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Pillars Fund
Pillars Fund reported $17.0 million in revenue and $4.5 million in expenses for calendar year 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $65.38 went to program services, $20.44 to management and general costs and $14.18 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 99.8% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $318,293 (Executive Dir.). 7 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 659% between 2019 and 2025. Source: Form 990, 2025.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $4.5MFor context, the median across 1,030 covered philanthropy, voluntarism & grantmaking charities: $91.67 programs, $6.50 management, $1.83 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
Calendar year 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $17MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 65.4% | 90.2% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 20.4% | 6.4% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 14.2% | 1.8% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.04 | $0.02 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 99.8% | 80.3% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $318,293 | $322,368 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 7.05% | 1.60% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 7 | 3 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 54.7 | 58.9 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 8 of 8 | 100.0% |
A median is context, not a target: hospitals, universities, food banks and grantmakers spend in very different ways. What these measures can and can't tell you.
What the money paid for, in its own words
2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expensePillars' largest program services include its fellowship programs, which identify and invest in Muslim leaders across the arts, media, and creative industries through a competitive selection process evaluating creative practice, leadership potential, and mission alignment, providing fellows with financial support, mentorship, and connections to funders and industry partners; a storytelling prize, which recognizes and funds pioneering storytellers advancing more accurate representation of Muslim communities in arts and media, with recipients selected for the originality and impact of their…
Highest reported compensation
2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section A · roles as filed; names are in the filing, not here| Role | From this org | From related orgs | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive Dir. Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $299,597 | $0 | $18,696 | $318,293 |
| Executive VP Listed in Part VII, 40.00 hrs/week | $225,621 | $0 | $6,390 | $232,011 |
| VP of Programs Listed in Part VII, 40.00 hrs/week | $194,220 | $0 | $13,981 | $208,201 |
| VP of Operations Listed in Part VII, 40.00 hrs/week | $157,910 | $0 | $5,362 | $163,272 |
| Operations Mgr Listed in Part VII, 40.00 hrs/week | $107,264 | $0 | $11,320 | $118,584 |
| Program Mgr Listed in Part VII, 40.00 hrs/week | $104,198 | $0 | $10,133 | $114,331 |
| Program Mgr Listed in Part VII, 40.00 hrs/week | $104,759 | $0 | $3,684 | $108,443 |
7 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Pillars Fund (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $922K (Part IX, line 5).
7 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
2025 · the organization's own yes/no answers; explanations, if any, are in Schedule O of the filing · what each means- Voting board members, and how many are independent Part VI, lines 1a–1b8 · 8 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14No
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aYes
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aYes
- Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2No
- Aware of a significant diversion of assets Part VI 5No
- Excess benefit transaction with an insider Part IV 25aNo
- Loans to or from insiders outstanding Part IV 26No
- Lobbying, or a 501(h) election in effect Part IV 4No
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bNo
- Employees Part I, line 514
- Volunteers Part I, line 68
Private foundation grants it received
8 private foundations reported grants to Pillars Fund totaling $2.2M on their tax year 2023 Form 990-PF returns. See which foundations, on WHOFUNDS.
Source: WHOFUNDS open grant graph, matched from Form 990-PF Part XV.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from Pillars Fund's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Pillars Fund, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 Pillars Fund spent in 2025, $65.38 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Questions people ask
How much of Pillars Fund's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2025, Pillars Fund reported that 65.4% of its $4.5 million in expenses went to program services, 20.4% to management and general and 14.2% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Pillars Fund pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Pillars Fund reported for one person in calendar year 2025 was $318,293, for the role of Executive Dir. (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Pillars Fund get its money?
Of $17.0 million in revenue in calendar year 2025, 99.8% came from contributions and grants and 0.0% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Pillars Fund a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 81-0983087 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(a)(vi))), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- 2025: Form 990 for calendar year 2025, object 202602259349300000 · read the filing · XML
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202512479349301756 · read the filing
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202412089349301356 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202313079349300346 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202232379349300518 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202131969349302263 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202022119349301002 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 81-0983087: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.