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Washington · Private foundation

Cooper-Newell 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.

$1.1M
Granted FY2024(still arriving)
25
Grants FY2024
20
Organizations funded FY2023
25%
First-time grantees FY2023
Read the full brief

Read this first · the figures below need context

97% of Cooper-Newell Foundation’s FY2025 grant dollars went to Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund, not to grantees.

Its money now reaches organizations through that sponsor, which does not report who recommended each grant. FY2025 names 1 organization directly, so a portfolio cannot be read from it. Everything below is therefore FY2024, the last year Cooper-Newell Foundation named its own grantees at scale: 24 organizations, $1M. It is dated, not current.

Organizations named directly on the return

6
’17
10
’18
6
’19
6
’20
9
’21
7
’22
11
’23
24
’24
1
’25

Amber years are those where most dollars went to a sponsor.

Median grant, FY2024
$25,000
Largest grant, FY2024
$325,600
Organizations funded a year
10 to 20
FY2017 to FY2023
States reached, FY2024
6
Total assets, FY2024
$21M
Applications
Preselected organizations only
Per its most recent filing; check its own site

How open it is to new grantees

In FY2023, 25% of the organizations Cooper-Newell Foundation funded were first-time grantees, receiving 21% of its grant dollars.

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2023, 79% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $245k went to new ones.

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

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

’18’19’20’21’22’23
Arts & CultureEnvironmentEducationOther
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.
The numbers by year
Fiscal yearOrganizations fundedTo those organizationsFirst-time grantees
FY2024still arriving25$1.1M72%
FY202320$1.2M25%
FY202214$1.5M36%
FY202112$228k50%
FY202010$115k0%
FY201911$94k18%
FY201813$81k46%
FY201710$64kn/a
100% 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$3.1MPhilanthropy$2.0MEnvironment$393kEducation$299kAnimals$250kCivil Rights$120kHealth$50kPublic Benefit$50kOther$0

Where its grants go

Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.

Which US states its grants reach

WA
NY
MA
OR
OH
PA
CT
RI
CA
NM
KS
DC

Top grantees

Largest recipients by total granted, FY2017 to FY2025, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.

GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
National Nordic Museum$1,380,600414%
Northwest Maritime Center$1,110,500810%
Wakefield Museum Association Inc$261,365334%
National Audubon Society Inc$250,00070%
College Unbound$200,00013%
American Civil Liberties Union Foundation Inc$100,00010%
Earthjustice$100,00010%
Jefferson County Historical Society$61,50057%
Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and North Idaho$50,00010%
Grist Magazine Inc$50,00011%
Show all 36 grantees
All grantees of Cooper-Newell Foundation by total granted
GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
National Nordic Museum$1,380,600414%
Northwest Maritime Center$1,110,500810%
Wakefield Museum Association Inc$261,365334%
National Audubon Society Inc$250,00070%
College Unbound$200,00013%
American Civil Liberties Union Foundation Inc$100,00010%
Earthjustice$100,00010%
Jefferson County Historical Society$61,50057%
Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and North Idaho$50,00010%
Grist Magazine Inc$50,00011%
Washington Conservation Action Education Fund$30,00020%
Sunset Hill Community Hall$25,000115%
Renewable Northwest Project Dba Renewable Northwest$25,00011%
Common Power Future$25,00011%
Northwest Abortion Access Fund$25,00011%
The Early Music Guild of Seattle$25,00015%
Voter Registration Project$25,00010%
League of Conservation Voters Education Fund$25,00010%
Sound Generations$20,00010%
St Pauls Choir School$20,0004n/a
Puget Soundkeeper Alliance$15,00021%
Ballard Historical Society$10,0007n/a
Medieval Womens Choir$10,00043%
Northeastern University$10,00010%
Eli Whitney Museum Inc$10,00011%
Friends of Cambridge Rindge And$7,0004n/a
Cambridge School Volunteers Inc$7,0003n/a
Pacific Musicworks$5,00012%
Seattle Bach Festival$5,00012%
Burke Museum Association$5,00010%
United States Fund for Unicef$5,00010%
E B Dunn Historic Garden Trust$5,00011%
Sound Action$4,00041%
Chinese Culture Connection Inc$1,00010%
Puget Sound Restoration Fund$1,00010%
National Fisheries Conservation Center$65010%

What it could do for these grantees

Plus 16 recipients with no EIN on record ($497k), not named here.

Where it is load-bearing

Cooper-Newell Foundation supplied at least a quarter of the budget for 1 of its grantees at some point. The chart plots its 32 largest grantees; load-bearing ones sit top left.

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetNational Nordic Museum: $1,380,600 over 4y, 14% of budgetNorthwest Maritime Center: $1,110,500 over 8y, 9.9% of budgetWakefield Museum Association Inc: $261,365 over 3y, 34% of budgetNational Audubon Society Inc: $250,000 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetCollege Unbound: $200,000 over 1y, 2.6% of budgetAmerican Civil Liberties Union Foundation Inc: $100,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetEarthjustice: $100,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetJefferson County Historical Society: $61,500 over 5y, 6.8% of budgetPlanned Parenthood of Greater Washington and North Idaho: $50,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetGrist Magazine Inc: $50,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetWashington Conservation Action Education Fund: $30,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetSunset Hill Community Hall: $25,000 over 1y, 15% of budgetRenewable Northwest Project Dba Renewable Northwest: $25,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetCommon Power Future: $25,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetNorthwest Abortion Access Fund: $25,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetThe Early Music Guild of Seattle: $25,000 over 1y, 4.7% of budgetVoter Registration Project: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLeague of Conservation Voters Education Fund: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSound Generations: $20,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetPuget Soundkeeper Alliance: $15,000 over 2y, 0.8% of budgetMedieval Womens Choir: $10,000 over 4y, 3.2% of budgetNortheastern University: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetEli Whitney Museum Inc: $10,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetPacific Musicworks: $5,000 over 1y, 1.6% of budgetSeattle Bach Festival: $5,000 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetBurke Museum Association: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetUnited States Fund for Unicef: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetE B Dunn Historic Garden Trust: $5,000 over 1y, 1.0% of budgetSound Action: $4,000 over 4y, 0.8% of budgetChinese Culture Connection Inc: $1,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetPuget Sound Restoration Fund: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetNational Fisheries Conservation Center: $650 over 1y, 0.4% of budget

Tap a dot to name the grantee.

How this is measured
Share of budget is the funder’s grant in a year over the grantee’s total revenue that year, at its highest across the years we hold; revenue is from all sources. Only grantees confirmed against their own filings, whose grants do not exceed their revenue, are plotted: the largest 32.

Nonprofits that may fit its grantmaking

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.

Seattle FoundationThe Bullitt FoundationArtsfundThe Hugh and Jane Fer…Raikes FoundationThe Norcliffe Foundat…Puget Sound Energy Fo…Kaleidoscope Foundati…Mightycause Charitabl…Lucky Seven FoundationPatagoniaorgThe Burning Foundation
Seattle FoundationWA30.7× affinity15 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Seattle Foundation · The Bullitt Foundation · Artsfund · The Hugh and Jane Ferguson Foundation · Raikes Foundation · The Norcliffe Foundation · Puget Sound Energy Foundation · Kaleidoscope Foundation · Mightycause Charitable Foundation · Lucky Seven Foundation · Patagoniaorg · The Burning 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.

Compare Cooper-Newell Foundation with peer funders

About Cooper-Newell Foundation

How much does Cooper-Newell Foundation give?
Cooper-Newell Foundation reported 25 grants totaling $1,120,100 in its FY2024 IRS filing. It funded between 10 and 20 organizations a year over FY2017 to FY2023.
What does Cooper-Newell Foundation fund?
By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2025, its largest causes are Arts & Culture (49%), Philanthropy (32%), Environment (6%).
Who are Cooper-Newell Foundation's largest grantees?
By total granted over FY2017 to FY2025: National Nordic Museum ($1.4M), Northwest Maritime Center ($1.1M), Wakefield Museum Association Inc ($261k).
Does Cooper-Newell Foundation fund new organizations?
In FY2023, 25% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
Does Cooper-Newell Foundation accept unsolicited applications?
Its most recent filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and does not take unsolicited requests. Check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.
Which funders back the same organizations as Cooper-Newell Foundation?
Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include Seattle Foundation, The Bullitt Foundation, Artsfund.
Where is Cooper-Newell Foundation based?
Cooper-Newell Foundation is based in WA.

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 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Cooper-Newell’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