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The Sherman Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Sherman Family Foundation

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.

$5.5M
Granted FY2024still arriving
116
Grants FY2024still arriving
6
States reached
$508k
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, FY2017 to 2024.

Education$27MHuman Services$3.0MInternational$1.7MArts & Culture$1.7MYouth Development$1.2MHealth$1.2MCrime & Legal$767kCommunity Improvement$576kOther$0
02FY2024 · 116 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k20 grants · $98k
  • $10k–50k65 grants · $1.4M
  • $50k–250k26 grants · $2.1M
  • $250k+5 grants · $1.8M
$20,000
Median grant
6
States reached
$40M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
SCHOOLSMART KC$508,143
CRISTO REY KANSAS CITY$450,408
ROCKHURST HIGH SCHOOL$351,012
UMKC FOUNDATION$275,494
THE RABBIT HOLE$250,000
OPERATION BREAKTHROUGH$185,892
TEACH FOR AMERICA$150,000
NATIONAL WORLD WAR I MUSEUM AND MEMORIAL$120,000
CORNERSTONES OF CARE$100,595
WELCOME HOUSE INC$100,594
SALVATION ARMY$100,000
Individual grant recipient$100,000
EARLYSTART$100,000
THE EDUCATOR ACADEMY$90,372
TEACHERS LIKE ME$90,000
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 (FY17–24, $3.6M) land where the poverty rate runs at 15%, against an area that typically sits at 12%. 92% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 12%PCS FOR PEOPLE: $25k → 14%LEAD TO READ KC: $20k → 8%PCS FOR PEOPLE: $25k → 14%AVENUE OF LIFE: $25k → 8%AVENUE OF LIFE: $23k → 8%AVENUE OF LIFE INC: $20k → 8%AVENUE OF LIFE INC: $20k → 8%AVENUE OF LIFE: $20k → 8%THE FAMILY CONSERVANCY: $100k → 16%THE FAMILY CONSERVANCY: $100k → 16%THE FAMILY CONSERVANCY: $90k → 16%THE FAMILY CONSERVANCY: $90k → 16%THE FAMILY CONSERVANCY: $75k → 16%UNITED INNER CITY SERVICES ST MARK: $170k → 15%THE FAMILY CONSERVANCY: $75k → 16%THE FAMILY CONSERVANCY: $75k → 16%AVENUE OF LIFE: $20k → 16%UNITED INNER CITY SERVICES ST MARK: $120k → 15%AVENUE OF LIFE INC: $22k → 5%EARLYSTART: $100k → 15%EARLYSTART: $93k → 15%UNITED INNER CITY SERVICES ST MARK: $70k → 15%UNITED INNER CITY SERVICES ST MARK: $70k → 15%ACADEMIE LAFAYETTE: $160k → 15%ACADEMIE LAFAYETTE: $160k → 15%ACADEMIE LAFAYETTE: $160k → 15%HIGH ASPIRATIONS: $28k → 15%HIGH ASPIRATIONS: $25k → 15%HIGH ASPIRATIONS: $25k → 15%HIGH ASPIRATIONS: $20k → 15%CORNERSTONES OF CARE: $105k → 15%CORNERSTONES OF CARE: $105k → 15%CORNERSTONES OF CARE: $105k → 15%CORNERSTONES OF CARE: $95k → 15%EPEC INC (THE GROOMING PROJECT): $30k → 15%CORNERSTONES OF CARE: $140k → 15%CORNERSTONES OF CARE: $101k → 15%CORNERSTONES OF CARE: $95k → 15%CORNERSTONES OF CARE: $90k → 15%START AT ZERO: $30k → 15%RECONCILIATION SERVICES: $100k → 15%START AT ZERO: $25k → 15%RECONCILIATION SERVICES: $76k → 15%START AT ZERO: $25k → 15%RECONCILIATION SERVICES: $75k → 15%START AT ZERO: $25k → 15%START AT ZERO: $25k → 15%START AT ZERO: $25k → 15%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

MN
NY
MA
IA
CO
MO
KS
TN
DC
LA
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.

95%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$36M · 157 repeat orgs$2.0M to everyone else

157 repeat relationships: 100 still active in FY2024, 57 since wound down; 15 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

157
45

Total granted

$36M
$1.5M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+28%
+70%

Still filing today

66%
44%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 90% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $566k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
EducationHuman ServicesArts & CultureHealthCommunity ImprovementPhilanthropyOther
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

  • OB
    OPERATION BREAKTHROUGH INC
    8× · 2017–2024 · $1.6M · revenue +23%
  • CC
    CROSSROADS CHARTER SCHOOLS
    5× · 2017–2021 · $1.1M · revenue +183%
  • SS
    SCHOOL SMART KC INC
    6× · 2018–2024 · $841k · revenue +145%

Funded once

  • BI
    BSDS INC BROOKSIDE CHARTER SCHOOLgraduated
    one grant, 2021 · $155k · revenue +70%
  • TK
    THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS FOUNDATIONgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $100k · revenue +207%
  • NE
    Northland Early Education Cent
    one grant, 2017 · $100k · revenue +20%
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
Kansas City Christian School Association

To bring glory to god by providing children with an excellent christ- centered education rooted in the word of god.

—
2
Hope Leadership Academy

To provide a world-class neighborhood school whose students excel in a culture of academic rigor, character development, and caring relationships.

Education
3
Thomas Jefferson School

Thomas jefferson school engages its students in the education necessary to live as responsible citizens of the world. through the strongest possible college-prepatory program and within a nurturing community, students develop a…

—
4
Upper Room Kc

Our mission is to provide high quality, educational programs while actively engaging and challenging students to enjoy learning. we work to support urban core neighborhoods by offering and developing quality educational programs.

Recreation & Sports
5
Kansas Wesleyan University

Kansas wesleyan university is a liberal arts college that promotes and integrates academic excellence, spiritual development, personal well-being, and social responsibility.

Education
6
Kc International Academy

Kansas city international academy is committed to excellence in education, inspiring and empowering children from all nationalities and diverse backgrounds, giving them the foundation they need to achieve the highest level of success in…

Education
7
Mo Kan 2020 Vision Inc

The mission of 20/20 leadership is to provide high school students unique experiential learning opportunities to expand their education beyond the classroom, develop resilient leaders, and build stronger communities.

Youth Development
8
Kansas City Art Institute

The mission of KCAI is to educate artists and designers while honoring the distinct journeys of students. We forge a vibrant community that equips them to become leaders who leverage the creative process to transform the future.

Education
9
Ewing Marion Kauffman School Inc

The mission of the kauffman school is to prepare students to excel academically, graduate from college and apply their unique talents in the world to create economically independent and personally fulfilling lives.

Education
10
City Academy Inc

See schedule o.city academy transforms children, families and our community through exceptional education and bold expectations that empower children to overcome barriers.

Education
11
Kansas Legal Services Inc

Kansas legal services is devoted to helping low income kansans meet their basic needs through the provision of important legal and mediation services.

—
12
Kansas National Education Association

To advocate for education professionals and to unite our members, kansans, and the nation to fulfill the promise of public education to prepare every student to succeed in a diverse and interdependent world.

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The Educator Academy Inc; the most unlike its peers is Wallace R Bostwick Memorial Fund. 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

132 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

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 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 132 of the 219 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.

2
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
37
Early backer (in before they grew)
130/132
Grantees still filing
95/132
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

CRISTO REY KANSAS CITY SISTERS OF CHARI TY OF LEAVENWORTH HIGH SCHOOL: $3,514,249 · OtherCRISTO REY KANSAS CITY SISTERS OF CHARI TY OF LEA…ROCKHURST HIGH SCHOOL: $1,330,369 · OtherROCKHURST HIGH SCHOOLSCUOLA VITA NUOVA CHARTER SCHOOL: $948,447 · OtherSCUOLA VITA NUOVA CHARTER SCHOOL+113 more: $10,984,063 · Other+113 moreUMKC FOUNDATION: $2,426,263 · EducationUMKC FOUNDATIONTeach for America Inc: $1,675,000 · EducationTeach for America IncOPERATION BREAKTHROUGH INC: $1,627,041 · EducationOPERATION BREAKTHROUGH INCTHE EDUCATOR ACADEMY INC: $1,272,572 · EducationTHE EDUCATOR ACADEMY INCCROSSROADS CHARTER SCHOOLS: $1,067,200 · EducationCROSSROADS CHARTER SCHOOLSSCHOOL SMART KC INC: $840,543 · EducationSCHOOL SMART KC INCMetropolitan Community College Foundation: $490,097 · Education+36 more: $5,268,785 · Education+36 moreCORNERSTONES OF CARE: $835,830 · Human ServicesCORNERSTON…UNITED INNER CITY SERVICES INC: $622,500 · Human ServicesUNITED INN…THE FAMILY CONSERVANCY: $605,000 · Human ServicesTHE FAMILY…ACADEMIE LAFAYETTE: $480,000 · Human ServicesACADEMIE L…RECONCILIATION SERVICES: $250,570 · Human ServicesRECONCILIA…START AT ZERO INC: $190,000 · Human ServicesAVENUE OF LIFE INC: $150,000 · Human Services+10 more: $437,300 · Human Services+10 moreNATIONAL WWI MUSEUM AND MEMORIAL: $360,000 · Arts & CultureTHE RABBIT HOLE KC: $250,000 · Arts & CultureYOUTH AMBASSADORS INC: $242,295 · Arts & CultureSTARLIGHT THEATRE ASSOCIATION OF KANSAS CITY INC: $150,000 · Arts & CultureKANSAS CITY SYMPHONY: $150,000 · Arts & CultureFRIENDS OF THE OPUS 76 QUARTET: $50,000 · Arts & CultureLYRIC OPERA OF KANSAS CITY INC: $50,000 · Arts & Culture+4 more: $55,000 · Arts & CultureTHE CHILDREN'S PLACE INC: $250,001 · Crime & LegalCHILD PROTECTION CENTER INC: $250,000 · Crime & LegalMETROPOLITAN ORGANIZATION COUNTERING SEXUAL ASSAULT: $234,000 · Crime & LegalWelcome House Inc: $300,594 · HealthThe Children's Mercy Hospital: $212,300 · HealthMATTIE RHODES MEMORIAL SOCIETY D/B/A MATTIE RHODES CENTER: $40,000 · HealthCenter for Conflict Resolution: $33,000 · Health+1 more: $15,000 · HealthGREENLIGHT FUND INC: $250,000 · Community ImprovementFront Porch Alliance - Kansas City Inc: $160,000 · Community ImprovementURBAN NEIGHBORHOOD INITIATIVE INC: $135,000 · Community ImprovementLYKINS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: $35,000 · Community Improvement+1 more: $7,500 · Community Improvement
Other$16,777,128Education$14,667,501Human Services$3,571,200Arts & Culture$1,307,295Crime & Legal$734,001Health$600,894Community Improvement$587,500

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 budgetCRISTO REY KANSAS CITY SISTERS OF CHARI TY OF LEAVENWORTH HIGH SCHOOL: $3,514,249 over 8y, 15% of budgetUMKC FOUNDATION: $2,426,263 over 5y, 3.7% of budgetTeach for America Inc: $1,675,000 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetOPERATION BREAKTHROUGH INC: $1,627,041 over 8y, 1.6% of budgetTHE EDUCATOR ACADEMY INC: $1,272,572 over 8y, 16% of budgetCROSSROADS CHARTER SCHOOLS: $1,067,200 over 5y, 2.8% of budgetSCHOOL SMART KC INC: $840,543 over 6y, 5.1% of budgetCORNERSTONES OF CARE: $835,830 over 8y, 0.3% of budgetUNITED INNER CITY SERVICES INC: $622,500 over 6y, 4.0% of budgetTHE FAMILY CONSERVANCY: $605,000 over 7y, 0.8% of budgetMetropolitan Community College Foundation: $490,097 over 4y, 5.9% of budgetACADEMIE LAFAYETTE: $480,000 over 3y, 1.5% of budgetPARTNERSHIP FOR REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL PREPARATION - KANSAS CITY INC: $400,000 over 7y, 4.5% of budgetKIPP KANSAS CITY: $393,200 over 5y, 2.7% of budgetTURN THE PAGE KC INC: $374,500 over 8y, 22% of budgetNATIONAL WWI MUSEUM AND MEMORIAL: $360,000 over 8y, 0.6% of budgetShow Me KC Schools Inc: $312,500 over 7y, 13% of budgetWelcome House Inc: $300,594 over 3y, 3.1% of budgetEMMANUEL FAMILY AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER & EMERGENCY SHELTER FOR CHILDR: $297,500 over 6y, 1.6% of budgetTHE HARRY S TRUMAN LIBRARY INSTITUTE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS: $290,000 over 4y, 2.0% of budgetTHE LITERACY LAB: $289,500 over 7y, 0.5% of budgetFRONTIER SCHOOLS INC: $256,100 over 3y, 0.6% of budgetRECONCILIATION SERVICES: $250,570 over 3y, 2.8% of budgetTHE CHILDREN'S PLACE INC: $250,001 over 3y, 1.8% of budgetGREENLIGHT FUND INC: $250,000 over 5y, 0.5% of budgetCHILD PROTECTION CENTER INC: $250,000 over 3y, 9.7% of budgetTHE RABBIT HOLE KC: $250,000 over 1y, 6.0% of budgetYOUTH AMBASSADORS INC: $242,295 over 8y, 11% of budgetFOUNDATION FOR INCLUSIVE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION INC: $240,000 over 8y, 3.9% of budgetCITIZENS OF THE WORLD CHARTER SCHOOL-KANSAS CITY: $235,930 over 3y, 1.8% of budgetMETROPOLITAN ORGANIZATION COUNTERING SEXUAL ASSAULT: $234,000 over 7y, 0.9% of budgetThe Children's Mercy Hospital: $212,300 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetTHE ELLIS FOUNDATION: $208,000 over 8y, 1.1% of budgetLITERACY KANSAS CITY: $202,000 over 8y, 2.6% of budgetSTART AT ZERO INC: $190,000 over 8y, 8.9% of budgetTHE LEAN LAB INC LEAN LAB EDUCATION: $190,000 over 6y, 5.6% of budgetACADEMY FOR INTEGRATED ARTS: $184,200 over 5y, 1.5% of budgetFIRST CALL ALCOHOLDRUG PREVENTION RECOVERY: $172,500 over 8y, 1.4% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF SAINT MARY INC: $171,000 over 5y, 0.2% of budgetGORDON PARKS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: $160,200 over 4y, 1.1% of budgetFront Porch Alliance - Kansas City Inc: $160,000 over 7y, 4.8% of budgetBSDS INC BROOKSIDE CHARTER SCHOOL: $155,400 over 1y, 1.6% of budgetNORTHEAST COMMUNITY CENTER: $155,000 over 5y, 2.7% of budgetSTARLIGHT THEATRE ASSOCIATION OF KANSAS CITY INC: $150,000 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetKANSAS CITY SYMPHONY: $150,000 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetAVENUE OF LIFE INC: $150,000 over 7y, 1.0% of budgetACCELERATED SCHOOLS OF OVERLAND PARK INC: $145,000 over 6y, 3.5% of budgetTEACHERS LIKE ME: $140,000 over 3y, 12% 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.

  • Who funds CRISTO REY KANSAS CITY SISTERS OF CHARI TY OF LEAVENWORTH HIGH SCHOOL ↗
  • Who funds UMKC FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds Teach for America Inc ↗
  • Who funds OPERATION BREAKTHROUGH INC ↗
  • Who funds THE EDUCATOR ACADEMY INC ↗
  • Who funds CROSSROADS CHARTER SCHOOLS ↗
  • Who funds SCHOOL SMART KC INC ↗
  • Who funds CORNERSTONES OF CARE ↗
  • Who funds UNITED INNER CITY SERVICES INC ↗
  • Who funds THE FAMILY CONSERVANCY ↗
  • Who funds Metropolitan Community College Foundation ↗
  • Who funds ACADEMIE LAFAYETTE ↗
  • Who funds PARTNERSHIP FOR REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL PREPARATION - KANSAS CITY INC ↗
  • Who funds KIPP KANSAS CITY ↗
  • Who funds TURN THE PAGE KC INC ↗
  • Who funds NATIONAL WWI MUSEUM AND MEMORIAL ↗
  • Who funds Show Me KC Schools Inc ↗
  • Who funds Welcome House Inc ↗
  • Who funds EMMANUEL FAMILY AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER & EMERGENCY SHELTER FOR CHILDR ↗
  • Who funds THE HARRY S TRUMAN LIBRARY INSTITUTE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS ↗
  • Who funds THE LITERACY LAB ↗
  • Who funds FRONTIER SCHOOLS INC ↗
  • Who funds RECONCILIATION SERVICES ↗
  • Who funds THE CHILDREN'S PLACE INC ↗
  • Who funds GREENLIGHT FUND INC ↗
  • Who funds CHILD PROTECTION CENTER INC ↗

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.

Greater Kansas City C…Ewing Marion Kauffman…United Way of Greater…The H & R Block Found…Health Forward Founda…Jackson County Commun…The Kansas City Royal…Oppenstein Brothers F…R a Long Foundation 6…The Sunderland Founda…The Francis Family Fo…Jewish Community Foun…
Greater Kansas City Community FoundationMO131.1× affinity103 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Greater Kansas City Community Foundation · Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation · United Way of Greater Kansas City Inc · The H & R Block Foundation · Health Forward Foundation · Jackson County Community Children's Services Fund · The Kansas City Royals Foundation · Oppenstein Brothers Foundation · R a Long Foundation 600 Plaza West Bldg · The Sunderland Foundation · The Francis Family Foundation · Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Kansas City

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 Sherman Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Sherman Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get no government money at all
    53report 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 219 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 Sherman 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