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The Scott W and Betsy D Thornton Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Scott W and Betsy D Thornton Family Foundation

Its FY2022 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$4.7M
Granted FY2022
21
Grants FY2022
1
States reached
$619k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0195% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2018 to 2022.

Philanthropy$12MHuman Services$23kEducation$23kHealth$22kEnvironment$18kInternational$18kFood & Nutrition$16kRecreation & Sports$11kOther$0
02FY2022 · 21 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2022

  • Under $10k2 grants · $7k
  • $10k–50k3 grants · $101k
  • $50k–250k9 grants · $1.7M
  • $250k+7 grants · $2.9M
$233,035
Median grant
1
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
THORNTON FAMILY CHARITABLE FUND$618,993
THORNTON FAMILY CHARITABLE FUND$501,008
THORNTON FAMILY CHARITABLE FUND$490,916
THORNTON FAMILY CHARITABLE FUND$440,346
THORNTON FAMILY CHARITABLE FUND$328,322
THORNTON FAMILY CHARITABLE FUND$265,075
THORNTON FAMILY CHARITABLE FUND$258,141
THORNTON FAMILY CHARITABLE FUND$248,240
THORNTON FAMILY CHARITABLE FUND$244,186
THORNTON FAMILY CHARITABLE FUND$240,693
THORNTON FAMILY CHARITABLE FUND$233,035
THORNTON FAMILY CHARITABLE FUND$230,274
THORNTON FAMILY CHARITABLE FUND$197,507
THORNTON FAMILY CHARITABLE FUND$150,962
THORNTON FAMILY CHARITABLE FUND$78,532
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 (FY18–20, $22k) land where the poverty rate runs at 7%, against an area that typically sits at 8%. 0% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 8%PEACE FOR PAUL FOUNDATION: $2k → 8%PEACE FOR PAUL FOUNDATION: $2k → 8%PEACE FOR PAUL FOUNDATION: $2k → 8%PEACE HOUSE: $4k → 5%PEACE HOUSE: $2k → 5%PEACE HOUSE: $2k → 5%THE INN BETWEEN: $2k → 8%THE INN BETWEEN: $1k → 8%UTAH YOUTH VILLAGE: $500 → 8%NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE: $4k → 8%NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE: $1k → 8%NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE: $1k → 8%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
MN
NY
OR
PA
CA
UT
CO
VA
AZ
AR
HI
GA
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.

100%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$12M · 27 repeat orgs$44k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +56% since the first grant, against +31% for those funded once.

27 repeat relationships: 1 still active in FY2022, 26 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

27
35

Total granted

$12M
$44k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+56%
+31%

Still filing today

78%
54%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2022, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 went to new ones.

50%100%’18’19’20’21’22
RenewedFirst-time

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

’18’19’20’21’22
AnimalsInternationalHuman ServicesHealthEducationEnvironmentOther
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

  • PC
    Park City Education Foundation
    2× · 2019–2020 · $13k · revenue +78%
  • CC
    CHRISTIAN CENTER OF PARK CITY
    3× · 2018–2020 · $10k · revenue +86%
  • NA
    NATIONAL ABILITY CENTER
    3× · 2018–2020 · $7k · revenue +63%

Funded once

  • UF
    UTAH FOOD BANKgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $5k · revenue +53%
  • SM
    ST MARY'S FOOD BANK ALLIANCEgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $5k · revenue +31%
  • HA
    HOPE ARISING INC
    one grant, 2019 · $5k · 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
Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah

Heal utah's mission is to protect utah's environment and its people by promoting clean air, clean energy, and comprehensive solutions to radioactive and toxic waste.

Environment
2
Utah Zoological Society

Utah's hogle zoo creates champions for wildlife and is our community's gateway to animals, connecting our visitors with the natural world and engaging them in wildlife conservation action locally and worldwide.

Animals
3
Utah Foundation

Utah foundation's mission is to produce objective, thorough and well- reasoned research and analysis that promotes the effective use of public resources, a thriving economy, a well-prepared workforce and a high quality of life for utahns.…

Public Benefit
4
Utah Health Policy Project

To advance sustainable health care solutions for underserved utahns through better access, education, and public policy.

Health
5
The Living Planet Inc

We inspire people to explore, discover and learn about earth's diverse ecosystems.

—
6
United Food Bank

United Food Bank unites communities to alleviate hunger.

Food & Nutrition
7
Utah's Promise

Utah's promise (up) is committed to 100% of kids and families thriving. we unify leaders, partners, communities and systems to achieve that promise.

Philanthropy
8
Utah Humanities Council

Utah Humanities collaborates with libraries, museums, historical societies, schools, colleges, and cultural and civic groups; provides capacity-building opportunities for volunteers and professionals in the cultural sector; presents…

Arts & Culture
9
Tucson Audubon Society

Inspire people to enjoy and protect birds through recreation, education, conservation, and restoration of the environment, upon which we all depend.

Animals
10
Summit Land Conservancy

Summit land conservancy works with utah communities to conserve land and water for the benefit of the people and nature.

Environment
11
Utah Health & Human Rights Project

The organization's mission is to help survivors of torture living in utah to heal from their physical and psychological injuries and rebuild their lives.

Health
12
The Union of Concerned Scientists Inc

The union of concerned scientists puts rigorous, independent science into action, developing solutions and advocating for a healthy, safe, and just future.

International
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Work Activity Center Inc; the most unlike its peers is Friends of Slavens School 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

43 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. 43 of the 65 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)
13
Early backer (in before they grew)
43/43
Grantees still filing
30/43
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

THORNTON FAMILY CHARITABLE FUND: $11,784,206 · OtherTHORNTON FAMILY CHARITABLE FUND+37 more: $80,250 · OtherPeace House Inc: $7,750 · Human ServicesNeighborhood House Association: $6,000 · Human ServicesThe Peace for Paul Foundation of Oregon Inc: $4,500 · Human ServicesTHE INN BETWEEN: $3,000 · Human Services+1 more: $500 · Human ServicesPark City Education Foundation: $13,000 · EducationKENYA KEYS: $4,500 · EducationFriends of Slavens School Inc: $1,000 · EducationPeople's Health Clicnic: $6,000 · HealthWasatch Homeless Health Care: $6,000 · HealthMAYO CLINIC: $3,500 · Health+2 more: $1,000 · HealthPARK CITY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $14,825 · Philanthropy+1 more: $250 · PhilanthropyWomen of the World: $5,600 · InternationalHOPE ARISING INC: $5,000 · InternationalMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $1,000 · InternationalORPHANAGE SUPPORT SERVICES ORGANIZATION: $1,000 · InternationalHEIFER PROJECT INTERNATIONAL: $675 · InternationalFRIENDS OF TRACY AVIARY: $3,500 · AnimalsGRIZZLY DISCOVERY CENTER INC: $2,500 · AnimalsNuzzles & Co: $1,250 · AnimalsSOUTHWEST WILDLIFE CONSERVATION CENTER: $1,000 · AnimalsHAWKWATCH INTERNATIONAL INC: $1,000 · AnimalsBEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SOCIETY: $1,000 · AnimalsJANE GOODALL INSTITUTE FOR WILDLIFE RESEARCH EDUCATION AND CONSERVATION: $500 · Animals
Other$11,864,456Human Services$21,750Education$18,500Health$16,500Philanthropy$15,075International$13,275Animals$10,750

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 budgetPARK CITY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $14,825 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetPark City Education Foundation: $13,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetCHRISTIAN CENTER OF PARK CITY: $9,500 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetTHE NATURE CONSERVANCY: $9,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetPeace House Inc: $7,750 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetNATIONAL ABILITY CENTER: $7,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetPeople's Health Clicnic: $6,000 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetWasatch Homeless Health Care: $6,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetNeighborhood House Association: $6,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetWomen of the World: $5,600 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetUTAH FOOD BANK: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetST MARY'S FOOD BANK ALLIANCE: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHOPE ARISING INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetThe Peace for Paul Foundation of Oregon Inc: $4,500 over 3y, 0.6% of budgetKENYA KEYS: $4,500 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetMAYO CLINIC: $3,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetFRIENDS OF TRACY AVIARY: $3,500 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetTHE INN BETWEEN: $3,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetMCDOWELL SONORAN CONSERVANCY: $3,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetKOKUA HAWAII FOUNDATION: $3,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetUTAHNS AGAINST HUNGER: $3,000 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetMOUNTAIN TRAILS FOUNDATION: $2,500 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetGRIZZLY DISCOVERY CENTER INC: $2,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetVOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA UTAH: $2,125 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetWORK ACTIVITY CENTER INC: $1,275 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNuzzles & Co: $1,250 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetSOUTHWEST WILDLIFE CONSERVATION CENTER: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHAWKWATCH INTERNATIONAL INC: $1,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetBEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SOCIETY: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetALF ENGEN SKI MUSEUM FOUNDATION IN: $800 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetHEIFER PROJECT INTERNATIONAL: $675 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetJANE GOODALL INSTITUTE FOR WILDLIFE RESEARCH EDUCATION AND CONSERVATION: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUTAH YOUTH VILLAGE: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFRESH ARTISTS: $500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetArt Access: $500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTOGETHER RISING: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetEATS Park City: $250 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetGATES PHILANTHROPY PARTNERS: $250 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.

Sorenson Legacy Found…George S and Dolores …Katherine W Dumke & E…The Community Foundat…Making a Difference F…Ballard Miller Founda…Herbert I & Elsa B Mi…Willard L Eccles Char…Kennecott Utah Copper…Utah's PromiseMcCarthey Family Foun…Lawrence & Janet Dee …
Sorenson Legacy FoundationUT31.8× affinity13 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Sorenson Legacy Foundation · George S and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation · Katherine W Dumke & Ezekiel R Dumke Jr Foundation · The Community Foundation of Utah · Making a Difference Foundation · Ballard Miller Foundation · Herbert I & Elsa B Michael Foundation US Bank National Association · Willard L Eccles Charitable Foundation · Kennecott Utah Copper Visitors Center Charitable Foundation · Utah's Promise · McCarthey Family Foundation · Lawrence & Janet Dee 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 Scott W and Betsy D Thornton Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Scott W and Betsy D Thornton Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%13%25%38%50%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get no government money at all
    21report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–50%
    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 Scott W and Betsy D Thornton Family Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to The Scott W and Betsy D Thornton Family 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 65 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 2022, released 2022. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Scott W and Betsy D Thornton 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