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Tony R Wells Foundation at a glanceMostly funded, not a grantmaker: see who funds it →

· Private foundation

Tony R Wells Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$7k
Granted FY2024still arriving
14
Grants FY2024still arriving
5
States reached
$2k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0190% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Health$81kCommunity Improvement$49kPhilanthropy$17kEmployment$15kEducation$9kCrime & Legal$6kYouth Development$2kPublic Safety & Disaster$2kOther$0
02FY2024 · 14 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$250
Median grant
5
States reached
$2.2M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Down Syndrome Affiliates in Action$2,488
Down Syndrome Association of Central Ohio$1,272
Down Syndrome Guild of Dallas$1,010
Pedal the Cause$632
National MS Society$330
Young's Jersey Dairy Bike Ride$294
YMCA$250
Flying Horse Farms$208
Individual grant recipient$207
NAMI$105
KIWANIS CLUB OF COLS$100
Pedal with Pete$88
Charitable Pharmacy of Central Ohio$77
Joshua Chamberlain Society$77
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, $5k) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 20% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%Down Syndrome Association of Pittsburgh: $22 → 11%Down Syndrome Association of Jacksonville: $250 → 14%Pedal the Cause: $1k → 11%Triangle Down Syndrome NE: $25 → 8%Down Syndrome of South Central Kentucky: $140 → 18%Pedal the Cause: $644 → 11%Pedal the Cause: $632 → 11%Pedal the Cause: $515 → 11%Pedal the Cause: $258 → 11%Pedal the Cause: $180 → 11%Pedal the Cause: $157 → 11%Joshua Chamberlain Society: $77 → 11%Joshua Chamberlain Society: $77 → 11%A Kid Again: $521 → 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

MT
MN
IL
MI
NY
OR
IA
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
CA
CO
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
DE
AZ
NM
AR
TN
NC
SC
OK
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.
04

Where the work is directed

The same grants placed two ways: where each recipient sits, and where its stated purpose sends the money.

About 8% of Tony R Wells Foundation’s grant dollars are earmarked for a different county than the recipient’s own address. By recipient address, 64% of the giving stays in OH; by stated purpose, 57%.

Tony R Wells Foundationlessmore of its giving
Placed by recipient address
How this is measured
Recipient view: each grant at its grantee’s ZIP, mapped to a county. Directed view: each grant at the county its stated purpose names, falling back to the recipient’s county when the purpose names no place; US grants only. A county shows only if it carries the top 95% of that view’s dollars. Purposes are read from the funder’s own 990 grant descriptions.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

66%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$129k · 35 repeat orgs$65k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +25% since the first grant, against +17% for those funded once.

35 repeat relationships: 8 still active in FY2024, 27 since wound down; 6 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

35
76

Total granted

$129k
$63k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+25%
+17%

Still filing today

51%
49%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 73% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $2k 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
HealthHuman ServicesEducationYouth DevelopmentPhilanthropyHousing & ShelterOther
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

  • DS
    DOWN SYNDROME ASSOCIATION OF CENTRAL OHIO
    6× · 2018–2024 · $9k · revenue +471%
  • PT
    PEDAL THE CAUSE
    7× · 2018–2024 · $3k · revenue +18%
  • BB
    BREAKTHROUGH BIKE CHALLENGE
    2× · 2021–2022 · $1k · revenue +18%

Funded once

  • FC
    FRANKLINTON CYCLEWORKS
    one grant, 2023 · $15k · revenue +8%
  • BR
    Buckeye Region Anti-Violence
    one grant, 2023 · $6k
  • DS
    Down Syndrom Affiliates in Action
    one grant, 2023 · $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.

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
Down Syndrome Association of South Georgia Inc
Health
2
Down Syndrome Society of Rhode Island Inc

A parent support organization dedicated to promoting the rights, dignity and potential of all individuals with down syndrome through advocacy, education, public awareness and support.

Health
3
Down Syndrome Association of Brazos Valley

To insure that individuals born with down syndrome are born into an undertanding and inclusive community where there abilities and potential are recognized and they thrive in the life of their choosing

Health
4
Down Syndrome Association of West Michigan

To be a resource and advocacy organization promoting public awareness and supporting lifelong opportunities for individuals with down syndrome and their families.

—
5
Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee

The organizations mission is to enhance the quality of life throughout the life span of all individuals with down syndrome by providing support, information and education to families, professionals and communities.

Health
6
Down Syndrome Network Inc Dba DSNetwork

1) Promote lifelong health and improve quality of life for people with DS; 2) Help caregivers navigate the whole journey of raising and caring for a person with Down syndrome from before birth throughout the aging process; 3) help grow…

Health
7
Down Syndrome Association of Orange County

Dsaoc's mission is to create a place for connection, information and hope for people with down syndrome and their families throughout greater orange county, to promote down syndrome awareness through community outreach, and to offer…

—
8
Down Syndrome Association of Wisconsin - South Central Inc

The organization is a subsidiary organization of down syndrome association of wisconsin inc., a 501(c)(3). the mission at the down syndrome association of wisconsin (dsaw) is to provide support to wisconsin families and individuals with…

Health
9
Down Syndrome Diagnosis Network

To connect support and provide accurate information to families with a down syndrome diagnosis

Health
10
National Down Syndrome Society

The National Down Syndrome Society empowers individuals with Down syndrome and their families by driving policy change, providing resources, engaging with local communities, and shifting public perceptions.

—
11
Down Syndrome Alliance of the Midlands

Down syndrome alliance of the midlands is committed to connecting those touched by down syndrome through education, advocacy and support.

Philanthropy
12
Down Syndrome Association of West Michigan Foundation

The foundation is organized to provide permanent support through fundraising activities and investment earnings to the down syndrome association of west michigan.

Philanthropy
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Down Syndrome Affiliates in Action; the most unlike its peers is Safelite Foundation. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
05the grantee network

61 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. 61 of the 119 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)
18
Early backer (in before they grew)
60/61
Grantees still filing
38/61
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

GROUNDWORK GROUP: $47,307 · OtherGROUNDWORK GROUPDOWN SYNDROME AFFILIATES IN ACTION: $26,952 · OtherDOWN SYNDROME AFFILIATES IN ACTIONGoodwill Columbus: $10,395 · OtherGoodwill ColumbusDOWN SYNDROME ASSOCIATION OF CENTRAL OHIO: $9,334 · OtherDOWN SYNDROME ASSOCIATION OF CENTRAL OHIODown Syndrome Afflicates in Action: $8,650 · OtherDown Syndrome Afflicates in ActionIndividual grant recipient: $5,567 · OtherBuckeye Region Anti-Violence: $5,500 · OtherDown Syndrom Affiliates in Action: $5,150 · Other+70 more: $35,330 · Other+70 moreFRANKLINTON CYCLEWORKS: $15,000 · PhilanthropyFRANKLINTO…COLUMBUS FOUNDATION: $1,879 · PhilanthropyCOLUMBUS F…+3 more: $667 · PhilanthropyCHAI LIFELINE INC: $5,000 · HealthMARCH OF DIMES INC: $1,553 · HealthDown Syndrome Association of Minnesota: $629 · HealthPANCREATIC CANCER ACTION NETWORK INC: $500 · HealthNOT ONE MORE VET INC: $500 · Health+11 more: $1,194 · HealthOtterbein University: $5,100 · EducationTECH CORPS OHIO: $750 · EducationSea Change Incorporated: $500 · EducationPELOTONIA: $307 · Education+1 more: $100 · EducationPEDAL THE CAUSE: $3,497 · Human ServicesA KID AGAIN INC: $521 · Human ServicesDOWN SYNDROME ASSOCIATION OF JACKSONVILLE INC: $250 · Human ServicesDOWN SYNDROME NETWORK OF WEST VIRGINIA INC: $213 · Human Services+5 more: $441 · Human ServicesDRIVEN FOUNDATION: $1,000 · Youth DevelopmentCENTRAL OHIO YOUTH FOR CHRIST INC: $250 · Youth DevelopmentTHE BRIDGE TEEN CENTER NFP: $250 · Youth DevelopmentFELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN ATHLETES: $100 · Youth DevelopmentBREAKTHROUGH BIKE CHALLENGE: $1,380 · Recreation & SportsFLYING HORSE FARMS: $208 · Recreation & Sports
Other$154,185Philanthropy$17,546Health$9,376Education$6,757Human Services$4,922Youth Development$1,600Recreation & Sports$1,588

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

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetGROUNDWORK GROUP: $47,307 over 5y, 1.7% of budgetDOWN SYNDROME AFFILIATES IN ACTION: $26,952 over 4y, 6.1% of budgetFRANKLINTON CYCLEWORKS: $15,000 over 1y, 2.9% of budgetDOWN SYNDROME ASSOCIATION OF CENTRAL OHIO: $9,334 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetOtterbein University: $5,100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCHAI LIFELINE INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPEDAL THE CAUSE: $3,497 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetCOLUMBUS FOUNDATION: $1,879 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMARCH OF DIMES INC: $1,553 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBREAKTHROUGH BIKE CHALLENGE: $1,380 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetDown Syndrome Guild of Dallas: $1,010 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetDRIVEN FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetSAFELITE FOUNDATION: $925 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSOCIALVENTURES: $798 over 1y, 2.8% of budgetDOWN SYNDROME ASSN OF CENTRAL TEXAS: $639 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetDown Syndrome Association of Minnesota: $629 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetSTRATFORD ECOLOGICAL CENTER INC: $550 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetA KID AGAIN INC: $521 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMy Special Word: $506 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetDESIGN OUTREACH INC: $500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSea Change Incorporated: $500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetPANCREATIC CANCER ACTION NETWORK INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNOT ONE MORE VET INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDeaf Initiatives Inc: $500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetPedal with Pete Inc: $367 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetDOWN SYNDROME ASSOCIATION OF GREATER TOLEDO: $275 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetGREEN RIVER AREA DOWN SYNDROME ASSOCIATION INC: $258 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetPAST FOUNDATION: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCENTRAL OHIO YOUTH FOR CHRIST INC: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNourish International: $250 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetTHE BRIDGE TEEN CENTER NFP: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUNITED WAY OF DELAWARE COUNTY: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDOWN SYNDROME ASSOCIATION OF JACKSONVILLE INC: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDOWN SYNDROME NETWORK OF WEST VIRGINIA INC: $213 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetFLYING HORSE FARMS: $208 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetThe Joshua Chamberlain Society: $154 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetGRACEHAVEN INC: $150 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSOUTHERN ARIZONA NETWORK FOR DOWN SYNDROME: $150 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetGRAND STRAND DOWN SYNDROME SOCIETY: $146 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetDOWN SYNDROME SUPPORT GROUP OF SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY INC: $140 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetDOWN SYNDROME AWARENESS GROUP OF EAST TENNESSEE: $139 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetAMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION: $126 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDown Syndrome Association of Central Oklahoma: $103 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetRIO GRANDE DOWN SYNDROME NETWORK: $100 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetDOWN SYNDROME ASSOCIATION OF THE VALLEY: $100 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetFELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN ATHLETES: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCHARITABLE PHARMACY OF CENTRAL OHIO INC: $77 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGOLD COAST DOWN SYNDROME ORG INC: $50 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.

  • Who funds GROUNDWORK GROUP ↗
  • Who funds DOWN SYNDROME AFFILIATES IN ACTION ↗
  • Who funds FRANKLINTON CYCLEWORKS ↗
  • Who funds DOWN SYNDROME ASSOCIATION OF CENTRAL OHIO ↗
  • Who funds Otterbein University ↗
  • Who funds CHAI LIFELINE INC ↗
  • Who funds PEDAL THE CAUSE ↗
  • Who funds COLUMBUS FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds MARCH OF DIMES INC ↗
  • Who funds BREAKTHROUGH BIKE CHALLENGE ↗
  • Who funds Down Syndrome Guild of Dallas ↗
  • Who funds DRIVEN FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds SAFELITE FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds SOCIALVENTURES ↗
  • Who funds TECH CORPS OHIO ↗
  • Who funds DOWN SYNDROME ASSN OF CENTRAL TEXAS ↗
  • Who funds Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota ↗
  • Who funds STRATFORD ECOLOGICAL CENTER INC ↗
  • Who funds A KID AGAIN INC ↗
  • Who funds My Special Word ↗

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.

Columbus FoundationUnited Way of Central…Global Down Syndrome …Harry C Moores Founda…Ingram-White Castle F…American Electric Pow…Delaware County Found…The Reinberger Founda…Cardinal Health Found…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…Nisource Charitable F…Carmax Foundation
Columbus FoundationOH31.4× affinity18 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Columbus Foundation · United Way of Central Ohio Inc · Global Down Syndrome Foundation · Harry C Moores Foundation · Ingram-White Castle Foundation · American Electric Power Foundation · Delaware County Foundation · The Reinberger Foundation · Cardinal Health Foundation · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · Nisource Charitable Foundation · Carmax 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 Tony R Wells Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Tony R Wells Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%15%30%45%60%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    12report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–60%
    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 Tony R Wells Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Tony R Wells 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 119 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 Tony R Wells’ 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