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Bradford M Freeman Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Bradford M Freeman 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.

$494k
Granted FY2021
15
Grants FY2021
5
States reached
$300k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead

Read this first · the figures below need context

63% of Bradford M Freeman Foundation’s FY2024 grant dollars went to The Board Of Trustees Of The Leland Stanford Junior University, not to grantees.

Its money now reaches organizations through that sponsor, which does not report who recommended each grant. FY2024 names 3 organizations directly, so a portfolio cannot be read from it. Everything below is therefore FY2021, the last year Bradford M Freeman Foundation named its own grantees at scale: 7 organizations, $494k. It is dated, not current.

Organizations named directly on the return

15
’17
8
’18
8
’19
6
’20
7
’21
4
’22
5
’23
3
’24

Amber years are those where most dollars went to a sponsor.

01What it funds
0197% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Education$11MPublic Benefit$9.1MPhilanthropy$3.0MAnimals$1.0MArts & Culture$781kInternational$132kHealth$120kRecreation & Sports$103kOther$0
02FY2021 · 15 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2021

  • Under $10k7 grants · $7k
  • $10k–50k6 grants · $137k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $50k
  • $250k+1 grant · $300k
$10,000
Median grant
5
States reached
$41M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF THE PRESIDENCY AND CONGRESS$300,000
UC REGENTS FOR DR MING GUO$50,000
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CA (BRENOT)$42,000
FM AREA FDN$25,000
CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY$25,000
BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF LONG BEACH$25,000
EMBRACE$10,000
NATIONAL MUSEUMS OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION$10,000
THE LA FIRE DEPARTMENT SCHOLARSHIP FUND$2,500
SCGA JUNIOR GOLF FOUNDATION$2,000
BRENTWOOD CORAL TREE ENDOWMENT$1,000
MARLBOROUGH SCHOOL$1,000
GACKLE ND PARK DISTRICT$500
DELTA WATERFOWL FOUNDATION$250
DUCKS UNLIMITED INC$100
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 (FY23–24, $20k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%UNITED IN HARMONY: $10k → 14%UNITED IN HARMONY: $10k → 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

MT
ND
MN
NY
MA
CA
CO
VA
AZ
TN
NC
DC
LA
TX
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.

50%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$7.5M · 21 repeat orgs$7.4M to everyone else

21 repeat relationships: 7 still active in FY2021, 14 since wound down; 17 grantees were first funded in FY2021 (too recent to call). Read against FY2021, the last year this funder named its own grantees directly; its giving has since run through a sponsor, which reports no donor behind each grant.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

21
20

Total granted

$7.5M
$1.3M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+26%
+28%

Still filing today

67%
65%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 0% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $2.9M went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
EducationArts & CultureInternationalAnimalsPhilanthropyHealthOther
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

  • SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
    3× · 2018–2023 · $750k · revenue +30%
  • CF
    CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF THE PRESIDENCY & CONGRESS
    6× · 2017–2023 · $560k · revenue +26%
  • CS
    CROSSROADS SCHOOL FOR ARTS AND SCIENCES
    2× · 2017–2019 · $82k · revenue +24%

Funded once

  • TN
    THE NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY
    one grant, 2017 · $1.0M
  • C
    CAREMESSAGEgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $100k · revenue +213%
  • GH
    GLOBAL HEALTH CORPS INC
    one grant, 2017 · $40k · revenue -23%
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
United States Naval Institute

Provide an independent forum for those who dare to read, think, speak, and write to advance the professional, literary, and scientific understanding of sea power and other issues critical to global security.

—
2
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The mission of mit is to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century.

Education
3
Boston Architectural College

The bac is committed to provide excellence in design education grounded in practice and accessible to diverse communities.

—
4
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
5
Institute for Advanced Study - Louis Bamberger & Mrs Felix Fuld Foundation

The institute for advanced study (the institute) is one of the world's leading centers for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. see schedule o.

Science & Tech
6
Pacific University

A diverse and sustainable learning community dedicated to discovery and excellence in teaching, scholarship and practice, pacific university inspires students to think, care, create and pursue justice in our world.

Education
7
DePauw University

Depauw university develops leaders the world needs through an uncommon commitment to the liberal arts. depauw's diverse and inclusive learning and living experience, distinctive in its rigorous intellectual engagement and its global and…

Education
8
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
9
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
10
President and Fellows of Harvard College

Undergraduate, graduate, and professional education and research across a broad array of academic domains.

Education
11
Occidental College

See schedule othe mission of occidental college is to provide a gifted and diverse group of students with a total educational experience of the highest quality - one that prepares them for leadership in an increasingly complex,…

Education
12
Lehigh University

The university's goal in the coming decade is to advance learning through the integration of teaching, research and service to others. the core of this goal is to prepare graduates to engage with the world and lead lives of meaning. to do…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Ucla Foundation; the most unlike its peers is The L a Fire Department Scholarship Fund. 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

35 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. 35 of the 62 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)
9
Early backer (in before they grew)
35/35
Grantees still filing
25/35
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY: $10,015,778 · EducationTHE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSIT…THE GEORGE AND BARBARA BUSH FOUNDATION: $2,938,761 · EducationTHE GEORGE AND BARBARA BUSH FOUNDATION+14 more: $608,714 · EducationGEORGE BUSH PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY: $5,493,000 · OtherGEORGE BUSH PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARYBUSH FOUNDATION: $3,000,000 · OtherBUSH FOUNDATIONTHE NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY: $1,000,000 · OtherTHE NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETYCENTER FOR THE STUDY OF THE PRESIDENCY & CONGRESS: $560,000 · Other+28 more: $552,815 · OtherSMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION: $750,000 · Arts & Culture+3 more: $6,000 · Arts & CultureEMBRACE GLOBAL: $35,000 · InternationalPACIFIC COUNCIL ON INTERNATIONAL POLICY: $30,000 · InternationalLOS ANGELES WORLD AFFAIRS COUNCIL AND TOWN HALL: $6,000 · International+1 more: $1,000 · InternationalGLOBAL HEALTH CORPS INC: $40,000 · HealthFARGO-MOORHEAD AREA FOUNDATION CORPORATION: $25,000 · PhilanthropyPebble Beach Company Foundation: $3,900 · PhilanthropyMAX S BAUCUS INSTITUTE: $1,000 · PhilanthropyTHRIVE ANIMAL RESCUE INC: $25,000 · Animals+1 more: $250 · Animals
Education$13,563,253Other$10,605,815Arts & Culture$756,000International$72,000Health$40,000Philanthropy$29,900Animals$25,250

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 budgetTHE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY: $10,015,778 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetTHE GEORGE AND BARBARA BUSH FOUNDATION: $2,938,761 over 1y, 17% of budgetSMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION: $750,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetCENTER FOR THE STUDY OF THE PRESIDENCY & CONGRESS: $560,000 over 6y, 14% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: $171,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetTHE RONALD REAGAN PRESIDENTIAL FOUNDATION AND INSTITUTE: $100,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetCAREMESSAGE: $100,000 over 1y, 2.3% of budgetCROSSROADS SCHOOL FOR ARTS AND SCIENCES: $82,389 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetCHAPMAN UNIVERSITY: $50,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetHARVARD-WESTLAKE SCHOOL: $45,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetGLOBAL HEALTH CORPS INC: $40,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetEMBRACE GLOBAL: $35,000 over 2y, 3.2% of budgetPACIFIC COUNCIL ON INTERNATIONAL POLICY: $30,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF DENVER: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF LONG BEACH: $25,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetTHRIVE ANIMAL RESCUE INC: $25,000 over 1y, 9.7% of budgetFARGO-MOORHEAD AREA FOUNDATION CORPORATION: $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetUNITED IN HARMONY: $20,000 over 2y, 1.2% of budgetTHE LIBRARY FOUNDATION OF LOS ANGELES: $10,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetUCLA FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetLOS ANGELES WORLD AFFAIRS COUNCIL AND TOWN HALL: $6,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetTHE L A FIRE DEPARTMENT SCHOLARSHIP FUND: $5,000 over 2y, 1.3% of budgetTHE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MUSEUM INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTURNING POINT USA INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMARLBOROUGH SCHOOL: $4,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetPebble Beach Company Foundation: $3,900 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetCURRIKI: $3,825 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetHARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL ASSOCIATION OF SO CAL SCHOLARSHIP FND 14-090259: $1,000 over 1y, 2.3% of budgetBRENTWOOD SCHOOL: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCOMMON HOPE: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDucks Unlimited Inc: $785 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetNAVY SEAL FOUNDATION INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTWO EAST SIXTY-SECOND STREET FOUNDATION: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDelta Waterfowl Foundation: $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.

American Endowment Fo…The Goldman Sachs Cha…Silicon Valley Commun…National Philanthropi…The Ralph M Parsons F…Gs Donor Advised Phil…Morgan Stanley Global…California Community …The Chicago Community…Charities Aid Foundat…The Bank of America C…Vanguard Charitable E…
American Endowment FoundationOH14.9× affinity12 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: American Endowment Foundation · The Goldman Sachs Charitable Gift Fund · Silicon Valley Community Foundation · National Philanthropic Trust · The Ralph M Parsons Foundation · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · California Community Foundation · The Chicago Community Trust · Charities Aid Foundation America · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program

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

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%1%5%11%20%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
    0get no government money at all
    3report 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.
    05Through Plinth

    Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

    How do I get to Bradford M Freeman Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Bradford M Freeman 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 62 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 2021, released 2021. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Bradford M Freeman’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