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Born This Way Foundation at a glanceAlso receives grants: funding profile →

· Public charity

Born This Way Foundation

BORN THIS WAY FOUNDATION empowers and inspires young people to build a kinder, braver world that supports their mental health.

$3.3M
Granted FY2024still arriving
25
Grants FY2024still arriving
17
States reached
$75k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0199% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Health$835kYouth Development$569kHuman Services$464kCivil Rights$429kEducation$255kArts & Culture$111kHousing & Shelter$92kEmployment$50kOther$0
02FY2024 · 25 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 25 grants below total $914,782, the rows itemized in this filing. The $3,314,098 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $2,399,316 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2024

  • $10k–50k17 grants · $454k
  • $50k–250k8 grants · $461k
$30,000
Median grant
17
States reached
$9.0M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
ALIENTO EDUCATION FUND$75,000
CENTERLINK$71,000
ART MENTORSHIP PROGRAM$60,000
#HALFTHESTORY$55,000
WE ARE FAMILY$50,000
HOPELAB FOUNDATION INC$50,000
THE LAUREL FOUNDATION$50,000
COR INC$50,000
LETTERS TO STRANGERS$40,000
TEENS4TEENSHELP$40,000
CENTRE LGBT$40,000
JOY AS RESISTANCE$34,700
SAD GIRLS CLUB$30,000
RYAN BARTEL FOUNDATION$30,000
SASHA BRUCE YOUTHWORK$25,842
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 (FY17–24, $615k) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 84% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%ALIENTO EDUCATION FUND: $75k → 11%PAY AWAY THE LAYAWAY INC: $8k → 14%RIGHT TO BE: $50k → 20%SASHA BRUCE YOUTHWORK: $26k → 14%STAND WITH TRANS: $20k → 8%YOUTH PASSAGEWAYS: $25k → 8%ART MENTORSHIP PROGRAM: $60k → 12%LIBERA INC: $20k → 19%SAM & DEVORAH FOUNDATION: $54k → 4%PROJECT 150: $10k → 13%GAY & LESBIAN COMMUNITY CENTER OF SOUTHERN NEVADA: $10k → 13%CHOOSE LOVE INC: $10k → 17%ALLIANCE FOR LGBTQ YOUTH: $35k → 15%IAMHOLDENON INC: $50k → 13%THE LAUREL FOUNDATION: $50k → 14%MIRY'S LIST: $50k → 14%HETRICK-MARTIN INSTITUTE: $10k → 17%CIVIC SUDS: $52k → 14%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
MI
NY
MA
OR
NV
PA
NJ
RI
CA
CO
NE
MO
WV
VA
AZ
SC
DC
AL
GA
TX
FL

Grants abroad, by region: $2.4M on the FY2024 return

Schedule F, as filed: 5 regions. The IRS asks for region and purpose, not the recipient, so no country or grantee can be named here.

East Asia and the Pacific$1.3M · 55% · 25 grants

Stated purpose: GENERAL SUPPORT

North America (Canada and Mexico)$354k · 15% · 2 grants

Stated purpose: COLLABORATING ON THE BE THERE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM · GENERAL SUPPORT

Sub-Saharan Africa$352k · 15% · 6 grants

Stated purpose: GENERAL SUPPORT

South America$186k · 8% · 5 grants

Stated purpose: GENERAL SUPPORT

Europe (including Iceland and Greenland)$171k · 7% · 5 grants

Stated purpose: GENERAL SUPPORT

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. Grants abroad on Schedule F are filed by region, purpose and amount with no recipient name, so they are shown by region and cannot be placed on the country map or matched to a grantee.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

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

31%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$874k · 4 repeat orgs$2.0M to everyone else

4 repeat relationships: 1 still active in FY2024, 3 since wound down; 24 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

4
34

Total granted

$874k
$1.1M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+6%
+27%

Still filing today

100%
91%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 8% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $844k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’21’22’23’24
Human ServicesHealthYouth DevelopmentCivil RightsEducationHousing & 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

  • NC
    NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
    4× · 2017–2023 · $295k · revenue +90%
  • D
    DONORSCHOOSEORG
    2× · 2018–2019 · $193k · revenue +1%
  • LAVENDER YOUTH RECREATION & INFORMATION CENTER INC LYRIC
    2× · 2022–2023 · $65k · revenue +6%

Funded once

  • SD
    Sam & Devorah Foundation For Trans Youthgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $54k · revenue +130%
  • MA
    MIDWEST ASIAN HEALTH ASSOCIATIONgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $53k · revenue +101%
  • CS
    Civic Suds Corporation
    one grant, 2022 · $52k · revenue +21% · 28% of their budget
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
Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center Inc

EMPOWERING LGBT PEOPLE, BUILDING STRONG COMMUNITY. NEW YORK CITY'S LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, & TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY CENTER EMPOWERS PEOPLE TO LEAD HEALTHY, SUCCESSFUL LIVES. The Center celebrates our community and advocates for justice and…

Human Services
2
The Attic Youth Center

The attic youth center creates opportunities for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (lgbtq) youth to develop into healthy, independent, civic-minded adults within a safe and supportive community, and promotes the…

Youth Development
3
Side By Side Va Inc

Side by side ensures virginia's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth an equal opportunity for success through access to support, education, and advocacy. side by side continues to be the only organization in the area…

Youth Development
4
Stonewall Youth

Stonewall Youth empowers LGBTQ2S+ youth to speak for themselves educate their communities support each other and work for social justice

Human Services
5
1N10 Inc

To provide support and resources for the local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (lgbtq) youth. to provide youth with life and leadership skills and the tools to improve self esteem and acceptance of who they are.

Civil Rights
6
The San Diego Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Community Center

The san diego lgbt community center enhances and sustains the health & well-being of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, transgender, nonbinary, immigrant, and hiv communities to the betterment of our entire san diego region.

Health
7
Covenant House Georgia Inc

Covenant house georgia provides shelters, protects and advocates on behalf of homeless, trafficked, runaway and sexually exploited youth.

—
8
Youth Mentoring Action Network

A youth organization that facilitates transformative MENTORING, EDUCATION, and WELLNESS opportunities for young people.

Education
9
Center for Youth Mental Health

The Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health exists to expand access to quality evidence-based youth mental health support as quickly as possible.

Health
10
Queer Works

Our mission is to ameliorate disparities faced by transgender, gender non-binary and intersex people as well as help reduce similar disparities among our lesbian, gay and bisexual communities.

Health
11
Genders & Sexualities Alliance Network Dba Gsa Network

To empower and train LGBTQ students and young people to organize and advocate for safe schools and healthy communities.

Civil Rights
12
The Young Women's Project

Ywp builds the leadership and power of young people so that they can transform dc institutions to expand rights and opportunities for dc youth. ywp programs engage youth on three levels - as peer educators, advocates, and employees - and…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Black Girls Smile Inc; the most unlike its peers is Hopelab Foundation 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

64 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)
12
Early backer (in before they grew)
62/64
Grantees still filing
41/64
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH: $295,328 · HealthNATIONAL COUNCIL FOR BEHAVIORAL HEA…HALFTHESTORY: $55,000 · HealthHALFTHESTORYMIDWEST ASIAN HEALTH ASSOCIATION: $52,527 · HealthMIDWEST ASIAN HEALTH ASSOCIATIONHopebound Mental Health: $50,000 · HealthHopebound Mental HealthOUR MINDS MATTER: $50,000 · HealthOUR MINDS MATTERADOLESCENT COUNSELING SERVICES: $50,000 · HealthADOLESCENT COUNSELING SERVICESHopelab Foundation Inc: $50,000 · HealthHopelab Foundation IncTEENS4TEENS HELP: $40,000 · HealthLetters to Strangers: $40,000 · HealthThe Montrose Center: $38,765 · HealthJOY AS RESISTANCE: $34,700 · HealthElyse Fox Club Inc: $30,000 · Health+5 more: $105,388 · Health+5 moreAliento Education Fund: $75,000 · Human ServicesAliento Education FundARTIST MENTORSHIP PROGRAM: $60,000 · Human ServicesARTIST MENTORSHIP PROGRA…Sam & Devorah Foundation For Trans Youth: $53,765 · Human ServicesSam & Devorah Foundation…Civic Suds Corporation: $51,980 · Human ServicesCivic Suds CorporationRIGHT TO BE INC: $50,000 · Human ServicesRIGHT TO BE INCCamp Laurel Foundation: $50,000 · Human ServicesCamp Laurel FoundationCONNECTED CONTENT INC: $50,000 · Human ServicesCONNECTED CONTENT INCMIRY'S LIST: $50,000 · Human ServicesMIRY'S LISTThe Alliance for LGBTQ Youth Inc: $35,000 · Human ServicesThe Alliance for LGBTQ Y…SASHA BRUCE YOUTHWORK INC: $25,842 · Human ServicesRestoring Lifeways: $25,000 · Human Services+7 more: $88,339 · Human Services+7 moreCENTERLINK INC: $321,000 · Civil RightsCENTERLINK INCWE ARE FAMILY: $50,000 · Civil RightsWE ARE FAMILYCentre LGBTQA Support Network: $40,000 · Civil RightsCentre LGBTQA Sup…Human Rights Alliance: $17,527 · Civil RightsDONORSCHOOSEORG: $192,910 · EducationDONORSCHOOSE…YOUNG AUDIENCES INC OF HOUSTON: $50,000 · EducationYOUNG AUDIEN…MIGHTY WRITERS: $50,000 · EducationMIGHTY WRITE…THE RYAN BARTEL FOUNDATION INC: $30,000 · EducationTHE RYAN BAR…LAVENDER YOUTH RECREATION & INFORMATION CENTER INC LYRIC: $65,027 · Youth DevelopmentLAVENDER YOU…CAFE MOMENTUM: $50,000 · Youth DevelopmentCAFE MOMENTU…GUITARS OVER GUNS ORGANIZATION INC: $50,000 · Youth DevelopmentGUITARS OVER…Girls Embracing Mothers Inc: $50,000 · Youth DevelopmentGirls Embrac…PROJECTQ: $50,000 · Youth DevelopmentPROJECTQCOR INC: $50,000 · Youth DevelopmentCOR INCBAGLY INC: $50,000 · OtherBAGLY INCBOARD OF REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA: $25,000 · OtherBOARD OF …NATIONAL YOUTH FOUNDATION: $20,000 · OtherNATIONAL …DAUGHTERS RISING INC: $18,240 · OtherDAUGHTERS…Individual grant recipient: $10,388 · OtherCOOPERATIVE DOWNTOWN MINISTRIES INC: $10,388 · OtherLOS ANGELES LGBT CENTER: $10,388 · OtherBERKS COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC: $25,000 · OtherBERKS COU…THE UNBREAKABLE ORGANIZATION INC: $15,000 · OtherTHE UNBRE…ALI FORNEY CENTER INC: $10,388 · OtherWANDA ALSTON FOUNDATION INC: $10,388 · OtherEXPLORING THE ARTS INC: $11,031 · OtherTRINITY COMMUNITY CONNECTION INC: $10,338 · OtherBREAKTIME UNITED INC: $50,000 · Employment
Health$891,708Human Services$614,926Civil Rights$428,527Education$322,910Youth Development$315,027Other$226,549Employment$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 budgetCENTERLINK INC: $321,000 over 2y, 7.2% of budgetNATIONAL COUNCIL FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH: $295,328 over 4y, 0.4% of budgetDONORSCHOOSEORG: $192,910 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetAliento Education Fund: $75,000 over 1y, 3.5% of budgetLAVENDER YOUTH RECREATION & INFORMATION CENTER INC LYRIC: $65,027 over 2y, 1.0% of budgetARTIST MENTORSHIP PROGRAM: $60,000 over 1y, 9.2% of budgetHALFTHESTORY: $55,000 over 1y, 2.5% of budgetSam & Devorah Foundation For Trans Youth: $53,765 over 1y, 24% of budgetMIDWEST ASIAN HEALTH ASSOCIATION: $52,527 over 1y, 1.8% of budgetCivic Suds Corporation: $51,980 over 1y, 28% of budgetCAFE MOMENTUM: $50,000 over 1y, 1.4% of budgetRIGHT TO BE INC: $50,000 over 1y, 1.0% of budgetCamp Laurel Foundation: $50,000 over 1y, 5.0% of budgetGUITARS OVER GUNS ORGANIZATION INC: $50,000 over 1y, 1.5% of budgetCONNECTED CONTENT INC: $50,000 over 1y, 24% of budgetYOUNG AUDIENCES INC OF HOUSTON: $50,000 over 1y, 3.2% of budgetHopebound Mental Health: $50,000 over 1y, 12% of budgetOUR MINDS MATTER: $50,000 over 1y, 7.0% of budgetGirls Embracing Mothers Inc: $50,000 over 1y, 5.5% of budgetADOLESCENT COUNSELING SERVICES: $50,000 over 1y, 2.4% of budgetPROJECTQ: $50,000 over 1y, 5.2% of budgetMIGHTY WRITERS: $50,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetHopelab Foundation Inc: $50,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetWE ARE FAMILY: $50,000 over 1y, 6.9% of budgetBREAKTIME UNITED INC: $50,000 over 1y, 1.1% of budgetBAGLY INC: $50,000 over 1y, 1.9% of budgetCOR INC: $50,000 over 1y, 6.4% of budgetTEENS4TEENS HELP: $40,000 over 1y, 19% of budgetLetters to Strangers: $40,000 over 1y, 11% of budgetCentre LGBTQA Support Network: $40,000 over 1y, 17% of budgetThe Montrose Center: $38,765 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetThe Alliance for LGBTQ Youth Inc: $35,000 over 1y, 5.9% of budgetJOY AS RESISTANCE: $34,700 over 1y, 4.6% of budgetTHE RYAN BARTEL FOUNDATION INC: $30,000 over 1y, 4.3% of budgetSASHA BRUCE YOUTHWORK INC: $25,842 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetErikas Lighthouse A Beacon of Hope for Adolescent Depression: $25,000 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetBLACK GIRLS SMILE INC: $25,000 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetBERKS COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetRestoring Lifeways: $25,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetDIDI HIRSCH PSYCHIATRIC SERVICE: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetStand With Trans: $20,000 over 1y, 4.0% of budgetYOUTH PRIDE INC: $20,000 over 1y, 2.2% of budgetLibera Inc: $20,000 over 1y, 2.0% of budgetHuman Rights Alliance: $17,527 over 1y, 7.9% of budgetEXPLORING THE ARTS INC: $11,031 over 1y, 1.0% of budgetCOOPERATIVE DOWNTOWN MINISTRIES INC: $10,388 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetLOS ANGELES LGBT CENTER: $10,388 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetALI FORNEY CENTER INC: $10,388 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.

Centerlink IncTides FoundationPanorama GlobalHopewell FundRockefeller Philanthr…East Bay Community Fo…New Profit IncAIDS Healthcare Found…Horizons FoundationBroadway Caresequity …Enterprise Holdings F…The Gap Foundation
Centerlink IncFL23.8× affinity9 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Centerlink Inc · Tides Foundation · Panorama Global · Hopewell Fund · Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Inc · East Bay Community Foundation · New Profit Inc · AIDS Healthcare Foundation · Horizons Foundation · Broadway Caresequity Fights AIDS Inc · Enterprise Holdings Foundation · The Gap 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 Born This Way Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Born This Way Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%2%8%17%30%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 2%
  • Bagly Inc: 39% of income from government
  • Centerlink Inc: 12% of income from government
  • Artist Mentorship Program: 2% of income from government
  • Breaktime United Inc: 1% of income from government
  • Guitars Over Guns Organization Inc: 1% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
1get no government money at all
10report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely 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 Born This Way Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Born This Way 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 63 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 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

Play a game based on Born This Way’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