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Four Lanes Trust at a glance

· Private foundation

Four Lanes Trust

Its FY2025 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$18k
Granted FY2025still arriving
16
Grants FY2025still arriving
4
States reached
$3k
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.

Employment$24kFood & Nutrition$22kEnvironment$11kArts & Culture$9kEducation$8kHealth$7kYouth Development$7kPublic Safety & Disaster$5kOther$0
02FY2025 · 16 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$1,000
Median grant
4
States reached
$331k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Herring Gut Coastal Science Center$2,500
DC Central Kitchen$2,500
Bread for the City$2,000
Community Forklift$1,000
Negotiation Works$1,000
Trekkers$1,000
PAWS Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society$1,000
Washington Concert Opera$1,000
A Wider Circle$1,000
Jubilee Jobs$1,000
Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine$1,000
Lifeflight Foundation of Maine$1,000
Perry School Community Services Ctr$500
World Central Kitchen$500
City Wildlife$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:

Its human-services grants (FY24–25, $2k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 9%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 9%Negotiation Works: $1k → 14%Negotiation Works: $1k → 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.
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.

93%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$93k · 21 repeat orgs$8k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +33% since the first grant, against -7% for those funded once.

21 repeat relationships: 13 still active in FY2025, 8 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

21
9

Total granted

$93k
$5k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+33%
-7%

Still filing today

86%
56%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 86% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $3k 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
Food & NutritionEnvironmentEducationArts & CultureHealthYouth DevelopmentOther
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

  • TD
    THE DC CENTRAL KITCHEN INC
    6× · 2020–2025 · $13k · revenue +52%
  • JJ
    JUBILEE JOBS INC
    6× · 2020–2025 · $11k · revenue +52%
  • BF
    BREAD FOR THE CITY INC
    6× · 2020–2025 · $10k · revenue +59%

Funded once

  • CK
    City Kids to Wilderness Project Inc
    one grant, 2024 · $1k · revenue 0%
  • DT
    DOUBLE TRELLIS FOOD INITIATIVE
    one grant, 2021 · $1k
  • TS
    THE STUDIO ACTING CONSERVATORY INC
    one grant, 2021 · $500 · revenue -51%
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
Dc Greens Inc

DC Greens advances health equity by building a just and resilient food system.

Community Improvement
2
Washington Dc Meals on Wheels Inc

We deliver healthy delicious meals to our home-bound neighbors. With a vision of creating a more interconnected resilient and compassionate community our program supports entire family systems. In 2024 236 volunteers delivered 55,642 meals…

—
3
Cityworks Dc

Our mission is to dramatically improve the early career outcomes of dc youth and young adults of color by creating innovative programs and by mobilizing employers, educators, and city leaders to create a local, diverse talent pipeline. our…

Education
4
Association of Washington Cities

The association of washington cities builds connections between our state's diverse cities and towns, while providing our members with the support needed to thrive through delivery of data-driven education, nationally recognized pooling…

—
5
Wedontwaste Inc

We Dont Waste increases food access and protects the planet by rescuing and repurposing food, while educating and advocating to increase food security and decrease food waste.

Food & Nutrition
6
Common Good City Farm

Common Good City Farm is an urban farm in Washington, DC, where community members source fresh food, see sustainable urban agriculture in action, and learn healthy skills. Our mission is to sustain and support a more equitable community…

Food & Nutrition
7
Council for Court Excellence

Council for court excellence's (cce's) mission is to bring people together to conduct research, educate, and advocate to make d.c.'s unique legal systems more just, equitable, and accountable to the community.

—
8
Thrive Dc

Thrive dc works to prevent and end homelessness by providing vulnerable individuals with a comprehensive range of services to help stabilize their lives.

Food & Nutrition
9
Washington Leadership Academy Public Charter School

Wla combines best practices in teaching and learning, with the latest in educational technology to create an unparalleled high school experience. students will graduate from wla prepared for college, career, and lives of public leadership.

Education
10
Moveable Feast Inc

Moveable feast's mission is to improve the health of marylanders experiencing food insecurity and chronic illness by preparing and delivering medically tailored meals and providing nutrition education, thereby achieving racial, social, and…

—
11
Greater Greater Washington Commons

Greater Greater Washington Commons (GGWash Commons) aims to build civic capacity through media, education, and engagement, to advance racial, economic, and environmental justice in land use, transportation, and housing throughout Greater…

Community Improvement
12
Food & Water Watch

Food & water watch conducts extensive research and public education to ensure the food and water we consume is safe, accessible and sustainably produced. so we can all enjoy and trust in what we eat and drink, we help people take charge of…

Food & Nutrition
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is World Central Kitchen Inc; the most unlike its peers is The Matthew Harris Ornstein Memorial Foundation 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

27 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. 27 of the 33 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)
8
Early backer (in before they grew)
26/27
Grantees still filing
16/27
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

THE DC CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $12,500 · OtherTHE DC CENTRAL KITCHEN INCLifeflight Foundation of Maine: $4,000 · OtherLifeflight Foundation of MaineHERRING GUT LEARNING CENTER: $3,000 · OtherHERRING GUT LEARNING CENTERLifeFlight Foundation: $3,000 · OtherLifeFlight FoundationA WIDER CIRCLE INC: $2,000 · OtherCity Wildlife Inc: $1,500 · OtherNEGOTIATION WORKS: $2,000 · OtherFEDERATION OF NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS: $1,500 · OtherChrist House: $2,000 · Other+12 more: $8,750 · Other+12 moreBREAD FOR THE CITY INC: $9,500 · Food & NutritionBREAD FOR THE CITY …Good Shepherd Food Bank: $6,000 · Food & NutritionGood Shepherd Food …VEGGIES TO TABLE: $1,500 · Food & NutritionVEGGIES TO TABLE+1 more: $250 · Food & NutritionHERRING GUT COASTAL SCIENCE CENTER: $8,000 · EnvironmentHERRING GUT COAS…HURRICANE ISLAND OUTWARD BOUND SCHOOL: $3,500 · EnvironmentHURRICANE ISLAND…THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND: $2,750 · EnvironmentTHE TRUST FOR PU…JUBILEE JOBS INC: $11,000 · EmploymentJUBILEE JOBS…WASHINGTON CONCERT OPERA: $7,000 · Arts & CultureTHE STUDIO ACTING CONSERVATORY INC: $500 · Arts & CultureTREKKERS INC: $5,500 · Recreation & SportsWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $4,500 · International
Other$40,250Food & Nutrition$17,250Environment$14,250Employment$11,000Arts & Culture$7,500Recreation & Sports$5,500International$4,500

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 budgetTHE DC CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $12,500 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetJUBILEE JOBS INC: $11,000 over 6y, 0.2% of budgetBREAD FOR THE CITY INC: $9,500 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetHERRING GUT COASTAL SCIENCE CENTER: $8,000 over 4y, 1.6% of budgetWASHINGTON CONCERT OPERA: $7,000 over 6y, 0.3% of budgetGood Shepherd Food Bank: $6,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetTREKKERS INC: $5,500 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $4,500 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetHURRICANE ISLAND OUTWARD BOUND SCHOOL: $3,500 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetLifeFlight Foundation: $3,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetTHE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND: $2,750 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetA WIDER CIRCLE INC: $2,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetNEGOTIATION WORKS: $2,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetChrist House: $2,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetVEGGIES TO TABLE: $1,500 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetFEDERATION OF NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS: $1,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCity Wildlife Inc: $1,500 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetCity Kids to Wilderness Project Inc: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE MATTHEW HARRIS ORNSTEIN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION INC: $1,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetM STREET CENTER: $500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE STUDIO ACTING CONSERVATORY INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSCHOOL LEADER LAB: $500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetGEORGETOWN MINISTRY CENTER: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetThe Food Project Inc: $250 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.

Greater Washington Co…The Morris and Gwendo…Dimick Foundation Joh…United Way of the Nat…Clark-Winchcole Found…Onion FoundationMaine Community Found…Corina Higginson Trus…Philip L Graham Fund …Agnes M Lindsay TrustNora Roberts Foundati…Vanguard Charitable E…
Greater Washington Community FoundationDC24× affinity10 shared granteesties to 10 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Greater Washington Community Foundation · The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation · Dimick Foundation John M Lynham Jr Trustee · United Way of the National Capital Area · Clark-Winchcole Foundation · Onion Foundation · Maine Community Foundation Inc · Corina Higginson Trust Co Laura Ford Trustee · Philip L Graham Fund co Graham Holdings Company · Agnes M Lindsay Trust · Nora Roberts Foundation · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program

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 Four Lanes Trust funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Four Lanes Trust. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%23%45%68%90%share of the org’s income from government →median 6%
  • A Wider Circle Inc: 6% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
1get 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 · 0–90%
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 Four Lanes Trust?

Find your warmest path to Four Lanes Trust 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 33 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 Four Lanes’ 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