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Benedict Silverman Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Benedict Silverman Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$2.6M
Granted FY2024still arriving
9
Grants FY2024still arriving
4
States reached
$2.0M
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0195% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2018 to 2024.

Education$13MFood & Nutrition$641kHuman Services$640kPublic Benefit$600kScience & Tech$105kArts & Culture$98kHousing & Shelter$61kEnvironment$10kOther$0
02FY2024 · 9 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • $10k–50k2 grants · $30k
  • $50k–250k6 grants · $582k
  • $250k+1 grant · $2.0M
$57,000
Median grant
4
States reached
$37M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
THE READING INSTITUTE$2,010,000
FUND FOR THE CITY OF NEW YORK$200,000
SOUTH ASIAN COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL SERVICES$125,000
ELIJAH'S PROMISE INC$100,000
IT TAKES A VILLAGE$57,000
CHALKBEAT$50,000
RIVERSIDE CHURCH$50,000
CANISIUS COLLEGE$18,337
GEORGIA GWINNETT COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC$11,471
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 (FY21–24, $640k) land where the poverty rate runs at 15%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%SOUTH ASIAN COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL SERVICES: $150k → 13%SOUTH ASIAN COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL SERVICES: $107k → 13%SOUTH ASIAN COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL SERVICES: $107k → 13%CHIPS: $150k → 20%SOUTH ASIAN COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL SERVICES: $125k → 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

IL
NY
OR
IA
PA
NJ
CT
CA
MD
TN
DC
GA
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.
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 6% of Benedict Silverman Foundation’s grant dollars are earmarked for a different county than the recipient’s own address. By recipient address, 87% of the giving stays in NY; by stated purpose, 63%.

Benedict Silverman Foundationlessmore of its giving
Placed by recipient address · 29% 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.

73%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$11M · 13 repeat orgs$4.1M to everyone else

13 repeat relationships: 8 still active in FY2024, 5 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

13
27

Total granted

$11M
$2.1M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+11%
+27%

Still filing today

92%
59%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 23% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $2.0M went to new ones.

50%100%’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
EducationArts & CultureFood & NutritionHuman ServicesPhilanthropyCivil RightsOther
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

  • RF
    Research Foundation of the City University of New York
    2× · 2022–2023 · $2.0M · revenue +29%
  • TC
    Teachers College Columbia University
    2× · 2018–2019 · $789k · revenue +11%
  • SA
    SOUTH ASIAN COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL SERVICES INC
    4× · 2021–2024 · $490k · revenue +69%

Funded once

  • SF
    SUCCESS FOR ALL FOUNDATION INC
    one grant, 2021 · $300k · revenue +25%
  • TC
    TEACHERS COLLEGE READING & WRITING PROJECT
    one grant, 2020 · $285k
  • TF
    THE FUND FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS INCgraduated
    one grant, 2021 · $185k · revenue +117%
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
Manhattanville University

To educate students to be ethical and socially responsible leaders in a global community.

Education
2
Point Park University

Provides innovative education in a dynamic urban setting. dedicated to academic excellence and community engagement,we prepare students of diverse backgrounds with the knowledge, skill,and experience to lead meaningful lives as informed…

—
3
University of New Haven

The University of New Haven is a student-centered comprehensive university with an emphasis on excellence in liberal arts and professional education. Our mission is to prepare our students to lead purposeful and fulfilling lives in a…

Education
4
Fordham University

Fordham university, the jesuit university of new york, is committed to the discovery of wisdom and the transmission of learning, through research and through education of the highest quality. for more information, see schedule o.

Education
5
The George Washington University

The mission of the george washington university (gw) is to educate individuals in liberal arts, languages, sciences, learned professions, and other courses and subjects of study, and to conduct scholarly research and publish the findings…

Education
6
Stony Brook Internists University Faculty Practice Corporation

Provide clinical instruction to and supervision of medical school students, interns and residents and, incident thereto, rendering professional services.

Health
7
Furman University

The primary mission of furman as a liberal arts institution is to provide a distinctive education in fine arts, humanities, social sciences, mathematics and the sciences, as well as selected professional disciplines.

Education
8
Long Island University

To provide excellence and access in private higher education to those who seek to expand their knowledge and prepare themselves for meaningful, educated lives and for service to their communities and the world.

—
9
Neurology Associates of Stony Brook University Faculty Practice Corp

Provide clinical instruction to and supervision of medical school students, interns and residents and, incident thereto, rendering professional services.

Health
10
Manhattan University

Manhattan university is an independent catholic instituion of higher learning that embraces qualified men and women of all faiths, cultures, and traditions. the mission of manhattan university is to provide a contemporary, person-centered…

Education
11
New York School of Interior Design

New york school of interior design provides the most innovative, immersive, and transformative interior design education in the world, demonstrating the impact of professionally designed interiors on the health, happiness, and well-being…

Education
12
Stony Brook Surgical Associates University Faculty Practice Corporation

Provide clinical instruction to and supervision of medical school students, interns and residents and, incident thereto, rendering professional services.

Health
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The Fund for Public Schools Inc; the most unlike its peers is It Takes a Village. 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

29 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. 29 of the 41 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.

3
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
5
Early backer (in before they grew)
29/29
Grantees still filing
20/29
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

LITERACY TRUST INC: $5,880,300 · OtherLITERACY TRUST INCTEACHERS COLLEGE READING & WRITING PROJECT: $284,880 · Other+16 more: $1,058,988 · Other+16 moreResearch Foundation of the City University of New York: $2,027,500 · EducationResearch Foundation of the City University of …THE READING INSTITUTE: $2,010,000 · EducationTHE READING INSTITUTETeachers College Columbia University: $789,250 · EducationTeachers College Columbia UniversitySUCCESS FOR ALL FOUNDATION INC: $300,000 · EducationJOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY: $250,000 · Education+8 more: $771,977 · Education+8 moreSOUTH ASIAN COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL SERVICES INC: $489,500 · Human ServicesCOMMUNITY HELP IN PARK SLOPE INC: $150,000 · Human ServicesFUND FOR THE CITY OF NEW YORK INC: $500,000 · PhilanthropyElijahs Promise Inc: $277,960 · Food & NutritionRETHINK FOOD NYC INC: $112,574 · Food & NutritionMARTHA'S TABLE INC: $50,000 · Food & NutritionVOICES OF OUR CITY CHOIR INC: $40,000 · Arts & CultureWASHINGTON ART ASSOCIATION INCORPORATED: $35,000 · Arts & CulturePILOBOLUS INC: $23,000 · Arts & CultureONE GENERATION AWAY: $50,000 · Civil Rights
Other$7,224,168Education$6,148,727Human Services$639,500Philanthropy$500,000Food & Nutrition$440,534Arts & Culture$98,000Civil Rights$50,000

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

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetLITERACY TRUST INC: $5,880,300 over 5y, 84% of budgetResearch Foundation of the City University of New York: $2,027,500 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetTHE READING INSTITUTE: $2,010,000 over 1y, 96% of budgetTeachers College Columbia University: $789,250 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetFUND FOR THE CITY OF NEW YORK INC: $500,000 over 4y, 0.3% of budgetSOUTH ASIAN COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL SERVICES INC: $489,500 over 4y, 4.6% of budgetSUCCESS FOR ALL FOUNDATION INC: $300,000 over 1y, 3.8% of budgetElijahs Promise Inc: $277,960 over 3y, 3.9% of budgetJOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY: $250,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE BROOKLYN COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC: $191,665 over 2y, 1.2% of budgetTHE FUND FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS INC: $185,484 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetIT TAKES A VILLAGE: $160,800 over 3y, 55% of budgetCOMMUNITY HELP IN PARK SLOPE INC: $150,000 over 1y, 7.8% of budgetSAINT JOSEPH'S UNIVERSITY: $137,298 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAMERICAN UNIVERSITY: $127,217 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetRETHINK FOOD NYC INC: $112,574 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetCIVIC NEWS COMPANY: $100,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetGEORGIA GWINNETT COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC: $71,356 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetCANISIUS UNIVERSITY: $69,664 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetGRAND VIEW UNIVERSITY: $65,916 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMARTHA'S TABLE INC: $50,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetONE GENERATION AWAY: $50,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetVOICES OF OUR CITY CHOIR INC: $40,000 over 1y, 6.0% of budgetWASHINGTON ART ASSOCIATION INCORPORATED: $35,000 over 1y, 9.0% of budgetPILOBOLUS INC: $23,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetHUNTS POINT ALLIANCE FOR CHILDREN: $12,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetSTEEP ROCK ASSOCIATION INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetTHE GO PROJECT INC: $8,861 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetANIMAL HAVEN INC: $2,625 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.

Robin Hood FoundationThe Wenden FoundationThe Kestrel FoundationJewish Communal FundThe Goldman Sachs Cha…Vanguard Charitable E…National Philanthropi…Charities Aid Foundat…Raymond James Charita…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…The Blackbaud Giving …Donor Advised Charita…
Robin Hood FoundationNY15.4× affinity5 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Robin Hood Foundation · The Wenden Foundation · The Kestrel Foundation · Jewish Communal Fund · The Goldman Sachs Charitable Gift Fund · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · National Philanthropic Trust · Charities Aid Foundation America · Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · Donor Advised Charitable Giving 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 Benedict Silverman Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Benedict Silverman Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%13%25%38%50%share of the org’s income from government →median 2%
  • Steep Rock Association Inc: 19% of income from government
  • Johns Hopkins University: 12% of income from government
  • Washington Art Association Incorporated: 2% of income from government
  • Elijahs Promise Inc: 1% of income from government
  • Pilobolus Inc: 1% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
1get no government money at all
5report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–50%
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 Benedict Silverman Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Benedict 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 41 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

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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