· Private foundation
The Sparks Foundation Trust Agreement
Its FY2025 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.
What it funded, over time
Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.
Where the money goes
Grants by size, and the largest recipients.
By grant size · FY2025
- Under $10k6 grants · $14k
- $10k–50k4 grants · $59k
- $50k–250k1 grant · $125k
| Recipient | Amount |
|---|---|
| THE FIELDS CHURCH | $125,000 |
| EMERALD ACRES SPORTS COMPLEX | $25,000 |
| COLES COUNTY HABITAT FOR HUMANITY | $13,500 |
| MATTOON AREA FAMILY YMCA | $10,000 |
| RK FOUNDATION | $10,000 |
| SARAH BUSH LINCOLN FOUNDATION | $6,000 |
| MATTOON PUBLIC LIBRARY | $2,500 |
| MATTOON COMMUNITY FOOD CENTER | $2,000 |
| MID-ILLINOIS BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTE | $1,000 |
| CAMP NEW HOPE | $1,000 |
| LIFELINKS | $1,000 |
Does the money reach high-need areas?
Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.
Its human-services grants (FY17–25, $118k) land where the poverty rate runs at 18%, 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.
How this is measured
How this is measured
Who it funds again
Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.
23 repeat relationships: 10 still active in FY2025, 13 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).
How the two cohorts compare
Organizations
Total granted
Median revenue growth · since first grant
Still filing today
New vs renewed · share of each year
In FY2025, 95% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $10k went to new ones.
Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant
How this is measured
Backed again, and grew
- CCColes County Habitat For Humanity9× · 2017–2025 · $58k · revenue +33%
- CNCAMP NEW HOPE INC9× · 2017–2025 · $29k · revenue +24%
- ECELEVATE CCIC INC3× · 2019–2021 · $11k · revenue +6%
Funded once
- ICIMMACULATE CONCEPTION PARISHone grant, 2022 · $10k
- PCPike County YMCAone grant, 2021 · $5k · revenue -21%
- IGIndividual grant recipientone grant, 2017 · $5k
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.
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.
To put christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind, and body for all. activities include child care; youth development through a variety of youth sports, leadership programs and special needs…
Youth for Christ of Mecosta & Montcalm Counties seeks to reach young people everywhere. Working with the local church and like-minded partners to raise up followers of Jesus who exhibit godliness in lifestyle, devotion to Gods word,…
Sports program for youth
To put christian principles into practice through programs that build a healty spirit, mind, andbody for all.
The YMCA of Corsicana is a charitable community service organization which includes all ages, abilities, incomes, races and relitions. It is dedicated to nurturing stong kids, famiies, and communities by puttin christian principles into…
The mission of the lake county ymca is to put christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all.
To put christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all.
To put christian principles into practice that build a healthy spirit, mind, and body for all.
The champaign family ymca's mission is to put christian principles into practice through programs that enhance personal growth and improve health of spirit, and mind and body for all. the champaign family ymca serves more than 5,000 people…
To organize human, financial, and material resources to encourage the spiritual, physical, mental, social and leadership growth of any individual. ymca of mccook is dedicated to building strong kids, strong families and strong communities…
To develop, finance and operate an indoor and outdoor sports complex in a blighted area in mattoon, il that will benefit the residents and business communities in illinois.
Junior Achievement of Central Illinois inspires and prepares young people to succeed in the global economy. Our volunteer-delivered, experiential programs give students knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness and…
How this is measured
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 35 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.
Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee
Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing
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 MATTOON AREA FAMILY YMCA CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION ↗
- Who funds Coles County Habitat For Humanity ↗
- Who funds CAMP NEW HOPE INC ↗
- Who funds ELEVATE CCIC INC ↗
- Who funds MATTOON COMMUNITY FOOD CENTER ↗
- Who funds Pike County YMCA ↗
- Who funds FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN ATHLETES ↗
- Who funds Fit-2-Serve Inc ↗
- Who funds LAKE LAND COLLEGE FOUNDATION ↗
- Who funds THE LITTLE THEATRE - ON THE SQUARE INC ↗
- Who funds MID-IL BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS ↗
- Who funds SOCIETY OF ST VINCENT DE PAUL ROCKFORD COUNCIL ↗
- Who funds A Ray Of Hope On Earth ↗
- Who funds MATTOON PRIDE SOFTBALL INC DBA MATTOON PRIDE ATHLETICS ↗
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.
Open a dossier: Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation · United Way of Coles County Inc · The Lumpkin Family Foundation · Amazonsmile Foundation · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund
How this is measured
How much its grantees rely on government
Each dot is one organization The Sparks Foundation Trust Agreement funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Sparks Foundation Trust Agreement. Bigger dots raise more.
How this is measured
Play a game based on Sparks Foundation Trust Agreement’s filings →