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The Simmons Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Simmons Family Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$38k
Granted FY2025still arriving
6
Grants FY2025still arriving
4
States reached
$14k
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, FY2022 to 2025.

Education$143kCivil Rights$80kReligion$28kHuman Services$23kInternational$20kYouth Development$5kCrime & Legal$5kArts & Culture$1kOther$0
02FY2025 · 6 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k4 grants · $14k
  • $10k–50k2 grants · $24k
$5,000
Median grant
4
States reached
$1.2M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
THE INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL OUTREACH$13,780
NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE & EDUC FUND INC$10,000
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF ATLANTA$5,000
EBENEZER BAPTIST CHURCH$5,000
Lutie Legacy Society$2,500
SILVERBACK SOCIETY$1,500
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 (FY22–25, $21k) land where the poverty rate runs at 22%, against an area that typically sits at 12%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 12%THE INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL OUTREACH: $14k → 22%THE INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL OUTREACH: $3k → 22%THE INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL OUTREACH: $3k → 22%THE INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL OUTREACH: $3k → 22%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.
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.

62%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$189k · 9 repeat orgs$116k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +13% since the first grant, against +8% for those funded once.

9 repeat relationships: 5 still active in FY2025, 4 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

9
10

Total granted

$189k
$115k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+13%
+8%

Still filing today

67%
70%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 96% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $2k went to new ones.

50%100%’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’22’23’24’25
EducationHuman ServicesCivil RightsInternationalArts & CultureAnimalsOther
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

  • MC
    MOREHOUSE COLLEGE
    2× · 2022–2023 · $32k · revenue +21%
  • MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC
    2× · 2022–2023 · $20k · revenue +13%
  • ST
    SHIH TZU RESCUE INC
    2× · 2022–2023 · $900 · revenue +39%

Funded once

  • DU
    DILLARD UNIVERSITY
    one grant, 2022 · $50k · revenue -4%
  • SC
    Spelman College
    one grant, 2022 · $25k · revenue -15%
  • PV
    PRAIRIE VIEW A & M UNIVERSITY
    one grant, 2022 · $25k
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
Boston Architectural College

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

—
2
Atlantic University Inc

Provide post-secondary education of excellence.

Education
3
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
4
Lebanese American University

Lebanese american university is committed to academic excellence, student-centeredness, civic engagement, the advancement of scholarship, the education of the whole person, and the formation of leaders in a diverse world.

Education
5
Wentworth Institute of Technology Inc

Wentworth institute of technology is a nationally recognized private coeducational and residential university of higher education with a mission to empower, inspire and innovate through experiential learning with a core purpose of career…

Education
6
Benedict College

Benedict college is committed to providing transformative learning experiences characterized by high quality academic, co-curricular and extra-curricular programming, intentionally designed to develop superior cultural and professional…

Education
7
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
8
The Institute of World Politics

The institute of world politics is a graduate school of national security and international affairs, dedicated to developing leaders with a sound understanding of international realities and the ethical conduct of statecraft, based on…

International
9
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Inc

Embry-riddle is the world leader in aviation and aerospace higher education. its mission is to teach the science, practice and business of aviation and aerospace, preparing students for productive careers and leadership roles in business,…

Education
10
Dominican University of California

Our institutional mission is to educate and prepare students to be ethical leaders and socially responsible global citizens who incorporate the dominican values of study, reflection, community and service into their lives.

Education
11
New York School of Interior Design

New york school of interior design provides the most innovative, immersive, and transformative interior design education in the world, demonstrating the impact of professionally designed interiors on the health, happiness, and well-being…

Education
12
Southwestern Law School

For more than a century, southwestern has educated lawyers ready to serve clients, the profession, and our society with excellence. we empower students to reach their potential. we cultivate inclusion and belonging. we promote equity and…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Atlanta Union Mission Corporation; the most unlike its peers is Shih Tzu Rescue 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

14 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. 14 of the 20 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)
1
Early backer (in before they grew)
14/14
Grantees still filing
7/14
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

DILLARD UNIVERSITY: $50,000 · EducationDILLARD UNIVERSITYMOREHOUSE COLLEGE: $32,000 · EducationMOREHOUSE COLLEGESpelman College: $25,000 · EducationSpelman CollegeLUTIE LEGACY SOCIETY: $5,000 · Education+1 more: $500 · EducationNAACP LEGAL DEFENSE & EDUC FUND INC: $80,000 · Civil RightsNAACP LEGAL DEFENSE & EDUC FU…PRAIRIE VIEW A & M UNIVERSITY: $25,000 · OtherPRAIRIE VIEW A & M UNIVE…EBENEZER BAPTIST CHURCH: $17,500 · OtherEBENEZER BAPTIST CHURCHFIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF ATLANTA: $10,000 · OtherFIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHU…TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY: $5,000 · OtherTRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVE…DICKINSON SCHOOL OF LAW OF THE: $5,000 · OtherDICKINSON SCHOOL OF LAW …CALVIN PEETE FOUNDATION INC: $2,500 · Other+1 more: $1,000 · OtherTHE INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL OUTREACH INC: $21,280 · Human ServicesSafespace Foundation Inc: $1,000 · Human ServicesATLANTA UNION MISSION CORPORATION: $1,000 · Human ServicesMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $20,000 · InternationalSILVERBACK SOCIETY: $1,500 · Youth DevelopmentAFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM: $1,000 · Arts & CultureSHIH TZU RESCUE INC: $900 · Animals
Education$112,500Civil Rights$80,000Other$66,000Human Services$23,280International$20,000Youth Development$1,500Arts & Culture$1,000Animals$900

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 budgetNAACP LEGAL DEFENSE & EDUC FUND INC: $80,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetDILLARD UNIVERSITY: $50,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMOREHOUSE COLLEGE: $32,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSpelman College: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL OUTREACH INC: $21,280 over 4y, 1.4% of budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $20,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLUTIE LEGACY SOCIETY: $5,000 over 2y, 0.9% of budgetSILVERBACK SOCIETY: $1,500 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetAFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSafespace Foundation Inc: $1,000 over 1y, 1.0% of budgetATLANTA UNION MISSION CORPORATION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSHIH TZU RESCUE INC: $900 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetTHE NEW SCHOOL INC: $500 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 set of overlaps that mostly run through this funder rather than between each other.

Amazonsmile Foundation
Amazonsmile FoundationWA2× affinity6 shared granteesties to 0 of 0Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

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

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 20%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%13%25%38%50%share of the org’s income from government →median 12%
  • Trustees of Boston University: 12% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
2get no government money at all
3report 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.

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 20 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 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

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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