Skip to content
William E McElroy Charitable Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

William E McElroy Charitable Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$194k
Granted FY2025still arriving
14
Grants FY2025still arriving
5
States reached
$49k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Education$1.3MHealth$114kRecreation & Sports$19k
02FY2025 · 14 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k9 grants · $61k
  • $10k–50k5 grants · $133k
$9,125
Median grant
5
States reached
$3.4M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
SIU SCHOOL OF MEDICINE$48,900
Individual grant recipient$25,000
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS CHICAGO$24,554
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS COLLEGE OF MED$21,000
Individual grant recipient$13,625
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO$9,125
BRADLEY UNIVERSITY$9,125
UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE$9,125
MARION UNIVERSITY$9,125
NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY$7,425
COE COLLEGE$7,325
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS CHICAGO$4,625
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS$4,500
AUGUSTANA COLLEGE$900
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 (FY17–24) land where the poverty rate runs at 17%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 99% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%University of Southern CA: $4k → 14%Florida State University: $4k → 19%Benedictine College: $3k → 15%Maryville University-St Louis: $2k → 11%St Louis University: $3k → 21%Truman State University: $4k → 28%University of Portland: $4k → 12%Ball State University: $4k → 19%ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY: $5k → 11%SIU Edwardsville: $4k → 12%UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS: $88k → 14%University of Illinois-Peoria: $77k → 14%University of Illinois: $7k → 19%SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY: $64k → 23%University of Southern CA: $3k → 14%Florida State University: $2k → 19%Truman State University: $2k → 28%University of Portland: $2k → 12%Ball State University: $2k → 19%ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY: $5k → 11%Southern Illinois University: $4k → 12%University of Illinois College of Medicine: $43k → 14%Bradley University: $4k → 14%University of Illinois: $6k → 19%SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY: $40k → 23%University of Southern CA: $3k → 14%Florida State University: $2k → 19%Truman State University: $2k → 28%ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY: $3k → 11%SIU Edwardsville: $2k → 12%Rush University: $3k → 14%Bradley University: $2k → 14%University of Illinois: $3k → 19%Southern Illinois University: $2k → 23%University of Southern CA: $3k → 14%Rush University: $3k → 14%Bradley University: $2k → 14%University of Illinois-Champaign: $3k → 19%Southern Illinois University: $2k → 23%University of Southern California: $3k → 14%Bradley University: $2k → 14%University of Illinois: $3k → 19%Southern Illinois University: $2k → 23%University of Southern California: $3k → 14%Rush University: $3k → 14%UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS - CHICAGO: $50k → 14%UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS: $98k → 19%UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS - CHICAGO: $3k → 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

MN
IL
OR
IA
IN
CT
CA
MO
KS
TN
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 22% of William E McElroy Charitable Foundation’s grant dollars are earmarked for a different county than the recipient’s own address.

William E McElroy Charitable 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.

91%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.3M · 31 repeat orgs$120k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +21% since the first grant, against -2% for those funded once.

31 repeat relationships: 11 still active in FY2025, 20 since wound down; 2 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

31
11

Total granted

$1.3M
$74k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+21%
-2%

Still filing today

52%
45%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 76% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $46k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’21’22’23’24’25
EducationHealthRecreation & SportsOther
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

  • SI
    SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
    7× · 2017–2024 · $162k · revenue +105%
  • BU
    BRADLEY UNIVERSITY
    8× · 2017–2025 · $44k · revenue +5%
  • SL
    ST LOUIS UNIVERSITY
    4× · 2019–2023 · $25k · revenue +9%

Funded once

  • UO
    University of Illinois College of Medicine
    one grant, 2017 · $43k
  • UO
    UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO
    one grant, 2024 · $11k
  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2023 · $4k
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
Saint Xavier University

Saint xavier university, a catholic institution inspired by the heritage of the sisters of mercy, educates persons to search for truth, think critically, communicate effectively and serve wisely and compassionately in support of human…

Education
2
St Marys University of Minnesota

Enriched by the lasallian catholic heritage, saint mary's university of minnesota awakens, nurtures, and empowers learners to ethical lives of service and leadership.

Education
3
Lehigh University

The university's goal in the coming decade is to advance learning through the integration of teaching, research and service to others. the core of this goal is to prepare graduates to engage with the world and lead lives of meaning. to do…

Education
4
Marquette University

As a Catholic, Jesuit university our mission is to search for truth, discover shareknowledge, foster personal professional excellence, promote a life of faith and developleadership expressed in service to others. See Schedule O.

Education
5
University of Notre Dame du Lac

See Schedule O. See explanation for Form 990, Part I, Line 1 - Organization's Mission above.

Education
6
John Carroll University

As a jesuit catholic university committed to academic rigor, inclusive excellence, and care for the whole person, john carroll university inspires individuals of intellect and character to learn, lead and serve in the community and…

Education
7
Endicott College

Endicott college offers students a vibrant academic environment that remains true to its founding principle of integrating professional and liberal arts with experiential learning. for more information see schedule o.

Education
8
Trinity University

Trinity university is an independent co-educational university whose mission is excellence in the interrelated areas of teaching, research and services.

Education
9
Augustana University Association

Inspired by lutheran scholarly tradition and the liberal arts, augustana provides an education of enduring worth that challenges the intellect, fosters integrity and integrates faith with learning and service in a diverse world.

Education
10
The Catholic University of America

As the national university of the catholic church in the united states, founded and sponsored by the bishops of the country with the approval of the holy see, the catholic university of america is committed to being a comprehensive…

Education
11
Xavier University

Xavier is a jesuit catholic university rooted in the liberal arts tradition. our mission is to educate each student intellectually, morally, and spiritually. we create learning opportunities through rigorous academic and professional…

Education
12
California Lutheran University

The mission of the university is to educate leaders for a global society who are strong in character and judgment, confident in their identity and vocation, and committed to service and justice.

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is University of St Thomas; the most unlike its peers is Southern Illinois University Alumni Association. 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

22 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. 22 of the 45 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)
1
Early backer (in before they grew)
22/22
Grantees still filing
18/22
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS: $360,500 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF ILLINOISSIU SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: $189,254 · OtherSIU SCHOOL OF MEDICINEUniversity of Illinois-Peoria: $165,638 · OtherUniversity of Illinois-PeoriaTHE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS: $83,829 · OtherTHE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOISUniversity of Illinois College of Medicine: $42,500 · Other+19 more: $177,500 · Other+19 moreSOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION: $161,553 · EducationSOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY A…BRADLEY UNIVERSITY: $43,875 · EducationBRADLEY UNIVERSITYLOYOLA UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO: $25,125 · EducationLOYOLA UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGOST LOUIS UNIVERSITY: $25,000 · EducationST LOUIS UNIVERSITYNova Southeastern University Inc: $21,625 · EducationNova Southeastern University I…Marian University: $20,125 · EducationUNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: $16,500 · EducationILLINOIS COLLEGE: $13,500 · Education+11 more: $55,525 · Education+11 moreRush University Medical Center: $8,500 · HealthNorthwestern University: $5,500 · Recreation & Sports
Other$1,019,221Education$382,828Health$8,500Recreation & Sports$5,500

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

25%50%75%100%$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetSOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION: $161,553 over 7y, 2.0% of budgetBRADLEY UNIVERSITY: $43,875 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetLOYOLA UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO: $25,125 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetST LOUIS UNIVERSITY: $25,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetNova Southeastern University Inc: $21,625 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetMarian University: $20,125 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: $16,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetILLINOIS COLLEGE: $13,500 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetCOE COLLEGE: $10,025 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetBenedictine College: $10,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF PORTLAND: $9,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetRush University Medical Center: $8,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetILLINOIS WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY: $8,500 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetNorthwestern University: $5,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetMaryville University - St Louis: $3,750 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetUniversity of St Thomas: $3,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetHARDIN-SIMMONS UNIVERSITY: $2,700 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNorth Central College: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNorth Central University: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetRose-Hulman Institute of Technology: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetOLIVET NAZARENE UNIVERSITY: $1,750 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAUGUSTANA COLLEGE: $1,300 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 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION ↗
  • Who funds BRADLEY UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds LOYOLA UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO ↗
  • Who funds ST LOUIS UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds Nova Southeastern University Inc ↗
  • Who funds Marian University ↗
  • Who funds UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ↗
  • Who funds ILLINOIS COLLEGE ↗
  • Who funds COE COLLEGE ↗
  • Who funds Benedictine College ↗
  • Who funds UNIVERSITY OF PORTLAND ↗
  • Who funds Rush University Medical Center ↗
  • Who funds ILLINOIS WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds Northwestern University ↗
  • Who funds Maryville University - St Louis ↗
  • Who funds University of St Thomas ↗
  • Who funds HARDIN-SIMMONS UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds North Central College ↗
  • Who funds North Central University ↗

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 set of overlaps that mostly run through this funder rather than between each other.

Amazonsmile Foundation
Amazonsmile FoundationWA3.3× affinity4 shared granteesties to 0 of 0Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Amazonsmile 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 William E McElroy Charitable Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from William E McElroy Charitable Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2025
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%5%10%15%20%share of the org’s income from government →median 2%
  • Nova Southeastern University Inc: 2% of income from government
  • University of Portland: 2% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
3report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–20%
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 45 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 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on William E McElroy’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