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· Public charity

Civic Space Foundation

Partner and invest in the people, organizations, and projects working to build civic gathering spaces around the country.

$4.2M
Granted FY2024still arriving
30
Grants FY2024still arriving
3
States reached
$2.1M
Largest
01What you fundRead
02The needRead
03Your fieldRead
04Through PlinthRead
01What you fund
0194% classified

What you funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year — across FY2023–2024.

Arts & Culture$795kCommunity Improvement$763kYouth Development$200kFood & Nutrition$176kPublic Benefit$120kRecreation & Sports$30kCivil Rights$25kEnvironment$18kOther$0
02FY2024 · 30 grants

Where the money goes

Your grants by size, and where they go.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k3 grants · $19k
  • $10k–50k11 grants · $230k
  • $50k–250k13 grants · $922k
  • $250k+3 grants · $3.0M
$50,000
Median grant
3
States reached
$4.8M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Individual grant recipient$2,060,000
Noise Pop Industries LLC$643,563
Broke But Grand LLC$289,441
Chris & Greg Events LLC$126,340
BEChinatown$120,000
Community Youth Center of SF$100,000
North Beach Business Assoc$100,000
Excelsior Action Group$75,174
Noe Valley Merch & Pro Assoc$50,000
American Journalism Project$50,000
Hot and Cool Inc$50,000
Little Secret LLC$50,000
Cole Valley Merchants Assoc$50,000
SF Black Wallstreet Fdn$50,000
LA Mas Inc$50,000
02The need
03

Do your dollars go where the need is?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, then read against the area’s typical level.

show:

Dollar for dollar, your grants (FY23–24) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 12% of your dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Your grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%Community Initiatives: $10k → 10%Cole Valley Merchants Assoc: $50k → 10%Chris & Greg Events LLC: $126k → 11%CHIRLA: $25k → 14%American Journalism Project: $50k → 14%Broke But Grand LLC: $289k → 10%SF Black Wallstreet Fdn: $50k → 10%Hot and Cool Inc: $50k → 14%Great Highway Park: $25k → 10%LA Mas Inc: $50k → 14%Dwntown Comm Benefit District: $10k → 10%LA Voice: $25k → 14%BAS Holdings LLC: $47k → 10%Little Secret LLC: $50k → 14%San Francisco Parks Alliance: $20k → 10%San Francisco Parks Alliance: $10k → 10%Oasis Arts: $5k → 10%Excelsior Action Group: $75k → 10%Ocean Avenue Association: $6k → 10%Noe Valley Merch & Pro Assoc: $50k → 10%Illuminate the Arts: $25k → 10%Filmore Merch & Improv Assoc: $30k → 10%Niche Creative: $11k → 10%North Beach Business Assoc: $100k → 10%BEChinatown: $120k → 10%Noise Pop Industries LLC: $644k → 10%Precita Eyes Muralist Assoc: $17k → 10%Instituto Familiar De La Raza: $10k → 10%Cherins Appliance Inc: $10k → 10%Community Youth Center of SF: $100k → 10%Wah Mei School: $50k → 10%Greening Projects: $8k → 10%TL Lower Polk Merchants Assoc: $10k → 10%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount

Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty linein the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP; grantee ZIP can differ from where services are delivered.

US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are actually delivered. Need from public data — U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA — shown as context about the area, never attributed to your giving.

03Your field

The map has a center of gravity: the average direction from the rest of the sector toward the organizations the foundation funds — the shape of its giving. Scoring every nonprofit along that direction surfaces the ones that look most like the portfolio. These are the closest matchesthat aren’t grantees — a resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Mission Merchants Association Incorporated

To promote, get more vital public services and media coverage for mission district businesses in the city of san francisco.

—
2
Mission Art 415 Inc

Mission Art 415 Inc aims to represent and promote artists and art projects, enhancing community engagement and cultural vibrancy through the celebration of art.

—
3
Oakland Chinatown Improvement Council

Our mission is to empower and unite the vibrant Chinatown community through social, cultural, and economic development, improving the quality of life for all residents. We achieve this by preserving heritage, promoting inclusivity, and…

Community Improvement
4
Livable City

Livable City is dedicated to increasing affordable housing, improvingtransportation, land use, open space, and environmental policies, offeringprograms which allow community use of streets, and supporting grassrootsinitiatives to make San…

Public Benefit
5
Merchants of Upper Market Inc

Castro Merchants is made up of merchants based in San Francisc's iconic Castro neighborhood, an international beacon of freedom, acceptance, creativity, and diversity. Our mission is to protect, promote, and advocate on behalf of all…

—
6
Civic Center Community Benefit District

The civic center cbd improves and promotes san francisco's historic civic center through a host of planning, policy and public programming initiatives.

Community Improvement
7
Avenue Greenlight

Revitalization of micro-grant programs to support San Francisos local communities and local merchant association members

—
8
San Francisco Community Business Resources

Educational financial resources to LMI communities

Community Improvement
9
Abundant San Francisco

To support effective government policies in San Francisco

—
10
North of MarketTenderloin Community Benefit Corporation

To Lead the Evolution of the Tenderloin into a Vibrant Community for All

Community Improvement
11
Downtown Berkeley Association

The Downtown Berkely Assocaition works to strengthen the Downtown as a vibrant and welcoming urban destination for arts, culture, and commerce through effective advocacy, prmotion and direct services.

—
12
Lower Polk Community Benefit District

Established under a law passed by the City and County of San Francisco, the LPCBD provides cleaning, safety, and beautification services to revitalize the economy and improve the quality of life for property owners, residents, and…

Community Improvement

For reference, the grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is San Francisco Parks Alliance and the most unlike its peers is Greening Projects. 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

21 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each one resolved to its own IRS returns and tracked year by year — your grant beside their revenue from every source. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

Counted here: distinct organizations you funded across 2017–2025, not grant rows in a single year — so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 21 of the 33 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile; the rest are funded organizations whose filings we could not track year by year.

1
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
21/21
Grantees still filing
7/21
Grew since you first funded

Where your money sits — by cause, then by grantee

Individual grant recipient — $2,060,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipientNoise Pop Industries LLC — $643,563 · OtherNoise Pop Industries LLCBroke But Grand LLC — $289,441 · OtherBroke But Grand LLCChris & Greg Events LLC — $126,340 · Other+16 more — $570,622 · Other+16 moreEXCELSIOR ACTION GROUP — $75,174 · Community ImprovementCole Valley Merchant Association — $50,000 · Community ImprovementNOE VALLEY MERCHANTS AND PROFESSIONALS ASSOCIATION INC — $50,000 · Community ImprovementLA VOICE — $25,000 · Community Improvement+1 more — $6,000 · Community ImprovementBeChinatown — $120,000 · Public BenefitAMERICAN JOURNALISM PROJECT INC — $50,000 · Arts & CultureILLUMINATE THE ARTS — $25,000 · Arts & CulturePrecita Eyes Muralists Association Inc — $16,750 · Arts & CultureOASIS ARTS INC — $5,150 · Arts & CultureLA-MAS INC — $50,000 · Science & TechSAN FRANCISCO PARKS ALLIANCE — $30,000 · Recreation & SportsCOALITION FOR HUMANE IMMIGRANT RIGHTS — $25,000 · Civil Rights
Other$3,689,966Community Improvement$206,174Public Benefit$120,000Arts & Culture$96,900Science & Tech$50,000Recreation & Sports$30,000Civil Rights$25,000

Each org by its size and your share of it — top-left is where you’re load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10Mgrantee revenue →↑ your share of their budgetCOMMUNITY YOUTH CENTER OF SAN FRANCISCO — $100,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetEXCELSIOR ACTION GROUP — $75,174 over 1y, 6.2% of budgetLA-MAS INC — $50,000 over 1y, 5.6% of budgetCole Valley Merchant Association — $50,000 over 1y, 98% of budgetSF BLACK WALL STREET FOUNDATION — $50,000 over 1y, 4.0% of budgetAMERICAN JOURNALISM PROJECT INC — $50,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetWAH MEI SCHOOL — $50,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetSAN FRANCISCO PARKS ALLIANCE — $30,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetFILLMORE MERCHANTS & IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION INC — $30,000 over 1y, 11% of budgetCOALITION FOR HUMANE IMMIGRANT RIGHTS — $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetILLUMINATE THE ARTS — $25,000 over 1y, 1.6% of budgetLA VOICE — $25,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetPrecita Eyes Muralists Association Inc — $16,750 over 1y, 3.0% of budgetCOMMUNITY INITIATIVES — $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDOWNTOWN COMMUNITY BENEFIT DISTRICT — $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetINSTITUTO FAMILIAR DE LA RAZA — $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetGREENING PROJECTS — $7,500 over 1y, 1.8% of budgetOCEAN AVENUE ASSOCIATION — $6,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetOASIS ARTS INC — $5,150 over 1y, 1.6% of budget
Go grantee by grantee — a decade per org, and how each moved after you funded them

A decade per grantee — revenue shaded, your grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

The grantmakers whose grantees overlap with yours far more than size alone predicts. Each orbits closer the stronger the alignment; the arcs between them show where they also fund each other. Here it reads as a tightly interlocked camp — most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

The San Francisco Fou…Silicon Valley Commun…SF New DealNational Philanthropi…American Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
The San Francisco FoundationCA15.8× affinity6 shared granteesties to 7 of 7Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The San Francisco Foundation · Silicon Valley Community Foundation · SF New Deal · National Philanthropic Trust · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile Foundation

Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. A research starting point: overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

Government reliance of your grantees

Every dot is one organization Civic Space Foundation funds. Left–right is the share of its income from government; up–down is the share from you. Bigger dots raise more. Filter to federal or a single department — and drag the year to watch it move.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%6%25%56%100%your share of their income ↑0%1%3%4%5%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    13report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–5%
    typical government reliance, FY20–25

    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 your grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first — a floor, not 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 12–24 months.

    04Through Plinth

    Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

    How do I get to Civic Space Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Civic Space 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 directly from IRS e-file XML — your own 990/990-PF and the multi-year returns of the 33 grantees we resolved across every year we hold, several hundred filings in all (a different count from the grant rows on the cover, which are one fiscal year)— each linked to its source. Grantee achievements and outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III); we read these as association with sustained funding — the foundation is one of several forces — suppress low-confidence name matches rather than guess, and say so where a figure rests on a single grant or filing. Not everything on this page is a filed figure, and the difference matters. Filed is what you reported on your 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. How we build these →

    Generated from your IRS Form 990 e-file return for fiscal year 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    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