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Carol Franc Buck Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Carol Franc Buck 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.

$1.4M
Granted FY2025still arriving
21
Grants FY2025still arriving
10
States reached
$200k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Arts & Culture$9.7MEducation$10kRecreation & Sports$5k
02FY2025 · 21 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • $10k–50k6 grants · $160k
  • $50k–250k15 grants · $1.3M
$50,000
Median grant
10
States reached
$17M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
HOUSTON GRAND OPERA$200,000
CLASSICAL TAHOE$200,000
GRAND TETON MUSIC FESTIVAL$100,000
NEVADA MUSEUM OF ART$100,000
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA$100,000
SAN FRANCISCO CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC$100,000
SCHOOL OF AMERICAN BALLET SAB$90,000
ARIZONA OPERA$50,000
HOUSTON BALLET FOUNDATION$50,000
DALLAS OPERA$50,000
THE SANTA FE OPERA$50,000
HAWAII OPERA THEATRE$50,000
PBS RENO$50,000
SAN FRANCISCO BALLET$50,000
CARLISLE FLOYD CENTENNIAL$50,000
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 (FY17–25, $1.3M) land where the poverty rate runs at 10%, against an area that typically sits at 9%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 9%CLASSICAL TAHOE: $200k → 10%CLASSICAL TAHOE: $150k → 10%CLASSICAL TAHOE: $150k → 10%CLASSICAL TAHOE: $150k → 10%CLASSICAL TAHOE: $150k → 10%CLASSICAL TAHOE: $150k → 10%CLASSICAL TAHOE: $150k → 10%LAKE TAHOE SUMMERFEST: $125k → 10%LAKE TAHOE SUMMERFEST: $100k → 10%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

AK
WA
MT
NY
OR
NV
WY
CA
UT
AZ
NM
SC
HI
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.

96%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$9.3M · 34 repeat orgs$406k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +36% since the first grant, against +19% for those funded once.

34 repeat relationships: 18 still active in FY2025, 16 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

34
18

Total granted

$9.3M
$316k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+36%
+19%

Still filing today

91%
67%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 94% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $90k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Arts & CultureEducationHuman ServicesOther
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

  • CT
    CLASSICAL TAHOE
    9× · 2017–2025 · $1.3M · revenue +136%
  • NM
    Nevada Museum of Art
    5× · 2018–2025 · $1.3M · revenue +120%
  • HG
    Houston Grand Opera Association Inc
    7× · 2017–2025 · $710k · revenue +28%

Funded once

  • TM
    THE METROPOLITAN OPERA
    one grant, 2024 · $100k
  • RR
    ROCO RIVER OAKS CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
    one grant, 2023 · $50k
  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2018 · $50k
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
Foundation for Modern Opera
—
2
Chamber Opera of Chicago
—
3
Utah Valley Operafest

Opera Education and Performance

—
4
San Jose Chamber Orchestra

The mission of the San Jose Chamber Orchestra (SJCO) is to share exciting, though-provoking, and vibrant Music by contemporary and time-honored composers reflecting the cultural diversity of our everchanging community, and to support and…

Unclassified
5
Opera Santa Barbara

See schedule 0founded in 1994, opera santa barbara is the signature provider of professional opera on the california central coast. we aspire to be a cultural leader in the santa barbara region, voicing and advancing our community's spirit…

Arts & Culture
6
California Bach Society Inc

Choral Music Performances: California Bach Society is a 30-voice chamber choir known for finely wrought interpretations of Renaissance and Baroque music, often accompanied by leading period instrumentalists. Each season, the choir performs…

—
7
Chicago Opera Theater

Chicago opera theater expands the tradition of opera as a living art form by engaging lovers of music and storytelling through innovative experiences, predominantly of new and rarely performed works.

Arts & Culture
8
San Francisco Philharmonic Orchestra

Take world-class symphonic music off the pedestal and into the heart of our community. San Francisco Philharmonic is an orchestral group dedicated to cultural enrichment, music education and creating a performance platform for women and…

Arts & Culture
9
Washington Concert Opera

Washington concert opera presents less often performed operatic masterpieces in concert format that feature experienced and emerging artists, often in their role or local debuts.

Arts & Culture
10
San Bernardino Valley Concert Association
—
11
The Fresno Philharmonic Association

The mission of the Fresno Philharmonic is to enrich the lives of Central San Joaquin Valley residents through inspiring performances of orchestral music. We are an essential and collaborative member of a vibrant arts scene which unites,…

Arts & Culture
12
Seattle Opera Guild

Supports singer's education with seattle opera.

Arts & Culture
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The Santa Fe Opera; the most unlike its peers is Afterimage Public Media. 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

46 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. 46 of the 55 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)
16
Early backer (in before they grew)
46/46
Grantees still filing
29/46
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Nevada Museum of Art: $1,250,000 · Arts & CultureNevada Museum of ArtSAN FRANCISCO OPERA ASSOCIATION: $950,000 · Arts & CultureSAN FRANCISCO OPERA ASSOCIATIONHouston Grand Opera Association Inc: $710,000 · Arts & CultureHouston Grand Opera Association IncOPERA SAN JOSE INCORPORATED: $600,000 · Arts & CultureOPERA SAN JOSE INCORPORATEDAFTERIMAGE PUBLIC MEDIA: $449,000 · Arts & CultureAFTERIMAGE PUBLIC MEDIAARIZONA OPERA COMPANY: $310,000 · Arts & CultureSAN FRANCISCO BALLET ASSOCIATION: $300,000 · Arts & CultureTHE SANTA FE OPERA: $300,000 · Arts & CultureCHANNEL 5 PUBLIC BROADCASTING INC: $295,000 · Arts & Culture+33 more: $2,551,500 · Arts & Culture+33 moreCLASSICAL TAHOE: $1,325,000 · Human ServicesCLASSICAL TAHOESCHOOL OF AMERICAN BALLET SAB: $151,400 · OtherANCHORAGE OPERA: $100,000 · OtherTHE METROPOLITAN OPERA: $100,000 · OtherROCO RIVER OAKS CHAMBER ORCHESTRA: $50,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $50,000 · Other+5 more: $42,000 · OtherSAN FRANCISCO CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC: $150,000 · EducationGranite Education Foundation: $10,000 · Education
Arts & Culture$7,715,500Human Services$1,325,000Other$493,400Education$160,000

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 budgetCLASSICAL TAHOE: $1,325,000 over 9y, 15% of budgetNevada Museum of Art: $1,250,000 over 5y, 4.1% of budgetSAN FRANCISCO OPERA ASSOCIATION: $950,000 over 6y, 0.3% of budgetHouston Grand Opera Association Inc: $710,000 over 7y, 0.6% of budgetOPERA SAN JOSE INCORPORATED: $600,000 over 4y, 4.6% of budgetAFTERIMAGE PUBLIC MEDIA: $449,000 over 3y, 72% of budgetARIZONA OPERA COMPANY: $310,000 over 5y, 1.4% of budgetSAN FRANCISCO BALLET ASSOCIATION: $300,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetTHE SANTA FE OPERA: $300,000 over 5y, 0.3% of budgetCHANNEL 5 PUBLIC BROADCASTING INC: $295,000 over 7y, 0.9% of budgetPORTLAND OPERA ASSOCIATION INC: $250,000 over 2y, 3.0% of budgetORPHEUSPDX: $225,000 over 2y, 5.4% of budgetThe Dallas Opera: $225,000 over 3y, 0.9% of budgetGRAND TETON MUSIC FESTIVAL INC: $180,000 over 4y, 0.4% of budgetUTAH SYMPHONY & OPERA: $170,000 over 5y, 0.2% of budgetLivermore Valley Opera: $160,000 over 4y, 9.0% of budgetSAN FRANCISCO CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC: $150,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetHAWAII OPERA THEATRE: $150,000 over 5y, 1.0% of budgetSierra Nevada Ballet: $133,000 over 6y, 22% of budgetWEST EDGE OPERA: $100,000 over 4y, 5.1% of budgetCARLISLE FLOYD CENTENNIAL: $100,000 over 2y, 31% of budgetMUSIC ACADEMY OF THE WEST: $100,000 over 2y, 0.6% of budgetOpera Parallle: $100,000 over 2y, 4.7% of budgetNOE VALLEY CHAMBER MUSIC: $90,000 over 4y, 12% of budgetSan Diego Opera Association: $75,000 over 2y, 0.6% of budgetINSTITUTE FOR YOUNG DRAMATIC VOICES INC: $75,000 over 3y, 37% of budgetATLANTIC THEATER COMPANY: $70,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetRENO PHILHARMONIC ASSOCIATION INC: $65,000 over 3y, 1.0% of budgetHouston Ballet Foundation: $50,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSmuin Ballet: $40,000 over 2y, 0.6% of budgetPHILHARMONIA BAROQUE ORCHESTRA & CHORALE: $30,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetCHAMBER MUSIC SAN FRANCISCO: $25,000 over 2y, 2.1% of budgetReno Chamber Orchestra Inc: $25,000 over 1y, 3.1% of budgetARTOWN: $15,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetSIERRA ARTS FOUNDATION INC: $10,000 over 1y, 1.2% of budgetARTS FOR ALL NEVADA: $10,000 over 1y, 2.7% of budgetGranite Education Foundation: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetSAN FRANCISCO CHANTICLEER INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetA V A BALLET THEATRE: $5,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetValhalla Tahoe: $5,000 over 1y, 2.0% of budgetSan Jose Choral Project: $2,500 over 1y, 1.5% of budgetCHEYENNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: $2,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetNew Reno Little Theater: $1,000 over 1y, 0.2% 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.

Robert Z Hawkins Foun…The E L Cord Foundati…Ann & Gordon Getty Fo…Community Foundation …Ibm International Fou…The Bretzlaff Foundat…Edna B & Bruno Benna …The Nell J Redfield F…The Bernard Osher Fou…Tahoe Community Found…The San Francisco Fou…Five Arts Foundation
Robert Z Hawkins FoundationNV22× affinity8 shared granteesties to 7 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Robert Z Hawkins Foundation · The E L Cord Foundation · Ann & Gordon Getty Foundation · Community Foundation of Northern Nevada · Ibm International Foundation · The Bretzlaff Foundation Inc · Edna B & Bruno Benna Foundation · The Nell J Redfield Foundation · The Bernard Osher Foundation · Tahoe Community Foundation · The San Francisco Foundation · Five Arts 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 Carol Franc Buck Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Carol Franc Buck Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%5%19%42%75%funder's share of their income ↑0%8%15%22%30%share of the org’s income from government →median 2%
  • Portland Opera Association Inc: 2% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
1get no government money at all
21report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–30%
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.

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 55 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 Carol Franc Buck’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