Skip to content
Charles and Barbara Wright Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Charles and Barbara Wright Foundation

Its FY2020 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$18k
Granted FY2020
1
Grants FY2020
1
States reached
$18k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0192% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2020.

Philanthropy$2.3MArts & Culture$561kEducation$51kRecreation & Sports$20kEmployment$3kYouth Development$3kOther$0
02FY2020 · 1 grant

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$17,796
Median grant
1
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Individual grant recipient$17,796
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 (FY17–20) land where the poverty rate runs at 12%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 37% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%DIA CENTER FOR THE ARTS: $210k → 17%MENIL COLLECTION: $1k → 16%CHINATI FOUNDATION: $13k → 23%SEATTLE ART MUSEUM: $300k → 9%JUCOSA DAF: $18k → 19%DIA CENTER FOR THE ARTS: $10k → 17%EPIPHANY SCHOOL: $15k → 9%STEVEN MYRON HOLL FOUNDATION: $1k → 17%SEATTLE ART MUSEUM: $5k → 9%NPOWER: $3k → 17%RAINIER SCHOLARS: $3k → 9%POETS HOUSE: $2k → 17%INTERNATIONAL FRIENDS SCHOOL: $1k → 9%RAINIER SCHOLARS: $3k → 9%HENRY GALLERY: $40k → 9%HENRY GALLERY: $5k → 9%SEATTLE PARKS FOUNDATION: $20k → 9%SEATTLE ARTS AND LECTURES: $10k → 9%SEATTLE ARTS AND LECTURES: $10k → 9%BASTYR UNIVERSITY: $20k → 9%UNITED WAY OF KING COUNTY: $5k → 9%BASTYR UNIVERSITY: $10k → 9%VOLUNTEER PARK TRUST: $250 → 9%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.
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.

89%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$624k · 6 repeat orgs$80k to everyone else

6 repeat relationships: 0 still active in FY2020, 6 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2020 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

6
11

Total granted

$624k
$62k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+75%
+87%

Still filing today

83%
91%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2020, 0% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $18k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20
Arts & CultureEducationRecreation & SportsPhilanthropyHealthCommunity ImprovementOther
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

  • SA
    SEATTLE ART MUSEUM
    2× · 2017–2018 · $305k · revenue +0%
  • DC
    DIA CENTER FOR THE ARTS INC
    2× · 2017–2018 · $220k · revenue +150%
  • SEATTLE ARTS AND LECTURES
    2× · 2017–2018 · $20k · revenue +75%

Funded once

  • SP
    SEATTLE PARKS FOUNDATIONgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $20k · revenue +138%
  • ES
    EPIPHANY SCHOOLgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $15k · revenue +87%
  • TC
    THE CHINATI FOUNDATIONgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $13k · revenue +104%
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 Museum of Modern Art

See schedule osfmoma believes the art of our time is vital and shares it with passion and purpose, and that art and the creative process can open minds and help build a better world. for that reason, we assemble unparalleled collections,…

Arts & Culture
2
The Seattle Academy of Arts & Sciences

Seattle academy is a dynamic community that challenges students to question, imagine, and create in order to contribute to a changing world.

Education
3
The Northwest School of the Arts Humanities and Environment

We offer an outstanding international college preparatory program for grades 6-12.

Education
4
Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute

Munson-williams-proctor arts institute (mwpai) is a fine arts center dedicated to serving diverse audiences by advancing the appreciation, understanding, and enjoyment of the arts. the art institute aims to promote interest and…

Arts & Culture
5
Philadelphia Museum of Art

The philadelphia museum of art - in partnership with the city, the region, and art museums around the globe - seeks to preserve, enhance, interpret, and extend the reach of its great collection in particular, and the visual arts in…

Arts & Culture
6
San Diego Museum of Art

To inspire, educate and cultivate curiosity through great works of art.

Arts & Culture
7
Waldorf School Assoc of Seattle

The seattle waldorf school mission is: daily we strive to inspire learning, courage, and joy in the developing human being.

Education
8
Smithsonian Institution

*increase and diffusion of knowledge* is the mission set forth by james smithson. the smithsonian endeavors to shape the future by preserving our heritage, discovering new knowledge, and sharing our resources with the world.

Arts & Culture
9
Seattle University

Seattle University is dedicated to educating the whole person, to professional formation, and to empowering leaders for a just and humane world.

—
10
Honolulu Museum of Art

To create relevant and transformative experiences through the study, preservation, presentation and creation of art.

Arts & Culture
11
The Phillips Collection

The phillips collection is the oldest museum of modern and contemporary art in the u.s. in addition to presentation of works from the permanent collection and special exhibitions, the museum maintains active educational, academic,…

Arts & Culture
12
The Museum of Fine Arts Houston

The museum of fine arts, houston serves as a welcoming and inclusive place for all people, connecting the communities of houston with diverse histories of art spanning 6,000 years and six continents. through our permanent collections,…

Arts & Culture
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Seattle Art Museum; the most unlike its peers is Steven Myron Holl 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

16 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. 16 of the 19 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)
6
Early backer (in before they grew)
16/16
Grantees still filing
12/16
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

GS DONOR ADVISED PHILANTHROPY FUND FOR WEALTH MANAGEMENT INC: $2,302,049 · PhilanthropyGS DONOR ADVISED PHILANTHROPY FUND FOR WEALTH MANAGEMENT INC+1 more: $5,000 · PhilanthropySEATTLE ART MUSEUM: $304,500 · Arts & CultureSEATTLE ART MUSEUMDIA CENTER FOR THE ARTS INC: $220,000 · Arts & CultureDIA CENTER FOR THE AR…SEATTLE ARTS AND LECTURES: $20,000 · Arts & Culture+4 more: $16,000 · Arts & CultureIndividual grant recipient: $45,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $17,796 · Other+1 more: $250 · OtherBastyr University: $29,500 · EducationEPIPHANY SCHOOL: $15,000 · EducationRAINIER SCHOLARS: $5,000 · Education+1 more: $1,025 · EducationSEATTLE PARKS FOUNDATION: $20,000 · Recreation & SportsUPOWER: $2,500 · HealthNPOWER INC: $2,500 · Community Improvement
Philanthropy$2,307,049Arts & Culture$560,500Other$63,046Education$50,525Recreation & Sports$20,000Health$2,500Community Improvement$2,500

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 budgetGS DONOR ADVISED PHILANTHROPY FUND FOR WEALTH MANAGEMENT INC: $2,302,049 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetSEATTLE ART MUSEUM: $304,500 over 2y, 0.8% of budgetDIA CENTER FOR THE ARTS INC: $220,000 over 2y, 1.3% of budgetBastyr University: $29,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSEATTLE ARTS AND LECTURES: $20,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetSEATTLE PARKS FOUNDATION: $20,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetEPIPHANY SCHOOL: $15,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetTHE CHINATI FOUNDATION: $12,500 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetRAINIER SCHOLARS: $5,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetUNITED WAY OF KING COUNTY: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNPOWER INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPOETS HOUSE INC: $1,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetINTERNATIONAL FRIENDS SCHOOL: $1,025 over 1y, 5.6% of budgetMenil Foundation Inc: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSTEVEN MYRON HOLL FOUNDATION INC: $1,000 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.

Gs Donor Advised Phil…Morgan Stanley Global…The Bank of America C…Vanguard Charitable E…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management IncNY11.4× affinity4 shared granteesties to 6 of 6Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile 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 Charles and Barbara Wright Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Charles and Barbara Wright Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%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
    4report 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.

    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 19 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 2020, released 2020. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Charles and Barbara Wright’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