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Elm Street Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Elm Street 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.

$1.7M
Granted FY2024still arriving
13
Grants FY2024still arriving
4
States reached
$700k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0199% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Education$4.7MPhilanthropy$3.1MReligion$932kArts & Culture$567kInternational$241kScience & Tech$213kHuman Services$153kRecreation & Sports$128kOther$0
02FY2024 · 13 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k1 grant · $5k
  • $10k–50k5 grants · $80k
  • $50k–250k5 grants · $425k
  • $250k+2 grants · $1.2M
$50,000
Median grant
4
States reached
$36M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
VANGUARD CHARITABLE ENDOWMENT$700,000
YELLOWSTONE CLUB COMMUNITY FDN$500,000
COMMON SENSE MEDIA$150,000
SAN FRANCISCO DAY SCHOOL$100,000
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA$75,000
CONGREGATION EMANU-EL$50,000
THE MOSAIC PROJECT$50,000
SAN FRANCISCO DAY SCHOOL$40,000
THE MARIN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION$10,000
SAN FRANCISCO DAY SCHOOL$10,000
JEWISH FAMILY & CHILDREN'S SERVICES$10,000
JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF SF$10,000
SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART$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 (FY17–24, $120k) land where the poverty rate runs at 10%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 98% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%SWEETWATER SPECTRUM: $3k → 9%JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF SAN FRANCISCO: $10k → 10%JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF SAN FRANCISCO: $10k → 10%JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF SAN FRANCISCO: $10k → 10%REMAKE: $3k → 10%JEWISH FAMILY & CHILDREN'S SERVICES: $20k → 10%JEWISH FAMILY & CHILDREN'S SERVICES: $10k → 10%JEWISH FAMILY & CHILDREN'S SERVICES: $10k → 10%JEWISH FAMILY & CHILDREN'S SERVICES: $10k → 10%JEWISH FAMILY & CHILDREN'S SERVICES: $10k → 10%JEWISH FAMILY & CHILDREN'S SERVICES: $10k → 10%JEWISH FAMILY & CHILDREN'S SERVICES: $10k → 10%RAPHAEL HOUSE: $5k → 10%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

MT
IL
NY
MA
PA
RI
CA
VA
TN
DC
TX
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.

96%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$8.2M · 23 repeat orgs$317k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +24% since the first grant, against -2% for those funded once.

23 repeat relationships: 6 still active in FY2024, 17 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

23
32

Total granted

$8.2M
$267k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+24%
-2%

Still filing today

61%
72%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 96% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $50k 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
Arts & CultureEducationHuman ServicesInternationalPhilanthropyEnvironmentOther
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

  • SAN FRANCISCO DAY SCHOOL
    7× · 2018–2024 · $4.0M · revenue +56%
  • CS
    COMMON SENSE MEDIA
    7× · 2018–2024 · $500k · revenue +49%
  • TE
    THE EXPLORATORIUM
    5× · 2018–2022 · $210k · revenue +24%

Funded once

  • BS
    BIG SKY COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONgraduated
    one grant, 2018 · $100k · revenue +318%
  • NW
    NATURAL WAKEFULNESS CENTER
    one grant, 2022 · $30k
  • EVERYTOWN FOR GUN SAFETY SUPPORT FUND INC
    one grant, 2022 · $20k · revenue -36%
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
The San Francisco School

A private school that cultivates and celebrates the intellectual, imaginative, and humanitarian promise of each student in a community that practices mutual respect, embraces diversity, and inspires passion for learning.

—
2
San Francisco Friends School

At san francisco friends school, students learn in a community grounded in the quaker values of reflection, integrity, peaceful problem-solving and stewardship. our teachers challenge students with a dynamic curriculum that inspires…

Education
3
The San Diego Foundation

The san diego foundation inspires enduring philanthropy and enables community solutions to improve the quality of life in our region.

Philanthropy
4
Silicon Schools Fund Inc

The mission of the silicon schools fund is to improve education through supporting the launch of excellent new schools, improving academic instruction in existing schools, and by funding some of the boldest innovations in education…

Education
5
The Uc Davis Foundation

The mission of the uc davis foundation is to secure, steward and manage private gifts for uc davis.

Education
6
Community Foundation Santa Cruz County

To promote philanthropy to make santa cruz county a better place to live, now and in the future.we bring together people, ideas, and resources to inspire philanthropy and accomplish great things.

Philanthropy
7
Ucsf Foundation Investment Company

The organization provides professional investment management services for endowed gifts and financial assets entrusted to the ucsf foundation.

Education
8
Asian Art Museum Foundation of San Francisco

The asian art museum celebrates, preserves, and promotes asian and asian american art and cultures for local and global audiences. we provide a dynamic forum for exchanging ideas, inviting collaboration, and fueling imagination to deepen…

Arts & Culture
9
Uc Santa Barbara Foundation

The uc santa barbara foundation actively works to further the goals of the university of california, santa barbara. the foundation seeks to maintain and nurture the university's quality and distinction. on behalf of the campus, the…

Education
10
The International School of San Francisco

Guided by the principles of academic rigor and diversity, the international school of san francisco offers programs of study in french and english to prepare its graduates for a world in which the ability to think critically and to…

Education
11
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The mission of mit is to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century.

Education
12
Association of California School Administrators

The association serves its members by creating resources that enable california school administrators to develop and apply creative leadership and management skills and in turn, improve the educational process for all students.

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Jewish Community Center of San Francisco; the most unlike its peers is Sonoma Valley Youth Soccer Association. 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

45 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. 45 of the 62 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)
10
Early backer (in before they grew)
44/45
Grantees still filing
26/45
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

SAN FRANCISCO DAY SCHOOL: $4,025,000 · EducationSAN FRANCISCO DAY SCHOOLTRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA: $425,000 · EducationTRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA+5 more: $142,000 · EducationVANGUARD CHARITABLE ENDOWMENT: $1,617,000 · OtherVANGUARD CHARITABLE ENDOWMENTCONGREGATION EMANU-EL: $891,000 · OtherCONGREGATION EMANU-ELLITTLE SCHOOL: $190,000 · OtherLITTLE SCHOOLHARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL: $125,000 · Other+27 more: $299,360 · Other+27 moreYELLOWSTONE CLUB COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $1,085,000 · PhilanthropyYELLOWSTONE CLUB …VANGUARD CHARITABLE ENDOWMENT PROGRAM: $330,000 · PhilanthropyVANGUARD CHARITAB…TIPPING POINT COMMUNITY: $210,000 · PhilanthropyTIPPING POINT COM…+2 more: $21,000 · PhilanthropyCOMMON SENSE MEDIA: $500,000 · Arts & CultureTHE EXPLORATORIUM: $210,000 · Arts & CultureSAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART: $35,000 · Arts & Culture+7 more: $34,500 · Arts & CultureJEWISH FAMILY AND CHILDREN'S SERVICES: $80,000 · Human ServicesJEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF SAN FRANCISCO: $30,000 · Human ServicesRAPHAEL HOUSE OF SAN FRANCISCO INC: $5,000 · Human Services+2 more: $5,000 · Human ServicesBIG SKY COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION: $100,000 · EnvironmentGOLDEN GATE NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVANCY: $5,000 · EnvironmentTHE SAN FRANCISCO SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS: $75,000 · AnimalsCheetah Conservation Fund: $15,000 · Animals
Education$4,592,000Other$3,122,360Philanthropy$1,646,000Arts & Culture$779,500Human Services$120,000Environment$105,000Animals$90,000

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 budgetSAN FRANCISCO DAY SCHOOL: $4,025,000 over 7y, 5.1% of budgetYELLOWSTONE CLUB COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $1,085,000 over 5y, 9.6% of budgetCOMMON SENSE MEDIA: $500,000 over 7y, 0.4% of budgetTRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA: $425,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetTHE EXPLORATORIUM: $210,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetTIPPING POINT COMMUNITY: $210,000 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetBIG SKY COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION: $100,000 over 1y, 8.2% of budgetJEWISH FAMILY AND CHILDREN'S SERVICES: $80,000 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO FOUNDATION: $75,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE SAN FRANCISCO SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS: $75,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetTHE MOSAIC PROJECT: $50,000 over 1y, 3.5% of budgetSPANISH PEAKS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $35,000 over 5y, 3.6% of budgetSAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART: $35,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetJEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF SAN FRANCISCO: $30,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetEVERYTOWN FOR GUN SAFETY SUPPORT FUND INC: $20,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCheetah Conservation Fund: $15,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetINSPIRE MEXICO FOUNDATION: $15,000 over 2y, 2.9% of budgetTeach for America Inc: $13,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSAN FRANCISCO BALLET ASSOCIATION: $12,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFIND YOUR LIGHT FOUNDATION: $11,000 over 2y, 0.9% of budgetLawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMARIN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBAY AREA DISCOVERY MUSEUM: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetNATIONAL BREAST CANCER COALITION FUND: $7,500 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetAMERICAN CONSERVATORY THEATRE FOUNDATION: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMAX AND MARION CALDWELL FOUNDATION: $5,000 over 1y, 3.4% of budgetSUMMER SEARCH: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGOLDEN GATE NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVANCY: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetRAPHAEL HOUSE OF SAN FRANCISCO INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetHUMAN RIGHTS WATCH INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDEL MAR FAMILY RELIEF FUND: $5,000 over 1y, 7.0% of budgetCALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES: $3,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCORPORATION OF THE FINE ARTS MUSEUMS: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetRemake: $2,500 over 1y, 1.4% of budgetASPIRE PUBLIC SCHOOLS: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSWEETWATER SPECTRUM INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetENTERPRISE FOR YOUTH: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBLOOD CANCER UNITED INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHEADLANDS CENTER FOR THE ARTS: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetFriends and Foundation of the San Francisco Public Library: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCHICAGO CARES INC: $360 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.

The San Francisco Fou…Silicon Valley Commun…Marin Community Found…California Community …Jewish Community Fede…The Chicago Community…Gs Donor Advised Phil…American Endowment Fo…ImpactassetsincMcNabb FoundationNational Philanthropi…Morgan Stanley Global…
The San Francisco FoundationCA19.5× affinity8 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The San Francisco Foundation · Silicon Valley Community Foundation · Marin Community Foundation · California Community Foundation · Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco the Peninsula Marin & Sonoma · The Chicago Community Trust · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · American Endowment Foundation · Impactassetsinc · McNabb Foundation · National Philanthropic Trust · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust 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 Elm Street Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Elm Street Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%3%5%8%10%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get 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 · 0–10%
    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 62 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 Elm Street’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