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Darrow Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Darrow Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$34k
Granted FY2024still arriving
12
Grants FY2024still arriving
2
States reached
$8k
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 2024.

Education$85kReligion$70kFood & Nutrition$61kHuman Services$35kYouth Development$21kEmployment$13kArts & Culture$5kHealth$3kOther$0
02FY2024 · 12 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$2,000
Median grant
2
States reached
$545k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION ACADEMY$8,000
SAN FRANCISCO-MARIN FOOD BANK$8,000
MARIN FOSTER CARE$2,500
SPAULDING MARINE CENTER$2,000
ST ANTHONY'S DINING ROOM$2,000
ST RAPHAEL'S SCHOOL$2,000
ST VINCENT DEPAUL SOCIETY$2,000
CATHOLIC CHARITIES$2,000
HOMEWARD BOUND$2,000
FOUNDATION FIGHTING BLINDNESS$2,000
BLOOM MARIN$1,000
GIRL SCOUTS OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA$500
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 (FY17–22, $10k) land where the poverty rate runs at 8%, against an area that typically sits at 8%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 8%ST VINCENT SCHOOL FOR BOYS: $3k → 8%ST VINCENT SCHOOL FOR BOYS: $2k → 8%ST VINCENT SCHOOL FOR BOYS: $2k → 8%ST VINCENT SCHOOL FOR BOYS: $2k → 8%ST VINCENT SCHOOL FOR BOYS: $2k → 8%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.

98%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$288k · 21 repeat orgs$5k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +60% since the first grant, against +58% for those funded once.

21 repeat relationships: 11 still active in FY2024, 10 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

21
4

Total granted

$288k
$4k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+60%
+58%

Still filing today

43%
25%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 97% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $1k went to new ones.

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

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
Youth DevelopmentHuman ServicesReligionEducationArts & CultureHealthOther
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

  • SF
    SAN FRANCISCO FOOD BANK
    8× · 2017–2024 · $55k · revenue +74%
  • CC
    CATHOLIC CHARITIES CYO OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF SAN FRANCISCO
    5× · 2017–2022 · $10k · revenue +60%
  • GM
    GLIDE MEMORIAL CHURCH
    3× · 2017–2019 · $6k · revenue ×18

Funded once

  • MC
    MARIN CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL
    one grant, 2017 · $2k
  • TN
    The Novato Human Needs Center
    one grant, 2017 · $500
  • MA
    MARIN ATHLETIC FOUNDATIONgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $500 · revenue +58%
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
Transportation Alternatives for Marin
Public Benefit
2
Sutter Bay Hospitals

MISSION STATEMENT: MISSION: CARING FOR OUR PATIENTS FIRST AND OUR PEOPLE ALWAYS. VISION: TO BE THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE, INTEGRATED AND CONNECTED HEALTH SYSTEM FOR GETTING AND STAYING WELL. VALUES: EXCELLENCE - We deliver high-quality,…

Health
3
Marin Made
Environment
4
Marina Counseling Center

To provide high-quality, heart-centered, affordable, and accessible psychotherapy to our diverse San Francisco/Bay Area communities. The MCC offers excellent training and supervision for the next generation of mental health professionals.

Health
5
Sutter Bay Medical Foundation

Mission statement: mission: caring for our patients first and our people always. vision: to be the most comprehensive, integrated and connected health system for getting and staying well. values: excellence - we deliver high-quality,…

Health
6
North Beach Citizens

North Beach Citizens meets the needs of our unhoused and extremely low-income neighbors with trust, integrity, and compassion. Through personalized, innovative programs, we help individuals facing poverty reclaim dignity, stability, and a…

Human Services
7
Senior Access

Senior Access's mission is to help Marin's older and disabled adults remain independent and part of the community for as long as possible.

—
8
Homeward Bound of Marin

Homeward Bound is the main provider of emergency shelter, supportive housing and services for people overcoming a crisis of homelessness in Marin County, California. Our mission of "opening doors to safety, dignity, hope, and…

Housing & Shelter
9
Marin Cultural Association

To support art and culture in Marin County, including enhancing the programs and facilities at the Marin Center and Marin County Fair.

Arts & Culture
10
Marin Advocates for Children

Marin Advocates mission is to prevent abuse and to advocate for the best interest of children.

—
11
Community Action Marin

We make it possible for people in marin to achieve well-being by providing the vital services they need. together, we break down the barriers that get in the way of fair and lasting change in service to better outcomes for all.

Human Services
12
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Catholic Charities Cyo of the Archdiocese of San Francisco; the most unlike its peers is The Foundation Fighting Blindness 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

12 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. 12 of the 26 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)
4
Early backer (in before they grew)
10/12
Grantees still filing
8/12
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION ACADEMY: $83,000 · OtherIMMACULATE CONCEPTION ACADEMYSAN FRANCISCO FOOD BANK: $55,000 · OtherSAN FRANCISCO FOOD BANKST RAPHAEL'S SCHOOL: $27,000 · OtherST RAPHAEL'S SCHOOLST ANTHONY'S DINING ROOM: $25,000 · OtherST ANTHONY'S DINING ROOMST VINCENT DEPAUL SOCIETY: $12,000 · OtherCATHOLIC CHARITIES YOUTH ORGANIZATION: $12,000 · OtherCatholic Charities San Bernardino & Riverside Counties: $9,000 · Other+12 more: $39,000 · Other+12 moreCATHOLIC CHARITIES CYO OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF SAN FRANCISCO: $10,000 · Human ServicesGIRL SCOUTS OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA: $5,000 · Youth DevelopmentNorth Marin Community Services: $2,000 · Youth DevelopmentGLIDE MEMORIAL CHURCH: $5,500 · ReligionThe Spaulding Wooden Boat Center: $4,000 · Arts & CultureTHE FOUNDATION FIGHTING BLINDNESS INC: $3,000 · HealthMARIN ATHLETIC FOUNDATION: $500 · Education
Other$262,000Human Services$10,000Youth Development$7,000Religion$5,500Arts & Culture$4,000Health$3,000Education$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 budgetSAN FRANCISCO FOOD BANK: $55,000 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetCATHOLIC CHARITIES CYO OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF SAN FRANCISCO: $10,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetCatholic Charities San Bernardino & Riverside Counties: $9,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetGIRL SCOUTS OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA: $5,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetThe Spaulding Wooden Boat Center: $4,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetTHE FOUNDATION FIGHTING BLINDNESS INC: $3,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNorth Marin Community Services: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetVallejo Naval and Historical Museum: $1,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetThe Novato Human Needs Center: $500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMARIN ATHLETIC FOUNDATION: $500 over 1y, 0.5% 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 SAN FRANCISCO FOOD BANK ↗
  • Who funds CATHOLIC CHARITIES CYO OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF SAN FRANCISCO ↗
  • Who funds Catholic Charities San Bernardino & Riverside Counties ↗
  • Who funds GLIDE MEMORIAL CHURCH ↗
  • Who funds GIRL SCOUTS OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ↗
  • Who funds The Spaulding Wooden Boat Center ↗
  • Who funds THE FOUNDATION FIGHTING BLINDNESS INC ↗
  • Who funds North Marin Community Services ↗
  • Who funds BLOOM MARIN ↗
  • Who funds Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum ↗
  • Who funds The Novato Human Needs Center ↗
  • Who funds MARIN ATHLETIC FOUNDATION ↗

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.

Marin Community Found…Allensby Charity FundThe William G Irwin C…The San Francisco Fou…Morgan Stanley Global…The Blackbaud Giving …American Endowment Fo…The Bank of America C…Vanguard Charitable E…National Philanthropi…Donor Advised Charita…American Online Givin…
Marin Community FoundationCA18.9× affinity7 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Marin Community Foundation · Allensby Charity Fund · The William G Irwin Charity Foundation · The San Francisco Foundation · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · American Endowment Foundation · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · National Philanthropic Trust · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · American Online Giving Foundation 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 Darrow Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Darrow Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%6%13%19%25%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get no government money at all
    5report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–25%
    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 26 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 Darrow’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