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Avatar Alliance Foundation at a glanceAlso receives grants: funding profile →

· Private foundation

Avatar Alliance Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$3.1M
Granted FY2024still arriving
8
Grants FY2024still arriving
5
States reached
$2.4M
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, FY2017 to 2024.

Arts & Culture$2.6MEnvironment$1.3MScience & Tech$752kInternational$165kFood & Nutrition$160kCivil Rights$100kCommunity Improvement$100kPublic Benefit$50kOther$0
02FY2024 · 8 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • $10k–50k2 grants · $26k
  • $50k–250k4 grants · $310k
  • $250k+2 grants · $2.8M
$100,000
Median grant
5
States reached
$2.8M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
THE GAME CHANGERS FOUNDATION$2,350,000
WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION$410,500
VIRGIN UNITE USA INC$100,000
SUPPORT AND FEED INC$100,000
CENTER FOR ECOLOGICAL CONSCIOUSNESS$60,000
INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE INSTITUTE$50,000
ASIA INITIATIVES$15,000
ROYAL CANADIAN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY$11,292
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 (FY24–24, $15k) land where the poverty rate runs at 17%, 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%ASIA INITIATIVES: $15k → 17%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

WA
MN
MI
NY
MA
CA
VA
NM
DC
HI
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.
04

Where the work is directed

The same grants placed two ways: where each recipient sits, and where its stated purpose sends the money.

About 58% of Avatar Alliance Foundation’s grant dollars are earmarked for a different county than the recipient’s own address.

Avatar Alliance Foundationlessmore of its giving
Placed by recipient address · 11% directed abroad (not shown)
How this is measured
Recipient view: each grant at its grantee’s ZIP, mapped to a county. Directed view: each grant at the county its stated purpose names, falling back to the recipient’s county when the purpose names no place; US grants only. A county shows only if it carries the top 95% of that view’s dollars. Purposes are read from the funder’s own 990 grant descriptions.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

20%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$986k · 5 repeat orgs$4.1M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +32% since the first grant, against +14% for those funded once.

5 repeat relationships: 2 still active in FY2024, 3 since wound down; 6 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

5
15

Total granted

$986k
$1.4M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+32%
+14%

Still filing today

60%
67%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 14% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $2.7M went to new ones.

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

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

’17’18’19’21’22’23’24
EnvironmentScience & TechFood & NutritionArts & CultureAnimalsHuman ServicesOther
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

  • WH
    WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION
    2× · 2019–2024 · $461k · revenue +32%
  • BF
    BIOSPHERE FOUNDATION FORMERLY PLANETARY CORAL REEF FOUNDATION
    3× · 2017–2023 · $250k · revenue -38% · 56% of their budget
  • AW
    Amazon Watch Inc
    2× · 2018–2019 · $122k · revenue +148%

Funded once

  • NT
    NIA TERO FOUNDATIONgraduated
    one grant, 2023 · $500k · revenue +26%
  • HM
    HAWAII MARINE EDUCATION AND RESEARCH CENTERgraduated
    one grant, 2021 · $150k · revenue +377% · 51% of their budget
  • MO
    MUSEUM OF POP CULTURE
    one grant, 2021 · $150k
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
Conservation International Foundation

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

Environment
2
World Wildlife Fund Inc

Wwf's mission is to conserve nature and reduce the most pressing threats to the diversity of life on earth. (continued on schedule o)

Environment
3
Rainforest Foundation Inc

The purpose of rainforest foundation us is to support indigenous peoples and forest communities in their efforts to secure their lands, protect their environment, and uphold their rights.

Environment
4
Resource Renewal Institute

The resource renewal institute facilitates the creation, development and implementation of practical strategies to solve the entire complex environmental problem by addressing it comprehensively.

Environment
5
Rights and Resources Institute Inc

Rri's mission is to support local communities and indigenous peoples' struggles against poverty and marginalization by promoting greater global commitment and action towards policy, market, and legal reforms that secure their rights to…

Environment
6
The Nature Institute
—
7
Rainforest Trust

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

International
8
Intertribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council
—
9
California Institute of Environmental Studies

The institute is dedicated to scientific research, the results of which are used to promote public awareness and education in the areas of conservation biology and ecology,including the wise use of natural resources.

Animals
10
10000 Years Institute

10,000 Years Institute evaluates the ecological effects of human activities on natural environments, and promotes the maintenance and restoration of ecological integrity through the integration of reliable scientific information, sound…

Unclassified
11
Environment Now
—
12
California Institute for Biodiversity

Create and publish educational materials, conduct professional development, promote awareness, and sponsor research on the spectacular biological diversity of the State of CA.

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Biosphere Foundation Formerly Planetary Coral Reef Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Asia Initiatives. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
05the grantee network

19 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. 19 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.

4
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
4
Early backer (in before they grew)
18/19
Grantees still filing
10/19
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

GAME CHANGERS FOUNDATION INC: $2,350,000 · OtherGAME CHANGERS FOUNDATION INCMUSEUM OF POP CULTURE: $150,000 · OtherSTOCKHOLM RESILIENCE CENTRE: $135,000 · Other+11 more: $453,487 · Other+11 moreWOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION: $460,500 · Science & TechWOODS HOLE OCEANOG…BIOSPHERE FOUNDATION FORMERLY PLANETARY CORAL REEF FOUNDATION: $250,000 · Science & TechBIOSPHERE FOUNDATI…CARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON: $125,000 · Science & TechCARNEGIE INSTITUTI…NIA TERO FOUNDATION: $500,000 · EnvironmentNIA TERO FOUNDATI…HAWAII MARINE EDUCATION AND RESEARCH CENTER: $150,000 · EnvironmentHAWAII MARINE EDU…Amazon Watch Inc: $122,100 · EnvironmentAmazon Watch IncARCHANGEL ANCIENT TREE ARCHIVE: $50,000 · EnvironmentARCHANGEL ANCIENT…SUPPORT AND FEED INC: $100,000 · Food & NutritionCENTER FOR ECOLOGICAL CONSCIOUSNESS: $60,000 · Food & NutritionMYRIAD USA INC: $150,000 · InternationalAMERICAN INDIAN ACTION FUND INC: $100,000 · Civil RightsINDIGENOUS LANGUAGE INSTITUTE: $50,000 · Arts & Culture+1 more: $100 · Arts & Culture
Other$3,088,487Science & Tech$835,500Environment$822,100Food & Nutrition$160,000International$150,000Civil Rights$100,000Arts & Culture$50,100

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 budgetNIA TERO FOUNDATION: $500,000 over 1y, 1.9% of budgetWOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION: $460,500 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetBIOSPHERE FOUNDATION FORMERLY PLANETARY CORAL REEF FOUNDATION: $250,000 over 3y, 56% of budgetMYRIAD USA INC: $150,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetHAWAII MARINE EDUCATION AND RESEARCH CENTER: $150,000 over 1y, 51% of budgetCARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON: $125,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetAmazon Watch Inc: $122,100 over 2y, 4.2% of budgetSUPPORT AND FEED INC: $100,000 over 1y, 2.0% of budgetAMERICAN INDIAN ACTION FUND INC: $100,000 over 1y, 100% of budgetCENTER FOR ECOLOGICAL CONSCIOUSNESS: $60,000 over 1y, 76% of budgetINDIGENOUS LANGUAGE INSTITUTE: $50,000 over 1y, 12% of budgetARCHANGEL ANCIENT TREE ARCHIVE: $50,000 over 1y, 8.2% of budgetThe Center for Investigative Reporting Inc: $50,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetAFRICAN WILDLIFE FOUNDATION INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetAKASHINGA INC: $25,000 over 1y, 1.3% of budgetAsia Initiatives: $15,000 over 1y, 2.0% of budgetLOS ANGELES CLEANTECH INCUBATOR: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetLOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY FOUNDATION: $100 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.

Dalio Foundation IncSilicon Valley Commun…California Community …Gs Donor Advised Phil…Morgan Stanley Global…American Endowment Fo…National Philanthropi…American Online Givin…The Bank of America C…Vanguard Charitable E…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …
Dalio Foundation IncCT15.7× affinity5 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Dalio Foundation Inc · Silicon Valley Community Foundation · California Community Foundation · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · American Endowment Foundation · National Philanthropic Trust · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund

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

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%6%23%51%90%funder's share of their income ↑0%19%38%56%75%share of the org’s income from government →median 63%
  • Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: 63% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
1report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
1rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–75%
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 Avatar Alliance Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Avatar Alliance 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 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 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Avatar Alliance’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