California · Nonprofit
THE LEGACY FUNDS OF HOLY NAMES UNIVERSITY
THE LEGACY FUNDS OF HOLY NAMES UNIVERSITY (California) receives grants from 37 organizations whose IRS filings report $2,496,595 to it, the largest being THE FLETCHER JONES FOUNDATION ($803,250). 21 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2025
- $1.3M
- Funders on record
- 37
- Grants received
- $2.5M
- Net assets
- $73M
What The Legacy Funds of Holy Names University does
Mission
The Legacy Funds of Holy Names University provides student scholarships to increase access to higher education for students representing marginalized communities in Oakland CA and the wider Bay Area. This purpose honors the legacy and values of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary and the over 150-year history of education at Holy Names University.
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Programs
On its FY2024 return the organization reported starting a significant new program and a significant change in how it conducts a program.
The Legacy Funds of Holy Names University provided student scholarships to former holy names university students who are attending accredited 4-year colleges and universities in california.
Its own explanation, from Schedule O of that return (Part III, line 2).
Holy names university the university was an independent catholic liberal arts institution of higher education located in oakland california. The university was founded by the sisters of the holy names of jesus and marysnjm. Chartered by the state of california in 1880 it granted baccalaureate and masters degrees in liberal arts science business nursing and education. The university provided these educational programs through may 2023 and in january 2025 transitioned from a degree granting organization to a scholarship granting organization. It will continue to steward the endowment for the benefit of future scholarship recipients and in keeping with the wishes of endowment donors.
Its own explanation, from Schedule O of that return (Part III, line 3).
During Fiscal Year 2025 The Legacy Funds of Holy Names University provided 117 student scholarships to increase access to higher education for students representing marginalized communities in Oakland CA and the wider Bay Area. This purpose honors the legacy and values of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary and the over 150-year history of education at Holy Names University.
$767,451 spentof which $377,120 as grants100% of program spendingNot described on the e-filed return.
$0 spent0% of program spendingNot described on the e-filed return.
$0 spent0% of program spendingOther program services, not described on the e-filed return.
$0 spent0% of program spending
The 4 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $767,451.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2019 to 2020, from $68M to $90M (+31%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2020 14% · 2021 21% · 2022 17% · 2023 1% · 2024 0% · 2025 0%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
2% of THE LEGACY FUNDS OF HOLY NAMES UNIVERSITY’s revenue is contributions — more earned-revenue than three-quarters of its peers (48% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 8 of the last 9 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Chief executive
Carol Sellman
Executive director - end april 2025
Board chair
Steven Borg
Board chair
As listed on its FY2025 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base narrowed from 13 funders to 3 funders, grant income fell $943k → $25k.
7 of 37 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 28% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
From the IRS filings of THE LEGACY FUNDS OF HOLY NAMES UNIVERSITY’s funders (the co-funder graph). Top 30 of 37 funders by total. 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
THE LEGACY FUNDS OF HOLY NAMES UNIVERSITY has a broad base — no single funder exceeds 32% of grant income, and it takes 3 funders to reach half.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 3 funders to its left
33% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund THE LEGACY FUNDS OF HOLY NAMES UNIVERSITY.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 64% · 2018 43% · 2019 69% · 2020 49% · 2021 41% · 2022 25% · 2023 59% — 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
33% of THE LEGACY FUNDS OF HOLY NAMES UNIVERSITY's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 57% 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
77% of THE LEGACY FUNDS OF HOLY NAMES UNIVERSITY's grant income comes from California funders.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $707k arriving through sponsors registered in 6 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. 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
THE LEGACY FUNDS OF HOLY NAMES UNIVERSITY holds deeper cash reserves than three-quarters of the 9,398 education nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 9,398 education nonprofits $1M–$10M, FY2025
Organizations like THE LEGACY FUNDS OF HOLY NAMES UNIVERSITY
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 California
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
43% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
88%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Part of a family of 1 related entity
- Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary US Ontario · exempt
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for THE LEGACY FUNDS OF HOLY NAMES UNIVERSITY: 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 THE LEGACY FUNDS OF HOLY NAMES UNIVERSITY?
- THE LEGACY FUNDS OF HOLY NAMES UNIVERSITY (California) receives grants from 37 organizations whose IRS filings report $2,496,595 to it, the largest being THE FLETCHER JONES FOUNDATION ($803,250). 21 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does THE LEGACY FUNDS OF HOLY NAMES UNIVERSITY have?
- IRS filings report 37 organizations giving $2,496,595 in grants to THE LEGACY FUNDS OF HOLY NAMES UNIVERSITY, 21 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of THE LEGACY FUNDS OF HOLY NAMES UNIVERSITY?
- THE FLETCHER JONES FOUNDATION is the largest funder on record, with $803,250 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like THE LEGACY FUNDS OF HOLY NAMES UNIVERSITY find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in California. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2025 (financials across 2017–2025), and the filings of 37 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