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Ben Cohen Charitable Trust at a glance

· Private foundation

Ben Cohen Charitable Trust

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.

$3k
Granted FY2025still arriving
1
Grants FY2025still arriving
1
States reached
$3k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0192% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Philanthropy$7.5MCivil Rights$1.0MPublic Benefit$117kCommunity Improvement$90kArts & Culture$68kHuman Services$47kInternational$36kScience & Tech$20kOther$0
02FY2025 · 1 grant

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$3,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$406k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
WILLIAM TRIPPLEY YOUTH DEVELOPMENT FTD$3,000
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 (FY17–20, $26k) land where the poverty rate runs at 17%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 58% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%RESOURCES FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT: $5k → 22%CHANGING PERSPECTIVES INC: $10k → 10%RESOURCES FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INC: $10k → 22%CHANGING PERSPECTIVES: $1k → 10%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

VT
IL
NY
MA
PA
CT
RI
CA
MO
TN
DC
LA
TX
FL
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.

86%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.3M · 17 repeat orgs$207k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +50% since the first grant, against +14% for those funded once.

17 repeat relationships: 0 still active in FY2025, 17 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

17
33

Total granted

$1.3M
$204k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+50%
+14%

Still filing today

65%
55%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 0% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $3k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’19’20’21’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’19’20’21’25
EducationInternationalArts & CultureHealthHuman ServicesEnvironmentOther
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

  • PP
    PEOPLE POWER INITIATIVES INC
    4× · 2017–2021 · $966k · revenue +129% · 94% of their budget
  • PA
    PUBLIC ASSETS INSTITUTE INC
    2× · 2019–2020 · $80k · revenue +35%
  • URBAN AFFAIRS COALITION
    2× · 2020–2021 · $70k · revenue +68%

Funded once

  • RB
    RANDOLPH BOURNE INSTITUTE INC
    one grant, 2020 · $25k · revenue +14%
  • TC
    THE COMMON COUNSEL FDTN-M4BL FUND
    one grant, 2020 · $25k
  • IR
    INVESTIGATIVE REPORTERS & EDITORS INC
    one grant, 2019 · $25k · revenue +24%
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
Environmental Investigation Agency

To establish and promote programs to protect the global climate, forests, wildlife and the natural environment, through research, advocacy, and investigation.

International
3
The Union of Concerned Scientists Inc

The union of concerned scientists puts rigorous, independent science into action, developing solutions and advocating for a healthy, safe, and just future.

International
4
Global Impact Investing Network Inc

The global impact investing network, inc. is dedicated to increasing the scale and effectiveness of impact investing to solve systemic problems facing people and the planet. impact investments are investments made into companies,…

Philanthropy
5
The Rand Corporation

Help improve policy and decision making through research and analysis.

Public Benefit
6
Central Indiana Corporate Partnership Inc

Central indiana corporate partnership (cicp) is an alliance of indiana's business and research university leaders coming together to foster long-term prosperity for the region. cicp's mission is to transform the economy of indiana in order…

Community Improvement
7
Manhattan Institute for Policy Research Inc

The manhattan institute is a community of scholars, journalists, activists, and civic leaders dedicated to advancing opportunity, individual liberty, and the rule of law in america and its great cities.

Public Benefit
8
R Street Institute

The r street institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, public-policy research organization ("think tank"). our mission is to engage in policy research and outreach to promote free markets and limited, effective government. (continued on…

Education
9
Climate Catalyst Inc

Climate catalyst sparks collective action to tackle the biggest climate challenges we face today: cutting emissions in heavy industries.

Environment
10
Vermont Public Co

Vermont public informs, educates, and entertains through public service journalism and enlightening content rooted in vermont. our storytelling enriches lives and fosters community connection and understanding.

Arts & Culture
11
Center for International Policy Inc

The center for international policy is a woman-led, progressive, independent nonprofit center for research, education, and advocacy working to advance a more peaceful, just, and sustainable u.s. approach to foreign policy. through…

International
12
Partnership for Public Service Inc

Making our government work better is a daunting task, and we are a small organization seeking to transform a government that employs millions of civilians and manages trillions of dollars in taxpayer revenue needed to protect public…

Employment
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is People Power Initiatives Inc; the most unlike its peers is Times Up 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

33 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. 33 of the 52 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.

1
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
7
Early backer (in before they grew)
31/33
Grantees still filing
24/33
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

VANGUARD CHARITABLE ENDOWMENT PROGRAM: $7,550,000 · PhilanthropyVANGUARD CHARITABLE ENDOWMENT PROGRAM+1 more: $500 · PhilanthropyPEOPLE POWER INITIATIVES INC: $965,600 · Civil RightsPEOPLE POWER…URBAN AFFAIRS COALITION: $70,000 · OtherRIGHTS & DEMOCRACY ED FUND: $45,000 · OtherTHE COMMON COUNSEL FDTN-M4BL FUND: $25,000 · OtherVT JOURNALISM TR (VTDIGGER): $20,000 · OtherCOMMUNITY SOLUTIONS: $15,000 · Other+33 more: $158,962 · OtherPUBLIC ASSETS INSTITUTE INC: $80,250 · Public Benefit+1 more: $1,000 · Public BenefitINVESTIGATIVE REPORTERS & EDITORS INC: $25,000 · Arts & CultureJAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER INC: $6,075 · Arts & CultureFLYNN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS LTD: $2,000 · Arts & CultureRANDOLPH BOURNE INSTITUTE INC: $25,000 · InternationalFriends of the Congo: $6,000 · International+2 more: $2,000 · InternationalResources for Human Development Inc: $15,000 · Human ServicesCHANGING PERSPECTIVES: $11,000 · Human Services
Philanthropy$7,550,500Civil Rights$965,600Other$333,962Public Benefit$81,250Arts & Culture$33,075International$33,000Human Services$26,000

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: $7,550,000 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetPEOPLE POWER INITIATIVES INC: $965,600 over 4y, 94% of budgetPUBLIC ASSETS INSTITUTE INC: $80,250 over 2y, 15% of budgetURBAN AFFAIRS COALITION: $70,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetRANDOLPH BOURNE INSTITUTE INC: $25,000 over 1y, 5.0% of budgetINVESTIGATIVE REPORTERS & EDITORS INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetResources for Human Development Inc: $15,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetGREENPEACE INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPEOPLE'S ACTION INSTITUTE: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBEAUTIFUL TROUBLE INC: $10,000 over 1y, 2.9% of budgetEthical Society of Police: $10,000 over 1y, 5.9% of budgetJAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER INC: $6,075 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetFriends of the Congo: $6,000 over 2y, 2.4% of budgetWILLIAM TRIPPLEY YOUTH DEVELOPMENT FTD: $3,000 over 1y, 1.9% of budgetTimes Up Inc: $2,500 over 2y, 7.3% of budgetDRUG POLICY ALLIANCE: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCOMMUNITY SOLUTIONS INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFLYNN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS LTD: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTESSERACT RESEARCH CENTER INC: $1,512 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAMERICAN CONSTITUTION SOCIETY FOR LAW & POLICY: $1,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetVERMONT FOODBANK: $1,250 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNew Leaders Council: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetGROUNDS FOR HEALTH INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetAMNESTY INTERNATIONAL OF THE USA INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLET'S GROW KIDS INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSEVA FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF VERMONT: $1,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetLAKE CHAMPLAIN COMMUNITY SAILING CENTER INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetRHINO FOODS FOUNDATION INC: $500 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetLAKE CHAMPLAIN COMMITTEE INC: $350 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetFROG HOLLOW CRAFT ASSOC INC: $100 over 1y, 1.0% 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.

The Vermont Community…Ben & Jerry's Foundat…George W Mergens Foun…The Windham Foundatio…The San Francisco Fou…Boston Foundation IncTides FoundationGs Donor Advised Phil…Silicon Valley Commun…National Philanthropi…Vanguard Charitable E…Morgan Stanley Global…
The Vermont Community FoundationVT20.6× affinity8 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Vermont Community Foundation · Ben & Jerry's Foundation Inc · George W Mergens Foundation · The Windham Foundation Inc · The San Francisco Foundation · Boston Foundation Inc · Tides Foundation · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · Silicon Valley Community Foundation · National Philanthropic Trust · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust 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 Ben Cohen Charitable Trust funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Ben Cohen Charitable Trust. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 60%5%19%42%75%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 15%
  • Community Solutions Inc: 55% of income from government
  • Manna Soup Kitchen: 15% of income from government
  • Vermont Foodbank: 13% of income from government
  • Flynn Center for the Performing Arts Ltd: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
6get no government money at all
4report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
1rely 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 Ben Cohen Charitable Trust?

Find your warmest path to Ben Cohen Charitable Trust 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 52 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 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Ben Cohen’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