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Erna & Isaac Stern Foundation Inc at a glance

· Private foundation

Erna & Isaac Stern Foundation Inc

Its FY2025 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$79k
Granted FY2025still arriving
15
Grants FY2025still arriving
5
States reached
$10k
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 2025.

International$132kEducation$101kHuman Services$81kHealth$53kEnvironment$43kScience & Tech$19kArts & Culture$13kPhilanthropy$13kOther$0
02FY2025 · 15 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k13 grants · $59k
  • $10k–50k2 grants · $20k
$5,000
Median grant
5
States reached
$609k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
FISTULA FOUNDATION$10,000
AMERICA GIVES$10,000
REAP$7,000
SARATOGA LITERACY LEAGUE$5,000
PLANNED PARENTHOOD$5,000
HELEN KELLER INTERNATIONAL$5,000
MOVEMBER FOUNDATION$5,000
COLLEGE TRACK$5,000
HIAS$5,000
BERNARD & MILLIE DUKER CHILDREN'S FUND$5,000
FRESH AIR FUND$5,000
FRIENDS OF THE ALBANY CHILDRENS FUND$3,500
DELAWARE VALLEY COLLEGE$3,000
WELLSPRING$2,500
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS$2,500
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:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY17–25) land where the poverty rate runs at 12%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 55% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%LAFAYETTE COLLEGE: $5k → 11%FISTULA FOUNDATION: $10k → 8%COLLEGE TRACK: $10k → 10%MOVEMBER FOUNDATION: $5k → 14%SARATOGA LITERACY LEAGUE: $5k → 7%REAP: $17k → 9%BERNARD & MILLIE DUKER CHILDREN'S FUND: $5k → 14%NY TIMES NEEDIEST: $6k → 17%ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND: $10k → 14%CONNECTICUT FOOD BANK: $9k → 12%The Conservation Fund: $4k → 7%HIAS: $9k → 8%LAFAYETTE COLLEGE: $5k → 11%Fistula Foundation: $5k → 8%COLLEGE TRACK: $6k → 10%RWANDA EDUCATION ASSISTANCE PROJECT: $8k → 9%ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND: $5k → 14%The Conservation Fund: $4k → 7%HIAS: $5k → 8%LAFAYETTE COLLEGE: $5k → 11%Fistula Foundation: $5k → 8%COLLEGE TRACK: $5k → 10%REAP: $8k → 9%The Conservation Fund: $4k → 7%HIAS: $5k → 8%LAFAYETTE COLLEGE: $5k → 11%Fistula Foundation: $5k → 8%COLLEGE TRACK: $5k → 10%REAP: $8k → 9%HIAS: $5k → 8%COLLEGE TRACK: $5k → 10%REAP: $8k → 9%HIAS: $5k → 8%REAP: $8k → 9%GIVEWELL: $9k → 10%REAP: $8k → 9%US COMMITTEE FOR REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS: $5k → 7%REAP: $7k → 17%DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS: $10k → 17%A BETTER CHANCE: $8k → 17%Doctors Without Boarders: $6k → 17%Doctors Without Boarders: $5k → 17%AMERICA GIVES: $10k → 17%INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE: $8k → 17%INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE: $8k → 17%INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE: $5k → 17%HELEN KELLER INTERNATIONAL: $5k → 17%FRESH AIR FUND: $5k → 17%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
PA
CT
CA
VA
MD
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.

85%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$398k · 21 repeat orgs$69k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +42% since the first grant, against +38% for those funded once.

21 repeat relationships: 9 still active in FY2025, 12 since wound down; 6 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

21
7

Total granted

$398k
$35k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+42%
+38%

Still filing today

67%
57%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 57% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $34k 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
InternationalEducationHealthEnvironmentPhilanthropyRecreation & SportsOther
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

  • HI
    HIAS INC
    8× · 2017–2025 · $38k · revenue +122%
  • The Fistula Foundation
    8× · 2017–2025 · $37k · revenue +42%
  • CT
    COLLEGE TRACK
    6× · 2018–2025 · $35k · revenue +18%

Funded once

  • TC
    THE CLEAR FUNDgraduated
    one grant, 2021 · $9k · revenue +31%
  • RE
    RWANDA EDUCATION ASSISTANCE PROJECT
    one grant, 2024 · $8k · revenue -13%
  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2021 · $6k
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
International Crisis Group

Crisis group works to prevent and resolve deadly conflict around the world by informing and influencing the perceptions and actions of policymakers and other key conflict actors. to this end, we endeavour to talk to all sides and provide…

International
2
Actionaid Usa

Actionaid is an international network building a just, equitable, and sustainable world in solidarity with communities on the frontlines of poverty and injustice. actionaid usa is the u.s. branch of actionaid international, which works in…

Social Science
3
International Aids Vaccine Initiative Inc

A nonprofit scientific research organization that develops vaccines and antibodies for hiv, tuberculosis, and emerging infectious diseases.

International
4
Conservation International Foundation

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

Environment
5
Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition

The mission of the global alliance for improved nutrition (gain) is to improve the consumption of healthier diets for all, especially the most vulnerable, by improving the availability, affordability, desirability, and sustainability of…

Food & Nutrition
6
International Development Enterprises

See schedule o for a more detailed description of ide's mission statement and achievements.

International
7
Counterpart International Inc

For over 60 years, counterpart international has partnered with communities worldwide to turn local ideas into lasting solutions, connecting local vision with global opportunity. (continued on schedule o)we believe people closest to the…

International
8
World Resources Institute

Wri is committed to creating change that improves people's lives and ensures the natural world can thrive. (see schedule o)wri's bold vision requires a formula for success we call "count it. change it. scale it.":- count it: our work is…

International
9
Observer Research Foundation America

Organization mission the observer research foundation america orf america is an independent, non-partisan, and nonprofit organization in washington dc dedicated to addressing policy challenges facing the united states, india, and their…

International
10
Partners in Food Solutions

Improve the food value chain in developing countries by mobilizing corporate volunteers to share knowledge and expertise with small and growing food processors.

International
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
American Association for the Advancement of Science

Advance science, engineering, and innovation throughout the world for the benefit of all. the world's largest multidisciplinary scientific society and a leading publisher of cutting-edge research through its science family of journals,…

Science & Tech
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Medecins Sans Frontieres Usa Inc; the most unlike its peers is Movember Foundation. 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

23 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. 23 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)
1
Early backer (in before they grew)
23/23
Grantees still filing
16/23
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

REAP: $61,500 · OtherREAPDELAWARE VALLEY COLLEGE: $18,500 · OtherDELAWARE VALLEY COLLEGENew York Times Neediest: $12,500 · OtherNew York Times NeediestCONNECTICUT FOODSHARE INC: $10,000 · OtherCONNECTICUT FOODSHARE INCA BETTER CHANCE INC: $10,000 · OtherA BETTER CHANCE INCPLANNED PARENTHOOD: $8,500 · OtherWELLSPRING: $7,500 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $6,000 · Other+8 more: $31,500 · Other+8 moreHIAS INC: $37,500 · InternationalHIAS INCMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $34,200 · InternationalMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA IN…International Rescue Committee INC: $21,000 · InternationalInternational Rescue Committee …AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR TECHNION ISRAEL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY INC: $13,500 · InternationalAMERICAN SOCIETY FOR TECHNION I…AMERICAN JEWISH WORLD SERVICE INC: $9,000 · InternationalAMERICAN JEWISH WORLD SERVICE I…HELEN KELLER INTERNATIONAL: $8,500 · InternationalHELEN KELLER INTERNATIONALRWANDA EDUCATION ASSISTANCE PROJECT: $8,000 · InternationalRWANDA EDUCATION ASSISTANCE PRO…TECHNOSERVE INC: $5,000 · InternationalCOLLEGE TRACK: $35,000 · EducationCOLLEGE TRACKLAFAYETTE COLLEGE: $25,000 · EducationLAFAYETTE COLLEGETeach for America Inc: $10,500 · EducationTeach for America …UNITED NEGRO COLLEGE FUND INC: $6,500 · EducationUNITED NEGRO COLLE…+1 more: $1,000 · EducationTHE CONSERVATION FUND A NONPROFIT CORPORATION: $27,500 · EnvironmentTHE CONSE…ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND INCORPORATED: $15,000 · EnvironmentENVIRONME…The Fistula Foundation: $36,500 · HealthThe Fistu…MOVEMBER FOUNDATION: $5,000 · HealthMOVEMBER …AMERICA GIVES INC: $10,000 · PhilanthropyTHE CLEAR FUND: $9,000 · PhilanthropyFRESH AIR FUND: $5,000 · Recreation & Sports
Other$166,000International$136,700Education$78,000Environment$42,500Health$41,500Philanthropy$19,000Recreation & Sports$5,000

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

25%50%75%100%$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetHIAS INC: $37,500 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetThe Fistula Foundation: $36,500 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetCOLLEGE TRACK: $35,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $34,200 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetTHE CONSERVATION FUND A NONPROFIT CORPORATION: $27,500 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetLAFAYETTE COLLEGE: $25,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetInternational Rescue Committee INC: $21,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND INCORPORATED: $15,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetAMERICAN SOCIETY FOR TECHNION ISRAEL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY INC: $13,500 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetTeach for America Inc: $10,500 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetCONNECTICUT FOODSHARE INC: $10,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetA BETTER CHANCE INC: $10,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetAMERICAN JEWISH WORLD SERVICE INC: $9,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetTHE CLEAR FUND: $9,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHELEN KELLER INTERNATIONAL: $8,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetUNITED NEGRO COLLEGE FUND INC: $6,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetMOVEMBER FOUNDATION: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUS COMMITTEE FOR REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTECHNOSERVE INC: $5,000 over 3y, 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 HIAS INC ↗
  • Who funds The Fistula Foundation ↗
  • Who funds COLLEGE TRACK ↗
  • Who funds MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC ↗
  • Who funds THE CONSERVATION FUND A NONPROFIT CORPORATION ↗
  • Who funds LAFAYETTE COLLEGE ↗
  • Who funds International Rescue Committee INC ↗
  • Who funds ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND INCORPORATED ↗
  • Who funds AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR TECHNION ISRAEL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY INC ↗
  • Who funds Teach for America Inc ↗
  • Who funds AMERICA GIVES INC ↗
  • Who funds CONNECTICUT FOODSHARE INC ↗
  • Who funds A BETTER CHANCE INC ↗
  • Who funds AMERICAN JEWISH WORLD SERVICE INC ↗
  • Who funds THE CLEAR FUND ↗
  • Who funds HELEN KELLER INTERNATIONAL ↗
  • Who funds RWANDA EDUCATION ASSISTANCE PROJECT ↗
  • Who funds UNITED NEGRO COLLEGE FUND INC ↗
  • Who funds MOVEMBER FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds US COMMITTEE FOR REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS INC ↗
  • Who funds FRESH AIR FUND ↗
  • Who funds TECHNOSERVE INC ↗
  • Who funds THE GEORGE AND BARBARA BUSH FOUNDATION ↗

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization Erna & Isaac Stern Foundation Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Erna & Isaac Stern Foundation Inc. 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%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 88%
  • Hias Inc: 88% of income from government
  • Connecticut Foodshare Inc: 5% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
3report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
1rely 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 Erna & Isaac Stern’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