Skip to content
Arcana Foundation Inc at a glance

· Private foundation

Arcana Foundation Inc

Its FY2023 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$68k
Granted FY2023
3
Grants FY2023
1
States reached
$50k
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, FY2021 to 2023.

Housing & Shelter$863kEmployment$323kHuman Services$200kFood & Nutrition$85kRecreation & Sports$70kArts & Culture$60kHealth$45kCrime & Legal$40kOther$0
02FY2023 · 3 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2023

  • Under $10k1 grant · $8k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $10k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $50k
$10,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
SAMARITAN INN$50,000
BROAD FUTURES$10,000
NEW ENDEAVORS BY WOMEN$8,000
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 (FY21–23, $265k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%SASHA BRUCE YOUTHWORKS: $50k → 14%SAMARITAN INNS: $50k → 14%SAMARITAN INN: $50k → 14%Samaritans Inns: $35k → 14%IONA SENIOR SERVICES: $50k → 14%Iona Senior Services: $30k → 14%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.

69%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.2M · 11 repeat orgs$565k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +10% since the first grant, against -12% for those funded once.

11 repeat relationships: 3 still active in FY2023, 8 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

11
15

Total granted

$1.2M
$565k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+10%
-12%

Still filing today

82%
47%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2023, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 went to new ones.

50%100%’21’22’23
RenewedFirst-time

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

’21’22’23
Housing & ShelterHuman ServicesPublic BenefitFood & NutritionYouth DevelopmentEducationOther
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

  • CH
    Christ House
    2× · 2021–2022 · $200k · revenue +8%
  • SI
    SAMARITAN INNS INC
    3× · 2021–2023 · $135k · revenue +30%
  • NE
    NEW ENDEAVORS BY WOMEN
    2× · 2021–2023 · $108k · revenue +10%

Funded once

  • CW
    CALVARY WOMENS SHELTER
    one grant, 2022 · $200k
  • SB
    SASHA BRUCE YOUTHWORK INCgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $50k · revenue +31%
  • NS
    NASHVILLE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL
    one grant, 2022 · $35k · revenue +7%
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
Pathways to Housing Dc

Pathways to housing dc prevents and ends homelessness for persons living with serious psychiatric disabilities and other complex health challenges.

Human Services
2
Covenant House Washington Dc

Covenant house washington, dc ("chw") provides shelter, crisis care, community services, and outreach services to youth in the washington dc area.

Human Services
3
Cityworks Dc

Our mission is to dramatically improve the early career outcomes of dc youth and young adults of color by creating innovative programs and by mobilizing employers, educators, and city leaders to create a local, diverse talent pipeline. our…

Education
4
Friendship Place

Friendship Place is a leader in the Washington, DC, metro area in developing solutions to homelessness that have measurable results and a lasting impact. Friendship Place's mission is to empower people who are experiencing or at risk of…

Housing & Shelter
5
Everyone Home Dc

We support the holistic needs of individuals and families at risk of or experiencing homelessness. Housing is our starting point. Seeing people thrive is our finish line.

Human Services
6
House of Ruth

House of ruth helps women, children and families in greatest need and with very limited resources to build safe, stable lives and achieve their highest potential. serving the district of columbia since 1976, house of ruth provides…

Housing & Shelter
7
Washington Dc Meals on Wheels Inc

We deliver healthy delicious meals to our home-bound neighbors. With a vision of creating a more interconnected resilient and compassionate community our program supports entire family systems. In 2024 236 volunteers delivered 55,642 meals…

—
8
District Alliance for Safe Housing Inc

District alliance for safe housing, inc. (dash) is an innovator in providing access to safe housing and services to survivors of domestic and sexual violence and their families as they rebuild their lives on their own terms.

Housing & Shelter
9
Woodley House Inc

Woodley house enables district of columbia residents with mental health disorders to live full and healthy lives with dignity by providing supportive housing and services.

Health
10
Community of Hope

Community of hope's mission is to improve health, end homelessness, and partner with communities to make washington, dc more equitable.

Community Improvement
11
Open Dc
Community Improvement
12
Downtown Cluster of Congregations Inc

Dcc is for the purpose of strengthening the social and economic well-being of individuals, families, and communities in the greater washington, dc area. dcc is a full-time, bilingual social service organization that provides comprehensive…

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Thrive Dc; the most unlike its peers is Broadfutures Inc. 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

17 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. 17 of the 26 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)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
16/17
Grantees still filing
9/17
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

THE DC CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $300,000 · OtherTHE DC CENTRAL KITCHEN INCCALVARY WOMENS SHELTER: $200,000 · OtherCALVARY WOMENS SHELTERWE ARE FAMILY EMMAUS: $85,000 · OtherWE ARE FAMILY EMMAUSCOUNCIL FOR COURT EXCELLENCE: $40,000 · OtherSt Coletta's School: $35,000 · OtherNASHVILLE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL: $35,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $35,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $35,000 · Other+7 more: $130,000 · Other+7 moreChrist House: $200,000 · Housing & ShelterChrist HouseNEW ENDEAVORS BY WOMEN: $108,000 · Housing & ShelterNEW ENDEAVORS BY WOM…CENTRAL UNION MISSION: $20,000 · Housing & ShelterCENTRAL UNION MISSIO…SAMARITAN INNS INC: $135,000 · Human ServicesSAMARITAN INNS I…Iona Senior Services: $80,000 · Human ServicesIona Senior Serv…SASHA BRUCE YOUTHWORK INC: $50,000 · Human ServicesSASHA BRUCE YOUT…THRIVE DC: $220,000 · Food & NutritionTHRIVE DCDC POLICY CENTER: $30,000 · Public BenefitBROADFUTURES INC: $22,500 · Public BenefitTEENS RUN DC: $30,000 · Youth DevelopmentWASHINGTON SCHOOL FOR GIRLS: $20,000 · Education
Other$895,000Housing & Shelter$328,000Human Services$265,000Food & Nutrition$220,000Public Benefit$52,500Youth Development$30,000Education$20,000

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

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetTHE DC CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $300,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetTHRIVE DC: $220,000 over 2y, 2.9% of budgetChrist House: $200,000 over 2y, 3.3% of budgetSAMARITAN INNS INC: $135,000 over 3y, 0.9% of budgetNEW ENDEAVORS BY WOMEN: $108,000 over 2y, 3.5% of budgetIona Senior Services: $80,000 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetSASHA BRUCE YOUTHWORK INC: $50,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetCOUNCIL FOR COURT EXCELLENCE: $40,000 over 2y, 1.9% of budgetNASHVILLE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL: $35,000 over 1y, 5.8% of budgetTEENS RUN DC: $30,000 over 1y, 8.5% of budgetDC POLICY CENTER: $30,000 over 1y, 2.0% of budgetMY SISTER'S PLACE INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetBROADFUTURES INC: $22,500 over 3y, 1.4% of budgetCENTRAL UNION MISSION: $20,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetWASHINGTON DC POLICE FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetNICK'S PLACE INC: $10,000 over 1y, 3.2% 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.

Greater Washington Co…Clark-Winchcole Found…Philip L Graham Fund …United Way of the Nat…The Morris and Gwendo…William S Abell Found…Dimick Foundation Joh…John Edward Fowler Me…Venable Foundation IncThe Washington Home I…Joseph E & Marjorie B…Corina Higginson Trus…
Greater Washington Community FoundationDC24.6× affinity10 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Greater Washington Community Foundation · Clark-Winchcole Foundation · Philip L Graham Fund co Graham Holdings Company · United Way of the National Capital Area · The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation · William S Abell Foundation Inc · Dimick Foundation John M Lynham Jr Trustee · John Edward Fowler Memorial Foundation · Venable Foundation Inc · The Washington Home Inc · Joseph E & Marjorie B Jones Foundation Corporation · Corina Higginson Trust Co Laura Ford Trustee

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

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%8%15%22%30%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get no government money at all
    7report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–30%
    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 Arcana Foundation Inc?

    Find your warmest path to Arcana Foundation Inc 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 26 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 Arcana’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