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Vernon Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Vernon Family 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.

$275k
Granted FY2024still arriving
19
Grants FY2024still arriving
7
States reached
$100k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0193% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Youth Development$623kEducation$553kArts & Culture$155kHuman Services$81kInternational$60kHealth$50kFood & Nutrition$44kCivil Rights$40kOther$0
02FY2024 · 19 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k10 grants · $30k
  • $10k–50k7 grants · $95k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $150k
$8,000
Median grant
7
States reached
$2.6M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
PHILADELPHIA YOUTH ORGANIZATION$100,000
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF MARU-A-PULA INC$50,000
HEIGHTS PHILADELPHIA$25,000
Individual grant recipient$20,000
SAN FRANCISCO EDUCATION FUND$10,000
MATTIE N DIXON COMMUNITY CUPBOARD$10,000
GIVECAMPUS$10,000
GERMANTOWN ACADEMY$10,000
DONORS CHOOSE$10,000
GREATER PORTLAND IMMIGRANT WELCOME CENTER$8,000
Individual grant recipient$5,000
MAINE NEEDS$3,000
SEASON OF SHARING FUND$3,000
MY PLACE TEEN CENTER$3,000
MAINE LOCKER PROJECT$3,000
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 (FY18–24, $121k) land where the poverty rate runs at 15%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 58% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%MAINE NEEDS: $3k → 7%GREATER PORTLAND IMMIGRANT WELCOME CENTER: $8k → 7%MATTIE N DIXON COMMUNITY CUPBOARD: $10k → 7%MATTIE N DIXON COMMUNITY CUPBOARD: $10k → 7%MATTIE N DIXON COMMUNITY CUPBOARD: $10k → 7%MATTIE N DIXON COMMUNITY CUPBOARD: $10k → 7%CHARITY WATER: $10k → 17%NATIONALITIES SERVICE CENTER: $20k → 22%NATIONALITIES SERVICE CENTER: $20k → 22%NATIONALITIES SERVICE CENTER: $20k → 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.

Which US states its grants reach

ME
WA
MN
IL
NY
PA
CA
VA
DC
AL
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.

89%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.6M · 14 repeat orgs$200k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +60% since the first grant, against +15% for those funded once.

14 repeat relationships: 6 still active in FY2024, 8 since wound down; 12 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

14
10

Total granted

$1.6M
$131k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+60%
+15%

Still filing today

86%
70%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 75% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $69k 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
EducationHuman ServicesYouth DevelopmentPhilanthropyInternationalArts & 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

  • PY
    PHILADELPHIA YOUTH ORGANIZATION
    8× · 2017–2024 · $615k · revenue +63% · 30% of their budget
  • AF
    AMERICAN FRIENDS OF MARU A PULA SCHOOL
    4× · 2021–2024 · $200k · revenue +105% · 30% of their budget
  • D
    DONORSCHOOSEORG
    6× · 2018–2024 · $185k · revenue +1%

Funded once

  • AF
    AIR FORCE MILITARY ACADAMY
    one grant, 2018 · $35k
  • TC
    THE CHILDRENS SCHOLARSHIP FUND
    one grant, 2019 · $25k · revenue +15%
  • S
    SPLC
    one grant, 2017 · $20k
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
Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation

Pidc plans and implements economic development initiatives (see schedule o) which enhance the competitive environment, generate jobs and produce higher tax ratables throughout philadelphia.

Community Improvement
2
The Philadelphia School

The philadelphia school educates children for a future that is impossible to know but not impossible to shape. learn here. go anywhere.

—
3
Npr Foundation

The npr foundation ("foundation") is organized and operated exclusively for the benefit of its sole supported organization, national public radio, inc. ("npr inc."). the foundation supports npr inc. through various activities such as…

—
4
National Philanthropic Trust

National philanthropic trust ("npt") is a public charity dedicated to increasing philanthropy in society by providing philanthropic expertise to donors, foundations and financial institutions, enabling them to realize their philanthropic…

Philanthropy
5
Chicago Public Education Fund

The chicago public education fund (the fund) is a nonprofit organization that improves public schools in chicago by investing in the talented educators who lead them.

Education
6
National Public Radio Inc

National public radio, inc. ("npr") works collaboratively with member public radio station licensees ("member stations") to create a more informed public, one that is challenged and invigorated by a deeper understanding and appreciation of…

Arts & Culture
7
South Shore Charter School

The mission of south shore charter school is to cultivate students the tenacity, integrity, and curiosity needed to become innovative and socially responsible leaders, ready to face and solve the ever-changing challenges facing our…

Education
8
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The mission of mit is to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century.

Education
9
Global Citizens Public Charter School

Global citizens school's mission is to inspire and prepare the next generation or global citizens. we will do this by supporting students, ages 3-11, to reach their full academic and leadership potential in a nurturing learning…

—
10
The George Washington University

The mission of the george washington university (gw) is to educate individuals in liberal arts, languages, sciences, learned professions, and other courses and subjects of study, and to conduct scholarly research and publish the findings…

Education
11
The International School of San Francisco

Guided by the principles of academic rigor and diversity, the international school of san francisco offers programs of study in french and english to prepare its graduates for a world in which the ability to think critically and to…

Education
12
Silicon Schools Fund Inc

The mission of the silicon schools fund is to improve education through supporting the launch of excellent new schools, improving academic instruction in existing schools, and by funding some of the boldest innovations in education…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is National Immigration Law Center; the most unlike its peers is Charity Global Inc. 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

28 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. 28 of the 37 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.

2
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
4
Early backer (in before they grew)
28/28
Grantees still filing
17/28
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

PHILADELPHIA YOUTH ORGANIZATION: $615,000 · Youth DevelopmentPHILADELPHIA YOUTH ORGANIZATION+2 more: $5,000 · Youth DevelopmentDONORSCHOOSEORG: $185,000 · EducationDONORSCHOOSEORGHEIGHTS PHILADELPHIA: $73,175 · EducationHEIGHTS PHILADELPHIATHE PUBLIC SCHOOL OF GERMANTOWN: $35,000 · EducationTHE PUBLIC SCHOOL OF…THE CHILDRENS SCHOLARSHIP FUND: $25,000 · EducationTHE CHILDRENS SCHOLA…+1 more: $10,000 · EducationIndividual grant recipient: $135,000 · OtherIndividual grant re…PLANNED PARENTHOOD: $40,000 · OtherPLANNED PARENTHOODAIR FORCE MILITARY ACADAMY: $35,000 · OtherAIR FORCE MILITARY …SPLC: $20,000 · OtherSPLCIndividual grant recipient: $20,000 · OtherIndividual grant re…NATIONAL IMMIGRATION LAW CENTER: $20,000 · OtherNATIONAL IMMIGRATIO…+12 more: $50,080 · Other+12 moreAMERICAN FRIENDS OF MARU A PULA SCHOOL: $200,000 · Arts & CultureAMERICAN FRI…+1 more: $5,000 · Arts & CultureTHE FUND FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PHILADELPHIA: $155,030 · PhilanthropyTHE FUND F…ST BALDRICK'S FOUNDATION INC: $6,110 · PhilanthropyNATIONALITIES SERVICE CENTER OF PHILADELPHIA: $60,000 · Human ServicesMATTIE N DIXON COMMUNITY CUPBOARD INC: $40,000 · Human ServicesCHARITY GLOBAL INC: $10,000 · Human ServicesGREATER PORTLAND IMMIGRANT WELCOME CENTER: $8,000 · Human Services+1 more: $3,000 · Human ServicesInternational Rescue Committee INC: $40,000 · InternationalGLOBALGIVING FOUNDATION INC: $20,000 · International
Youth Development$620,000Education$328,175Other$320,080Arts & Culture$205,000Philanthropy$161,140Human Services$121,000International$60,000

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 budgetPHILADELPHIA YOUTH ORGANIZATION: $615,000 over 8y, 30% of budgetAMERICAN FRIENDS OF MARU A PULA SCHOOL: $200,000 over 4y, 30% of budgetDONORSCHOOSEORG: $185,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetTHE FUND FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PHILADELPHIA: $155,030 over 6y, 0.8% of budgetHEIGHTS PHILADELPHIA: $73,175 over 3y, 0.5% of budgetNATIONALITIES SERVICE CENTER OF PHILADELPHIA: $60,000 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetInternational Rescue Committee INC: $40,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMATTIE N DIXON COMMUNITY CUPBOARD INC: $40,000 over 4y, 0.7% of budgetTHE PUBLIC SCHOOL OF GERMANTOWN: $35,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetGLOBALGIVING FOUNDATION INC: $20,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL IMMIGRATION LAW CENTER: $20,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetNorthwestern University: $10,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSan Francisco Education Fund: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetCHARITY GLOBAL INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGREATER PORTLAND IMMIGRANT WELCOME CENTER: $8,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetST BALDRICK'S FOUNDATION INC: $6,110 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNEW YORK PUBLIC RADIO: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMaine Needs Inc: $3,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCHRONICLE SEASON OF SHARING FUND: $3,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMy Place Teen Center Inc: $3,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetALEXS LEMONADE STAND FOUNDATION: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetRONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES OF THE PHILADELPHIA REGION: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBoys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMEALS ON WHEELS INC: $1,080 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetPORTLAND TRAILS: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetNETWORK FOR GOOD: $1,000 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.

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.

Horizon Foundation IncOnion FoundationMaine Community Found…The Widgeon Point Cha…Simmons Foundation - …Sam L Cohen FoundationJohn T Gorman Foundat…Saco & Biddeford Savi…Lennox FoundationElmina B Sewall Found…Bangor Savings Bank F…The Blackbaud Giving …
Horizon Foundation IncMA15.7× affinity5 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Horizon Foundation Inc · Onion Foundation · Maine Community Foundation Inc · The Widgeon Point Charitable Foundation · Simmons Foundation - PerkinsThompson · Sam L Cohen Foundation · John T Gorman Foundation · Saco & Biddeford Savings Charitable Foundation · Lennox Foundation · Elmina B Sewall Foundation · Bangor Savings Bank Foundation · The Blackbaud Giving 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 Vernon Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Vernon Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%2%8%17%30%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    5report 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.

    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 37 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 Vernon Family’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