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California Institute for Biodiversity at a glanceAlso receives grants: funding profile →

· Public charity

California Institute for Biodiversity

Create and publish educational materials, conduct professional development, promote awareness, and sponsor research on the spectacular biological diversity of the State of CA.

$3.1M
Granted FY2025still arriving
28
Grants FY2025still arriving
6
States reached
$551k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through 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, FY2022 to 2025.

Science & Tech$4.3MEducation$3.7MArts & Culture$2.3MEnvironment$1.2MFood & Nutrition$686kAnimals$218kHealth$46kRecreation & Sports$39k
02FY2025 · 28 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k1 grant · $5k
  • $10k–50k12 grants · $374k
  • $50k–250k11 grants · $1.2M
  • $250k+4 grants · $1.5M
$74,621
Median grant
6
States reached
$19M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Regents of University Cal Santa Cr$551,331
Society Preservation of Natural His$354,480
Natural History Museum of Los Angel$306,469
Regents of University Cal Riverside$273,600
Regents of University Cal Davis$177,956
CDFA Plant Pest Diagnostics Center$159,193
Mongabay$150,000
University of Arizona$147,931
Mycota Lab$123,531
VT Research Contracting Services$105,765
Willamette University$79,927
Fungal Diversity Survey$78,090
Silicon Valley Barcode of Life$76,456
San Diego Natural History Museum$74,621
Cal State Long Beach$54,861
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:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY22–25) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 85% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%University of Arizona: $148k → 15%Mongabay: $150k → 7%Fungal Diversity Survey: $493k → 9%Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zo: $105k → 10%Cal State San Diego: $49k → 11%Regents of University Cal Riverside: $274k → 11%CDFA Plant Pest Diag Center: $188k → 12%Regents of University Cal Santa Cr: $551k → 13%Yosemite National Park: $39k → 15%Regents of University Cal Davis: $447k → 16%The Hoosier Mushroom Society: $438k → 5%Society Preservation of Natural His: $354k → 14%Willamette University: $80k → 14%John Carroll University: $105k → 17%VT Research Contracting Services: $106k → 9%University of Arizona: $124k → 15%Fungal Diversity Survey: $309k → 9%Regents of University Cal Berkeley: $562k → 10%California Academy of Sciences: $2.0M → 10%University of CA Riverside: $175k → 11%CDFA Plant Pest Diag Center: $187k → 12%Regents of University Cal Santa Cr: $469k → 13%Regents of University Cal LA: $40k → 14%Regents of University Cal Davis: $178k → 16%Mycota Lab: $124k → 5%Fungal Diversity Survey: $78k → 9%The Regents of the University: $205k → 10%Calfornia Academy of Sciences: $402k → 10%Regents of University Cal San Diego: $41k → 11%CDFA Plant Pest Diagnostics Center: $159k → 12%University of CA Santa Cruz: $82k → 13%University of CA Davis: $173k → 16%Point Blue Conservation Science: $49k → 9%Cal State East Bay: $72k → 10%Calfornia Academy of Sciences: $211k → 10%Cal State University Sacramento: $40k → 12%Cal State Long Beach: $55k → 14%University of CA Davis: $169k → 16%San Diego Natural History Museum: $251k → 11%CDFA Plant Pest Diagnostics Center: $153k → 12%SaveNatureorg: $289k → 10%SD Natural History Musuem: $128k → 11%Natural History Museum of Los Angel: $784k → 14%SaveNatureorg: $137k → 10%SD Natural History Musuem: $97k → 11%Natural History Museum of Los Angel: $306k → 14%San Diego Natural History Museum: $75k → 11%Musuem of Natural Hist LA: $294k → 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

MI
OR
OH
CA
CO
VA
AZ
KS
NC
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.

77%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$9.6M · 18 repeat orgs$2.9M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +1% since the first grant, against 0% for those funded once.

18 repeat relationships: 16 still active in FY2025, 2 since wound down; 11 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

18
18

Total granted

$9.6M
$1.9M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+1%
0%

Still filing today

56%
50%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 67% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $1.0M went to new ones.

50%100%’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’22’23’24’25
EnvironmentEducationArts & CultureAnimalsFood & NutritionRecreation & SportsOther
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

  • CA
    CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
    4× · 2022–2025 · $2.6M · revenue +1%
  • LA
    LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY FOUNDATION
    3× · 2022–2025 · $1.4M · revenue +7%
  • SD
    SAN DIEGO SOCIETY OF NATURAL HISTORY
    4× · 2022–2025 · $550k · revenue +6%

Funded once

  • RO
    REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY
    one grant, 2024 · $562k
  • HM
    HOOSIER MUSHROOM SOCIETY INCORPORATED
    one grant, 2024 · $438k
  • TR
    The Regents of the University
    one grant, 2023 · $205k
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
San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory

The San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory is dedicated to the conservation of birds and their habitats through science and outreach.

Environment
2
The Institute for Bird Populations

The institute for bird populations enables science-based conservation of species and habitats by studying the abundance, demography, and ecology of birds and other wildlife.

Animals
3
California Institute for Biodiversity

Create and publish educational materials, conduct professional development, promote awareness, and sponsor research on the spectacular biological diversity of the State of CA.

Education
4
Ucsf Foundation Investment Company

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

Education
5
Society for Conservation Biology

To advance the science and practice of conserving earth's biological diversity.

Environment
6
San Francisco Zoological Society

To connect all people with wildlife, inspire caring for nature, and advance conservation action.

Animals
7
Foundation of California State University Monterey Bay

To further the scientific, literary, educational and charitable purposes of california state university, monterey bay, including fundraising, development, endowment management, financial assistance, public relations and other support.

Education
8
New York Botanical Garden

The new york botanical garden is a museum of plants and a scientific research center devoted to the study of plants and their uses. it is the garden's mission to improve public understanding of the natural world, horticulture, and the…

Environment
9
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
10
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History

The following three guiding principles are the foundation for all of the santa barbara museum of natural history's activities: inspiring an awe for nature and a thirst for discovery; promoting sustainability; and connecting our…

Arts & Culture
11
Sacramento Zoological Society

The sacramento zoo inspires appreciation, respect and a connection with wildlife and nature through education, recreation and conservation.

Animals
12
Claremont Graduate University

Claremont Graduate University prepares individuals to be leaders for positive change in the world. Unique in its transdisciplinary approach, the University is dedicated to the creation, dissemination, and application of new knowledge and…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is San Diego Society of Natural History; the most unlike its peers is Hoosier Mushroom Society Incorporated. 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

26 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. 26 of the 47 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.

3
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
26/26
Grantees still filing
11/26
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES: $2,625,553 · Arts & CultureCALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCESLOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY FOUNDATION: $1,384,611 · Arts & CultureLOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY…SAN DIEGO SOCIETY OF NATURAL HISTORY: $549,819 · Arts & CultureSAN DIEGO SOCIETY OF NATURAL HISTORYSOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION OF NATURAL: $354,480 · Arts & CultureSOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION OF NATURALREGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA: $1,040,283 · OtherREGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIAUNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS: $967,512 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVISREGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY: $562,059 · OtherREGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT…CDFA Plant Pest Diag Center: $374,290 · OtherCDFA Plant Pest Diag CenterREGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT RIVERSIDE: $298,428 · OtherREGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT…UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA: $271,486 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF ARIZONAThe Regents of the University: $205,000 · OtherUniversity of CA Riverside: $175,000 · Other+14 more: $814,796 · Other+14 moreHOOSIER MUSHROOM SOCIETY INCORPORATED: $438,436 · EnvironmentHOOSIER MU…SAVENATUREORG: $425,754 · EnvironmentSAVENATURE…MONGABAY ORG CORP: $150,000 · EnvironmentMONGABAY O…MAGIC INCORPORATED: $100,413 · EnvironmentMAGIC INCO…SANTA BARBARA BOTANIC GARDEN: $45,975 · Environment+3 more: $49,028 · EnvironmentFUNGAL DIVERSITY SURVEY INC: $879,654 · Science & TechJohn Carroll University: $104,750 · EducationWILLAMETTE UNIVERSITY: $79,927 · EducationCAL STATE EAST BAY EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION: $72,344 · EducationCALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY LONG BEACH RESEARCH FOUNDATION: $64,861 · EducationUniversity of San Francisco: $25,000 · EducationCSU FULLERTON AUXILIARY SERVICES CORPORATION: $22,250 · Education+2 more: $15,883 · EducationA Greener World: $311,760 · Food & NutritionPOINT REYES BIRD OBSERVATORY: $49,326 · AnimalsZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF SAN DIEGO: $40,000 · AnimalsYOSEMITE FOUNDATION: $39,000 · Recreation & Sports
Arts & Culture$4,914,463Other$4,708,854Environment$1,209,606Science & Tech$879,654Education$385,015Food & Nutrition$311,760Animals$89,326Recreation & Sports$39,000

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 budgetCALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES: $2,625,553 over 4y, 2.2% of budgetLOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY FOUNDATION: $1,384,611 over 3y, 1.0% of budgetFUNGAL DIVERSITY SURVEY INC: $879,654 over 3y, 94% of budgetSAN DIEGO SOCIETY OF NATURAL HISTORY: $549,819 over 4y, 1.5% of budgetSAVENATUREORG: $425,754 over 2y, 47% of budgetA Greener World: $311,760 over 2y, 6.8% of budgetWESTERN FOUNDATION OF VERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY: $128,461 over 2y, 27% of budgetJohn Carroll University: $104,750 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMAGIC INCORPORATED: $100,413 over 2y, 4.0% of budgetWILLAMETTE UNIVERSITY: $79,927 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCAL STATE EAST BAY EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION: $72,344 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetCALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY LONG BEACH RESEARCH FOUNDATION: $64,861 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetPOINT REYES BIRD OBSERVATORY: $49,326 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetSANTA BARBARA BOTANIC GARDEN: $45,975 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF SAN DIEGO: $40,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetYOSEMITE FOUNDATION: $39,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetRANCHO SANTA ANA BOTANIC GARDEN: $29,923 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetUniversity of San Francisco: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCSU FULLERTON AUXILIARY SERVICES CORPORATION: $22,250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetThe University of North Carolina at Asheville Foundation Inc: $10,883 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetWHITE BUFFALO LAND TRUST: $8,761 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetCAL POLY HUMBOLDT FOUNDATION: $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.

  • Who funds CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES ↗
  • Who funds LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds FUNGAL DIVERSITY SURVEY INC ↗
  • Who funds SAN DIEGO SOCIETY OF NATURAL HISTORY ↗
  • Who funds HOOSIER MUSHROOM SOCIETY INCORPORATED ↗
  • Who funds SAVENATUREORG ↗
  • Who funds SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION OF NATURAL ↗
  • Who funds A Greener World ↗
  • Who funds MONGABAY ORG CORP ↗
  • Who funds WESTERN FOUNDATION OF VERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY ↗
  • Who funds John Carroll University ↗
  • Who funds MAGIC INCORPORATED ↗
  • Who funds WILLAMETTE UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds CAL STATE EAST BAY EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY LONG BEACH RESEARCH FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds POINT REYES BIRD OBSERVATORY ↗
  • Who funds SANTA BARBARA BOTANIC GARDEN ↗
  • Who funds ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF SAN DIEGO ↗
  • Who funds YOSEMITE FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds RANCHO SANTA ANA BOTANIC GARDEN ↗
  • Who funds University of San Francisco ↗

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.

Association of Univer…American Chemical Soc…The San Diego Foundat…Silicon Valley Commun…Cal Poly Pomona Found…University Corporatio…California State Univ…Foundation for Califo…Ibm International Fou…President and Fellows…Santa Barbara Foundat…The California Wellne…
Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy IncDC15.7× affinity5 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy Inc · American Chemical Society · The San Diego Foundation · Silicon Valley Community Foundation · Cal Poly Pomona Foundation Inc · University Corporation at Monterey Bay · California State University Foundation · Foundation for California Community Colleges · Ibm International Foundation · President and Fellows of Harvard College · Santa Barbara Foundation · The California Wellness 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 California Institute for Biodiversity funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from California Institute for Biodiversity. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 1%
  • Willamette University: 1% of 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 California Institute for Biodiversity?

Find your warmest path to California Institute for Biodiversity 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 47 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 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on California Institute for Biodiversity’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