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Thomas Skelton Harrison Foundation at a glance

· Public charity

Thomas Skelton Harrison Foundation

Fund research, study and other activity that promotes sound municipal government and finance in the city of philadelphia, and for work that promotes the general welfare of its inhabitants.

$150k
Granted FY2024still arriving
3
Grants FY2024still arriving
1
States reached
$50k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
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.

Public Benefit$335kCrime & Legal$159kArts & Culture$105kEducation$80kHuman Services$20kCivil Rights$10k
02FY2024 · 3 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$50,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$3.9M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
RESOLVE PHILLY$50,000
COMMITTEE OF SEVENTY$50,000
THE PHILA CITIZEN$50,000
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 (FY20–22, $42k) land where the poverty rate runs at 22%, against an area that typically sits at 20%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 20%CHILDREN FIRST (PCCY): $20k → 22%ESPERANZA: $8k → 22%ESPERANZA: $8k → 22%ESPERANZA: $7k → 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.

86%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$609k · 9 repeat orgs$100k to everyone else

9 repeat relationships: 2 still active in FY2024, 7 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

9
4

Total granted

$609k
$50k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+36%
+55%

Still filing today

100%
100%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 67% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $50k 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
Crime & LegalArts & CultureCivil RightsEducationHuman ServicesOther
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

  • COMMITTEE OF SEVENTY
    5× · 2020–2024 · $175k · revenue +70%
  • TP
    THE PHILADELPHIA CITIZEN
    5× · 2020–2024 · $155k · revenue +3%
  • PHILADELPHIA VIP INC
    4× · 2020–2023 · $80k · revenue +26%

Funded once

  • CF
    Children First PAgraduated
    one grant, 2021 · $20k · revenue +85%
  • WL
    WOMEN'S LAW PROJECTgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $10k · revenue +55%
  • PF
    PENNSYLVANIANS FOR MODERN COURTS
    one grant, 2021 · $10k · revenue +16%
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
Pennsylvanians for Fair Courts

To develop and advocate for legislation, regulations, and government programs to protect against judicial gerrymandering and other legislative barriers to fair courts, and to conduct research about and publicize the positions of elected…

—
2
Philadelphia Health Partnership
Health
3
Philadelphia Public Access Corporation

Phillycam provides transformative opportunities for people and communities to express themselves, to learn from each other, and to produce and share media reflective of the experiences of everyday people.

—
4
Women Against Abuse Inc

The mission of women against abuse is to provide quality, compassionate, and nonjudgmental services in a manner that fosters self-respect and independence in persons experiencing intimate partner violence and to lead the struggle to end…

Human Services
5
Philly Black Worker Project

) to lead and engage in campaigns that empower Black workers to advance our rights and improve job quality in key employment sectors

Civil Rights
6
Ballot Pa Action

Informed and educated the public and lawmakers about the benefits of including independent voters in Pennsylvania's primary elections.

Civil Rights
7
Amistad Law Project

Amistad law project's mission is to fight for the human rights of people in our community by providing free and low-cost legal services to philadelphians and those incarcerated in pennsylvania's prisons. additionally, we advocate for laws…

Crime & Legal
8
Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau

The philadelphia convention & visitors bureau (phlcvb) is the official tourism promotion agency for the city of philadelphia globally, and the sales and marketing agency for the pennsylvania convention center (pcc). phlcvb markets…

—
9
Philadelphia Area Jobs With Justice

Building support for the rights of working people through coalitions of labor and community and through public education.

Employment
10
Philadelphia Mural Arts Advocates Inc

Mural arts - the city of philadelphia mural arts program unites artists and communities through a collaborative process rooted in the traditions of mural making, to create art that transforms public spaces and individual lives.

Arts & Culture
11
Police Athletic League of Philadelphia
Youth Development
12
Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadephia

The chamber of commerce for greater philadelphia (the chamber) brings area businesses and civic leaders together to promote growth and create opportunity in our region. our members represent eleven counties, three states, and roughly…

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Children First Pa; the most unlike its peers is Heights Philadelphia. 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.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
6
Early backer (in before they grew)
14/14
Grantees still filing
11/14
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

THE PHILADELPHIA CITIZEN: $155,000 · Arts & CultureTHE PHILADELPHIA CITIZENWHYY INC: $60,000 · Arts & CultureWHYY INCCULTURETRUST GREATER PHILADELPHIA: $10,000 · Arts & CultureCOMMITTEE OF SEVENTY: $175,000 · Civil RightsCOMMITTEE OF SEVENTYWOMEN'S LAW PROJECT: $10,000 · Civil RightsWOMEN'S LAW PROJECTPHILADELPHIA VIP INC: $80,000 · Crime & LegalPHILADELPHIA VIP INCSupport Center for Child Advocates: $30,000 · Crime & LegalSupport Center for Chil…PHILADELPHIA LAWYERS FOR SOCIAL EQUITY: $27,500 · Crime & LegalPHILADELPHIA LAWYERS FO…PENNSYLVANIANS FOR MODERN COURTS: $10,000 · Crime & LegalPENNSYLVANIANS FOR MODE…RESOLVE PHILADELPHIA INC: $50,000 · EducationRESOLVE PHIL…HEIGHTS PHILADELPHIA: $30,000 · EducationHEIGHTS PHIL…Esperanza Immigration Legal Services: $21,500 · Human ServicesChildren First PA: $20,000 · Human ServicesFREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA FOUNDATION: $30,000 · Other
Arts & Culture$225,000Civil Rights$185,000Crime & Legal$147,500Education$80,000Human Services$41,500Other$30,000

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetCOMMITTEE OF SEVENTY: $175,000 over 5y, 2.6% of budgetTHE PHILADELPHIA CITIZEN: $155,000 over 5y, 6.3% of budgetPHILADELPHIA VIP INC: $80,000 over 4y, 2.3% of budgetWHYY INC: $60,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetRESOLVE PHILADELPHIA INC: $50,000 over 1y, 3.2% of budgetFREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA FOUNDATION: $30,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetSupport Center for Child Advocates: $30,000 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetHEIGHTS PHILADELPHIA: $30,000 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetPHILADELPHIA LAWYERS FOR SOCIAL EQUITY: $27,500 over 3y, 1.3% of budgetEsperanza Immigration Legal Services: $21,500 over 3y, 5.3% of budgetChildren First PA: $20,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetWOMEN'S LAW PROJECT: $10,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetPENNSYLVANIANS FOR MODERN COURTS: $10,000 over 1y, 2.5% of budgetCULTURETRUST GREATER PHILADELPHIA: $10,000 over 1y, 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.

The Philadelphia Foun…Independence Foundati…The William Penn Foun…Henry Dolfinger 2 Tru…Independence Public M…The Lenfest Institute…United Way of Greater…Philadelphia Bar Foun…Future Standard Found…Henrietta Tower Wurts…Lindback Cr & Mf Foun…The Patricia Kind Fam…
The Philadelphia FoundationPA21.5× affinity8 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Philadelphia Foundation · Independence Foundation · The William Penn Foundation · Henry Dolfinger 2 Trust Uw · Independence Public Media of Philadelphia Inc · The Lenfest Institute for Journalism Special Asset Fund of Tpf · United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey · Philadelphia Bar Foundation · Future Standard Foundation · Henrietta Tower Wurts Memorial Foundation · Lindback Cr & Mf Foundation Tw Main · The Patricia Kind Family 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 Thomas Skelton Harrison Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Thomas Skelton Harrison Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%3%5%8%10%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    6report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–10%
    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 Thomas Skelton Harrison Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Thomas Skelton Harrison 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 14 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 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 Thomas Skelton Harrison’s filings →

    More from the funding graph

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