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Bobo Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Bobo 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.

$106k
Granted FY2025still arriving
8
Grants FY2025still arriving
3
States reached
$56k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0198% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2021 to 2025.

Human Services$203kArts & Culture$120kHousing & Shelter$46kCommunity Improvement$40kHealth$16kEducation$10kPhilanthropy$10kAnimals$5kOther$0
02FY2025 · 8 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k5 grants · $22k
  • $10k–50k2 grants · $28k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $56k
$5,000
Median grant
3
States reached
$482k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES$55,745
SEATTLE ART MUSEUM$14,366
TELLURIDE FILM FESTIVAL$14,050
DUNGHUANG FOUNDATION$5,000
CANCER LIFELINE$5,000
Individual grant recipient$5,000
STOLEN YOUTH$5,000
COPPER CANYON PRESS$1,500
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 (FY21–25, $215k) land where the poverty rate runs at 9%, against an area that typically sits at 7%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 7%JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES: $56k → 9%HELPLINE HOUSE: $3k → 10%LOPEZ ISLAND FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER: $1k → 10%JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES: $55k → 9%LOPEZ ISLAND FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER: $500 → 10%JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES: $30k → 9%JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES: $15k → 9%LOPEZ ISLAND FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER: $500 → 10%JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES: $10k → 9%YOUTHCARE: $15k → 9%YOUTHCARE: $15k → 9%YOUTHCARE: $15k → 9%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 grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

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

92%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$420k · 12 repeat orgs$37k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +19% since the first grant, against +16% for those funded once.

12 repeat relationships: 6 still active in FY2025, 6 since wound down; 2 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

12
13

Total granted

$420k
$31k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+19%
+16%

Still filing today

83%
85%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 94% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $7k went to new ones.

50%100%’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’21’22’23’24’25
Human ServicesArts & CultureHealthAnimalsCommunity ImprovementHousing & ShelterOther
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

  • JF
    JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE
    5× · 2021–2025 · $166k · revenue +51%
  • SA
    SEATTLE ART MUSEUM
    5× · 2021–2025 · $72k · revenue +13%
  • HS
    HEARING SPEECH AND DEAFNESS CENTER DBA HEARING SPEECH AND DEAF CENTER
    2× · 2021–2024 · $6k · revenue +33%

Funded once

  • UO
    UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2023 · $10k · revenue +10%
  • T
    TREEHOUSE
    one grant, 2023 · $5k · revenue -10%
  • WP
    WOODLAND PARK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETYgraduated
    one grant, 2021 · $5k · revenue +30%
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
Great Peninsula Conservancy

Preserve in perpetuity the natural habitats, rural landscapes, and open spaces of the great peninsula of washington's puget sound.

Environment
2
Cowiche Canyon Conservancy

Protecting our shrub-steppe and connecting people to this vanishing landscape.

—
3
Friends of Seattle Waterfront

To bring people, communities, and resources together to ensure waterfront park thrives as a vibrant gathering space - uplifting locals, fostering connections and honoring seattle's natural beauty and stories.

Community Improvement
4
The Humane Society for Seattleking County

Seattle humane promotes the human-animal bond by saving and serving pets in need, regardless of age, ability, circumstance or geography.

Animals
5
Highline Medical Center Foundation

Highline Medical Center Foundation brings our community together to support exceptional health care, close to home, for all who need it. Thanks to the generosity of our caring neighbors and friends, we help ensure that St Anne Hospital has…

Health
6
Whatcom Land Trust

The mission of the Whatcom Land Trust is to preserve and protect wildlife habitat, scenic, agricultural and open space lands in Whatcom County for future generations by securing interests in land and promoting land stewardship.

Environment
7
Bainbridge Island Museum of Art

Bainbridge island museum of art (bima) inspires curiosity, wonder and understanding by connecting people with the contemporary art and craft of the puget sound region.

Arts & Culture
8
Artist Trust

Artist Trust supports the livelihoods of artists working in all disciplines to create a more vibrant and equitable Washington State.

Arts & Culture
9
Puget Sound Restoration Fund

To restore habitat, water quality and native species in the puget sound

Environment
10
Museum of Northwest Art

The museum of northwest art collects, preserves, interprets and exhibits art created in the pacific northwest, supports artists, and strives to integrate art into the lives of all people. the museum is free and open to the public seven…

Arts & Culture
11
Fsc I&P

Fsc i&p promotes environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world's forests. this mission aligns with the forest stewardship council (fsc), its network of offices, and other organizations.…

Philanthropy
12
Peninsula Community Health Services of Alaska

Strengthening the community by providing accessible and affordable health care.

Health
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Seattle Art Museum; the most unlike its peers is Charles & Emma Frye Free Public Art Museum. 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

22 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. 22 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.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
3
Early backer (in before they grew)
22/22
Grantees still filing
14/22
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE: $165,849 · Human ServicesJEWISH FAMILY SERVICEYOUTHCARE: $45,000 · Human ServicesYOUTHCAREEverstrong Prevention: $27,500 · Human ServicesEverstrong Prevention+2 more: $4,500 · Human ServicesSEATTLE ART MUSEUM: $71,830 · Arts & CultureSEATTLE ART MUSEUM+2 more: $4,000 · Arts & CultureTELLURIDE FILM FESTIVAL: $41,200 · OtherTELLURIDE FILM F…DUNGHUANG FOUNDATION: $10,000 · OtherDUNGHUANG FOUNDA…Individual grant recipient: $5,000 · OtherIndividual grant…CHARLES & EMMA FRYE FREE PUBLIC ART MUSEUM: $2,607 · OtherTREEHOUSE: $5,000 · OtherTREEHOUSE+7 more: $4,000 · Other+7 morePIKE PLACE MARKET FOUNDATION: $40,000 · Community ImprovementPIKE PLAC…CANCER LIFELINE: $7,500 · HealthHEARING SPEECH AND DEAFNESS CENTER DBA HEARING SPEECH AND DEAF CENTER: $5,500 · HealthSEATTLE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: $2,500 · HealthUNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON FOUNDATION: $10,000 · EducationWOODLAND PARK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY: $5,000 · AnimalsALASKA RAPTOR REHABILITATION CENTER: $250 · Animals
Human Services$242,849Arts & Culture$75,830Other$67,807Community Improvement$40,000Health$15,500Education$10,000Animals$5,250

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 budgetJEWISH FAMILY SERVICE: $165,849 over 5y, 0.3% of budgetSEATTLE ART MUSEUM: $71,830 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetYOUTHCARE: $45,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetPIKE PLACE MARKET FOUNDATION: $40,000 over 3y, 0.5% of budgetEverstrong Prevention: $27,500 over 5y, 1.2% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCANCER LIFELINE: $7,500 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetHEARING SPEECH AND DEAFNESS CENTER DBA HEARING SPEECH AND DEAF CENTER: $5,500 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetTREEHOUSE: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWOODLAND PARK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCHARLES & EMMA FRYE FREE PUBLIC ART MUSEUM: $2,607 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetHELPLINE HOUSE: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetNORTHWEST AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSEATTLE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLOPEZ ISLAND FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER: $2,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetCOPPER CANYON PRESS: $1,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetFRIENDS OF ALTA INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetCatherine Washburn Medical Association: $1,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetFRIENDS OF THE SAN JUANS: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLOPEZ COMMUNITY LAND TRUST: $500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE SAN JUAN PRESERVATION TRUST: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetALASKA RAPTOR REHABILITATION CENTER: $250 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.

Seattle FoundationThe Norcliffe Foundat…Mightycause Charitabl…Gs Donor Advised Phil…The US Charitable Gif…Baird Foundation IncMorgan Stanley Global…Gorder Family Foundat…Jewish Federation of …Apex FoundationMoccasin Lake Foundat…Artsfund
Seattle FoundationWA25.8× affinity11 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Seattle Foundation · The Norcliffe Foundation · Mightycause Charitable Foundation · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · The US Charitable Gift Trust · Baird Foundation Inc · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Gorder Family Foundation · Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle · Apex Foundation · Moccasin Lake Foundation · Artsfund

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 Bobo Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Bobo 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%13%25%38%50%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    8report 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 Bobo Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Bobo 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 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Bobo’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