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Alta Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Alta Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$45k
Granted FY2023
8
Grants FY2023
4
States reached
$10k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead

Read this first · the figures below need context

99% of Alta Foundation’s FY2025 grant dollars went to Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program, not to grantees.

Its money now reaches organizations through that sponsor, which does not report who recommended each grant. FY2025 names 1 organization directly, so a portfolio cannot be read from it. Everything below is therefore FY2023, the last year Alta Foundation named its own grantees at scale: 6 organizations, $45k. It is dated, not current.

Organizations named directly on the return

8
’17
2
’18
3
’19
1
’20
2
’21
1
’22
6
’23
4
’24
1
’25

Amber years are those where most dollars went to a sponsor.

01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Philanthropy$751kInternational$381kHuman Services$101kArts & Culture$59kEducation$30kYouth Development$15kRecreation & Sports$14kPublic Safety & Disaster$10kOther$0
02FY2023 · 8 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2023

  • Under $10k6 grants · $25k
  • $10k–50k2 grants · $20k
$5,000
Median grant
4
States reached
$817
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
CENTER FOR HUMANITARIAN OUTREACH AND INTERCULTURAL EXCHANGE$10,000
ARIZONA FRIENDS OF FOSTER CHILDREN FOUNDATION$10,000
FOSTER ARIZONA$5,000
THRIVE AZ FOSTER CARE PREVENTION REUNIFICATION AND AGED OUT$5,000
MESA UNITED WAY$5,000
BATTLE CREEK COMMUNITY FOUNDATION$5,000
TAKE TWO ALTERNATIVE EDUCATIONAL SERVICES OF SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA INC$2,500
ARIZONA MUSICFEST$2,500
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 (FY23–24, $40k) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 8%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 8%ARIZONA FRIENDS OF FOSTER CHILDREN FOUNDATION: $25k → 11%ARIZONA FRIENDS OF FOSTER CHILDREN FOUNDATION: $10k → 11%THRIVE AZ FOSTER CARE PREVENTION REUNIFICATION AND AGED OUT: $5k → 11%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.
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.

90%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$552k · 8 repeat orgs$59k to everyone else

8 repeat relationships: 4 still active in FY2023, 4 since wound down; 4 grantees were first funded in FY2023 (too recent to call). Read against FY2023, the last year this funder named its own grantees directly; its giving has since run through a sponsor, which reports no donor behind each grant.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

8
7

Total granted

$552k
$21k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

0%
+124%

Still filing today

88%
57%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Arts & CultureYouth DevelopmentHuman ServicesEducationInternationalRecreation & SportsOther
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

  • T
    TREEHOUSE
    3× · 2017–2019 · $56k · revenue +172%
  • AM
    ARIZONA MUSICFEST INC
    3× · 2023–2025 · $13k · revenue +74%
  • RH
    REINING HORSE FOUNDATION INC
    2× · 2017–2021 · $8k · revenue +265%

Funded once

  • UP
    UPPER PINE RIVER FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT
    one grant, 2021 · $10k
  • AR
    ARIZONA REINING HORSE ASSOC INCgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $5k · revenue +124%
  • TT
    TAKE TWO ALTERNATIVE EDUCATIONAL SERVICES
    one grant, 2022 · $3k
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
Foster Arizona Housing Project

Educate, empower and engage at-risk youth and the community to offer hope through connections

Housing & Shelter
2
Arizona Community Foundation

To lead, serve and collaborate to mobilize enduring philanthropy for a better arizona.

Philanthropy
3
Artist Trust

Artist Trust supports the livelihoods of artists working in all disciplines to create a more vibrant and equitable Washington State.

Arts & Culture
4
Glasstire

Glasstire is a website about visual art in Texas. Our mission is to expand the conversation about visual art in Texas.

Arts & Culture
5
Arizona Wins

Az wins is a coalition of organizations dedicated to achieving public policies that benefit working arizona families and advancing an inclusive, engaged, just and equitable state for all arizonans. in 2024 az wins substantially reduced its…

Civil Rights
6
University of Arizona Foundation

The university of arizona foundation is committed to supporting and enhancing the vision, mission and values of the university of arizona through the development and management of private support.

Education
7
One Arizona

One arizonas mission is to increase civic participation among arizonans

Civil Rights
8
Pro-Choice Arizona

Pro-Choice Arizona centers abolition and reproductive justice values to prioritize community needs. We advance reproductive equity, pregnancy and family justice, and abortion access for all folks living in Arizona through direct service…

Health
9
Arizona Grantmakers Forum

To encourage, assist, promote private philanthropy to increase the awareness, appreciation, effectiveness of private philanthropy by providing information, networking opportunities, technical assistance, related services to private…

—
10
Opera Southwest

Professional production of opera for the public, and education about opera and the performing arts for audiences of all ages.

Arts & Culture
11
Tucson Audubon Society

Inspire people to enjoy and protect birds through recreation, education, conservation, and restoration of the environment, upon which we all depend.

Animals
12
University of Arizona Alumni Association

Cultivate lifelong connections, strengthen commitment to the university and inspire advocacy, engagement and giving.

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Treehouse; the most unlike its peers is Ron and Vicki Santo Diabetic Alert Dogs Foundation. 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

16 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

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 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 16 of the 21 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)
6
Early backer (in before they grew)
16/16
Grantees still filing
9/16
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

VANGUARD CHARITABLE ENDOWMENT PROGRAM: $745,795 · PhilanthropyVANGUARD CHARITABLE ENDOWMENT PROGRAM+1 more: $5,000 · PhilanthropyCENTER FOR HUMANITARIAN OUTREACH AND INTERCULTURAL EXCHANGE: $381,000 · InternationalCENTER FOR HUMANITARIAN OUTREAC…TREEHOUSE: $56,000 · Youth DevelopmentFOSTER ARIZONA: $15,000 · Youth DevelopmentPRATT FINE ARTS: $33,600 · OtherUPPER PINE RIVER FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT: $10,000 · OtherARIZONA REINING HORSE ASSOC INC: $5,000 · OtherMESA UNITED WAY: $5,000 · OtherTAKE TWO ALTERNATIVE EDUCATIONAL SERVICES: $2,500 · OtherREINING HORSE FOUNDATION INC: $8,000 · Other+2 more: $2,000 · OtherArizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation: $35,000 · Human ServicesTHRIVE AZ FOSTER CARE PREVENTION REUNIFICATION AND AGED OUT: $5,000 · Human ServicesWASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $25,000 · EducationTake Two Alternative Educational Services of Southern Oklahoma Inc: $2,500 · EducationARIZONA MUSICFEST INC: $12,500 · Arts & CulturePILCHUCK GLASS SCHOOL: $11,200 · Arts & CultureSEATTLE OPERA: $1,000 · Arts & Culture+1 more: $500 · Arts & Culture
Philanthropy$750,795International$381,000Youth Development$71,000Other$66,100Human Services$40,000Education$27,500Arts & Culture$25,200

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

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetVANGUARD CHARITABLE ENDOWMENT PROGRAM: $745,795 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCENTER FOR HUMANITARIAN OUTREACH AND INTERCULTURAL EXCHANGE: $381,000 over 7y, 2.4% of budgetTREEHOUSE: $56,000 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetArizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation: $35,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetWASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFOSTER ARIZONA: $15,000 over 2y, 1.5% of budgetARIZONA MUSICFEST INC: $12,500 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetPILCHUCK GLASS SCHOOL: $11,200 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetREINING HORSE FOUNDATION INC: $8,000 over 2y, 2.9% of budgetARIZONA REINING HORSE ASSOC INC: $5,000 over 1y, 1.0% of budgetBATTLE CREEK COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTake Two Alternative Educational Services of Southern Oklahoma Inc: $2,500 over 1y, 5.4% of budgetRon and Vicki Santo Diabetic Alert Dogs Foundation: $1,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetSEATTLE OPERA: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSHUNPIKE: $500 over 1y, 0.0% 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.

Arizona Community Fou…The Chicago Community…Vanguard Charitable E…Raymond James Charita…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…National Philanthropi…Charities Aid Foundat…Network for GoodMorgan Stanley Global…The Bank of America C…American Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…
Arizona Community FoundationAZ12.6× affinity4 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Arizona Community Foundation · The Chicago Community Trust · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · National Philanthropic Trust · Charities Aid Foundation America · Network for Good · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc

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

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 20%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%3%5%8%10%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    2get no government money at all
    2report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–10%
    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 Alta Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Alta Foundation 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 21 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 2023, released 2023. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Alta’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