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Plinth

· Public charity

American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California Inc

The american civil liberties union foundation of northern california (aclu nc foundation) defends and advances the principles of freedom, equality and justice contained in the united states constitution.

$725k
Granted FY2025still arriving
1
Grants FY2025still arriving
1
States reached
$725k
Largest
01What you fundRead
02The needRead
03Your edgeRead
04Your fieldRead
01What you fund
0165% classified

What you funded, over time

Every grant clustered by its grantee’s IRS cause code (NTEE), by year — across FY2017–2025.

Civil Rights$8.0MCommunity Improvement$266kCrime & Legal$227kHuman Services$197kEducation$189kHealth$135kHousing & Shelter$95kReligion$75kPhilanthropy$55kOther$5.0M
02FY2025 · 1 grant

Where the money goes

Your grants by size, and where they go.

$725,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$49M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
ACLU UNION OF NORTHERN CA$725,000
02The need
03

Do your dollars go where the need is?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, then read against the area’s typical level.

show:

Your human-services grants (FY18–22, $197k) land where the poverty rate runs at 9%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 37% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Your grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%Silicon Valley De-Bug: $25k → 8%IMMIGRANT LEGAL RESOURCES CEN: $20k → 10%Center for Policy Initiatives: $19k → 11%Empowerment Collective of LI: $25k → 7%SILICON VALLEY DE-BUG: $20k → 8%IMMIGRANT LEGAL RESOURCES CEN: $20k → 10%SILICON VALLEY DE-BUG: $20k → 8%IMMIGRANT LEGAL RESOURCES CEN: $15k → 10%Silicon Valley De-Bug: $19k → 8%SILICON VALLEY DE-BUG: $15k → 8%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount

Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty linein the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP; grantee ZIP can differ from where services are delivered.

US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are actually delivered. Need from public data — U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA — shown as context about the area, never attributed to your giving.

03Your edge
repeat funding

Who you back again

Which organizations you funded more than once, and which you funded a single time. Each grantee is matched to its own filings.

97%of every dollar goes to organizations you’ve funded before.
$14M · 19 repeat orgs$481k to everyone else

19 repeat relationships — 1 still active in FY2025, 18 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

19
22

Total granted

$14M
$481k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+16%
+79%

Still filing today

95%
86%

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
Civil RightsCrime & LegalCommunity ImprovementHuman ServicesEducationHealthOther

First-time = a grantee’s first year in your filing window; renewed = funded in an earlier year too. As a portfolio matures the renewed share naturally climbs — once funded, an org stays “renewable” — so the signal is the years that buck it (a new-grantee intake wave). 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

  • AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION INC
    5× · 2017–2022 · $6.3M · revenue +102%
  • AC
    AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
    8× · 2018–2025 · $4.4M · revenue +13%
  • NC
    NORTHERN CALIFORNIA INDIAN DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL INC
    2× · 2020–2021 · $261k · revenue +9%

Funded once

  • CALIFORNIA IMMIGRANT POLICY CENTERgraduated
    one grant, 2019 · $65k · revenue +125%
  • AF
    ACLU FOUNDATION OF SAN DIEGO & IMPERIAL COUNTIES
    one grant, 2019 · $40k · revenue +17%
  • WT
    WIYOT TRIBE
    one grant, 2022 · $40k

Repeat = funded in two or more distinct years; growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Your field

The map has a center of gravity: the average direction from the rest of the sector toward the organizations the foundation funds — the shape of its giving. Scoring every nonprofit along that direction surfaces the ones that look most like the portfolio. These are the closest matchesthat aren’t grantees — a resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Jobs with Justice San Francisco

A long-term, strategic alliance of labor, community, faith-based, and student organizations working together to build greater economic power for workers and community members through employee rights at work and access to good jobs,…

Employment
2
Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area

As one of the most enduring civil rights institutions on the West Coast, we work to dismantle systems of oppression and racism, and build an equitable and just society.

—
3
American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California Inc

The american civil liberties union foundation of northern california (aclu nc foundation) defends and advances the principles of freedom, equality and justice contained in the united states constitution. aclu nc foundation, a california…

—
4
California Donor Table

California Donor Table anchors a hub of donors, foundations, and community leaders. We pool together our resources to shape California into a truly democratic state that works for the people, not the powerful. Rooted in our commitment to…

Civil Rights
5
California Center for Movement Legal Services

The California Center for Movement Legal Services (Movement Legal) provides legal services in the pursuit of improving the lives of California's traditionally underserved residents, carrying out legal work that fosters community led policy…

Crime & Legal
6
Inner City Law Center

In 2024, Inner City Law Center, ICLC, served over 3,400 people, helping vulnerable Angelenos to remain in their homes and recover nearly $20.5 million in financial benefits.

Crime & Legal
7
Legal Aid Association of California

The Legal Aid Association of California, the statewide membership of legal services nonprofits, serves its members through advocacy and other support in efforts to provide legal assistance to low-income Californians and ensure access to…

—
8
California Forward

Ca fwd drives action to identify solutions that can be taken to scale to meet the challenges the state is facing. the organization is driven by the belief that regional solutions across the state will help ensure economic, environmental,…

Public Benefit
9
American Civil Liberties Union of Texas Inc

The ACLU of Texas works with communities, at the State Capitol, and in the courts to protect and advance civil rights and civil liberties for every Texan, no exceptions.

—
10
Legal Link

Legal Link removes legal barriers that prolong poverty by adding critically needed capacity to the legal ecosystem.

Crime & Legal
11
American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California

See schedule o for detailsthe organization defends the civil liberties enshrined in the us constitution and the bill of rights through policy advocacy, media advocacy, and organizing. it fights to secure and protect the civil rights of all…

—
12
First Amendment Coalition

The first amendment coalition protects and promotes a free press, freedom of expression and the people's right to know. continued on schedule o.

—

For reference, the grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Aclu Foundation of Southern California and the most unlike its peers is California Lgbtq Foundation. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.

Your grantees are a median of 32 years old; the field is 13. You back the established end — and your money leans older still.

THE FIELDby orgYOUR GRANTEESby number25%0%<5yr16%3%5–10yr20%20%10–20yr17%30%20–35yr11%35%35–55yr13%13%55yr+
THE FIELDby orgYOUR MONEYby value25%0%<5yr16%1%5–10yr20%3%10–20yr17%4%20–35yr11%36%35–55yr13%57%55yr+

The field is 25% startups (under 5 years old) — 0% of your grantees by number, and just 0% of your money.

Closures · last 5 years

The orgs you fund almost never close — 0.0% lost their exemption, against 15% of the field you don’t fund.

orgs you fund
0.0%0/44
the rest of the field
15%
15,149/101,767

Age = years since IRS exemption (a founding proxy). “Closed” = auto-revocation for 3 years of non-filing — a floor on closure, not proof, and bigger established orgs lapse least. Association, not causation.

04the grantee network

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

Each one resolved to its own IRS returns and tracked year by year — your grant beside their revenue from every source. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

Counted here: distinct organizations you funded across 2017–2025, not grant rows in a single year — so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 41 of the 44 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile; the rest are funded organizations whose filings we could not track year by year.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
12
Early backer (in before they grew)
40/41
Grantees still filing
30/41
Grew since you first funded

Where your money sits — by cause, then by grantee

AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION INC — $6,260,000 · Civil RightsAMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION INCACLU FOUNDATION OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — $1,645,198 · Civil RightsACLU FOUNDATION OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA+5 more — $101,000 · Civil RightsAMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — $4,375,000 · OtherAMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION OF NORTHER…NORTHERN CALIFORNIA INDIAN DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL INC — $260,600 · Other+14 more — $613,500 · Other+14 moreMOVEMENT STRATEGY CENTER — $142,000 · Community ImprovementFAITH IN THE VALLEY — $85,000 · Community ImprovementCOMMUNITY PARTNERS — $28,500 · Community ImprovementFAITH IN ACTION NETWORK — $10,000 · Community ImprovementASIAN AMERICANS ADVANCING JUSTICE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — $85,000 · Crime & LegalEAST BAY COMMUNITY LAW CENTER — $60,000 · Crime & LegalFresno Barrios Unidos — $35,000 · Crime & LegalLEGAL SERVICES FOR CHILDREN INC — $30,000 · Crime & LegalAsian Law Caucus — $16,500 · Crime & LegalSilicon Valley De-Bug — $98,000 · Human ServicesIMMIGRANT LEGAL RESOURCE CENTER — $55,000 · Human ServicesEMPOWERMENT COLLABORATIVE OF LONG ISLAND INC — $25,000 · Human ServicesCENTER ON POLICY INITIATIVES — $18,500 · Human ServicesSOCIAL GOOD FUND INC — $75,000 · EducationUNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — $46,000 · EducationUNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY FOUNDATION — $20,000 · EducationAMERICAN CONSTITUTION SOCIETY FOR LAW & POLICY — $20,000 · EducationCALIFORNIA LGBTQ FOUNDATION — $18,000 · EducationACCE Institute — $10,000 · EducationA NEW WAY OF LIFE REENTRY PROJECT — $75,000 · HealthCHINESE PROGRESSIVE ASSOCIATION — $60,000 · Health
Civil Rights$8,006,198Other$5,249,100Community Improvement$265,500Crime & Legal$226,500Human Services$196,500Education$189,000Health$135,000

Each org by its size and your share of it — top-left is where you’re load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ your share of their budgetAMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION INC — $6,260,000 over 5y, 1.7% of budgetAMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — $4,375,000 over 8y, 9.5% of budgetACLU FOUNDATION OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — $1,645,198 over 7y, 6.2% of budgetNORTHERN CALIFORNIA INDIAN DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL INC — $260,600 over 2y, 3.2% of budgetMOVEMENT STRATEGY CENTER — $142,000 over 5y, 0.2% of budgetSilicon Valley De-Bug — $98,000 over 5y, 2.3% of budgetSTARTING OVER INC — $95,000 over 5y, 1.2% of budgetSACRAMENTO AREA CONGREGATIONS TOGETHER — $93,500 over 5y, 3.1% of budgetASIAN AMERICANS ADVANCING JUSTICE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — $85,000 over 2y, 0.6% of budgetFAITH IN THE VALLEY — $85,000 over 3y, 2.0% of budgetSOCIAL GOOD FUND INC — $75,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetA NEW WAY OF LIFE REENTRY PROJECT — $75,000 over 2y, 1.0% of budgetCONGREGATIONS ORGANIZED FOR PROPHETIC ENGAGEMENT — $75,000 over 4y, 3.1% of budgetFathers and Families of San Joaquin — $73,500 over 4y, 0.9% of budgetCALIFORNIA IMMIGRANT POLICY CENTER — $65,000 over 1y, 1.4% of budgetCHINESE PROGRESSIVE ASSOCIATION — $60,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetEAST BAY COMMUNITY LAW CENTER — $60,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetIMMIGRANT LEGAL RESOURCE CENTER — $55,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — $46,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetACLU FOUNDATION OF SAN DIEGO & IMPERIAL COUNTIES — $40,000 over 1y, 1.2% of budgetNetwork on Women in Prison dba Legal Services for Prisoners w Children — $40,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetCOMMON CAUSE EDUCATION FUND — $39,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetFresno Barrios Unidos — $35,000 over 2y, 1.0% of budgetTHE JUSTICE AND DIVERSITY CENTER OF THE BAR ASSOCIATION OF SAN FRANCISCO — $30,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetLEGAL SERVICES FOR CHILDREN INC — $30,000 over 1y, 1.1% of budgetCOMMUNITY PARTNERS — $28,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetEMPOWERMENT COLLABORATIVE OF LONG ISLAND INC — $25,000 over 1y, 19% of budgetTIDES FOUNDATION — $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY FOUNDATION — $20,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAMERICAN CONSTITUTION SOCIETY FOR LAW & POLICY — $20,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetURBAN STRATEGIES COUNCIL — $18,500 over 1y, 1.2% of budgetCENTER ON POLICY INITIATIVES — $18,500 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetCALIFORNIA LGBTQ FOUNDATION — $18,000 over 1y, 3.3% of budgetAsian Law Caucus — $16,500 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetFAITH IN ACTION NETWORK — $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetACCE Institute — $10,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetEqual Justice Society — $10,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetDISABILITY RIGHTS CALIFORNIA — $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetChinese for Affirmative Action — $6,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budget
Go grantee by grantee — a decade per org, and how each moved after you funded them

A decade per grantee — revenue shaded, your grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

The grantmakers whose grantees overlap with yours far more than size alone predicts. Each orbits closer the stronger the alignment; the arcs between them show where they also fund each other. Here it reads as a tightly interlocked camp — most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

The California Endowm…The California Wellne…The James Irvine Foun…The San Francisco Fou…East Bay Community Fo…Sierra Health Foundat…Tides FoundationSilicon Valley Commun…Kaiser Foundation Hos…The Heising-Simons Fo…California Community …Tides Center
The California EndowmentCA37.9× affinity17 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The California Endowment · The California Wellness Foundation · The James Irvine Foundation · The San Francisco Foundation · East Bay Community Foundation · Sierra Health Foundation Center for Health Program Management · Tides Foundation · Silicon Valley Community Foundation · Kaiser Foundation Hospitals · The Heising-Simons Foundation · California Community Foundation · Tides Center

Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. A research starting point: overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

Government reliance of your grantees

Every dot is one organization American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California Inc funds. Left–right is the share of its income from government; up–down is the share from you. Bigger dots raise more. Filter to federal or a single department — and drag the year to watch it move.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%1%3%6%10%your share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    14report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    typical government reliance, FY20–25

    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 your grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first — a floor, not 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 12–24 months.

    On method. Every financial figure here is read directly from IRS e-file XML — your own 990/990-PF and the multi-year returns of the 44 grantees we resolved across every year we hold, several hundred filings in all (a different count from the grant rows on the cover, which are one fiscal year)— each linked to its source. Grantee achievements and outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III); we read these as association with sustained funding — the foundation is one of several forces — suppress low-confidence name matches rather than guess, and say so where a figure rests on a single grant or filing. Not everything on this page is a filed figure, and the difference matters. Filed is what you reported on your 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. How we build these →

    Generated from your IRS Form 990 e-file return for fiscal year 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    More from the funding graph

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    The regranting layer
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    The camps
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    By state
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