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Fitts Family Foundation Inc at a glance

· Private foundation

Fitts Family Foundation Inc

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.

$47k
Granted FY2020
41
Grants FY2020
11
States reached
$5k
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 2020.

International$46kCivil Rights$31kHealth$27kHousing & Shelter$16kHuman Services$14kEducation$10kFood & Nutrition$8kEnvironment$7kOther$0
02FY2020 · 41 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$1,000
Median grant
11
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
METRO WEST YMCA$5,000
ACLU FOUNDATION$3,000
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS$3,000
COMMON CAUSE EDUCATION FUND$2,000
SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CTR$2,000
FUTURES WITHOUT VIOLENCE$2,000
INTERNATIONAL CTR FOR JOURNALISTS$2,000
VIOLENCE POLICY CENTER$2,000
LIFELONG$1,500
GREATER BOSTON FOOD BANK$1,500
FATHER BILL'S PLACE$1,500
WBUR$1,000
PAN-MASS CHALLENGE$1,000
NATIONAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL$1,000
INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE$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 (FY17–20, $10k) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 36% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%METRO WEST YMCA: $5k → 8%THE PETTENGIL HOUSE: $500 → 10%THE PETTENGIL HOUSE: $200 → 10%THE PETTENGIL HOUSE: $200 → 10%PINE STREET INN: $1k → 16%PINE STREET INN: $1k → 16%PINE STREET INN: $500 → 16%PINE STREET INN: $500 → 16%THE PETTINGILL HOUSE: $350 → 10%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $500 → 14%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

ME
WA
IL
NY
MA
IA
IN
PA
CT
CA
CO
VA
KS
DC
MS
AL
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.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

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

86%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$156k · 44 repeat orgs$25k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +67% since the first grant, against +59% for those funded once.

44 repeat relationships: 31 still active in FY2020, 13 since wound down; 10 grantees were first funded in FY2020 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

44
19

Total granted

$156k
$14k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+67%
+59%

Still filing today

64%
37%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2020, 77% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $11k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20
InternationalHealthHuman ServicesCivil RightsEnvironmentArts & CultureOther
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

  • MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC
    4× · 2017–2020 · $18k · revenue +98%
  • AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION INC
    4× · 2017–2020 · $18k · revenue +102%
  • SP
    SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER INC
    3× · 2018–2020 · $10k · revenue +23%

Funded once

  • VP
    VIOLENCE PREVENTION CENTER
    one grant, 2019 · $2k
  • TS
    THE SUSAN G KOMEN 3-DAY ON CURE
    one grant, 2018 · $1k
  • TR
    TEAM RUBICON INC
    one grant, 2019 · $1k · revenue -7%
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
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
2
United States Telecom Association

See schedule oustelecom exists to ensure members can compete, grow and thrive to build a world where families, enterprises and communities are connected through the power of broadband.our member companies have committed a considerable…

—
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
Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States Inc

The fsmb serves as the voice for state medical boards, supporting them through education, assessment, research and advocacy while providing services and initiatives that promote patient safety, quality health care and regulatory best…

Health
5
American Flood Coalition Inc

To drive transformational adaptation to protect communities across the country from higher seas, stronger storms, and more frequent flooding.

Environment
6
Boston Architectural College

The bac is committed to provide excellence in design education grounded in practice and accessible to diverse communities.

—
7
National Public Radio Inc

National public radio, inc. ("npr") works collaboratively with member public radio station licensees ("member stations") to create a more informed public, one that is challenged and invigorated by a deeper understanding and appreciation of…

Arts & Culture
8
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
9
American Gas Association

American gas association's (the association) mission is to develop and advocate for informed, innovative, and durable policy that fulfills our nation's energy needs, environmental aspirations and economic potential. we are committed to…

—
10
Pew Research Center

Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan "fact tank" that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. Pew Research Center generates a foundation of facts that enriches the public dialogue and…

Social Science
11
Aclu Foundation of Massachusetts Inc

Aclu foundation of ma was established to defend freedoms guaranteed in the constitution and bill of rights through public education and litigation.

Civil Rights
12
Npr Foundation

The npr foundation ("foundation") is organized and operated exclusively for the benefit of its sole supported organization, national public radio, inc. ("npr inc."). the foundation supports npr inc. through various activities such as…

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Ms Foundation for Women Inc; the most unlike its peers is Peabody Essex Museum Inc. 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

42 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. 42 of the 73 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)
5
Early backer (in before they grew)
42/42
Grantees still filing
37/42
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY: $5,000 · OtherHABITAT FOR HUMANITYGREATER BOSTON FOOD BANK INC: $4,500 · OtherGREATER BOSTON FOOD BANK INCNAMI: $4,000 · OtherFUTURES WITHOUT VIOLENCE: $4,000 · OtherEASTERN UNIVERSITY FUND: $3,500 · OtherWGBH: $3,000 · OtherTRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY: $3,000 · OtherROSIE'S PLACE INC: $3,000 · OtherCOMMON CAUSE EDUCATION FUND: $4,000 · Other+37 more: $41,925 · Other+37 moreMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $18,000 · InternationalMEDECINS SANS FRONTIE…THE INT'L CENTER FOR JOURNALISTS INC: $5,000 · InternationalTHE INT'L CENTER FOR …FINCA INTERNATIONAL INC: $2,500 · InternationalFINCA INTERNATIONAL I…Hope For The Children of Haiti: $2,500 · InternationalHope For The Children…International Rescue Committee INC: $2,050 · InternationalInternational Rescue …United States Association for UNHCR: $1,500 · International+3 more: $3,000 · International+3 moreAMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION INC: $18,000 · Civil RightsAMERICAN CIVI…MS FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN INC: $2,000 · Civil RightsMS FOUNDATION…TREVOR PROJECT INC: $1,000 · Civil RightsPLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC: $8,000 · HealthPLANNED PA…LIFELONG HEALTH FOR ALL: $3,500 · HealthLIFELONG H…THE MICHAEL J FOX FOUNDATION FOR PARKINSON'S RESEARCH: $3,000 · HealthTHE MICHAE…RESOLVE Incorporated: $1,000 · HealthRESOLVE In…+1 more: $500 · HealthSOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER INC: $10,000 · Crime & LegalSOUTHERN …VIOLENCE POLICY CENTER: $5,000 · Crime & LegalVIOLENCE …METROWEST YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION INC: $5,000 · Human ServicesPINE STREET INN INC: $3,000 · Human ServicesAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $2,000 · Human ServicesThe Pettengill House Inc: $1,250 · Human Services+1 more: $200 · Human ServicesNATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL INC: $3,500 · EnvironmentMaine Coast Heritage Trust: $2,700 · EnvironmentTHE TRUSTEES OF RESERVATIONS: $900 · Environment
Other$75,925International$34,550Civil Rights$21,000Health$16,000Crime & Legal$15,000Human Services$11,450Environment$7,100

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 budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $18,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetAMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION INC: $18,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetSOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER INC: $10,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetPLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC: $8,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetTHE INT'L CENTER FOR JOURNALISTS INC: $5,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetVIOLENCE POLICY CENTER: $5,000 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetMETROWEST YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetGREATER BOSTON FOOD BANK INC: $4,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetFUTURES WITHOUT VIOLENCE: $4,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCOMMON CAUSE EDUCATION FUND: $4,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL INC: $3,500 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetLIFELONG HEALTH FOR ALL: $3,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetROSIE'S PLACE INC: $3,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetPINE STREET INN INC: $3,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetTHE MICHAEL J FOX FOUNDATION FOR PARKINSON'S RESEARCH: $3,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetTRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY: $3,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetMaine Coast Heritage Trust: $2,700 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetFINCA INTERNATIONAL INC: $2,500 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetHope For The Children of Haiti: $2,500 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetNATIONAL ALLIANCE TO END HOMELESSNESS: $2,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetST LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY: $2,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetInternational Rescue Committee INC: $2,050 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSOCIETY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ARTS: $2,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $2,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetMS FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN INC: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetUnited States Association for UNHCR: $1,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetThe Pettengill House Inc: $1,250 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetSave The Children Federation Inc: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTEAM RUBICON INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTREVOR PROJECT INC: $1,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetAMNESTY INTERNATIONAL OF THE USA INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetRESOLVE Incorporated: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetFEED MY STARVING CHILDREN INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE TRUSTEES OF RESERVATIONS: $900 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetPEABODY ESSEX MUSEUM INC: $675 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetQuincy Animal Shelter Inc: $500 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetALZHEIMER'S DISEASE & RELATED DISORDERS ASSOCIATION INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMaine Public Broadcasting Corporation: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetESSEX COUNTY TRAIL ASSOCIATION INC: $250 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetECTA Empowering Communities to Transcend Adversity: $250 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetWOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT INC: $200 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.

Ge Aerospace Foundati…Eastern Bank Foundati…The Pfizer Foundation…AbbVie FoundationThe Bank of America C…Network for GoodNational Philanthropi…Vanguard Charitable E…American Online Givin…Natl Christian Charit…Fidelity Investments …Donor Advised Charita…
Ge Aerospace FoundationCT12.8× affinity5 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Ge Aerospace Foundation · Eastern Bank Foundation · The Pfizer Foundation Inc · AbbVie Foundation · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Network for Good · National Philanthropic Trust · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Natl Christian Charitable Fdn Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Donor Advised Charitable Giving 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 Fitts Family Foundation Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Fitts Family Foundation Inc. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 30%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 11%
  • Metrowest Young Men's Christian Association Inc: 33% of income from government
  • Save the Children Federation Inc: 30% of income from government
  • Greater Boston Food Bank Inc: 22% of income from government
  • Trustees of Boston University: 12% of income from government
  • Pine Street Inn Inc: 11% of income from government
  • Peabody Essex Museum Inc: 3% of income from government
  • The Trustees of Reservations: 2% of income from government
  • Rosie's Place Inc: 0% of income from government
  • Pan-Massachusetts Challenge Inc: 0% of income from government
  • Wounded Warrior Project Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
3get no government money at all
6report 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.

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 73 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 2020, released 2020. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Possibly out of date. A more recent filing (FY2024) is on record and reports no grant expense, so the figures above are from FY2020, the most recent year this funder made grants.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Fitts Family’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