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Bug and Bean Fund at a glance

· Private foundation

Bug and Bean Fund

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.

$3.9M
Granted FY2025still arriving
18
Grants FY2025still arriving
6
States reached
$2.0M
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0197% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2025.

Recreation & Sports$3.6MEducation$2.8MCommunity Improvement$1.1MPublic Benefit$460kEnvironment$320kArts & Culture$315kHuman Services$290kYouth Development$250kOther$0
02FY2025 · 18 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k2 grants · $7k
  • $10k–50k6 grants · $85k
  • $50k–250k6 grants · $800k
  • $250k+4 grants · $3.0M
$100,000
Median grant
6
States reached
$6.8M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Columbia University - Noriel Gift Fund$2,000,000
Community Guilds Inc dba STEAM Truck$500,000
The Paideia School$255,000
Carnegie Mellon University$250,000
Open Space Institute Land Trust Inc$200,000
RedefinED Atlanta$200,000
Carnegie Mellon University$150,000
Center for Civic Innovation$100,000
The Global Fund for Children$100,000
Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust$50,000
Special Forces Foundation$25,000
National Center for Civil and Human Rights$20,000
The Praxis Project$10,000
HelpUsAdopt$10,000
The Temple$10,000
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 (FY21–22, $110k) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, 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%RIP MEDICAL DEBT: $100k → 13%THE BRIGID ALLIANCE: $10k → 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

NY
OR
PA
CA
CO
VA
NC
DC
GA
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.

80%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$7.9M · 10 repeat orgs$2.0M to everyone else

10 repeat relationships: 9 still active in FY2025, 1 since wound down; 8 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

10
21

Total granted

$7.9M
$1.6M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

0%
0%

Still filing today

70%
43%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 90% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $372k went to new ones.

50%100%’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’20’21’22’23’24’25
Arts & CultureHuman ServicesEducationEnvironmentHealthYouth DevelopmentOther
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

  • CM
    Carnegie Mellon University
    5× · 2020–2025 · $1.3M · revenue +35%
  • BA
    BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF BREVARD TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY INC
    2× · 2023–2024 · $250k · revenue +13%
  • HI
    HELPUSADOPTORG INC
    3× · 2023–2025 · $30k · revenue +291%

Funded once

  • GR
    GEORGIA RESILIENCE AND OPPORTUNITY FUND DBA THE GRO FUND
    one grant, 2023 · $250k · revenue -66%
  • TG
    THE GUILD
    one grant, 2023 · $250k
  • PL
    Possibility Labs FBO The Guild
    one grant, 2024 · $250k
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
Atlanta Committee for Progress Inc

ACP is a group committed to identifying and providing leadership on selected issues important to driving the economic development of the city of Atlanta and for which the ACP's active involvement will make a major difference. The ACP has a…

—
2
Georgia Advanced Technology Ventures Inc

The corporation is organized and shall be operated exclusively as a supporting organization to and for the benefit of the georgia institute of technology to foster and support education and scientific research and economic development…

Education
3
Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Inc

The corporation is a voluntary association of individuals and organizations the purposes of which are to upgrade and advance the atlanta metropolitan area in population, commerce and finance; to effect civic and social improvements; to…

—
4
Legal Advocates for Safe Science and Technology Inc

Using legal advocacy to make advances in science and technology safer for people and the planet.

Science & Tech
5
The Georgia Center for Nonprofits

Our mission is to create thriving communities by helping nonprofits succeed. our work revolves around four primary areas of focus.1. we are a hub for social innovation 2. we are a capacity accelerator for organizations and their people3.…

Community Improvement
6
Common Future

Common future is a network of pioneering leaders across the u.s. and canada who work deeply within their communities to create alternative approaches to business, philanthropy, and investing. we envision an economy that has transitioned…

Community Improvement
7
Pacific Atlantic Action Coalition

The mission of the organization is to educate the general public regarding issues of public policy and to promote and bring about advances in such areas of public policy. the organization promotes public policy change through education,…

Social Science
8
Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation

Pidc plans and implements economic development initiatives (see schedule o) which enhance the competitive environment, generate jobs and produce higher tax ratables throughout philadelphia.

Community Improvement
9
Georgia Alliance for Breast Cancer F/K/a It's the Journey

Georgia alliance for breast cancer mission is to engage with georgia's breast cancer community to increase access to care and reduce disparities in cancer outcomes.

Health
10
CarbonPlan

Improving the transparency and scientific integrity of climate solutions through open data and tools.

Environment
11
Upturn Inc

Upturn advances equity and justice in the design, governance, and use of technology.

—
12
Washington Area Community Investment Fund Inc

The washington area community investment fund (wacif) is a nonprofit community loan fund focused on increasing equity and economic opportunity in the washington, dc area's underserved communities. wacif's mission is driven is driven by…

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The Praxis Project Inc; the most unlike its peers is Village Micro 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

24 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. 24 of the 39 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.

1
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
4
Early backer (in before they grew)
23/24
Grantees still filing
8/24
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Columbia University - Noriel Gift Fund: $3,500,000 · OtherColumbia University - Noriel Gift FundCarnegie Mellon University: $1,300,000 · OtherCarnegie Mellon UniversityCommunity Guilds Inc dba STEAM Truck: $1,000,000 · OtherCommunity Guilds Inc dba STEAM TruckTHE PAIDEIA SCHOOL INC: $858,000 · OtherTHE PAIDEIA SCHOOL INC+19 more: $947,800 · Other+19 moreCenter for Civic Innovation Inc: $460,000 · EnvironmentOPEN SPACE INSTITUTE LAND TRUST INC: $200,000 · EnvironmentHighlands-Cashiers Land Trust Inc: $100,000 · EnvironmentEVERY STUDENT EVERY COMMUNITY INC: $400,000 · EducationSummit Charter School Foundation: $200,000 · EducationVILLAGE MICRO FUND: $100,000 · EducationGEORGIA RESILIENCE AND OPPORTUNITY FUND DBA THE GRO FUND: $250,000 · Human ServicesMEDICAL DEBT RESOLUTION INC: $100,000 · Human ServicesHELPUSADOPTORG INC: $30,000 · Human Services+1 more: $10,000 · Human ServicesBOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF BREVARD TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY INC: $250,000 · Youth DevelopmentGLOBAL FUND FOR CHILDREN: $100,000 · Arts & CulturePerforming Arts Center Inc: $50,000 · Arts & CultureNATIONAL CENTER FOR CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS INC: $20,000 · Arts & CultureTADA FOUNDATION INC: $10,000 · Arts & CulturePRINCIPE PRODUCTIONS INC: $50,000 · International
Other$7,605,800Environment$760,000Education$700,000Human Services$390,000Youth Development$250,000Arts & Culture$180,000International$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 budgetCarnegie Mellon University: $1,300,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetTHE PAIDEIA SCHOOL INC: $858,000 over 5y, 0.7% of budgetCenter for Civic Innovation Inc: $460,000 over 2y, 26% of budgetEVERY STUDENT EVERY COMMUNITY INC: $400,000 over 2y, 2.2% of budgetGEORGIA RESILIENCE AND OPPORTUNITY FUND DBA THE GRO FUND: $250,000 over 1y, 1.6% of budgetBOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF BREVARD TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY INC: $250,000 over 2y, 4.0% of budgetSummit Charter School Foundation: $200,000 over 1y, 4.8% of budgetVILLAGE MICRO FUND: $100,000 over 1y, 12% of budgetHighlands-Cashiers Land Trust Inc: $100,000 over 2y, 2.8% of budgetMEDICAL DEBT RESOLUTION INC: $100,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetGLOBAL FUND FOR CHILDREN: $100,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetPerforming Arts Center Inc: $50,000 over 1y, 3.4% of budgetPRINCIPE PRODUCTIONS INC: $50,000 over 1y, 4.2% of budgetHELPUSADOPTORG INC: $30,000 over 3y, 0.5% of budgetSPECIAL FORCES FOUNDATION: $25,000 over 1y, 1.6% of budgetHighlands Biological Foundation Inc: $20,000 over 1y, 1.6% of budgetTADA FOUNDATION INC: $10,000 over 1y, 6.1% of budgetTHE BRIGID ALLIANCE INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE PRAXIS PROJECT INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetLETS WIN PANCREATIC CANCER FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 1.0% of budgetANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: $5,000 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.

The Community Foundat…Litowitz Foundation I…A Friends Foundation …The Kendeda FundThe Arthur M Blank Fa…The Community Foundat…Morgan Stanley Global…National Philanthropi…Gs Donor Advised Phil…Vanguard Charitable E…Charities Aid Foundat…The Bank of America C…
The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta IncGA21.8× affinity9 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta Inc · Litowitz Foundation Inc · A Friends Foundation Trust · The Kendeda Fund · The Arthur M Blank Family Foundation · The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina Inc · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Charities Aid Foundation America · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation 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 Bug and Bean Fund funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Bug and Bean Fund. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%2%8%17%30%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get 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
    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 Bug and Bean Fund?

    Find your warmest path to Bug and Bean Fund 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 39 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 Bug and Bean’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