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Illinois · Nonprofit

THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN AMERICA

THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN AMERICA (Illinois) receives grants from 11 organizations whose IRS filings report $2,122,692 to it, the largest being KERN FOUNDATION TRUST ($920,930). 7 of them have funded it in more than one year.

Revenue FY2025
$2.7M
Funders on record
11
Grants received
$2.1M
Net assets
$16M
7/11 repeat funderspeak grant-dependency 12%
01What it does

What Theosophical Society in America does

Mission

The objectives of the Theosophical Society in America are to form a nucleus of the universal brotherhood of humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or color. To encourage the comparative study of religion, philosophy and science. To investigate unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in humanity. Information about Theosophy is provided through lectures, conventions, broadcasting and published materials.

As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.

Programs

  1. Publishing house and book shop - includes the printing and distribution of quest books through trade distributors as well as direct mail and internet sales. The quest book shop is a retail outlet for quest books and other related publications and items.

    $341,535 spentof which $34,441 as grants$355,898 earned by the program
    22% of program spending

  2. Education - includes the development of training materials, courses, pamphlets and internet material for presentation to members and the public directly as well as through the internet and social media.

    $540,657 spentof which $399,420 as grants$491,265 earned by the program
    35% of program spending

  3. Library, research center and archives - includes the acquisition, circulation and collection management of the olcott library and national archives

    $174,966 spentof which $127,408 as grants$10,063 earned by the program
    11% of program spending

  4. Magazine - includes the acquisition of material, editing, design, printing and distribution of the quest, a quarterly journal of theosophical subjects.

    $127,470 spentof which $61,204 as grants$47,461 earned by the program
    8% of program spending

  5. Audio/visual - includes the audio and video taping, editing, duplication, archiving and distribution of programs presented at various theosophical events. This also includes the live webcasting of programs from the national headquarters

    $262,419 spentof which $213,197 as grants$7,937 earned by the program
    17% of program spending

  6. Membership and national group development - includes the preparation and distribution of materials to members of the national lodge, and the planning and implementation of lectures and training programs for local groups throughout the united states.

    $52,106 spentof which $36,680 as grants$30,017 earned by the program
    3% of program spending

  7. Events and conferences - includes the planning, promotion, and production of various programs at the national headquarters or at other locations around the united states. This also includes group tours of relavent theosophical locals.

    $30,705 spent$50,185 earned by the program
    2% of program spending

The 7 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $1,529,858.

02The organization over time

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.

100 = 20172017 Revenue 100 ($2.7M) Expenses 100 ($2.7M) Net assets 100 ($13M)2018 Revenue 99 ($2.7M) Expenses 97 ($2.6M) Net assets 107 ($14M)2019 Revenue 84 ($2.3M) Expenses 97 ($2.6M) Net assets 104 ($14M)2020 Revenue 84 ($2.3M) Expenses 87 ($2.3M) Net assets 95 ($13M)2021 Revenue 94 ($2.5M) Expenses 94 ($2.5M) Net assets 124 ($17M)2022 Revenue 98 ($2.6M) Expenses 117 ($3.1M) Net assets 120 ($16M)2023 Revenue 85 ($2.3M) Expenses 131 ($3.5M) Net assets 117 ($16M)2024 Revenue 101 ($2.7M) Expenses 108 ($2.9M) Net assets 120 ($16M)2025 Revenue 101 ($2.7M) Expenses 114 ($3.1M) Net assets 119 ($16M)
'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25
Revenue (101)Expenses (114)Net assets (119)

Balance sheet

Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2020 to 2021, from $18M to $23M (+33%).

$18M
$20M
$19M
$18M
$23M
$23M
$22M
$24M
$24M
'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25
Total assetsTotal liabilities

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.

2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
ContributionsProgram revenueInvestmentOther

Surplus & reserves

Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 6 of the last 9 reported years ran a deficit.

$23k
’17
$63k
’18
−$334k
’19
−$59k
’20
$11k
’21
−$477k
’22
−$1.2M
’23
−$176k
’24
−$326k
’25
4.5
months of
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.

'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25
Listed111212121511111011
Joined·+2+0+2+4+0+0+5+1
No longer listed·10214060
03Who funds it

Who funds it, year by year

2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 1 funder to 5 funders, grant income rose $25k → $287k.

Funder
'17
'18
'19
'20
'21
'22
'23
'24*
'25*
'26*
total
Openlandsunclassified
$10k
funders
1
1
2
4
4
4
5
3
6
2

4 of 11 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 13% 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 THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN AMERICA’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

THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN AMERICA leans on a few funders — its largest provides 43% of grant income and the top three 84%; half comes from just 2 funders.

the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 2 funders to its left

43%
largest funder
84%
top three
~3
effective funders

Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 100% · 2018 100% · 2019 98% · 2020 82% · 2021 79% · 2022 73% · 2023 87% — 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

75% of THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN AMERICA's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 64% give in more than one year at all.

first grant+1y+2y+3y

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

84% of THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN AMERICA's grant income comes from Illinois funders.

IL
OH

In-state vs out-of-state, by year

’17
’18
’19
’20
’21
’22
’23
Illinois out of state home

Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $281k arriving through sponsors registered in 4 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.

04Its place in the field

Organizations like THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN AMERICA

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

The Theosophical Order of Service USA Inc74%Loyola Press73%American Hosta Society73%American Osteopathic Association73%The Catholic Press Association of the United States Inc71%Three Fires Council Inc Boy Scouts of America #12771%Orthopaedic Research Society71%Student Osteopathic Medical Associa71%

Nationally

Theosophical Society in Seattle79%United Lodge of Theosophists79%Center for Inquiry Inc76%Anthroposophical Society in America76%Tat Foundation76%Spiritual Formation Society of Arizona75%Adventist Theological Society75%Scottish Rite Research Society74%
05Profile & governance

Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.

Where the money goes

50% of spending goes to programs.

Program 50%Management 44%Fundraising 6%

Governance

8
board members
88%
independent
–Conflict-of-interest policy–Whistleblower policy–Document retention–Board reviewed the 990–Audited financials

Public support

60%

Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.

Footprint & structure

Files a return copy in 1 state

IL

Part of a family of 1 related entity

  • The Theosophical Investment Trust · exempt

Screen this organization

A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN AMERICA: 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.

A paid feature, included from the $75 plan up. Sign in to download.

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 THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN AMERICA?
THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN AMERICA (Illinois) receives grants from 11 organizations whose IRS filings report $2,122,692 to it, the largest being KERN FOUNDATION TRUST ($920,930). 7 of them have funded it in more than one year.
How many funders does THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN AMERICA have?
IRS filings report 11 organizations giving $2,122,692 in grants to THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN AMERICA, 7 of which have funded it in more than one year.
Who is the largest funder of THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN AMERICA?
KERN FOUNDATION TRUST is the largest funder on record, with $920,930 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
How can an organization like THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN AMERICA 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 Theosophical Society in America →

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 11 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 22, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing