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The Robert D and Patricia E Kern Family Foundation Inc at a glance

· Private foundation

The Robert D and Patricia E Kern Family Foundation Inc

Its FY2024 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$67M
Granted FY2024still arriving
108
Grants FY2024still arriving
33
States reached
$14M
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2024.

Education$201MHuman Services$23MArts & Culture$13MCivil Rights$9.3MSocial Science$7.6MScience & Tech$7.2MReligion$4.8MCrime & Legal$4.4MOther$0
02FY2024 · 108 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k1 grant · $3k
  • $10k–50k54 grants · $1.5M
  • $50k–250k24 grants · $2.8M
  • $250k+29 grants · $62M
$47,500
Median grant
33
States reached
$837M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
CHARTER FUND INC$14,400,000
MTF FUND$9,164,400
THE MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN INC$7,500,000
GREATHEARTS FOUNDATION$6,500,000
ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION FOR A NEW AMERICAN UNIVERSITY$6,245,000
PBS FOUNDATION$3,000,000
WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY$2,211,875
PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE$1,480,500
BRITISH SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES FOUNDATION INC$1,191,329
IN MEDIAS RES$1,127,769
BELMONT UNIVERSITY$1,000,000
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION$839,375
THE ASPEN INSTITUTE INC$817,620
WINDRIDER INSTITUTE INC$650,000
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES$600,000
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 (FY20–24, $23.1M) land where the poverty rate runs at 6%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 2% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%MTF FUND: $9.2M → 5%HOPE INSTITUTE: $270k → 16%MTF FUND: $5.5M → 5%MTF FUND: $3.0M → 5%HOPE INSTITUTE: $175k → 16%MTF FUND: $2.9M → 5%MTF FUND: $2.1M → 5%HOPE INSTITUTE: $40k → 16%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

WA
ID
MT
ND
MN
IL
WI
MI
NY
MA
OR
SD
IA
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
CA
UT
CO
MO
KY
VA
MD
AZ
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
DC
OK
LA
AL
GA
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.

96%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$258M · 144 repeat orgs$11M to everyone else

144 repeat relationships: 88 still active in FY2024, 56 since wound down; 18 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

144
73

Total granted

$258M
$9.9M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+27%
+28%

Still filing today

78%
73%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 99% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $780k went to new ones.

50%100%’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’20’21’22’23’24
EducationArts & CultureReligionCivil RightsSocial SciencePhilanthropyOther
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

  • CF
    CHARTER FUND INC D/B/A CHARTER SCHOOL GROWTH FUND
    3× · 2020–2024 · $29M · revenue +56%
  • TG
    THE GREATHEARTS FOUNDATION INC
    5× · 2020–2024 · $24M · revenue +225% · 68% of their budget
  • TM
    THE MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN INC
    5× · 2020–2024 · $22M · revenue +37%

Funded once

  • PL
    PROJECT LEAD THE WAY INC
    one grant, 2021 · $2.8M · revenue -19%
  • RELAY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
    one grant, 2020 · $624k · revenue -12%
  • CS
    COMMON SENSE MEDIAgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $400k · revenue +50%
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
Trinity University

Trinity university is an independent co-educational university whose mission is excellence in the interrelated areas of teaching, research and services.

Education
2
Furman University

The primary mission of furman as a liberal arts institution is to provide a distinctive education in fine arts, humanities, social sciences, mathematics and the sciences, as well as selected professional disciplines.

Education
3
Augustana College

Rooted in the liberal arts & sciences & lutheran expression of the christian faith, & is committed to offering a challenging education that develops qualities of mind, spirit, & body necessary for a rewarding life of leadership & service…

Education
4
Boston Architectural College

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

—
5
Saint Xavier University

Saint xavier university, a catholic institution inspired by the heritage of the sisters of mercy, educates persons to search for truth, think critically, communicate effectively and serve wisely and compassionately in support of human…

Education
6
Evangel University

Evangel is a comprehensive christian university that is committed to excellence in educating and equipping students to become spirit empowered servants of god who will impact the church and society globally.

Education
7
Capital University

Capital university transforms lives by empowering an inclusive community of learners through engaging academic, co-curricular, and professional experiences.

Education
8
Benedictine University

Benedictine University is an inclusive academic community dedicated to teaching and learning, scholarship and service, truth and justice, as inspired by the Catholic intellectual tradition, the social teaching of the Church, and the…

Education
9
Roger Williams University

At Roger Williams University, students are prepared to be thinkers and doers ready to solve challenging problems with innovative solutions. RWU offers robust offerings of undergraduate, graduate and professional programs across eight…

Education
10
Wilson College

Wilson college empowers students to be confident and critical thinkers, creative visionaries, effective communicators, honorable leaders, and agents of justice.

Education
11
John Brown University

John brown university (jbu) provides christ-centered education that prepares students to honor god and serve others by developing their intellectual, spiritual, and professional lives. (continued on schedule o)jbu serves traditional…

Education
12
Point Park University

Provides innovative education in a dynamic urban setting. dedicated to academic excellence and community engagement,we prepare students of diverse backgrounds with the knowledge, skill,and experience to lead meaningful lives as informed…

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is University of St Thomas; the most unlike its peers is Windrider Institute 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

180 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. 180 of the 239 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.

11
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
18
Early backer (in before they grew)
179/180
Grantees still filing
143/180
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

THE GREATHEARTS FOUNDATION INC: $23,570,662 · EducationTHE GREATHEARTS FOUNDATION INCTHE MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN INC: $22,025,000 · EducationTHE MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN INCARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION FOR A NEW AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: $14,623,732 · EducationARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION FOR A NEW AMERICAN UNIVERS…MILWAUKEE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING: $8,676,000 · EducationMILWAUKEE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERINGWAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY: $7,471,338 · Education+108 more: $75,424,681 · Education+108 moreWGU Advancement: $3,246,205 · OtherWGU AdvancementBES INC: $2,735,000 · OtherBES INCUNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI: $2,230,549 · OtherBOARD OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA: $2,103,145 · OtherTHE CHARACTER LAB INC: $2,020,694 · OtherTHE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS: $1,990,600 · OtherLIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY: $1,968,470 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF WEST ALABAMA FOUNDATION: $1,774,000 · OtherBRITISH SCHOOLS & UNIVERSITIES FOUNDATION INC: $4,959,070 · OtherBRITISH SCHOOLS &…GEORGIA TECH RESEARCH CORPORATION: $3,232,500 · OtherGEORGIA TECH RESE…WISCONSIN INSTITUTE FOR LAW & LIBERTY: $2,890,000 · OtherWISCONSIN INSTITU…+60 more: $13,317,511 · Other+60 moreCHARTER FUND INC D/B/A CHARTER SCHOOL GROWTH FUND: $29,400,000 · PhilanthropyCHARTER FUND…+1 more: $175,000 · PhilanthropyMTF FUND: $22,594,447 · Human ServicesMTF FUND+1 more: $660,000 · Human ServicesActon Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty: $7,767,000 · Civil RightsINSTITUTE FOR JUSTICE: $1,500,000 · Civil RightsFOUNDATION FOR INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS AND EXPRESSION INC: $750,000 · Civil RightsPBS FOUNDATION: $7,007,036 · Arts & CultureWINDRIDER INSTITUTE INC: $1,285,000 · Arts & CultureColonial Williamsburg Foundation: $1,000,000 · Arts & CultureCOMMON SENSE MEDIA: $400,000 · Arts & Culture+2 more: $300,000 · Arts & CultureAMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY RESEARCH: $4,826,800 · Social ScienceTHE ASPEN INSTITUTE INC: $1,220,200 · Social ScienceFoundation for Economic Education Inc: $725,000 · Social Science
Education$151,791,413Other$42,467,744Philanthropy$29,575,000Human Services$23,254,447Civil Rights$10,017,000Arts & Culture$9,992,036Social Science$6,772,000

Showing the 200 largest grantees by grant value.

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 budgetCHARTER FUND INC D/B/A CHARTER SCHOOL GROWTH FUND: $29,400,000 over 3y, 6.2% of budgetTHE GREATHEARTS FOUNDATION INC: $23,570,662 over 5y, 68% of budgetMTF FUND: $22,594,447 over 5y, 76% of budgetTHE MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN INC: $22,025,000 over 5y, 0.5% of budgetARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION FOR A NEW AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: $14,623,732 over 5y, 2.3% of budgetMILWAUKEE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING: $8,676,000 over 5y, 3.5% of budgetActon Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty: $7,767,000 over 4y, 24% of budgetWAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY: $7,471,338 over 5y, 0.4% of budgetPBS FOUNDATION: $7,007,036 over 4y, 14% of budgetBRITISH SCHOOLS & UNIVERSITIES FOUNDATION INC: $4,959,070 over 5y, 12% of budgetAMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY RESEARCH: $4,826,800 over 3y, 3.7% of budgetPresident and Fellows of Harvard College: $4,797,403 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetGrand Canyon University: $3,452,250 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetIN MEDIAS RES: $3,316,080 over 4y, 48% of budgetWGU Advancement: $3,246,205 over 3y, 27% of budgetGEORGIA TECH RESEARCH CORPORATION: $3,232,500 over 4y, 0.7% of budgetBelmont University: $3,152,250 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetWISCONSIN INSTITUTE FOR LAW & LIBERTY: $2,890,000 over 5y, 24% of budgetPROJECT LEAD THE WAY INC: $2,800,000 over 1y, 3.5% of budgetNEW SCHOOLS FOR ALABAMA: $2,715,000 over 4y, 11% of budgetDUKE UNIVERSITY: $2,559,800 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetTeach for America Inc: $2,500,000 over 5y, 0.3% of budgetCENTER FOR URBAN TEACHING INC: $2,397,000 over 5y, 39% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA FOUNDATION: $2,173,940 over 4y, 1.6% of budgetThe George Washington University: $2,103,319 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetSOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY INC: $2,102,250 over 3y, 0.6% of budgetOHIO STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $2,061,075 over 5y, 0.2% of budgetTHE CHARACTER LAB INC: $2,020,694 over 5y, 10% of budgetLIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY: $1,968,470 over 5y, 0.3% of budgetNorth Central College: $1,929,523 over 3y, 0.5% of budgetPARENT CHOICE INC: $1,907,676 over 5y, 91% of budgetNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING: $1,846,989 over 2y, 6.3% of budgetAMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES: $1,800,000 over 3y, 4.0% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF WEST ALABAMA FOUNDATION: $1,774,000 over 2y, 20% of budgetCONCORDIA UNIVERSITY IRVINE: $1,692,000 over 4y, 0.5% of budgetINSTITUTE FOR JUSTICE: $1,500,000 over 5y, 1.4% of budgetROWAN UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC: $1,450,891 over 5y, 1.3% of budgetTRUSTEES OF BOSTON COLLEGE: $1,400,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetST MARYS UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA: $1,344,143 over 3y, 0.7% of budgetWINDRIDER INSTITUTE INC: $1,285,000 over 4y, 29% of budgetTHE ASPEN INSTITUTE INC: $1,220,200 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetTHE UW-PLATTEVILLE FOUNDATION AND ALUMNI ASSOCIATION INC: $1,107,000 over 4y, 3.3% of budgetUPLIFT EDUCATION: $1,059,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetYERKES FUTURE FOUNDATION INC: $1,000,000 over 2y, 28% of budgetColonial Williamsburg Foundation: $1,000,000 over 4y, 0.3% of budgetUniversity of Notre Dame du Lac: $1,000,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetLAWRENCE TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY: $842,000 over 5y, 0.5% of budgetOhio Northern University: $832,500 over 5y, 0.2% 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.

Lilly Endowment IncNational Collegiate A…Charter Fund Inc D/B/…Bradley Impact Fund I…Walton Family Foundat…The Lynde and Harry B…Michael & Susan Dell …Greater Milwaukee Fou…Folds of Honor Founda…Louis Calder Foundati…Gates FoundationCity Fund
Lilly Endowment IncIN40× affinity26 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Lilly Endowment Inc · National Collegiate Athletic Association · Charter Fund Inc D/B/A Charter School Growth Fund · Bradley Impact Fund Inc · Walton Family Foundation Inc · The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation Inc · Michael & Susan Dell Foundation · Greater Milwaukee Foundation Inc · Folds of Honor Foundation · Louis Calder Foundation · Gates Foundation · City Fund

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 Robert D and Patricia E Kern Family Foundation Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Robert D and Patricia E Kern Family Foundation Inc. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 90%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 2%
  • National Collegiate Inventors & Innovators Alliance Inc: 38% of income from government
  • Trustees of Boston University: 12% of income from government
  • Johns Hopkins University: 12% of income from government
  • Worcester Polytechnic Institute: 8% of income from government
  • President and Fellows of Harvard College: 7% of income from government
  • Florida Institute of Technology Inc: 5% of income from government
  • Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Inc: 3% of income from government
  • Trustees of Boston College: 3% of income from government
  • George Fox University: 2% of income from government
  • Franklin W Olin College of Engineering Inc: 2% of income from government
  • University of New Haven: 2% of income from government
  • Western New England University: 1% of income from government
  • University of Portland: 1% of income from government
  • Wentworth Institute of Technology Inc: 1% of income from government
  • Gordon College: 1% of income from government
  • Rowan University Foundation Inc: 0% of income from government
  • Palm Beach Atlantic University Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
9get no government money at all
32report 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
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.

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 239 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 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Robert D and Patricia E Kern Family’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