Illinois · Nonprofit
Circles and Ciphers
Circles and Ciphers (Illinois) receives grants from 8 organizations whose IRS filings report $630,650 to it, the largest being JULIAN GRACE FOUNDATION ($423,250). 4 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2024
- $386k
- Funders on record
- 8
- Grants received
- $631k
- Net assets
- $199k
What Circles and Ciphers does
Mission
A hip hop infused restorative justice organization led by and for young people who are impacted by violence. Recipient of the 2013 Outstanding Restorative Justice Program Award from the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Centers Probation Department.
As stated on its FY2024 Form 990.
Programs
Creative Arts Program - GOALS: Expand creative and restorative programming for youth impacted by the legal system. Provide artist development mentorship and showcase opportunities. Strengthen partnerships with local arts organizations and continue building towards a permanent creative space. ACCOMPLISHMENTS - In 2024 Circles and Ciphers served over 40 youth and young adults impacted by the legal system through arts-based workshops performances and mentorship. The program provided creative development and case management support while partnering with local arts organizations to expand opportunities for youth expression and employment.
$11,685 spentof which $20,000 as grants14% of program spendingYouth Leadership Program - GOALS: Train and support youth leaders in restorative justice and community organizing. Offer paid leadership roles peer mentorship and facilitation experience through community circles and youth-led events. ACCOMPLISHMENTS: The Youth Leadership Program trained 5 to 6 system-impacted youth in restorative justice and community organizing. Participants facilitated more than 60 community circles and events served in paid leadership roles and gained facilitation experience that advanced their growth as community leaders.
$10,502 spentof which $55,000 as grants12% of program spendingMutual Aid Program - GOALS: Provide direct support to youth and families affected by violence incarceration and systemic inequities. Distribute emergency assistance expand community partnerships and maintain a rapid response network grounded in restorative care. ACCOMPLISHMENTS: The Mutual Aid Program distributed approximately $4,000 in direct financial and resource assistance to youth and families impacted by violence and incarceration. The program provided emergency financial aid food and housing support while coordinating partnerships to strengthen access to essential community resources.
$3,289 spent4% of program spendingRestorative Justice Program day to day operation
$60,144 spentof which $283,721 as grants70% of program spending
The 4 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $85,620.
Who funds it, year by year
2018 → 2023: the base broadened from 1 funder to 3 funders, grant income rose $100 → $102k.
From the IRS filings of Circles and Ciphers’s funders (the co-funder graph). Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
Circles and Ciphers leans on a few funders — its largest provides 67% of grant income and the top three 87%; half comes from just 1 funder.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 1 funder to its left
Largest funder’s share by year: 2018 100% · 2019 83% · 2020 75% · 2021 71% · 2022 98% · 2023 93% — diversifying over time.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How long its funders stay
50% of Circles and Ciphers's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 50% give in more than one year at all.
Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.
Where its funders are
97% of Circles and Ciphers's grant income comes from Illinois funders.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
Circles and Ciphers's funding base is broadening — from 1 funders to 3 as grant income climbed.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 5,688 youth development nonprofits $100k–$1M, FY2024
Organizations like Circles and Ciphers
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In Illinois
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
18% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
27%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for Circles and Ciphers: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds Circles and Ciphers?
- Circles and Ciphers (Illinois) receives grants from 8 organizations whose IRS filings report $630,650 to it, the largest being JULIAN GRACE FOUNDATION ($423,250). 4 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does Circles and Ciphers have?
- IRS filings report 8 organizations giving $630,650 in grants to Circles and Ciphers, 4 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of Circles and Ciphers?
- JULIAN GRACE FOUNDATION is the largest funder on record, with $423,250 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like Circles and Ciphers find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Illinois. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
Play a game about who funds Circles and Ciphers →
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2024 (financials across 2024–2024), and the filings of 8 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing