13,372,562 over 2y, 1.9% of budgetTHE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO — $100,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE NEWBERRY LIBRARY — $100,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetHeartland Alliance for Human Needs and Rights — $60,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetNORTHERN ILLINOIS FOOD BANK — $60,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMERCY HOUSING LAKEFRONT — $50,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetSarah Siddons Society Inc — $25,000 over 1y, 22% of budgetHUBBARD STREET DANCE CHICAGO — $20,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC — $20,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY — $20,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCHICAGO THEATRE GROUP INC — $15,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSTEPPENWOLF THEATRE COMPANY — $12,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetLyric Opera of Chicago — $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCITIZENS FOR CONSERVATION INC — $10,000 over 1y, 1.4% of budgetCHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER — $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMUSIC AND DANCE THEATER CHICAGO INC — $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetELGIN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATION — $10,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetCHICAGO COALITION TO END HOMELESSNESS — $7,500 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetNATIONAL TROPICAL BOTANICAL GARDEN — $7,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE CHICAGO ACADEMY FOR THE ARTS — $6,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSTILLMAN NATURE CENTER — $5,000 over 1y, 4.2% of budgetTHE CHICAGO HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS — $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCLEARBROOK — $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetChicago Symphony Orchestra — $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLEGACY CHARTER SCHOOL — $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetRehabilitation Institute of Chicago — $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUniversity of Chicago — $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE LAMBS FARM INC — $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetFRIENDS OF THE PARKS — $5,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetA SAFE HAVEN FOUNDATION — $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSMILE TRAIN INC — $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation — $3,500 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetCenter on Halsted — $3,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetFamily Focus — $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAMERICAN ACADEMY IN ROME — $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetURBAN GATEWAYS — $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMetropolitan Family Services — $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGILDA'S CLUB CHICAGO — $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetLANDMARKS PRESERVATION COUNCIL OF ILLINOIS — $2,500 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetCASA OF MCHENRY COUNTY INC — $2,500 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetHoward Brown Health Center — $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSIR JOHN SOANE'S MUSEUM FOUNDATION — $2,500 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetCHICAGO HOUSE & SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCY — $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetJUVENILE PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION — $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetChicago Architecture Foundation — $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetRAVINIA FESTIVAL ASSOCIATION — $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetALZHEIMER'S DISEASE & RELATED DISORDERS ASSOCIATION INC — $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAlexian Brothers Bonaventure House — $2,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budget
Go grantee by grantee — a decade per org, and how each moved after you funded them

A decade per grantee — revenue shaded, your grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

The grantmakers whose grantees overlap with yours far more than size alone predicts. Each orbits closer the stronger the alignment; the arcs between them show where they also fund each other. Here it reads as a tightly interlocked camp — most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

The Chicago Community…John D and Catherine …Polk Bros Foundation …United Way of Metropo…Richard and Mary L Gr…The Service Club of C…Dr Scholl FoundationGeorge M Eisenberg Fo…Lloyd a Fry FoundationArie and Ida Crown Me…Circle of Service Fou…The Siragusa Family F…
The Chicago Community TrustIL57.3× affinity43 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Chicago Community Trust · John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation · Polk Bros Foundation Inc · United Way of Metropolitan Chicago Inc · Richard and Mary L Gray Foundation · The Service Club of Chicago · Dr Scholl Foundation · George M Eisenberg Foundation for Charities · Lloyd a Fry Foundation · Arie and Ida Crown Memorial · Circle of Service Foundation · The Siragusa Family Foundation

Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. A research starting point: overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

Government reliance of your grantees

Every dot is one organization The Rhoades Foundation funds. Left–right is the share of its income from government; up–down is the share from you. Bigger dots raise more. Filter to federal or a single department — and drag the year to watch it move.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%your share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    23report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    typical government reliance, FY20–25

    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 your grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first — a floor, not 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 12–24 months.

    05Through Plinth

    Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

    How do I get to The Rhoades Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to The Rhoades 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 directly from IRS e-file XML — your own 990/990-PF and the multi-year returns of the 127 grantees we resolved across every year we hold, several hundred filings in all (a different count from the grant rows on the cover, which are one fiscal year)— each linked to its source. Grantee achievements and outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III); we read these as association with sustained funding — the foundation is one of several forces — suppress low-confidence name matches rather than guess, and say so where a figure rests on a single grant or filing. Not everything on this page is a filed figure, and the difference matters. Filed is what you reported on your 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. How we build these →

    Generated from your IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2017, released 2017. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    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 camps
    funders cluster by geography, not ideology
    By state
    where grant money is based, and what stays home
    State money flows
    the interactive map of money crossing state lines