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Clay Lacy Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Clay Lacy Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$321k
Granted FY2024still arriving
16
Grants FY2024still arriving
9
States reached
$100k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0185% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2018 to 2024.

Arts & Culture$3.1MEnvironment$360kYouth Development$235kEducation$223kHealth$151kScience & Tech$126kCrime & Legal$70kPhilanthropy$57kOther$0
02FY2024 · 16 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k6 grants · $28k
  • $10k–50k8 grants · $112k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $182k
$10,000
Median grant
9
States reached
$2.2M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
BOB HOOVER ACADEMY$100,000
EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION$81,500
NATIONAL AVIATION HALL OF FAME$26,000
LOS ANGELES SHERIFFS FUNDATION$20,000
ANGEL FLIGHT WEST$15,000
KIDDIE HAWK AIR ACADEMY$10,730
CORPORATE ANGELS NETWORK$10,000
WINGS OVER THE ROCKIES AIR & SP$10,000
CATALINA ISLAND CONSERVANCY$10,000
FLIGHTS TO FREEDOM$10,000
Individual grant recipient$6,175
Individual grant recipient$6,000
ISRAEL PARASPORTS CENTER$5,000
KANSAS AVIATION MUSEUM$5,000
RENO AIR RACE ASSOCIATION$5,000
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 (FY20–21, $15k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 99% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%AMAC ACTION: $200 → 10%MILLION LITTLE: $15k → 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

WA
ID
MN
IL
WI
NV
OH
CT
CA
CO
MD
KS
DC
HI
TX
FL
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.

51%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$2.4M · 19 repeat orgs$2.3M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +92% since the first grant, against +34% for those funded once.

19 repeat relationships: 11 still active in FY2024, 8 since wound down; 5 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

19
33

Total granted

$2.4M
$2.2M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+92%
+34%

Still filing today

63%
52%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 59% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $131k went to new ones.

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

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

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
Arts & CultureRecreation & SportsHuman ServicesHealthAnimalsEducationOther
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

  • PO
    Planes of Fame Air Museum
    2× · 2020–2021 · $1.0M · revenue +459% · 26% of their budget
  • SC
    SANTA CATALINA ISLAND CONSERVANCY
    4× · 2019–2024 · $310k · revenue +92%
  • EA
    EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION INC
    5× · 2020–2024 · $300k · revenue +19%

Funded once

  • WO
    WINGS OVER THE ROCKIES AIR & SPACE MUSEUM
    one grant, 2019 · $1.0M · revenue -6%
  • AM
    Aerospace Museum of Californiagraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $500k · revenue +110% · 53% of their budget
  • AY
    AVIATION YOUTH MENTERING PROGRM
    one grant, 2023 · $120k
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
Connecticut Aeronautical Historical Association Inc

The new england air museum's mission is to preserve and present the story of aviation and aerospace, with an emphasis on new england's role, and the genius and inspiration that made it possible. the museum also seeks to inspire young…

Arts & Culture
2
Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum

The mission of the sac museum is to celebrate our heritage, preserve our artifacts, and inspire learning.

Arts & Culture
3
Lone Star Flight Museum

Lone Star Flight Museum (LSFM) celebrates flight and achievements in Texas aviation, engages youth through STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), and believes aviation inspires achievement and endless possibilities.

Arts & Culture
4
Military Aviation Museum

The military aviation museum honors the heroes who built, flew and maintained america's military aircraft. by sharing their stories through exhibitions and events, we promote an understanding of history, science, service and sacrifice that…

Arts & Culture
5
American Airpower Museum Co Cockpit Cpt Usa Llc
—
6
Aviation Foundation of America

Promote and preserve general aviation and aviation history.

Arts & Culture
7
Santa Maria Museum of Flight Inc

To serve as preservationist of past, present, and future aerospace and aeronautical artifacts, historical documents, and memorabilia of the santa maria valley and this nation.

Arts & Culture
8
Air Transport Association of America Inc

Airlines for america (a4a) vigorously advocates for america's airlines as models of safety, customer service, and environmental responsibility; and as the indispensable network that drives our nation's economy and global…

—
9
Military Aviation Museum Foundation

The foundation supports the military aviation museum.

Arts & Culture
10
Aircraft Electronics Association

To encourage and advance the science of aircraft electronics.

—
11
Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum

Inspire a community for innovation and discovery, preserve aerospace history, and honor those who serve.

Arts & Culture
12
Air & Space Forces Association

The air & space forces association (afa) is a nonprofit, independent, professional military, and aerospace education association. the association's mission is to promote dominant u.s. air and space forces as the foundation of a strong…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Experimental Aircraft Association Inc; the most unlike its peers is Christian Charters 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

32 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. 32 of the 58 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.

2
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
10
Early backer (in before they grew)
32/32
Grantees still filing
23/32
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Planes of Fame Air Museum: $1,010,000 · Arts & CulturePlanes of Fame Air MuseumWINGS OVER THE ROCKIES AIR & SPACE MUSEUM: $1,000,000 · Arts & CultureWINGS OVER THE ROCKIES AIR & SPACE MUSEUMEAA AVIATION FOUNDATION INC: $300,000 · Arts & CultureEAA AVIATION FOUNDATION INCPALM SPRINGS AIR MUSEUM INC: $131,000 · Arts & CultureCOSMOSPHERE INC: $100,000 · Arts & Culture+6 more: $142,000 · Arts & CultureAerospace Museum of California: $500,000 · OtherAerospace Museum of CaliforniaSANTA CATALINA ISLAND CONSERVANCY: $310,000 · OtherSANTA CATALINA ISLAND CONSERVANCYIndividual grant recipient: $128,600 · OtherIndividual grant recipientAVIATION YOUTH MENTERING PROGRM: $120,000 · OtherAVIATION YOUTH MENTERING PROGRMIndividual grant recipient: $100,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipientIndividual grant recipient: $60,000 · Other+33 more: $341,475 · Other+33 moreBOB HOOVER ACADEMY: $100,000 · EducationFriends University: $100,000 · EducationTHE KIDDIE HAWK AIR ACADEMY: $105,411 · Youth DevelopmentANGEL FLIGHT WEST INC: $81,000 · HealthCORPORATE ANGEL NETWORK INC: $10,000 · HealthLOS ANGELES SHERIFFS FOUNDATION: $70,000 · Crime & LegalORANGE COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $57,103 · Philanthropy+1 more: $1,000 · Philanthropy
Arts & Culture$2,683,000Other$1,560,075Education$200,000Youth Development$105,411Health$91,000Crime & Legal$70,000Philanthropy$58,103

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 budgetPlanes of Fame Air Museum: $1,010,000 over 2y, 26% of budgetWINGS OVER THE ROCKIES AIR & SPACE MUSEUM: $1,000,000 over 1y, 17% of budgetAerospace Museum of California: $500,000 over 1y, 53% of budgetSANTA CATALINA ISLAND CONSERVANCY: $310,000 over 4y, 1.6% of budgetEAA AVIATION FOUNDATION INC: $300,000 over 5y, 0.8% of budgetPALM SPRINGS AIR MUSEUM INC: $131,000 over 4y, 3.5% of budgetTHE KIDDIE HAWK AIR ACADEMY: $105,411 over 5y, 3.6% of budgetBOB HOOVER ACADEMY: $100,000 over 1y, 8.8% of budgetCOSMOSPHERE INC: $100,000 over 1y, 1.8% of budgetFriends University: $100,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetANGEL FLIGHT WEST INC: $81,000 over 5y, 0.3% of budgetLOS ANGELES SHERIFFS FOUNDATION: $70,000 over 3y, 7.3% of budgetORANGE COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $57,103 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetAviation Hall of Fame: $52,000 over 3y, 1.3% of budgetEXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCLASSIC LEAR JET FOUNDATION: $25,000 over 1y, 11% of budgetMUSEUM OF FLIGHT FOUNDATION: $25,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetKANSAS AVIATION MUSEUM INC: $15,000 over 2y, 1.1% of budgetMILLION LITTLE: $15,000 over 1y, 6.3% of budgetPEARL HARBOR AVIATION MUSEUM: $15,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetCORPORATE ANGEL NETWORK INC: $10,000 over 1y, 1.0% of budgetSAN DIEGO AIR & SPACE MUSEUM INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetWichita Aero Club: $10,000 over 1y, 15% of budgetAMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE ISRAEL SPORT CENTER FOR THE DISABLED: $1,200 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetThe Tom Wathen Center: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetIdaho Humane Society Inc: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWOODS HUMANE SOCIETY INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetYOSEMITE FOUNDATION: $200 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAMAC-ACTION INC: $200 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS MEMORIAL FUND INC: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSPECIAL OLYMPICS INC: $100 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 Planes of Fame Air Museum ↗
  • Who funds WINGS OVER THE ROCKIES AIR & SPACE MUSEUM ↗
  • Who funds Aerospace Museum of California ↗
  • Who funds SANTA CATALINA ISLAND CONSERVANCY ↗
  • Who funds EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds PALM SPRINGS AIR MUSEUM INC ↗
  • Who funds THE KIDDIE HAWK AIR ACADEMY ↗
  • Who funds BOB HOOVER ACADEMY ↗
  • Who funds COSMOSPHERE INC ↗
  • Who funds Friends University ↗
  • Who funds ANGEL FLIGHT WEST INC ↗
  • Who funds LOS ANGELES SHERIFFS FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds ORANGE COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds Aviation Hall of Fame ↗
  • Who funds EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION INC ↗
  • Who funds CLASSIC LEAR JET FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds MUSEUM OF FLIGHT FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds CHRISTIAN CHARTERS INCORPORATED ↗
  • Who funds KANSAS AVIATION MUSEUM INC ↗
  • Who funds MILLION LITTLE ↗
  • Who funds PEARL HARBOR AVIATION MUSEUM ↗
  • Who funds CORPORATE ANGEL NETWORK INC ↗

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.

Apex FoundationSi Robin FoundationEmbry-Riddle Aeronaut…Textron Charitable Tr…The Robert a and Susa…Ray Foundation IncBerry Foundation IncGe Aerospace Foundati…Enterprise Holdings F…The Blackbaud Giving …National Philanthropi…Gs Donor Advised Phil…
Apex FoundationWA28.2× affinity11 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Apex Foundation · Si Robin Foundation · Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Inc · Textron Charitable Trust Dtd 122353 · The Robert a and Susan C Wilson Foundation · Ray Foundation Inc · Berry Foundation Inc · Ge Aerospace Foundation · Enterprise Holdings Foundation · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · National Philanthropic Trust · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management 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 Clay Lacy Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Clay Lacy Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%4%15%34%60%funder's share of their income ↑0%15%30%45%60%share of the org’s income from government →median 0%
  • Amac-Action Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
1get no government money at all
9report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–60%
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 58 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 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

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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