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Townsend Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Townsend Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$144k
Granted FY2024still arriving
21
Grants FY2024still arriving
7
States reached
$40k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0188% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Human Services$566kEducation$113kPublic Safety & Disaster$52kAnimals$42kReligion$32kPhilanthropy$28kHealth$6kInternational$4kOther$0
02FY2024 · 21 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k16 grants · $38k
  • $10k–50k5 grants · $105k
$2,575
Median grant
7
States reached
$1.7M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
SALVATION ARMY$40,491
A PRECIOUS CHILD$25,000
WISH FOR WHEELS$18,350
RED CROSS$11,000
COLORADO FALLEN HERO FOUNDATION$10,500
DENVER STREET SCHOOL$5,150
TUNNEL TO TOWERS$5,000
FLATIRONS CHURCH$5,000
OAKS INTERNATIONAL$4,120
THE GOOD DOG RESCUE$4,000
WOUNDED WARRIORS$2,575
WILD ANIMAL SANCTUARY$2,500
SHRINERS HOSPITAL$2,069
ST JUDE$2,000
SAFEHOUSE DENVER$1,000
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 (FY17–24, $171k) land where the poverty rate runs at 8%, against an area that typically sits at 8%. 43% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants spread fairly evenly across need levels.

area typical 8%A PRECIOUS CHILD: $25k → 5%WISH FOR WHEELS: $8k → 11%A PRECIOUS CHILD: $20k → 5%A PRECIOUS CHILD: $15k → 5%A PRECIOUS CHILD: $10k → 5%FREEDOM SERVICE DOGS: $1k → 8%A PRECIOUS CHILD: $10k → 5%FREEDOM SERVICE DOGS: $1k → 8%A PRECIOUS CHILD: $10k → 5%A PRECIOUS CHILD: $5k → 5%CASA OF ADAMS & BROOMFIELD COUNTIES: $3k → 10%WISH FOR WHEELS: $18k → 12%WISH FOR WHEELS: $18k → 12%WISH FOR WHEELS: $13k → 12%WISH FOR WHEELS: $12k → 12%SAFEHOUSE DENVER: $1k → 12%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

IL
MI
NY
UT
CO
VA
TN
LA
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.

97%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$818k · 23 repeat orgs$24k to everyone else

23 repeat relationships: 17 still active in FY2024, 6 since wound down; 4 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

23
13

Total granted

$818k
$16k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+41%
+102%

Still filing today

48%
46%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 94% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $8k 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
Human ServicesAnimalsHousing & ShelterCommunity ImprovementEducationReligionOther
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

  • WF
    Wish for Wheels Inc
    5× · 2019–2024 · $69k · revenue +138%
  • STEPHEN SILLER TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION
    5× · 2020–2024 · $42k · revenue +392%
  • TW
    THE WILD ANIMAL SANCTUARY
    6× · 2019–2024 · $18k · revenue +82%

Funded once

  • CO
    CASA of Adams & Broomfield Countiesgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $3k · revenue +102%
  • BB
    BODHI BATTALION INCgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $3k · revenue +45%
  • NW
    NATIONAL WESTERN STOCKSHOW ASSOC
    one grant, 2019 · $2k
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
Denver Zoological Foundation

Inspiring communities to save wildlife for future generations.

Animals
2
Noco Humane

Our mission is to further the compassionate safe and responsible relationship between animals and people.

Animals
3
Dogs Unbroken

Dog Rescue Dogs Unbroken supports Colorado dogs at higher risk for euthanasia evaluating their behavioral stability and applying training methods appropriate for their needs. The goal of helping each dog learn to make good choices in…

Animals
4
Environmental and Animal Defense

At Environmental and Animal Defense, our mission is to provide Colorado with access to affordable legal services for environmental and animal issues, in addition to protecting wildlife and their habitats through enforcement of the law. No…

Crime & Legal
5
The Humane Society of Boulder Valley Inc

To protect and enhance the lives of companion animals by promoting healthy relationships between pets and people. hsbv is an open admission, socially conscious shelter. hsbv provides safety net services, comprehensive adoption matching for…

Animals
6
Canine Partners of the Rockies Inc

To enable coloradoans with disabilities to lead more independent and gratifying lives by partnering them with highly skilled assistance (service) dogs.

Human Services
7
Childsafe Colorado Inc

Mission: our mission is to break the cycle and heal the childhood trauma resulting from abuse and neglect with specialized treatment, education and community outreach. we believe in a comprehensive, community-based approach to the problem…

Crime & Legal
8
Sweet Dreams Senior Pet Sanctuary

The mission of sweet dreams senior pet sanctuary is to support elderly individuals who can no longer care for their senior pets by providing a safe and loving home for their cherished companions. the sanctuary offers two primary programs…

Animals
9
Cheyenne Animal Shelter

The mission of the cheyenne animal shelter is to enhance the quality of life for animals and people through compassion, respect and education.

Animals
10
Humane Society of the South Platte Valley Inc

HSSPV's mission is to be a leader in saving lives and serving communities by providing innovative care for animals, finding loving homes and reuniting families.

Animals
11
The San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

To ensure every companion animal has access to quality medical care, compassionate shelter, and a loving home.

Animals
12
Colorado Pet Pantry

The organization temporarily feeds colorado pets, allowing families to increase their ability to care for pets with the goal of keeping them out of shelters and with their families.

Animals
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Denver Dumb Friends League; the most unlike its peers is Good Dog Rescue. 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

21 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

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 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 21 of the 41 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)
5
Early backer (in before they grew)
21/21
Grantees still filing
14/21
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

SALVATION ARMY: $375,508 · OtherSALVATION ARMYTHE DENVER STREET SCHOOL: $45,150 · OtherTHE DENVER STREET SCHOOLRED CROSS: $31,765 · OtherRED CROSSFRONT RANGE COMMUNITY COLLEGE: $26,000 · OtherFLATIRONS CHURCH: $25,500 · Other+22 more: $62,721 · Other+22 moreA PRECIOUS CHILD INC: $95,094 · Human ServicesA PRECIOUS CHILD INCWish for Wheels Inc: $69,250 · Human ServicesWish for Wheels Inc+3 more: $6,250 · Human ServicesSTEPHEN SILLER TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION: $42,000 · EducationGOOD DOG RESCUE: $19,000 · AnimalsTHE WILD ANIMAL SANCTUARY: $17,554 · AnimalsDENVER DUMB FRIENDS LEAGUE: $1,500 · Animals+1 more: $500 · AnimalsCOMMUNITY FOUNDATION BOULDER COUNTY: $28,484 · PhilanthropyCOLORADO FALLEN HERO FOUNDATION: $20,500 · Crime & LegalBODHI BATTALION INC: $3,000 · Housing & ShelterSTEPPING STONE COMMUNITIES INC: $515 · Housing & Shelter
Other$566,644Human Services$170,594Education$42,000Animals$38,554Philanthropy$28,484Crime & Legal$20,500Housing & Shelter$3,515

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 budgetA PRECIOUS CHILD INC: $95,094 over 7y, 0.2% of budgetWish for Wheels Inc: $69,250 over 5y, 2.8% of budgetTHE DENVER STREET SCHOOL: $45,150 over 6y, 0.7% of budgetSTEPHEN SILLER TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION: $42,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetCOMMUNITY FOUNDATION BOULDER COUNTY: $28,484 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCOLORADO FALLEN HERO FOUNDATION: $20,500 over 2y, 2.7% of budgetGOOD DOG RESCUE: $19,000 over 5y, 6.8% of budgetTHE WILD ANIMAL SANCTUARY: $17,554 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetCASA of Adams & Broomfield Counties: $3,250 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetRBC MINISTRIES: $2,500 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetSHRINERS HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN: $2,069 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFREEDOM SERVICE DOGS INC: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetDENVER DUMB FRIENDS LEAGUE: $1,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE DOLLYWOOD FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSAFEHOUSE DENVER INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCHILDREN'S MIRACLE NETWORK: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSHINING STARS FOUNDATION: $770 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetSTEPPING STONE COMMUNITIES INC: $515 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetTHE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPROJECT ANGEL HEART: $432 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.

  • Who funds A PRECIOUS CHILD INC ↗
  • Who funds Wish for Wheels Inc ↗
  • Who funds THE DENVER STREET SCHOOL ↗
  • Who funds STEPHEN SILLER TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds COMMUNITY FOUNDATION BOULDER COUNTY ↗
  • Who funds COLORADO FALLEN HERO FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds GOOD DOG RESCUE ↗
  • Who funds THE WILD ANIMAL SANCTUARY ↗
  • Who funds CASA of Adams & Broomfield Counties ↗
  • Who funds BODHI BATTALION INC ↗
  • Who funds RBC MINISTRIES ↗
  • Who funds SHRINERS HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN ↗
  • Who funds FREEDOM SERVICE DOGS INC ↗
  • Who funds DENVER DUMB FRIENDS LEAGUE ↗
  • Who funds THE DOLLYWOOD FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds SAFEHOUSE DENVER INC ↗
  • Who funds CHILDREN'S MIRACLE NETWORK ↗
  • Who funds SHINING STARS FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds STEPPING STONE COMMUNITIES INC ↗
  • Who funds THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS ↗
  • Who funds PROJECT ANGEL HEART ↗

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.

Colorado Gives Founda…The Janus Henderson F…The Denver FoundationXcel Energy FoundationMile High United Way …Network for GoodNational Philanthropi…Morgan Stanley Global…Natl Christian Charit…American Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …
Colorado Gives FoundationCO18.8× affinity7 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Colorado Gives Foundation · The Janus Henderson Foundation · The Denver Foundation · Xcel Energy Foundation · Mile High United Way Inc · Network for Good · National Philanthropic Trust · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Natl Christian Charitable Fdn Inc · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund

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 Townsend Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Townsend 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%1%3%4%5%share of the org’s income from government →median 0%
  • Shriners Hospitals for Children: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
4report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–5%
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 41 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 Townsend’s 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