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Fresh Approach at a glanceMostly funded, not a grantmaker: see who funds it →

· Public charity

Fresh Approach

The mission of FRESH APPROACH is to create long-term change in local food systems by connecting california communities with healthy food from california farmers and expanding knowledge about food and nutrition.

$90k
Granted FY2024still arriving
4
Grants FY2024still arriving
1
States reached
$52k
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, FY2022 to 2024.

Food & Nutrition$1.1M
02FY2024 · 4 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 4 grants below total $80,189, the rows itemized in this filing. The $89,840 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $9,651 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k1 grant · $5k
  • $10k–50k2 grants · $23k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $52k
$12,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$2.1M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
SPADE AND PLOW$51,840
PIE RANCH$12,000
CENTER FOR LAND BASED LEARNING$11,257
BUTTE COUNTY LOCAL FOOD NETWORK$5,092
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 (FY22–23, $112k) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 7%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 7%BRIDGING VOICES-UNIENDO VOCES LLC: $16k → 10%LEAH'S PANTRY INC: $19k → 10%FOOD INITIATIVE OF GREATER STANISLAUS: $67k → 15%LEAH'S PANTRY INC: $10k → 10%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.
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 18% of Fresh Approach’s grant dollars are earmarked for a different county than the recipient’s own address. By recipient address, 100% of the giving stays in CA; by stated purpose, 85%.

Fresh Approachlessmore of its giving
Placed by recipient address
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.

84%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$945k · 7 repeat orgs$185k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +25% since the first grant, against -4% for those funded once.

7 repeat relationships: 3 still active in FY2024, 4 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

7
5

Total granted

$945k
$179k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+25%
-4%

Still filing today

86%
80%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 94% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $5k went to new ones.

50%100%’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’22’23’24
Human ServicesEnvironmentEmploymentHealthPhilanthropyFood & NutritionOther
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

  • PR
    PIE RANCH
    3× · 2022–2024 · $293k · revenue +5%
  • SC
    South County Community Health Center Inc dba Ravenswood Family Health Center
    2× · 2022–2023 · $251k · revenue +25%
  • CF
    Center for Land-Based Learning
    2× · 2022–2024 · $31k · revenue +50%

Funded once

  • TF
    THE FOOD INITIATIVE OF GREATER STANISLAUS INC
    one grant, 2023 · $67k · revenue -11%
  • PC
    PACIFIC COAST FARMERS MARKET ASSOCIATION
    one grant, 2022 · $56k · revenue +20%
  • CO
    COUNTY OF SAN MATEO - PHOENIX GARDEN
    one grant, 2023 · $20k
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
Santa Cruz Community Farmers Market

To serve our community by providing direct access to sustainable sources of fresh produce and other unique foods, and provide education about food issues, both local and beyond.

—
2
Foodwise Community

Foodwise grows thriving communities through the power and joy of local food. We envision a world that nourishes all people, local economies, and the living earth.

—
3
Agricultural Community Events Farmers Markets

Promoting local agricultural activities through the formation and management of local farmers' markets. successfully operate multiple farmers' markets in marin county and sonoma county.

Community Improvement
4
California Fresh Farmers Market Association

California fresh farmers market association's mission is to establish and operate vibrant farmers markets that connect communitites with fresh, locally grown produce and promote healthy living

Food & Nutrition
5
Yolo Food Bank

The mission of yolo food bank is to make yolo county a thriving community where everyone has the resources they need to experience health, prosperity, and a high quality of life. Yolo Food bank durably increases food and nutrition security…

Food & Nutrition
6
Fresh Approach

The mission of fresh approach is to create long-term change in local food systems by connecting california communities with healthy food from california farmers and expanding knowledge about food and nutrition.

Food & Nutrition
7
Food Action

Our mission is to educate, organize and advocate for food and farming systems to become economically prosperous, ecologically sound and socially equitable.

—
8
Foodbank of Santa Barbara County Inc

To end hunger and transform the health of our community by providing nourishment to those in need by acquiring and distributing safe nutritious food via local agencies and by providing education to solve hunger and nutritional problems in…

Food & Nutrition
9
Farm2People

Farm2People's mission is to secure local harvests and fight hunger in Greater Los Angeles.

Food & Nutrition
10
Alameda Emergency Food Dba Alameda Food Bank

Founded in 1977, The Alameda Food Bank is a non-profit organization that helps Alameda residents in need by providing nourishing food in compassionate and respectful manner with the support of dedicated volunteers and local partners.

Food & Nutrition
11
Tera Farm

To empower limited-resource and small-scale farmers by building connections with their local communities and providing access to shared resources.

Food & Nutrition
12
Berkeley Food Network

The berkeley food network (bfn) works to expand food assistance services to food-insecure berkeley residents. bfn was founded in 2016 to help establish a foundation of good health from which all berkeley residents can pursue opportunity by…

Food & Nutrition
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Pacific Coast Farmers Market Association; the most unlike its peers is South County Community Health Center Inc dba Ravenswood Family Health Center. 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

11 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. 11 of the 13 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)
11/11
Grantees still filing
5/11
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

PIE RANCH: $292,788 · EmploymentPIE RANCHSouth County Community Health Center Inc dba Ravenswood Family Health Center: $250,597 · HealthSouth County Community He…AGRICULTURAL INSTITUTE OF MARIN: $195,260 · EnvironmentAGRICULTURAL INSTITUTE…Center for Land-Based Learning: $31,257 · EnvironmentCenter for Land-Based …SPADE AND PLOW: $84,240 · OtherSPADE AND PLOWPACIFIC COAST FARMERS MARKET ASSOCIATION: $56,308 · OtherPACIFIC COAST FARM…COUNTY OF SAN MATEO - PHOENIX GARDEN: $20,345 · OtherCOUNTY OF SAN MATE…FOOD BANK FOR MONTEREY COUNTY: $20,000 · OtherFOOD BANK FOR MONT…THE FOOD INITIATIVE OF GREATER STANISLAUS INC: $67,000 · Human ServicesTHE FOOD IN…LEAH'S PANTRY: $28,904 · Human ServicesLEAH'S PANT…SANTA BARBARA COUNTY FOOD ACTION NETWORK: $15,820 · Human ServicesSANTA BARBA…ROUTE ONE FARMERS MARKET: $61,549 · PhilanthropyBUTTE COUNTY LOCAL FOOD NETWORK: $5,092 · Food & Nutrition
Employment$292,788Health$250,597Environment$226,517Other$180,893Human Services$111,724Philanthropy$61,549Food & Nutrition$5,092

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

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetPIE RANCH: $292,788 over 3y, 5.5% of budgetSouth County Community Health Center Inc dba Ravenswood Family Health Center: $250,597 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetAGRICULTURAL INSTITUTE OF MARIN: $195,260 over 2y, 1.7% of budgetTHE FOOD INITIATIVE OF GREATER STANISLAUS INC: $67,000 over 1y, 1.9% of budgetROUTE ONE FARMERS MARKET: $61,549 over 2y, 21% of budgetPACIFIC COAST FARMERS MARKET ASSOCIATION: $56,308 over 1y, 1.1% of budgetCenter for Land-Based Learning: $31,257 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetLEAH'S PANTRY: $28,904 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetFOOD BANK FOR MONTEREY COUNTY: $20,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSANTA BARBARA COUNTY FOOD ACTION NETWORK: $15,820 over 1y, 8.3% of budgetBUTTE COUNTY LOCAL FOOD NETWORK: $5,092 over 1y, 1.8% 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.

Kaiser Foundation Hos…Marin Community Found…Morgan Stanley Global…National Philanthropi…The Bank of America C…American Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Kaiser Foundation HospitalsCA14.9× affinity5 shared granteesties to 8 of 8Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Kaiser Foundation Hospitals · Marin Community Foundation · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation 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 Fresh Approach funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Fresh Approach. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%2%6%14%25%funder's share of their income ↑0%15%30%45%60%share of the org’s 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)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–60%
    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 Fresh Approach?

    Find your warmest path to Fresh Approach 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 13 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 e-file return for fiscal year 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

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    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