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Electra Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Electra 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.

$30k
Granted FY2025still arriving
10
Grants FY2025still arriving
2
States reached
$10k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0185% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Housing & Shelter$51kEducation$43kAnimals$37kEnvironment$34kFood & Nutrition$6kHuman Services$6kReligion$4kHealth$3kOther$0
02FY2025 · 10 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k8 grants · $10k
  • $10k–50k2 grants · $20k
$1,000
Median grant
2
States reached
$14k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
REVIVE AND RESTORE$10,000
LONGNOWORG$10,000
PETALUMA RIVER PARK FOUNDATION$2,500
Individual grant recipient$1,033
ISLAND CONSERVATION$1,000
OWL FOUNDATION$1,000
MARIN MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART$1,000
INTERNET ARCHIVE$1,000
NORTHERN JAGUAR PROJECT$1,000
ASTEROID INSTITUTE$1,000
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 (FY17–25, $11k) land where the poverty rate runs at 9%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 19% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%OWL FOUNDATION: $1k → 9%OWL FOUNDATION: $1k → 9%OWL FOUNDATION: $1k → 9%INTERNET ARCHIVE: $1k → 10%INTERNET ARCHIVE: $1k → 10%OWL FOUNDATION: $1k → 9%OWL FOUNDATION: $1k → 9%OWL FOUNDATION: $1k → 9%OWL FOUNDATION: $1k → 9%OWL FOUNDATION: $1k → 9%VIVALON: $535 → 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.

85%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$215k · 21 repeat orgs$37k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +49% since the first grant, against +12% for those funded once.

21 repeat relationships: 8 still active in FY2025, 13 since wound down; 2 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

21
24

Total granted

$215k
$35k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+49%
+12%

Still filing today

71%
50%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 93% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $2k 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
EnvironmentAnimalsHealthHuman ServicesArts & CultureYouth DevelopmentOther
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

  • TL
    THE LONG NOW FOUNDATION
    4× · 2017–2022 · $34k · revenue +49%
  • RR
    REVIVE & RESTORE
    4× · 2022–2025 · $30k · revenue +69%
  • IC
    ISLAND CONSERVATION
    8× · 2017–2025 · $8k · revenue +165%

Funded once

  • PF
    Point Foundation
    one grant, 2018 · $10k
  • VW
    VENTANA WILDLIFE SOCIETYgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $3k · revenue +155%
  • I
    ID2020ORG
    one grant, 2019 · $2k
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
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
—
2
Sonoma Mountain Institute
Environment
3
Resource Renewal Institute

The resource renewal institute facilitates the creation, development and implementation of practical strategies to solve the entire complex environmental problem by addressing it comprehensively.

Environment
4
Sonoma Botanical Garden
—
5
San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory

The San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory is dedicated to promote sustainability in the Bay Area and beyond by engaging communities in avian science, habitat restoration, and education.

Environment
6
Schmidt Ocean Institute
Science & Tech
7
California Institute for Biodiversity

Create and publish educational materials, conduct professional development, promote awareness, and sponsor research on the spectacular biological diversity of the State of CA.

Education
8
Conservation International Foundation

Ci works to spotlight and secure the critical benefits that nature provides to humanity.

Environment
9
The Institute for Bird Populations

The institute for bird populations enables science-based conservation of species and habitats by studying the abundance, demography, and ecology of birds and other wildlife.

Animals
10
California Wildlife Foundation

The foundation works with diverse groups representing many interests to acquire and restore critical wildlife habitat and protecting species

Animals
11
California Institute of Environmental Studies

The institute is dedicated to scientific research, the results of which are used to promote public awareness and education in the areas of conservation biology and ecology,including the wise use of natural resources.

Animals
12
Environment Now
—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The San Diego Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Internet Archive. 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

31 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. 31 of the 49 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.

1
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
5
Early backer (in before they grew)
30/31
Grantees still filing
19/31
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

REVIVE RESTORE: $51,030 · OtherREVIVE RESTORELONGNOWORG: $20,000 · OtherLONGNOWORGIndividual grant recipient: $8,533 · OtherIndividual grant recipientIndividual grant recipient: $6,000 · OtherTHE GUBBIO PROJECT INC: $5,067 · Other+25 more: $32,565 · Other+25 moreREVIVE & RESTORE: $30,325 · AnimalsREVIVE & RESTORENORTHERN JAGUAR PROJECT: $8,000 · AnimalsNORTHERN JAGUAR PROJE…POINT REYES BIRD OBSERVATORY: $6,070 · AnimalsPOINT REYES BIRD OBSE…VENTANA WILDLIFE SOCIETY: $2,500 · Animals+1 more: $1,000 · AnimalsTHE LONG NOW FOUNDATION: $34,000 · EducationTHE LONG NOW FO…ISLAND CONSERVATION: $8,023 · EnvironmentISLAND CON…San Francisco Estuary Institute: $7,094 · EnvironmentSan Franci…The Breakthrough Institute: $4,000 · EnvironmentThe Breakt…FRIENDS OF THE PETALUMA RIVER: $2,000 · EnvironmentFRIENDS OF…THE CORAL REEF ALLIANCE: $1,050 · EnvironmentPLEISTOCENE PARK FOUNDATION INC: $1,000 · EnvironmentPoint Foundation: $10,000 · Arts & CultureCALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES: $1,000 · Arts & CultureMarin Museum of Contemporary Art: $1,000 · Arts & CultureOWL FOUNDATION: $8,000 · Human ServicesInternet Archive: $2,000 · Human ServicesVivalon: $535 · Human ServicesPETALUMA RIVER PARK FOUNDATION INC: $3,500 · Recreation & Sports
Other$123,195Animals$47,895Education$34,000Environment$23,167Arts & Culture$12,000Human Services$10,535Recreation & Sports$3,500

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetTHE LONG NOW FOUNDATION: $34,000 over 4y, 0.4% of budgetREVIVE & RESTORE: $30,325 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetISLAND CONSERVATION: $8,023 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetNORTHERN JAGUAR PROJECT: $8,000 over 8y, 0.3% of budgetOWL FOUNDATION: $8,000 over 8y, 51% of budgetSan Francisco Estuary Institute: $7,094 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetPOINT REYES BIRD OBSERVATORY: $6,070 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetTHE GUBBIO PROJECT INC: $5,067 over 4y, 0.6% of budgetThe Breakthrough Institute: $4,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetPETALUMA RIVER PARK FOUNDATION INC: $3,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetVENTANA WILDLIFE SOCIETY: $2,500 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetInternet Archive: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCALL OF THE SEA: $2,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetFRIENDS OF THE PETALUMA RIVER: $2,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetSAN FRANCISCO FOOD BANK: $2,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetMetta Institute: $2,000 over 1y, 3.3% of budgetTHE CORAL REEF ALLIANCE: $1,050 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPLANET WOMEN: $1,012 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTED FOUNDATION INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetB612 Foundation: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetJameson Animal Rescue Ranch: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE SAN DIEGO FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetEND WELL FOUNDATION: $814 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetVivalon: $535 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCODE FOR AMERICA LABS INC: $500 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 THE LONG NOW FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds REVIVE & RESTORE ↗
  • Who funds Point Foundation ↗
  • Who funds ISLAND CONSERVATION ↗
  • Who funds NORTHERN JAGUAR PROJECT ↗
  • Who funds OWL FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds San Francisco Estuary Institute ↗
  • Who funds POINT REYES BIRD OBSERVATORY ↗
  • Who funds THE GUBBIO PROJECT INC ↗
  • Who funds The Breakthrough Institute ↗
  • Who funds PETALUMA RIVER PARK FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds VENTANA WILDLIFE SOCIETY ↗
  • Who funds Internet Archive ↗
  • Who funds CALL OF THE SEA ↗
  • Who funds FRIENDS OF THE PETALUMA RIVER ↗
  • Who funds SAN FRANCISCO FOOD BANK ↗
  • Who funds Metta Institute ↗
  • Who funds NORTH VALLEY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds THE CORAL REEF ALLIANCE ↗
  • Who funds PLANET WOMEN ↗
  • Who funds CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES ↗
  • Who funds TED FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds B612 Foundation ↗
  • Who funds Marin Museum of Contemporary Art ↗
  • Who funds Jameson Animal Rescue Ranch ↗

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…Jewish Community Fede…Silicon Valley Commun…McNabb FoundationThe Nature ConservancyEast Bay Community Fo…The San Francisco Fou…Gs Donor Advised Phil…The Chicago Community…Texas Instruments Fou…Morgan Stanley Global…Vanguard Charitable E…
Marin Community FoundationCA23.5× affinity10 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Marin Community Foundation · Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco the Peninsula Marin & Sonoma · Silicon Valley Community Foundation · McNabb Foundation · The Nature Conservancy · East Bay Community Foundation · The San Francisco Foundation · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · The Chicago Community Trust · Texas Instruments Foundation · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program

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 Electra Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Electra Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%4%15%34%60%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
    0get no government money at all
    7report 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.
    05Through Plinth

    Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

    How do I get to Electra Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Electra 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 from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 49 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 Electra’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