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Allumette Fund at a glance

· Private foundation

Allumette Fund

Its FY2024 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$98k
Granted FY2021
24
Grants FY2021
7
States reached
$15k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2021.

Environment$92kInternational$43kCivil Rights$39kFood & Nutrition$17kEmployment$10kHousing & Shelter$8kCrime & Legal$5kHealth$3kOther$0
02FY2021 · 24 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2021

  • Under $10k19 grants · $43k
  • $10k–50k5 grants · $55k
$2,000
Median grant
7
States reached
$2.0M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
CENTER FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS$15,000
SIERRA CLUB FOUNDATION$10,000
OXFAM AMERICA$10,000
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS$10,000
GREENPEACE$10,000
SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER$7,500
PARTNERS IN HEALTH$5,000
BIKES NOT BOMBS$5,000
GREATER BOSTON FOOD BANK$5,000
THE FOOD PROJECT$2,500
ON THE RISE$2,000
FRANKLIN LAND TRUST$2,000
HARVARD SQUARE HOMELESS SHELTER CORPORATION$2,000
PLANNED PARENTHOOD LEAGUE OF MASSACHUSETTS$1,500
NEW ENGLAND INNOCENCE PROGRAM$1,500
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 (FY20–21, $9k) land where the poverty rate runs at 9%, against an area that typically sits at 9%. 11% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 9%HARVARD SQUARE HOMELESS SHELTER CORPORATION: $2k → 8%ON THE RISE: $2k → 8%ON THE RISE: $2k → 8%BOSTON HEALTHCARE FOR THE HOMELESS PROGRAM: $1k → 16%HARVARD SQUARE HOMELESS SHELTER CORPORATION: $2k → 8%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.

Which US states its grants reach

ME
WA
NY
MA
CA
MD
DC
AL
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.

74%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$163k · 19 repeat orgs$56k to everyone else

19 repeat relationships: 19 still active in FY2021, 0 since wound down; 5 grantees were first funded in FY2021 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

19
3

Total granted

$163k
$52k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+39%
+82%

Still filing today

89%
67%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2021, 95% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $5k went to new ones.

50%100%’20’21
RenewedFirst-time

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

’20’21
EnvironmentHuman ServicesCivil RightsInternationalCrime & LegalHealthOther
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

  • THE CENTER FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS INC
    2× · 2020–2021 · $25k · revenue +69%
  • OXFAM-AMERICA INC
    2× · 2020–2021 · $18k · revenue +16%
  • GI
    GREENPEACE INC
    2× · 2020–2021 · $18k · revenue +10%

Funded once

  • EARTHJUSTICE
    one grant, 2020 · $50k · revenue +16%
  • AL
    ADIRONDACK LAND TRUST INCgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $1k · revenue +82%
  • FS
    FREE SPEECH FOR PEOPLE
    one grant, 2020 · $500
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
Open Markets Institute

The open markets institute works to help people relearn how to use competition policy to build stronger democracies, more just and equitable societies, more innovative and sustainable economies, and a more secure and peaceful world.

Education
2
Asociacion Interamericana Para La Defensa Del Ambiente

To strenghten people's ability to guarantee their individual and collective right to a healthy environment, via the development, implementation, and effective enforcement of national and international law.

Crime & Legal
3
Conservation Law Foundation Inc

Conservation law foundation, inc. (clf) protects new england's environment for the benefit of all people and future generations. we use the law, science, and markets to create solutions that preserve and restore our natural resources,…

Environment
4
Native Plant Trust Inc

The organization's mission is to conserve and promote new england's native plants to ensure healthy, biologically diverse landscapes.

Environment
5
Center for International Environmental Law Inc

To investigate, research, write, publish, present conferences and teach with respect to global, regional, transboundary, and comparative environmental issues and to make the findings from such activities available to the general public; to…

International
6
Aclu Foundation of Massachusetts Inc

Aclu foundation of ma was established to defend freedoms guaranteed in the constitution and bill of rights through public education and litigation.

Civil Rights
7
Environmental League of Massachusetts Inc

The organization's mission is to advocate for policy that meets the scale and urgency of our environmental challenges. as a massachusetts-based organization that engages in advocacy across a full spectrum of climate, environmental, and…

Environment
8
Namati Inc

Namati, inc. (namati) is dedicated to putting the law in people's hands. we strive to build a just world, in which every one of us can take part in the decisions and demand accountability from the institutions that affect our lives.…

Crime & Legal
9
Friends of the Earth

Friends of the earth strives for a more healthy and just world by defendng the environment and human health while advancing social and economic justice by conducting research and education, transforming the economy so it protects the…

Environment
10
Rainforest Trust

Rainforest trust saves endangered wildlife and protects our planet by creating rainforest reserves through partnerships, community engagement, and donor support.

International
11
Actionaid Usa

Actionaid is an international network building a just, equitable, and sustainable world in solidarity with communities on the frontlines of poverty and injustice. actionaid usa is the u.s. branch of actionaid international, which works in…

Social Science
12
Conservation International Foundation

Ci works to spotlight and secure the critical benefits that nature provides to humanity.

Environment
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Pro Publica Inc; the most unlike its peers is Partners in Health a Nonprofit Corporation. 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

24 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

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 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 24 of the 27 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)
7
Early backer (in before they grew)
24/24
Grantees still filing
22/24
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

EARTHJUSTICE: $50,000 · EnvironmentEARTHJUSTICESIERRA CLUB FOUNDATION: $17,500 · EnvironmentSIERRA CLUB FOUNDATIONFRANKLIN LAND TRUST INC: $3,500 · Environment+3 more: $3,000 · EnvironmentGREENPEACE INC: $17,500 · OtherGREENPEACE INCGREATER BOSTON FOOD BANK INC: $10,000 · OtherGREATER BOSTON FOOD BANK …BIKES NOT BOMBS INC: $10,000 · OtherBIKES NOT BOMBS INCNEW ENGLAND INNOCENCE PROGRAM: $2,500 · OtherThe Food Project Inc: $5,000 · OtherThe Food Project Inc+5 more: $4,500 · Other+5 moreOXFAM-AMERICA INC: $17,500 · InternationalOXFAM-AMERICA IN…MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $15,000 · InternationalMEDECINS SANS FR…THE CENTER FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS INC: $25,000 · Civil RightsTHE CENTER FO…COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS INC: $1,000 · Civil RightsSOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER INC: $12,500 · Crime & LegalMASSACHUSETTS LAW REFORM INSTITUTE INC: $2,500 · Crime & LegalPARTNERS IN HEALTH A NONPROFIT CORPORATION: $10,000 · HealthPLANNED PARENTHOOD LEAGUE OF MASSACHUSETTS INC: $2,500 · HealthHARVARD SQUARE HOMELESS SHELTER CORPORATION: $4,000 · Human ServicesON THE RISE INC: $4,000 · Human ServicesBOSTON HEALTH CARE FOR THE HOMELESS PROGRAM INC: $1,000 · Human Services
Environment$74,000Other$49,500International$32,500Civil Rights$26,000Crime & Legal$15,000Health$12,500Human Services$9,000

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetEARTHJUSTICE: $50,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE CENTER FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS INC: $25,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSIERRA CLUB FOUNDATION: $17,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetOXFAM-AMERICA INC: $17,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetGREENPEACE INC: $17,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $15,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER INC: $12,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetGREATER BOSTON FOOD BANK INC: $10,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetPARTNERS IN HEALTH A NONPROFIT CORPORATION: $10,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetBIKES NOT BOMBS INC: $10,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetThe Food Project Inc: $5,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetHARVARD SQUARE HOMELESS SHELTER CORPORATION: $4,000 over 2y, 4.4% of budgetON THE RISE INC: $4,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetFRANKLIN LAND TRUST INC: $3,500 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetMASSACHUSETTS LAW REFORM INSTITUTE INC: $2,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetPLANNED PARENTHOOD LEAGUE OF MASSACHUSETTS INC: $2,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMassachusetts Rivers Alliance Inc: $1,500 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetBOSTON AREA GLEANERS INC: $1,250 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCOMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetADIRONDACK LAND TRUST INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetDEMOCRACY NOW PRODUCTIONS INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPRO PUBLICA INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBOSTON HEALTH CARE FOR THE HOMELESS PROGRAM INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetISLAND HERITAGE TRUST INC: $500 over 1y, 0.1% 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.

Fidelity FoundationBoston Foundation IncThe Pfizer Foundation…Vanguard Charitable E…American Endowment Fo…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Fidelity FoundationMA13.1× affinity4 shared granteesties to 7 of 7Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Fidelity Foundation · Boston Foundation Inc · The Pfizer Foundation Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · American Endowment Foundation · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile Foundation

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 Allumette Fund funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Allumette Fund. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 30%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 7%
  • On the Rise Inc: 39% of income from government
  • Greater Boston Food Bank Inc: 22% of income from government
  • Boston Area Gleaners Inc: 20% of income from government
  • Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program Inc: 8% of income from government
  • Franklin Land Trust Inc: 7% of income from government
  • Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts Inc: 3% of income from government
  • Bikes Not Bombs Inc: 2% of income from government
  • Massachusetts Rivers Alliance Inc: 1% of income from government
  • Partners in Health a Nonprofit Corporation: 0% of income from government
  • Oxfam-America Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
3get no government money at all
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 Allumette Fund?

Find your warmest path to Allumette Fund 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 27 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 2021, released 2021. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Possibly out of date. A more recent filing (FY2024) is on record and reports no grant expense, so the figures above are from FY2021, the most recent year this funder made grants.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Allumette’s 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