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Ernest L and Ruth W Finley Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Ernest L and Ruth W Finley Foundation

Its FY2022 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$270k
Granted FY2022
1
Grants FY2022
1
States reached
$270k
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, FY2017 to 2022.

Health$5.5MHuman Services$3.3MArts & Culture$2.7MEducation$1.7MHousing & Shelter$1.6MReligion$1.0MYouth Development$950kPhilanthropy$500kOther$0
02FY2022 · 1 grant

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$270,262
Median grant
1
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Angela Merici John Henry Newman Fou$270,262
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 (FY17–20, $850k) land where the poverty rate runs at 9%, against an area that typically sits at 8%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 8%YWCA of Sonoma County: $100k → 9%Becoming Independent: $500k → 9%Canine Companions for Independence: $100k → 9%Canine Companions for Independence: $100k → 9%Canine Companions for Independence: $50k → 9%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.

65%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$12M · 18 repeat orgs$6.5M to everyone else

18 repeat relationships: 1 still active in FY2022, 17 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

18
25

Total granted

$12M
$6.5M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+51%
+74%

Still filing today

72%
48%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2022, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’22
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’22
Human ServicesEducationArts & CultureYouth DevelopmentFood & NutritionPhilanthropyOther
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

  • LB
    LUTHER BURBANK MEMORIAL FOUNDATION
    4× · 2017–2020 · $1.1M · revenue +48%
  • CO
    COMMITTEE ON THE SHELTERLESS
    3× · 2017–2020 · $790k · revenue +158%
  • SR
    SANTA ROSA SYMPHONY ASSOCIATION
    4× · 2017–2020 · $310k · revenue +51%

Funded once

  • CC
    Catholic Charities-Diocese of Santa
    one grant, 2020 · $2.0M
  • WF
    Wells Fargo Center for the Arts
    one grant, 2017 · $1.0M
  • BI
    Becoming Independentgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $500k · revenue +32%
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
Sonoma Botanical Garden
—
2
Sonoma Applied Village Services

Address the homeless crisis in California.

Housing & Shelter
3
Sonoma Mountain Institute
Environment
4
Homes for California Dba Homes for Sonoma

Homes for Sonoma is a nonprofit developer creating quality workforce housing options that support safe and sustainable community, and finds efficient, scalable solutions to address the housing crisis in Sonoma County and throughout…

Housing & Shelter
5
Solano Affordable Housing Foundation
Housing & Shelter
6
Council on Aging Services for Seniors

To enhance the quality of life for our aging community by providing services that promote wellbeing and maintain independence.

—
7
Community Housing Sonoma County

Community Housing Sonoma County creates supportive housing communities for people living with disabling conditions, especially veterans.

Housing & Shelter
8
Casa of Solano County

Advocates for abused, neglected and other identified children within the court system, with the belief that every child is entitled to a safe and stable home.

Civil Rights
9
Sutter Bay Hospitals

MISSION STATEMENT: MISSION: CARING FOR OUR PATIENTS FIRST AND OUR PEOPLE ALWAYS. VISION: TO BE THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE, INTEGRATED AND CONNECTED HEALTH SYSTEM FOR GETTING AND STAYING WELL. VALUES: EXCELLENCE - We deliver high-quality,…

Health
10
Sonoma Ecology Center

The Mission of Sonoma Ecology Center is to work with our community to enhance and sustain ecological health in the Sonoma valley.

Environment
11
Sonoma Valley Health & Recreation Association

Sonoma Valley Health and recreation Association (Sonoma Splash) is dedicated to providing a sustainable state of the art multi-use aquatic and recreation facility accessible to all Sonoma Valley residents for aquatic education and safety,…

Recreation & Sports
12
Sonoma Overnight Support Inc

Provided food to people in need in Sonoma Valley, CA, both housed and homeless, measured by the number of meals served and pantry goods provided.

Housing & Shelter
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Redwood Empire Food Bank; the most unlike its peers is Elsie Allen High School 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

26 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. 26 of the 43 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)
10
Early backer (in before they grew)
25/26
Grantees still filing
19/26
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

SANTA ROSA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL: $5,000,000 · OtherSANTA ROSA MEMORIAL HOSPITALAngela Merici John Henry Newman Fou: $2,270,262 · OtherAngela Merici John Henry Newman FouCatholic Charities-Diocese of Santa: $2,000,000 · OtherCatholic Charities-Diocese of SantaLUTHER BURBANK MEMORIAL FOUNDATION: $1,055,000 · OtherLUTHER BURBANK MEMORIAL FOUNDATIONWells Fargo Center for the Arts: $1,000,000 · OtherWells Fargo Center for the ArtsCOMMITTEE ON THE SHELTERLESS: $790,000 · Other+24 more: $3,330,000 · Other+24 moreBecoming Independent: $500,000 · Human ServicesTHE CERES COMMUNITY PROJECT: $287,340 · Human ServicesCANINE COMPANIONS FOR INDEPENDENCE INC: $250,000 · Human ServicesForget Me Not Childrens Services: $100,000 · Human ServicesTHE YOUNG WOMEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF SONOMA COUNTY: $100,000 · Human ServicesREDWOOD CREDIT UNION COMMUNITY FUND INC: $500,000 · PhilanthropyFree to Be: $250,000 · Youth DevelopmentDemeo Teen Club Inc: $200,000 · Youth DevelopmentSANTA ROSA SYMPHONY ASSOCIATION: $310,000 · Arts & CultureMUSEUM OF SONOMA COUNTY: $50,000 · Arts & CultureElsie Allen High School Foundation: $250,000 · EducationLITERACYWORKS: $85,000 · EducationSANTA ROSA COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS: $300,000 · Health
Other$15,445,262Human Services$1,237,340Philanthropy$500,000Youth Development$450,000Arts & Culture$360,000Education$335,000Health$300,000

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 budgetSANTA ROSA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL: $5,000,000 over 3y, 0.6% of budgetLUTHER BURBANK MEMORIAL FOUNDATION: $1,055,000 over 4y, 4.7% of budgetCOMMITTEE ON THE SHELTERLESS: $790,000 over 3y, 10% of budgetBecoming Independent: $500,000 over 1y, 3.6% of budgetREDWOOD CREDIT UNION COMMUNITY FUND INC: $500,000 over 1y, 8.6% of budgetSANTA ROSA SYMPHONY ASSOCIATION: $310,000 over 4y, 2.5% of budgetSANTA ROSA COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS: $300,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetCourt Appointed Special Advocates: $295,000 over 4y, 13% of budgetTHE CERES COMMUNITY PROJECT: $287,340 over 4y, 3.0% of budgetPEP Housing: $250,000 over 1y, 7.3% of budgetCANINE COMPANIONS FOR INDEPENDENCE INC: $250,000 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetFree to Be: $250,000 over 4y, 74% of budgetHUMANE SOCIETY OF SONOMA COUNTY: $200,000 over 1y, 3.9% of budgetDemeo Teen Club Inc: $200,000 over 3y, 12% of budgetWomens Recovery ServicesA Unique Place: $200,000 over 2y, 10% of budgetREDWOOD EMPIRE FOOD BANK: $150,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetCommunity Support Network: $100,000 over 1y, 2.9% of budgetForget Me Not Childrens Services: $100,000 over 4y, 7.6% of budgetTHE YOUNG WOMEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF SONOMA COUNTY: $100,000 over 1y, 4.1% of budgetLITERACYWORKS: $85,000 over 1y, 25% of budgetSonoma County Regional Parks Foundation: $60,000 over 2y, 4.8% of budgetMUSEUM OF SONOMA COUNTY: $50,000 over 1y, 2.9% of budgetFOOD FOR THOUGHT: $30,000 over 1y, 1.0% of budgetSonoma County Library Foundation: $25,000 over 1y, 12% of budgetFISH OF THE SANTA ROSA AREA INC: $10,000 over 1y, 4.0% 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.

Sonoma County Communi…Sonoma County Vintner…McNabb FoundationThe Heck FoundationBothin FoundationThe William G Irwin C…Marin Community Found…Exchange Bank Foundat…Codding FoundationSonoma Valley Vintner…Trione FoundationKaiser Foundation Hos…
Sonoma County Community FoundationCA50.5× affinity22 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Sonoma County Community Foundation · Sonoma County Vintners Foundation · McNabb Foundation · The Heck Foundation · Bothin Foundation · The William G Irwin Charity Foundation · Marin Community Foundation · Exchange Bank Foundation · Codding Foundation · Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Foundation · Trione Foundation · Kaiser Foundation Hospitals

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 Ernest L and Ruth W Finley Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Ernest L and Ruth W Finley Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%5%19%42%75%funder's share of their income ↑0%6%13%19%25%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    10report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–25%
    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 Ernest L and Ruth W Finley Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Ernest L and Ruth W Finley 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 43 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 2022, released 2022. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Ernest L and Ruth W Finley’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