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Better Future Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Better Future 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.

$112k
Granted FY2025still arriving
14
Grants FY2025still arriving
4
States reached
$50k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its fieldRead
04Through 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, FY2023 to 2025.

Human Services$171kPhilanthropy$75kArts & Culture$20kEducation$14kCommunity Improvement$10kScience & Tech$8kHealth$5k
02FY2025 · 14 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k11 grants · $41k
  • $10k–50k2 grants · $21k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $50k
$5,000
Median grant
4
States reached
$3.8M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
HEALTHY AGING VILLAGES FOR ALL$50,000
LAMORINDA VILLAGE INC$10,600
VILLAGE TO VILLAGE NETWORK LLC$10,000
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY FOUNDATION$6,000
CHABOT SPACE & SCIENCE CENTER FOUNDATION$5,000
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF WIGMORE HALL INC$5,000
CHAMBER MUSIC SAN FRANCISCO$5,000
PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC$5,000
CENTER FOR INQUIRY INC$2,500
FRIENDS OF THE ORINDA LIBRARY INC$2,500
CALIFORNIA COUNCIL ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY$2,500
GLYNDEBOURNE AMERICA INC$2,500
ORINDA NETWORK FOR EDUCATION$2,500
FOUNDATION FOR CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES$2,500
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 (FY24–25, $171k) land where the poverty rate runs at 10%, against an area that typically sits at 9%. 88% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 9%LAMORINDA VILLAGE INC: $11k → 9%HEALTHY AGING VILLAGES FOR ALL: $100k → 11%WASHINGTON AREA VILLAGES EXCHANGE: $10k → 6%HEALTHY AGING VILLAGES FOR ALL: $50k → 11%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 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
Uc Santa Barbara Foundation

The uc santa barbara foundation actively works to further the goals of the university of california, santa barbara. the foundation seeks to maintain and nurture the university's quality and distinction. on behalf of the campus, the…

Education
2
Ucla Foundation

The ucla foundation is the giving, receiving, and investing arm of the ucla campus. the foundation enables private donors to help build, sustain and advance one of the world's finest academic and research institutions. private philanthropy…

Education
3
The Uc Davis Foundation

The mission of the uc davis foundation is to secure, steward and manage private gifts for uc davis.

Education
4
California Institute for BioMedical Research

Our mission is to build a unique institute that bridges basic research and drug discovery, and that attracts the best and brightest scientists, physicians and students to work together synergistically to find cures for neglected human…

—
5
Carmel Bach Festival Inc

Carmel Bach Festival offers innovative artistic programming across all concerts, off-season activities to expand access outside Carmel and the Monterey Peninsula, and is taking strategic risks to cultivate younger and more diverse…

Arts & Culture
6
Ucsf Foundation Investment Company

The organization provides professional investment management services for endowed gifts and financial assets entrusted to the ucsf foundation.

Education
7
California Ocean Science Trust

California ocean science trust (ost) is a non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating progress towards a healthy and productive ocean future for california. created by state legislation, ost bridges the gap between cutting-edge…

Environment
8
Berkeley Lab Foundation

To support the scientific and educational purposes of the regents of the university of california (the "university"), in its specific capacity as manager and operator of the lawrence berkeley national laboratory and to carry on other…

Education
9
California Forward

Ca fwd drives action to identify solutions that can be taken to scale to meet the challenges the state is facing. the organization is driven by the belief that regional solutions across the state will help ensure economic, environmental,…

Public Benefit
10
The American Institute of Architects California

The AIA California, in collaboration with local components, is the voice of the architectural profession.

—
11
Uc Riverside Foundation

To support educational, research and public functions and programs of the riverside campus of the university of california.

Education
12
University of California San Francisco Foundation

Organization's mission ====================== the university of california, san francisco(ucsf) is among the world's leading universities dedicated to advancing health worldwide through biomedical research, graduate-level education in the…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Friends of the Orinda Library Inc; the most unlike its peers is American Friends of Wigmore Hall 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

16 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.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

1
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
3
Early backer (in before they grew)
16/16
Grantees still filing
6/16
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Healthy Aging Villages for All: $150,000 · Human ServicesHealthy Aging Villages for AllLAMORINDA VILLAGE INC: $10,600 · Human ServicesLAMORINDA VILLAGE INCWASHINGTON AREA VILLAGES EXCHANGE: $10,000 · Human ServicesWASHINGTON AREA VILLAGES EXCHANGEFIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND: $75,000 · Community ImprovementFIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITA…CHAMBER MUSIC SAN FRANCISCO: $10,000 · Arts & CultureAMERICAN FRIENDS OF WIGMORE HALL INC: $5,000 · Arts & CultureCENTER FOR INQUIRY INC: $2,500 · Arts & CultureGLYNDEBOURNE AMERICA INC CO THE LAW OFFICES OF RICHARD M BLOCK: $2,500 · Arts & CultureVillage to Village Network Inc: $10,000 · Housing & ShelterUNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY FOUNDATION: $6,000 · EducationFOUNDATION FOR CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES: $2,500 · EducationCHABOT SPACE & SCIENCE CENTER FOUNDATION: $5,000 · Science & TechCalifornia Council on Science and Techno logy: $2,500 · Science & TechPLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC: $5,000 · HealthORINDA NETWORK FOR EDUCATION: $2,500 · OtherFRIENDS OF THE ORINDA LIBRARY INC: $2,500 · Other
Human Services$170,600Community Improvement$75,000Arts & Culture$20,000Housing & Shelter$10,000Education$8,500Science & Tech$7,500Health$5,000Other$5,000

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 budgetHealthy Aging Villages for All: $150,000 over 2y, 89% of budgetFIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND: $75,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLAMORINDA VILLAGE INC: $10,600 over 1y, 2.7% of budgetVillage to Village Network Inc: $10,000 over 1y, 4.2% of budgetWASHINGTON AREA VILLAGES EXCHANGE: $10,000 over 1y, 11% of budgetCHAMBER MUSIC SAN FRANCISCO: $10,000 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY FOUNDATION: $6,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCHABOT SPACE & SCIENCE CENTER FOUNDATION: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCENTER FOR INQUIRY INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFOUNDATION FOR CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetORINDA NETWORK FOR EDUCATION: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFRIENDS OF THE ORINDA LIBRARY INC: $2,500 over 1y, 2.5% 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.

Gordon E and Betty I …East Bay Community Fo…Vanguard Charitable E…Morgan Stanley Global…National Philanthropi…The Bank of America C…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …American Online Givin…Amazonsmile Foundation
Gordon E and Betty I Moore FoundationCA13.2× affinity4 shared granteesties to 9 of 9Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation · East Bay Community Foundation · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · 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 Better Future Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Better Future Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%6%23%51%90%funder's share of their income ↑0%5%10%15%20%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get no government money at all
    2report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–20%
    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.
    04Through Plinth

    Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

    How do I get to Better Future Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Better Future 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 16 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 Better Future’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