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Elster Forbes Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Elster Forbes 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.

$342k
Granted FY2025still arriving
12
Grants FY2025still arriving
9
States reached
$82k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2025.

Health$1.2MFood & Nutrition$280kHousing & Shelter$230kAnimals$170kInternational$150kHuman Services$70kEducation$13kEnvironment$3k
02FY2025 · 12 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k5 grants · $25k
  • $10k–50k2 grants · $35k
  • $50k–250k5 grants · $282k
$25,000
Median grant
9
States reached
$7.1M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Michael J Fox Foundation$82,000
Recovery Institute of MGH$50,000
Mental Health America$50,000
Feeding America$50,000
Cure Alzheimer Fund$50,000
Babies Need Bottoms$25,000
Not One More Vet$10,000
Asheville Buncombe Com Christ Minis$5,000
SCVets Care Foundation$5,000
NAMI Central Texas$5,000
Rock Steady Boxing Inc$5,000
Calebs Closet$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 (FY21–25, $20k) land where the poverty rate runs at 15%, 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%Calebs Closet: $5k → 17%PAALS: $5k → 16%PAALS: $5k → 16%Assistance League of St Louis: $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

IL
NY
MA
OR
IN
NJ
CA
MO
VA
NC
SC
DC
TX
FL
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.
04

Where the work is directed

The same grants placed two ways: where each recipient sits, and where its stated purpose sends the money.

About 45% of Elster Forbes Foundation’s grant dollars are earmarked for a different county than the recipient’s own address.

Elster Forbes Foundationlessmore of its giving
Placed by recipient address · 4.8% directed abroad (not shown)
How this is measured
Recipient view: each grant at its grantee’s ZIP, mapped to a county. Directed view: each grant at the county its stated purpose names, falling back to the recipient’s county when the purpose names no place; US grants only. A county shows only if it carries the top 95% of that view’s dollars. Purposes are read from the funder’s own 990 grant descriptions.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

83%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.7M · 12 repeat orgs$348k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +40% since the first grant, against +40% for those funded once.

12 repeat relationships: 7 still active in FY2025, 5 since wound down; 5 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

12
13

Total granted

$1.7M
$323k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+40%
+40%

Still filing today

83%
46%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 93% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $25k went to new ones.

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

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

’20’21’22’23’24’25
HealthHuman ServicesAnimalsFood & NutritionHousing & ShelterInternationalOther
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

  • Feeding America
    6× · 2020–2025 · $280k · revenue +40%
  • MH
    MENTAL HEALTH AMERICA INC
    5× · 2021–2025 · $250k · revenue +20%
  • FAMILY PROMISE INC
    3× · 2020–2022 · $200k · revenue +63%

Funded once

  • WF
    Wake Forest Baptist Health
    one grant, 2020 · $100k
  • RR
    Recovery Research Institute of
    one grant, 2020 · $50k
  • RR
    Recovery Research Institute of Mass
    one grant, 2021 · $50k
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
Nami National

NAMI provides advocacy, education, support and public awareness so that all individuals and families affected by mental illness can build better lives.See Schedule O

Health
2
Inseparable Inc

Inseparable Inc is focused on creating a world where mental health is treated as a critical and equal piece of overall health, and where systems are designed with their impact on mental health in mind. Inseparable, Inc. is a growing…

Health
3
National Alliance On Mental Illness of Massachusetts Inc

We seek to improve the quality of life for people living with mental health conditions, their families, and their caregivers. we work to ensure that all people impacted by a mental health condition receive the support they need when they…

Health
4
American Academy of Neurology

The Academy's mission is to enhance member career fulfillment and promote brain health for all.

Community Improvement
5
National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors

The National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) is organized to reflect and advocate for the collective interest of state mental health authorities and their directors at the national level. NASMHPD analyzes…

Health
6
Crisis Text Line Inc

By leveraging innovative technology and research, we are shaping mental health policy and systems to create a world where everyone has access to the support they need anytime, anywhere.

Health
7
Nami St Louis

NAMI St. Louis provides education, advocacy, and support essential to the recovery, resilience, and well-being of all who have mental health needs and for their families, caregivers, and the community.

Health
8
Nami Ohio

The agency provides mutual support, education, and adovacacy to improve the quality of life, ensure dignity and respect for persons with serious brain disorders, and to support their families through their work of its members and nearly 60…

—
9
Colorado Mental Wellness Network

To empower Coloradans affected by mental health conditions and providing them with skills and tools necessary to achieve their personal wellness goal.

Health
10
Companions for Heroes

To champion public awareness of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and challenges confronting our countrys heroes and rally support for shelter animal adoption by connecting heroes and companions.

Human Services
11
National Alliance on Mental Illness Utah

To improve the quality of life for individuals affected by mental health conditions, as well as their families, through advocacy, education, and support. We are committed to ensuring the dignity of those living with mental illness by…

—
12
American Psychiatric Association

The american psychiatric association (apa) was incorporated in 2000 as a 501(c)(6) trade association. its 38,000 u.s. and international physician members specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health and disorders, including…

Community Improvement
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Family Promise Inc; the most unlike its peers is Scvets Care Foundation. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
05the grantee network

20 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. 20 of the 30 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)
19/20
Grantees still filing
13/20
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Cure Alzheimer Fund: $280,000 · OtherCure Alzheimer FundMENTAL HEALTH AMERICA INC: $250,000 · OtherMENTAL HEALTH AMERICA INCRecovery Institute of MGH: $200,000 · OtherRecovery Institute of MGHWake Forest Baptist Health: $100,000 · OtherWake Forest Baptist HealthRecovery Research Institute of: $50,000 · OtherRecovery Research Institute of Mass: $50,000 · Other+10 more: $95,500 · Other+10 moreFeeding America: $280,000 · Food & NutritionFeeding AmericaTHE MICHAEL J FOX FOUNDATION FOR PARKINSON'S RESEARCH: $132,000 · HealthTHE MICHAEL J…NOT ONE MORE VET INC: $70,000 · HealthNOT ONE MORE …INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR CLUBHOUSE DEVELOPMENT INC: $20,000 · HealthINTERNATIONAL…Lines for Life: $20,000 · HealthLines for Lif…+1 more: $2,500 · HealthFAMILY PROMISE INC: $200,000 · Housing & ShelterFAMILY PRO…UNITED STATES FUND FOR UNICEF: $150,000 · InternationalK9S FOR WARRIORS INC: $85,000 · AnimalsSCVETS CARE FOUNDATION: $5,000 · AnimalsBabies Need Bottoms Inc: $60,000 · Human ServicesPALMETTO ANIMAL ASSISTED LIFE SERVI: $10,000 · Human ServicesASSISTANCE LEAGUE OF ST LOUIS: $5,000 · Human ServicesCALEBS CLOSET: $5,000 · Human Services
Other$1,025,500Food & Nutrition$280,000Health$244,500Housing & Shelter$200,000International$150,000Animals$90,000Human Services$80,000

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 budgetFeeding America: $280,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetMENTAL HEALTH AMERICA INC: $250,000 over 5y, 0.7% of budgetFAMILY PROMISE INC: $200,000 over 3y, 1.3% of budgetUNITED STATES FUND FOR UNICEF: $150,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE MICHAEL J FOX FOUNDATION FOR PARKINSON'S RESEARCH: $132,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetK9S FOR WARRIORS INC: $85,000 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetNOT ONE MORE VET INC: $70,000 over 3y, 2.6% of budgetBabies Need Bottoms Inc: $60,000 over 2y, 2.8% of budgetINTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR CLUBHOUSE DEVELOPMENT INC: $20,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetLines for Life: $20,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetPALMETTO ANIMAL ASSISTED LIFE SERVI: $10,000 over 2y, 1.3% of budgetROCK STEADY BOXING INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetASSISTANCE LEAGUE OF ST LOUIS: $5,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetLiteracy Together: $5,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetCALEBS CLOSET: $5,000 over 1y, 3.5% of budgetThe Finger Lakes Land Trust Inc: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetHomeless Prenatal Program Inc: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetROSSMAN SCHOOL: $2,500 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.

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 Blackbaud Giving …Natl Christian Charit…American Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
The Blackbaud Giving FundSC11.8× affinity6 shared granteesties to 5 of 5Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Blackbaud Giving Fund · Natl Christian Charitable Fdn Inc · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · 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 Elster Forbes Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Elster Forbes Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%19%38%56%75%share of the org’s income from government →median 2%
  • Lines for Life: 70% of income from government
  • Family Promise Inc: 2% of income from government
  • K9S for Warriors Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
4report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
1rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–75%
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 Elster Forbes Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Elster Forbes 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 30 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 Elster Forbes’ 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