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William M Hales Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

William M Hales Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$366k
Granted FY2025still arriving
25
Grants FY2025still arriving
6
States reached
$30k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0196% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2019 to 2025.

Recreation & Sports$263kEducation$252kReligion$235kEnvironment$94kHuman Services$92kArts & Culture$73kFood & Nutrition$65kHealth$55kOther$0
02FY2025 · 25 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k6 grants · $19k
  • $10k–50k19 grants · $348k
$12,500
Median grant
6
States reached
$4.6M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
CENTER OF HOPE$30,000
OGLALA LAKOTA COLLEGE$30,000
CLEARWATER CAMP FOUNDATION$30,000
SIERRA CLUB FOUNDATION$25,000
GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY$25,000
BIG CITY MOUNTAINEERS$20,000
LIVING LANDS & WATERS$20,000
FOOD BANK FOR LAMIER COUNTY$20,000
MEDIATORS FOUNDATION INC$20,000
BELOIT COLLEGE$20,000
CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA$20,000
ONE SPIRIT$15,000
ST JUDES CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL$12,500
HADLEY SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND$10,000
MERCY HOME FOR BOYS & GIRLS$10,000
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 (FY19–25, $7k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%NORTHSHORE SENIOR CENTER: $2k → 14%NORTHSHORE SENIOR CENTER: $2k → 14%NORTHSHORE SENIOR CENTER: $1k → 14%NORTHSHORE SENIOR CENTER: $1k → 14%NORTHSHORE SENIOR CENTER: $1k → 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.
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.

95%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.4M · 32 repeat orgs$76k to everyone else

32 repeat relationships: 21 still active in FY2025, 11 since wound down; 4 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

32
2

Total granted

$1.4M
$11k

Still filing today

78%
0%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 82% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $65k went to new ones.

50%100%’19’20’21’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’19’20’21’24’25
EducationHealthArts & CultureEnvironmentRecreation & SportsYouth DevelopmentOther
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

  • CC
    Clearwater Camp Foundation Inc
    5× · 2019–2025 · $220k · revenue +700%
  • BELOIT COLLEGE
    5× · 2019–2025 · $147k · revenue +6%
  • OL
    OGLALA LAKOTA COLLEGE
    5× · 2019–2025 · $65k · revenue +16%

Funded once

  • OS
    ONE SPIRIT
    one grant, 2024 · $10k
  • WT
    WINDOWN TO THE WORLD COMM
    one grant, 2019 · $1k
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
Loyola University of Chicago

We are chicago's jesuit, catholic university - a diverse community seeking god in all things and working to expand knowledge in the service of humanity through learning, justice, and faith.

Education
2
Marine Biological Laboratory

The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) is a world-renowned center for biological discovery and training that is notably affiliated with more than 60 Nobel Prize winners. Research is conducted by full-time faculty as well as hundreds of the…

Science & Tech
3
Columbia College Chicago

The organization's mission is to educate students for creative occupations in diverse fields of arts and media.

Education
4
Lake Forest Graduate School of Management

Lake Forest Graduate School of Management's mission is to bring the real world to business education and leadership development.

—
5
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
6
University of Chicago

The mission of the university of chicago has been to sustain at the highest level of excellence, the communication of knowledge, the creation of knowledge and the fostering of a dynamic community of scholars and students.

Education
7
American Museum of Natural History

The museum's mission statement is: "to discover, interpret, and disseminate - through scientific research and education - knowledge about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe."

Arts & Culture
8
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
9
Boston Architectural College

The bac is committed to provide excellence in design education grounded in practice and accessible to diverse communities.

—
10
Lake Forest Academy

Lake forest academy strives to embody in its practices - and to cultivate in its students -excellence of character, scholarship, citizenship, and responsibility.

Education
11
Illinois College

Illinois college is a co-educational institution of higher education learning providing a four-year educational program leading to the baccalaureate degree. illinois college is a community committed to the highest standards of scholarship…

Education
12
Lake Forest College

Provide post-secondary education leading to a baccalaureate degree. Program service expenditures are made in conjunction with the operation of a liberal arts college spread over 107 acres with approximately 63 educational and support…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Chicago Horticultural Society; the most unlike its peers is Endeavor Health Clinical Operations. 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

29 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. 29 of the 38 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)
4
Early backer (in before they grew)
29/29
Grantees still filing
21/29
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Individual grant recipient: $255,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipientURANTIA FOUNDATION: $225,000 · OtherURANTIA FOUNDATIONCENTER OF HOPE: $42,000 · OtherCENTER OF HOPEUNION LEAGUE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS: $38,000 · OtherGOOD NEWS PARTNERS: $24,500 · Other+13 more: $133,000 · Other+13 moreBELOIT COLLEGE: $147,000 · EducationBELOIT COLLEGEOGLALA LAKOTA COLLEGE: $65,000 · EducationOGLALA LAKOTA COLLE…HADLEY INSTITUTE FOR THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED: $23,000 · EducationHADLEY INSTITUTE FO…BEACON ACADEMY A MONTESSORI HIGH SCHOOL: $15,000 · EducationBEACON ACADEMY A MO…+2 more: $9,500 · EducationClearwater Camp Foundation Inc: $220,000 · Recreation & SportsClearwater Camp Fou…BIG CITY MOUNTAINEERS: $30,000 · Recreation & SportsBIG CITY MOUNTAINEE…LIVING LANDS & WATERS: $35,000 · EnvironmentSIERRA CLUB FOUNDATION: $35,000 · EnvironmentCHICAGO HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY: $24,000 · EnvironmentGREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY: $45,000 · Food & NutritionThe Food Bank for Larimer County: $20,000 · Food & NutritionST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC: $17,500 · HealthTHE JOSSELYN CENTER NFP: $13,500 · HealthEndeavor Health Clinical Operations: $10,000 · HealthWellness House: $10,000 · HealthChicago Symphony Orchestra: $39,000 · Arts & CultureTHE ADLER PLANETARIUM: $8,500 · Arts & CultureFIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY: $2,100 · Arts & Culture
Other$717,500Education$259,500Recreation & Sports$250,000Environment$94,000Food & Nutrition$65,000Health$51,000Arts & Culture$49,600

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 budgetURANTIA FOUNDATION: $225,000 over 3y, 3.2% of budgetClearwater Camp Foundation Inc: $220,000 over 5y, 6.9% of budgetBELOIT COLLEGE: $147,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetOGLALA LAKOTA COLLEGE: $65,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetGREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY: $45,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetChicago Symphony Orchestra: $39,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetUNION LEAGUE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS: $38,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetLIVING LANDS & WATERS: $35,000 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetSIERRA CLUB FOUNDATION: $35,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetBIG CITY MOUNTAINEERS: $30,000 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetGOOD NEWS PARTNERS: $24,500 over 5y, 0.4% of budgetCHICAGO HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY: $24,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetHADLEY INSTITUTE FOR THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED: $23,000 over 5y, 0.2% of budgetThe Food Bank for Larimer County: $20,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC: $17,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetBEACON ACADEMY A MONTESSORI HIGH SCHOOL: $15,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetTHE JOSSELYN CENTER NFP: $13,500 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetEndeavor Health Clinical Operations: $10,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetWellness House: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetTHE ADLER PLANETARIUM: $8,500 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetTHE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO: $8,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetNORTH SHORE SENIOR CENTER: $7,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetCOUNSELING CENTER OF THE NORTH SHORE INC: $4,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetGirl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana: $4,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetLINCOLN PARK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY: $3,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetFIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY: $2,100 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetTHE NEWBERRY LIBRARY: $1,500 over 3y, 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.

The Chicago Community…American Endowment Fo…Morgan Stanley Global…Vanguard Charitable E…The Blackbaud Giving …National Philanthropi…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…The Pfizer Foundation…American Online Givin…The Bank of America C…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …
The Chicago Community TrustIL18.1× affinity8 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Chicago Community Trust · American Endowment Foundation · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · National Philanthropic Trust · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · The Pfizer Foundation Inc · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · The Bank of America Charitable 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 William M Hales Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from William M Hales 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%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    9report 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 William M Hales Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to William M Hales 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 38 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 M Hales’ 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