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Ben Silverman Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Ben Silverman 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.

$61k
Granted FY2025still arriving
6
Grants FY2025still arriving
4
States reached
$15k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0196% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Arts & Culture$280kInternational$117kEducation$107kReligion$80kRecreation & Sports$34kHealth$30kPhilanthropy$20kCivil Rights$20kOther$0
02FY2025 · 6 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k2 grants · $11k
  • $10k–50k4 grants · $50k
$10,000
Median grant
4
States reached
$528k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
US SKI & SNOWBOARD FOUNDATION$15,000
RYAN SEACREST FOUNDATION$15,000
CREATIVE COMMUNITY FOR PEACE'S$10,000
MERONA LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION$10,000
FRIENDS OF RODEPH SHOLOM SCHOOL$6,000
THE JEWISH GRAD ORGANIZATION$5,000
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 (FY24–24, $5k) land where the poverty rate runs at 20%, against an area that typically sits at 12%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 12%LA-ARETZ: $5k → 20%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.
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 67% of Ben Silverman Foundation’s grant dollars are earmarked for a different county than the recipient’s own address. By recipient address, 74% of the giving stays in CA; by stated purpose, 20%.

Ben Silverman Foundationlessmore of its giving
Placed by recipient address · 15% 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.

56%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$398k · 9 repeat orgs$315k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +41% since the first grant, against +1% for those funded once.

9 repeat relationships: 2 still active in FY2025, 7 since wound down; 4 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

9
29

Total granted

$398k
$265k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+41%
+1%

Still filing today

67%
41%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 18% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $50k 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
EducationPhilanthropyArts & CultureRecreation & SportsHuman ServicesInternationalOther
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

  • FRIENDS OF THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES
    3× · 2018–2020 · $46k · revenue +41%
  • AL
    ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE
    2× · 2020–2024 · $20k · revenue +48%
  • MW
    MACCABI WORLD UNION INC
    2× · 2018–2020 · $9k · revenue +100%

Funded once

  • IE
    ISRAEL EMERGENCY ALLIANCE DBA CREATIVE COMMUNITY F
    one grant, 2024 · $50k
  • TA
    THE ASPEN COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL INC
    one grant, 2024 · $25k · revenue +16%
  • BS
    BRENTWOOD SCHOOLgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $20k · revenue +42%
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
Artis Contemporary Israeli Art Fundinc

Artis is an independent nonprofit organization that supports contemporary artists from israel whose work addresses aesthetic, social and political questions to inspire reflection and debate. www.artis.art

Arts & Culture
2
Jewish Federation Council of Greater La

Based on jewish values, the jewish federation of greater los angeles convenes and leads the community and leverages its resources to assure the continuity of the jewish people, support a secure state of israel, care for jews in need here…

Philanthropy
3
The Jewish Museum

The mission of the jewish museum is to collect, preserve, exhibit and interpret art and jewish culture. see schedule o for more information.

Arts & Culture
4
Minneapolis Jewish Federation

Minneapolis jewish federation is a nonprofit organization that promotes a culture of philanthropy, leverages resources to meet local and global jewish needs, and facilitates community planning to ensure a thriving and secure future.

Philanthropy
5
Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles

We steward $1.5 billion in charitable assets through donor-advised funds, endowments, and other giving vehicles. partnering with 1,400 individuals, families, and organizations, we build enduring legacies and multigenerational impact. in…

Philanthropy
6
Irvine Hebrew Day School

Ihds utilizes a dual general and judaic studies curriculum. the judaic studies curriculum emphasizes the fundamentals of hebrew reading, writing and speaking, jewish history, holidays, jewish values, torah, the jewish life cycle, the land…

—
7
Dorot Foundation
Philanthropy
8
Us Middle East Project Inc

The organization's mission is to engage in non partisan analysis of u.s. foreign policy in the middle east, with special emphasis on the middle east peace process, and to present policymakers in the united states, in the region and in the…

International
9
Foundation Stone Institute Inc

To promote a positive relationship between catholics and israelis.

—
10
The Israel Innovation Fund Inc

Our vision is to reignite the zionist spirit and meet the needs of jewish civilization in the twenty-first century by connecting people around the world through the vibrancy and creativity of contemporary israeli culture.

Arts & Culture
11
Weizmann Institute of Science

The weizmann institute of science, located in rehovot, israel, is one of the worlds top-ranking, multidisciplinary research institutions. at any one time, several thousand scientists, staff and students are involved in hundreds of research…

Science & Tech
12
University of Southern California Hillel Foundation

To create an informed, celebratory and satisfying jewish community for students at the university of southern california, to deepen jewish identity through social, intellectual and spiritual participation, to offer diversified…

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is New York Foundation for the Arts Inc; the most unlike its peers is Rod Dedeaux Foundation. 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

21 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. 21 of the 42 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)
21/21
Grantees still filing
10/21
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

ISRAEL EMERGENCY ALLIANCE DBA CREATIVE COMMUNITY F: $50,000 · OtherISRAEL EMERGENCY ALLIANCE DBA CREATIVE COMMUNI…WILSHIRE BOULEVARD TEMPLE: $49,600 · OtherWILSHIRE BOULEVARD TEMPLETHE ASPEN COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL INC: $25,000 · OtherTHE ASPEN COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL INCCONGREGATION RODEPH SHOLOM: $20,000 · OtherCONGREGATION RODEPH SHOLOMFRIENDS OF THE ISAREL DEFENSE FORCES: $16,206 · OtherFRIENDS OF THE ISAREL DEFENSE FORCESLACMA: $14,120 · OtherCREATIVE COMMUNITY FOR PEACE'S: $10,000 · OtherTHE JEWISH GRAD ORGANIZATION: $10,000 · OtherAID COALITION: $10,000 · Other+16 more: $88,900 · Other+16 moreCORPORATION OF THE FINE ARTS MUSEUMS: $201,666 · Arts & CultureCORPORATION OF THE FINE ARTS MUSEUM…American Friends of Israel Philharmonic Orchestra: $19,850 · Arts & CultureAmerican Friends of Israel Philharm…+1 more: $5,000 · Arts & CultureFRIENDS OF RODEPH SHOLOM SCHOOL INC: $22,000 · EducationFRIENDS OF…BRENTWOOD SCHOOL: $20,000 · EducationBRENTWOOD …CROSSROADS SCHOOL FOR ARTS AND SCIENCES: $10,000 · EducationCROSSROADS…MERONA LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION: $10,000 · EducationMERONA LEA…JEWISH GRADUATE STUDENT INITIATIVE: $5,000 · EducationJEWISH GRA…FRIENDS OF THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES: $46,025 · InternationalRYAN SEACREST FOUNDATION INC: $15,000 · PhilanthropyTHE DISCOVERY LAND COMPANY FOUNDATION: $10,000 · PhilanthropyROD DEDEAUX FOUNDATION: $5,000 · PhilanthropyDAVID LYNCH FOUNDATION FOR CONSCIOUSNESS -BASED EDUCATION AND WORLD PEACE: $5,000 · PhilanthropyTHE MAYOR'S FUND FOR LOS ANGELES: $5,000 · PhilanthropyANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: $20,000 · Civil RightsUnited States Ski Team Foundation: $15,000 · Recreation & SportsUP2US INC: $5,000 · Recreation & Sports
Other$293,826Arts & Culture$226,516Education$67,000International$46,025Philanthropy$40,000Civil Rights$20,000Recreation & Sports$20,000

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

25%50%75%100%$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetCORPORATION OF THE FINE ARTS MUSEUMS: $201,666 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetFRIENDS OF THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES: $46,025 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetTHE ASPEN COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetFRIENDS OF RODEPH SHOLOM SCHOOL INC: $22,000 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: $20,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetBRENTWOOD SCHOOL: $20,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAmerican Friends of Israel Philharmonic Orchestra: $19,850 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetRYAN SEACREST FOUNDATION INC: $15,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetUnited States Ski Team Foundation: $15,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCROSSROADS SCHOOL FOR ARTS AND SCIENCES: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE DISCOVERY LAND COMPANY FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMACCABI WORLD UNION INC: $9,000 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetLA-ARETZ: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetUP2US INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetJEWISH GRADUATE STUDENT INITIATIVE: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetDAVID LYNCH FOUNDATION FOR CONSCIOUSNESS -BASED EDUCATION AND WORLD PEACE: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE MAYOR'S FUND FOR LOS ANGELES: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNEW YORK FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% 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.

Jewish Communal FundGs Donor Advised Phil…National Philanthropi…The Goldman Sachs Cha…Vanguard Charitable E…American Endowment Fo…Morgan Stanley Global…American Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Jewish Communal FundNY16.8× affinity7 shared granteesties to 10 of 10Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Jewish Communal Fund · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · The Goldman Sachs Charitable Gift Fund · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · American Endowment Foundation · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile Foundation

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

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%19%38%56%75%share of the org’s 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)
    0rely 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 Ben Silverman Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Ben Silverman 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 42 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 Silverman’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