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Tom Joyner Foundation Inc

The tom joyner foundation administers educational and scholarship programs for students enrolled in historically black colleges and universities (hbcu).

$399k
Granted FY2024still arriving
17
Grants FY2024still arriving
11
States reached
$57k
Largest
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2018 to 2024.

Education$4.1M
02FY2024 · 17 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 17 grants below total $376,830, the rows itemized in this filing. The $399,439 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $22,609 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k5 grants · $33k
  • $10k–50k9 grants · $179k
  • $50k–250k3 grants · $165k
$20,000
Median grant
11
States reached
$6.1M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
HOWARD UNIVERSITY$56,952
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY$56,500
ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIVERSITY$51,500
NATL MUSEUM OF AFAMCULTURE$25,000
NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY$25,000
BALTIMORE SPORTS TOURDEVCOUNCIL$25,000
TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY$23,590
TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY$20,000
BENNETT COLLEGE$20,000
JOHNSON C SMITH UNIVERSITY$15,000
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY OF PA$15,000
BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY$10,500
DILLARD UNIVERSITY$8,200
HAMPTON UNIVERSITY$7,240
CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY$6,352
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:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY18–24) land where the poverty rate runs at 16%, against an area that typically sits at 12%. 74% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 12%HUSTON-TILLOTSON UNIVERSITY: $265k → 10%TEXAS COLLEGE: $60k → 12%TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY: $20k → 16%CLAFLIN UNIVERSITY: $33k → 25%NATL MUSEUM OF AFAMCULTURE: $25k → 14%BETHUNE COOKMAN: $51k → 12%FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY: $111k → 19%TALLADEGA COLLEGE: $34k → 18%TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY: $45k → 32%HARRIS STOWE STATE UNIVERSITY: $20k → 21%FISK UNIVERSITY: $32k → 14%WINSTON-SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY: $31k → 15%LIVINGSTONE COLLEGE: $184k → 15%ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIVERSITY: $89k → 15%BENNETT COLLEGE: $20k → 16%MOREHOUSE COLLEGE: $50k → 13%SAVANNAH STATE: $46k → 16%FORT VALLEY STATE UNIV: $84k → 18%TOUGALOO COLLEGE: $82k → 11%HINDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE: $33k → 23%ALCORN STATE: $25k → 34%UNIV MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE: $39k → 22%HUSTON-TILLOTSON UNIVERSITY: $147k → 10%HOWARD UNIVERSITY: $100k → 14%FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY: $36k → 19%TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY: $32k → 32%TOUGALOO COLLEGE: $70k → 11%HUSTON-TILLOTSON UNIVERSITY: $36k → 10%HOWARD UNIVERSITY: $63k → 14%TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY: $24k → 32%SPELMAN COLLEGE: $52k → 13%TOUGALOO COLLEGE: $47k → 11%BALTIMORE SPORTS TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL INC: $50k → 19%HOWARD UNIVERSITY: $57k → 14%SPELMAN COLLEGE: $44k → 13%JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY: $78k → 23%DILLARD UNIVERSITY: $75k → 23%BALTIMORE SPORTS TOURDEVCOUNCIL: $25k → 19%HOWARD UNIVERSITY: $45k → 14%TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY: $109k → 14%MORRIS BROWN: $39k → 13%JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY: $67k → 23%DILLARD UNIVERSITY: $41k → 23%HOWARD UNIVERSITY: $38k → 14%SPELMAN COLLEGE: $35k → 13%HOWARD UNIVERSITY: $34k → 14%SPELMAN COLLEGE: $30k → 13%HOWARD UNIVERSITY: $34k → 14%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

OH
PA
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
AR
TN
NC
SC
DC
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
TX
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.

92%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$3.6M · 44 repeat orgs$326k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +34% since the first grant, against 0% for those funded once.

44 repeat relationships: 13 still active in FY2024, 31 since wound down; 4 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

44
43

Total granted

$3.6M
$261k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+34%
0%

Still filing today

98%
86%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 83% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $65k went to new ones.

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

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

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
EducationRecreation & SportsArts & CultureOther
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

  • HU
    HUSTON-TILLOTSON UNIVERSITY
    4× · 2018–2021 · $453k · revenue +32%
  • THE HOWARD UNIVERSITY
    7× · 2018–2024 · $371k · revenue +47%
  • TC
    Tougaloo College
    4× · 2018–2021 · $205k · revenue +26%

Funded once

  • GU
    GRAMBLING UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INCgraduated
    one grant, 2021 · $16k · revenue +157%
  • LS
    LAWSON STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION INCgraduated
    one grant, 2018 · $14k · revenue +117%
  • AS
    ALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY
    one grant, 2021 · $7k
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
University of Lynchburg

The mission of the University is to inspire independent thinkers who become trustworthy, effective leaders that shape caring communities. The vision of the University of Lynchburg is to cultivate a world that is innovative, authentic, and…

Education
2
Union Institute & University

Union Institute & University educates highly motivated adults who seek academic programs to engage, enlighten, and empower them to pursue professional goals and a lifetime of learning and service. Offering accredited bachelors, masters,…

—
3
Franklin University

Since 1902, Franklin University has been a pioneer in meeting the needs of adult students who have the ambition to continue their education in combination with other responsibilities, receiving its status as a tax exempt organization in…

—
4
Coker University

Coker university is a student-centered, comprehensive university. it is dedicated to providing every student an academic curriculum based upon a uniformly excellent liberal arts core that enhances the structured development of key personal…

Education
5
Daemen University

Private, independent university providing higher education to students. The mission of Daemen University is to prepare creative, ethically-minded leaders for a diverse and interconnected world by integrating the intellectual strengths…

Education
6
American Baptist Theological Seminary dba American Baptist College

Is to provide educational opportunities for gifted students who have limited academic experiences and resources but unlimited potential for leadership in society.

Education
7
Tuskegee University

To provide quality post secondary educational opportunities and contribute to the betterment of society through research and development

Education
8
Thomas University

Thomas university is an independent, not for profit, institution of higher education with undergraduate and graduate programs that prepare students for successful careers and responsible citizenship in a rapidly changing and complex world.

Education
9
Waynesburg University

Waynesburg university educates students to make connections between faith, learning and serving so they might faithfully transofrm their communiities and the world. see continuation on schedule o.as a christian comprehensive university, we…

Education
10
Columbus State University Foundation Inc

The Columbus State University Foundation supports educational excellence and the expansion of educational opportunities at Columbus State University. The Foundation attracts, receives, invests, manages, and expends gifts and other…

Education
11
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
12
Roger Williams University

At Roger Williams University, students are prepared to be thinkers and doers ready to solve challenging problems with innovative solutions. RWU offers robust offerings of undergraduate, graduate and professional programs across eight…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Bennett College; the most unlike its peers is Smithsonian Institution. 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

85 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. 85 of the 92 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)
14
Early backer (in before they grew)
84/85
Grantees still filing
52/85
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

THE HOWARD UNIVERSITY: $371,225 · EducationTHE HOWARD UNIVERSITYTougaloo College: $204,809 · EducationTougaloo CollegeLivingstone College: $194,818 · EducationLivingstone CollegeThe North Carolina A&T Real Estate Foundation Inc: $182,828 · EducationThe North Carolina A&T Real Estate Foundation IncFlorida Agricultural & Mechanical Univ Foundation Inc: $180,112 · EducationFlorida Agricultural & Mechanical Univ Foundation IncSpelman College: $166,413 · EducationSpelman CollegeJackson State University Development Foundation Inc: $164,120 · EducationJackson State University Development Foundation IncDILLARD UNIVERSITY: $130,375 · EducationTENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $115,031 · EducationNORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC: $101,000 · Education+58 more: $1,070,659 · Education+58 moreHUSTON-TILLOTSON UNIVERSITY: $453,473 · OtherHUSTON-TILLOTSON UNIVERSITYTHE ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIV FOUNDATION: $146,430 · OtherTHE ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIV F…TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY: $139,908 · OtherTUSKEGEE UNIVERSITYFORT VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDA INC: $93,970 · OtherFORT VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY FO…SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC AND SUBSIDIARIES: $65,777 · OtherSAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY FOUND…HINDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION: $52,376 · OtherTalladega College: $50,292 · Other+15 more: $146,362 · Other+15 moreBALTIMORE SPORTS TOURISM DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL INC: $75,200 · Recreation & SportsSMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION: $25,000 · Arts & Culture
Education$2,881,390Other$1,148,588Recreation & Sports$75,200Arts & Culture$25,000

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 budgetHUSTON-TILLOTSON UNIVERSITY: $453,473 over 4y, 1.0% of budgetTHE HOWARD UNIVERSITY: $371,225 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetTougaloo College: $204,809 over 4y, 0.3% of budgetLivingstone College: $194,818 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetThe North Carolina A&T Real Estate Foundation Inc: $182,828 over 6y, 0.3% of budgetFlorida Agricultural & Mechanical Univ Foundation Inc: $180,112 over 5y, 0.3% of budgetSpelman College: $166,413 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetJackson State University Development Foundation Inc: $164,120 over 4y, 1.4% of budgetTHE ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIV FOUNDATION: $146,430 over 3y, 5.1% of budgetDILLARD UNIVERSITY: $130,375 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetTENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $115,031 over 2y, 0.9% of budgetNORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC: $101,000 over 4y, 0.3% of budgetFORT VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDA INC: $93,970 over 2y, 2.2% of budgetVIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $87,849 over 4y, 1.6% of budgetBETHUNE-COOKMAN UNIVERSITY: $75,543 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetBALTIMORE SPORTS TOURISM DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL INC: $75,200 over 2y, 1.4% of budgetMOREHOUSE COLLEGE: $66,365 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetTEXAS COLLEGE: $66,145 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetSAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC AND SUBSIDIARIES: $65,777 over 3y, 0.9% of budgetCLAFLIN UNIVERSITY: $55,219 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetMORRIS BROWN COLLEGE: $53,126 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetHINDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION: $52,376 over 3y, 1.0% of budgetTalladega College: $50,292 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetFISK UNIVERSITY: $50,107 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND FOUNDATION INC: $44,285 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetWinston-Salem State University Foundation Inc: $43,319 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC: $31,540 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC: $30,507 over 3y, 0.5% of budgetClark Atlanta University Inc: $29,886 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $27,395 over 3y, 1.8% of budgetPaul Quinn College: $27,223 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetBOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC: $26,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetHarris-Stowe Foundation Inc: $25,702 over 2y, 1.1% of budgetBENNETT COLLEGE: $25,500 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetSMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBENEDICT COLLEGE: $20,520 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetJOHNSON C SMITH UNIVERSITY: $20,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY FOUNDATIO: $20,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE FOUNDATION FOR INDIANA UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA (IUP): $17,922 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMiles College Inc: $16,550 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetWILBERFORCE UNIVERSITY WILBERFORCE UNIVERSITY: $15,744 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetGRAMBLING UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC: $15,545 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetLINCOLN UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION OF PA: $15,000 over 1y, 1.1% of budgetLAWSON STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC: $13,883 over 1y, 15% of budgetHAMPTON UNIVERSITY: $12,788 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetLANGSTON UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $12,122 over 2y, 0.8% of budgetXAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA: $12,018 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE UNIVERSITY OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS: $11,401 over 2y, 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.

Strada Education Foundation IncIN70.7× affinity33 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Strada Education Foundation Inc · United Negro College Fund Inc · Educational Credit Management Corporation · Thurgood Marshall College Fund · Dr Maya Angelou Foundation · National Collegiate Athletic Association · Enterprise Holdings Foundation · Student Freedom Initiative Inc · Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation · The Philadelphia Foundation · Ibm International Foundation · Chapman Foundation Inc

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 Tom Joyner Foundation Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Tom Joyner Foundation Inc. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 30%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 7%
  • Edward Waters University Inc: 11% of income from government
  • Florida Memorial University Inc: 11% of income from government
  • The Morgan State University Foundation Inc: 7% of income from government
  • Bethune-Cookman University: 6% of income from government
  • Baltimore Sports Tourism Development Council Inc: 4% of income from government
  • University of Maryland Foundation Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
3get no government money at all
8report 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.
05Through Plinth

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to Tom Joyner Foundation Inc?

Find your warmest path to Tom Joyner Foundation Inc 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 92 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

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