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Dr Harry Z & Ruth M Marx Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Dr Harry Z & Ruth M Marx 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.

$28k
Granted FY2025still arriving
4
Grants FY2025still arriving
1
States reached
$25k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0191% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Health$766kEnvironment$258kRecreation & Sports$200kAnimals$30kScience & Tech$22kHousing & Shelter$19kEducation$12kArts & Culture$9kOther$0
02FY2025 · 4 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k3 grants · $3k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $25k
$2,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$1.6M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
CHALLENGED ATHLETES FOUNDATION$25,000
HUMAN GOOD FOUNDATION$2,000
DANA MIDDLE SCHOOL$500
UC SAN DIEGO$25
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 (FY17–25, $209k) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%HUMAN GOOD FOUNDATION: $2k → 14%HUMAN GOOD FOUNDATION: $2k → 14%HUMAN GOOD FOUNDATION: $2k → 14%HUMAN GOOD FOUNDATION: $1k → 14%HUMAN GOOD FOUNDATION: $1k → 14%HUMAN GOOD FOUNDATION: $1k → 14%CHALLENGED ATHLETES FOUNDATION: $25k → 11%CHALLENGED ATHLETES FOUNDATION: $25k → 11%CHALLENGED ATHLETES FOUNDATION: $25k → 11%CHALLENGED ATHLETES FOUNDATION: $25k → 11%CHALLENGED ATHLETES FOUNDATION: $25k → 11%CHALLENGED ATHLETES FOUNDATION: $25k → 11%CHALLENGED ATHLETES FOUNDATION: $25k → 11%CHALLENGED ATHLETES FOUNDATION: $20k → 11%CHALLENGED ATHLETES FOUNDATION: $5k → 11%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
NY
MA
OR
SD
OH
PA
CA
DC
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.

94%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.3M · 12 repeat orgs$78k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +54% since the first grant, against +4% for those funded once.

12 repeat relationships: 2 still active in FY2025, 10 since wound down; 2 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

12
20

Total granted

$1.3M
$77k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+54%
+4%

Still filing today

58%
55%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 98% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $525 went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Arts & CultureHealthEnvironmentHuman ServicesEmploymentInternationalOther
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

  • CA
    CHALLENGED ATHLETES INC
    9× · 2017–2025 · $200k · revenue +54%
  • ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND INCORPORATED
    4× · 2017–2024 · $185k · revenue +202%
  • HF
    HUMANGOOD FOUNDATION WEST
    6× · 2020–2025 · $9k · revenue +103%

Funded once

  • SI
    SCRIPPS INSTITUTE OF OCEANOGRAPHY
    one grant, 2018 · $22k
  • US
    UC SAN DIEGO- SCRIPPS INSTITUTE OF OCEANOGRAPHY
    one grant, 2022 · $20k
  • ST VINCENT DE PAUL VILLAGE INC
    one grant, 2022 · $10k · revenue +4%
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
Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute

Sanford burnham prebys medical discovery institute's mission is to advance the biomedical sciences by cultivating the next generation of scientific leaders, providing meaningful opportunities for researchers of all backgrounds to learn,…

Health
2
Society for Neuroscience

Sfn's mission is to: 1. advance the understanding of the brain and the nervous system by bringing together scientists of all segments of neuroscience, by facilitating the integration of research directed at all levels of biological…

Health
3
Project Drawdown

Project drawdown's mission is to drive meaningful climate action by advancing science-based solutions and strategies. project drawdown's work is focused on three pillars: science - advancing science-based climate solutions and strategies;…

Education
4
The Union of Concerned Scientists Inc

The union of concerned scientists puts rigorous, independent science into action, developing solutions and advocating for a healthy, safe, and just future.

International
5
Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Foundation
Philanthropy
6
Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation

The samuel waxman cancer research foundation (the "foundation") funds innovative research to bring faster cures to patients. in addition to supporting ongoing collaborative research in specific cancers, our scientists are investigating the…

—
7
Health and Environmental Sciences Institute

The health and environmental sciences institute (hesi) is a nonprofit institution whose mission is to engage scientists from academia, government, industry, nonprofit, and other research institutions to identify and resolve global health…

Science & Tech
8
Cdp North America Inc

Cdp north america, inc. 's ("cdp-na") vision for the future is a thriving economy that works for people and planet in the long term. we focus investors and companies on taking urgent action to build a truly sustainable economy by measuring…

Environment
9
City of Hope

City of Hope's mission is to make hope a reality for all touched by cancer and diabetes. PLEASE SEE SCHEDULE O FOR A CONTINUATION OF OUR MISSION

Health
10
Friends of the Earth

Friends of the earth strives for a more healthy and just world by defendng the environment and human health while advancing social and economic justice by conducting research and education, transforming the economy so it protects the…

Environment
11
Target Als Foundation Inc

Our mission is to break down barriers to als research to find effective treatments. by uniting academia, the pharma and biotech industry, government, venture capital, related nonprofits, and the als community, we aim to overcome the…

Education
12
Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine

The sanford consortium is a collaboration among five preeminent life science research institutions formed to enable renowned scientists with expertise in stem cell and regenerative medicine research to collaborate to seek transformative…

Health
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Environmental Defense Fund Incorporated; the most unlike its peers is Post-Morrow 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

20 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

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 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 20 of the 36 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)
5
Early backer (in before they grew)
20/20
Grantees still filing
13/20
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

PLANNED PARENTHOOD: $756,600 · OtherPLANNED PARENTHOODECOLIFE FOUNDATION: $51,214 · OtherECOLIFE FOUNDATION+19 more: $109,074 · Other+19 moreCHALLENGED ATHLETES INC: $200,140 · Human ServicesCHALLENGED ATHLET…HUMANGOOD FOUNDATION WEST: $9,350 · Human ServicesENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND INCORPORATED: $185,000 · EnvironmentENVIRONMENTAL D…+2 more: $1,425 · EnvironmentST VINCENT DE PAUL VILLAGE INC: $10,000 · ReligionLA JOLLA MUSIC SOCIETY: $3,500 · Arts & CultureSMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION: $2,600 · Arts & CultureTHE FILM COLLABORATIVE INC: $2,500 · Arts & CultureELDERHEART INC: $500 · Arts & CultureTHE HONOR FOUNDATION INC: $5,000 · EmploymentFSHD SOCIETY: $2,000 · HealthACHIEVA: $500 · HealthNATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY: $500 · Health+1 more: $100 · Health
Other$916,888Human Services$209,490Environment$186,425Religion$10,000Arts & Culture$9,100Employment$5,000Health$3,100

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 budgetCHALLENGED ATHLETES INC: $200,140 over 9y, 0.3% of budgetENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND INCORPORATED: $185,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetST VINCENT DE PAUL VILLAGE INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHUMANGOOD FOUNDATION WEST: $9,350 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetThe Vision of Children: $5,500 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetTHE HONOR FOUNDATION INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetLA JOLLA MUSIC SOCIETY: $3,500 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetSMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION: $2,600 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE FILM COLLABORATIVE INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFSHD SOCIETY: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetACHIEVA: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetELDERHEART INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSAN DIEGO CACTUS AND SUCCULENT SOCIETY: $425 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetSWEDISH MEDICAL CENTER FOUNDATION: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE NATURE CONSERVANCY: $54 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPROJECT CONCERN INTERNATIONAL: $50 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.

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.

Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Donor Advised Charitable Giving IncCO5× affinity4 shared granteesties to 2 of 2Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: 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 Dr Harry Z & Ruth M Marx Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Dr Harry Z & Ruth M Marx Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 20%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    2get no government money at all
    3report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    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 36 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 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Dr Harry Z & Ruth M Marx’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