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GDS Legacy Foundation Inc at a glance

· Private foundation

GDS Legacy Foundation Inc

Its FY2019 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$15M
Granted FY2019
5
Grants FY2019
2
States reached
$13M
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0185% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2018 to 2019.

Philanthropy$50MEducation$430kCommunity Improvement$395kEnvironment$210kFood & Nutrition$150kArts & Culture$100kHealth$100kPublic Benefit$100kOther$0
02FY2019 · 5 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2019

  • Under $10k2 grants · $6k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $15k
  • $250k+2 grants · $15M
$15,134
Median grant
2
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
CHARLES SCHWAB CHARITABLE - DAF #8140-5317$13,250,235
CHARLES SCHWAB CHARITABLE - DAF #8140-5317$1,285,000
MCE SOCIAL CAPITAL$15,134
CREMA$5,000
Charlotte-Shelburne Rotary Club$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 (FY18–19) land where the poverty rate runs at 10%, against an area that typically sits at 9%. 100% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 9%PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: $10k → 8%NEW PROFIT: $350k → 16%MCE SOCIAL CAPITAL: $29k → 10%UPSTATE MEDICAL ALUMNI FOUNDATION: $50k → 14%NATURAL RESOURCE DEFENSE COUNCIL: $50k → 17%NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION: $25k → 14%WESTMINSTER SCHOOL: $200k → 11%NORTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $75k → 8%THE CARTER CENTER: $5k → 14%Monmouth Medical Center: $100k → 6%CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL: $10k → 7%NOLS: $100k → 17%VERMONT NATURE CONSERVANCY: $100k → 9%SHELBURNE FARMS: $50k → 10%MCE SOCIAL CAPITAL: $15k → 10%NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY: $25k → 17%OCEAN REVOLUTION: $5k → 14%VTDIGGERORG: $100k → 9%Charlotte-Shelburne Rotary Club: $500 → 10%CHARLES SCHWAB CHARITABLE - DAF #8140-5317: $35.4M → 10%DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS USA: $25k → 17%UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT AGRICULTURE EXTENSION: $100k → 10%CHARLES SCHWAB CHARITABLE - DAF #8140-5317: $13.3M → 10%ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND: $100k → 17%VERMONT YOUTH CONSERVATION CORPS: $25k → 10%CHARLES SCHWAB CHARITABLE - DAF #8140-5317: $1.3M → 10%CHARLES SCHWAB CHARITABLE - DAF #8140-5317: $382k → 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.

Which US states its grants reach

VT
NY
MA
WY
NJ
CT
CA
CO
VA
MD
NC
DC
GA
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.

97%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$50M · 3 repeat orgs$1.7M to everyone else

3 repeat relationships: 3 still active in FY2019, 0 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2019 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

3
24

Total granted

$50M
$1.7M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+35%
+44%

Still filing today

33%
75%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2019, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $500 went to new ones.

50%100%’18’19
RenewedFirst-time

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

’18’19
EnvironmentEducationInternationalCommunity ImprovementArts & CultureHealthOther
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

  • CS
    CHARLES SCHWAB CHARITABLE - DAF #8140-5317
    2× · 2018–2019 · $50M
  • MS
    MCE SOCIAL CAPITAL
    2× · 2018–2019 · $44k · revenue +35%
  • C
    CREMA
    2× · 2018–2019 · $25k

Funded once

  • NP
    NEW PROFIT INC
    one grant, 2018 · $350k · revenue +16%
  • TO
    TRUSTEES OF WESTMINSTER SCHOOL INCgraduated
    one grant, 2018 · $200k · revenue +44%
  • MM
    MONMOUTH MEDICAL CENTER
    one grant, 2018 · $100k
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
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
2
Central Indiana Corporate Partnership Inc

Central indiana corporate partnership (cicp) is an alliance of indiana's business and research university leaders coming together to foster long-term prosperity for the region. cicp's mission is to transform the economy of indiana in order…

Community Improvement
3
Climate Institute

The climate institute is organized for the purpose of educating the general public and policy makers as to the gravity of potential climate change, exploring the policy implications of the latest scientific findings on climate modelling…

Environment
4
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

See schedule ouniversity corporation for atmospheric research (ucar), on behalf of, and in cooperation with its member university members, is engaged in the management of long-term atmospheric and related research and educational…

Science & Tech
5
Western Electricity Coordinating Council

To effectively and efficiently mitigate risks to the reliability and security of the western interconnection's bulk power system.

Public Benefit
6
Northeast College of Health Sciences

Northeast college of health sciences (the college) is committed to academic excellence, leadership, and professional best practices in the health sciences.

Education
7
Cdp North America Inc

Cdp north america, inc. 's ("cdp-na") vision for the future is a thriving economy that works for people and planet in the long term. we focus investors and companies on taking urgent action to build a truly sustainable economy by measuring…

Environment
8
Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose Inc

Chief executives for corporate purpose (cecp) is the only business counsel and network dedicated to driving measurable returns on purpose. we promote responsible purpose-driven business as it increases customer loyalty, builds employee…

Philanthropy
9
Manhattanville University

To educate students to be ethical and socially responsible leaders in a global community.

Education
10
The Union of Concerned Scientists Inc

The union of concerned scientists puts rigorous, independent science into action, developing solutions and advocating for a healthy, safe, and just future.

International
11
North American Electric Reliability Corp

The north american electric reliability corporation (nerc) is a not-for-profit international regulatory authority whose mission is to assure the effective and efficient reduction of risks to the reliability and security of the grid.

Community Improvement
12
University of New Haven

The University of New Haven is a student-centered comprehensive university with an emphasis on excellence in liberal arts and professional education. Our mission is to prepare our students to lead purposeful and fulfilling lives in a…

Education
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 International Cultic Studies Association 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

22 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. 22 of the 29 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)
4
Early backer (in before they grew)
21/22
Grantees still filing
19/22
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

CHARLES SCHWAB CHARITABLE - DAF #8140-5317: $50,352,845 · OtherCHARLES SCHWAB CHARITABLE - DAF #8140-5317+9 more: $410,500 · OtherNEW PROFIT INC: $350,000 · Community ImprovementMCE SOCIAL CAPITAL: $44,244 · Community ImprovementTRUSTEES OF WESTMINSTER SCHOOL INC: $200,000 · EducationDavidson College: $100,000 · EducationTHE COLORADO COLLEGE: $50,000 · EducationCHAMPLAIN COLLEGE INCORPORATED: $30,000 · EducationENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND INCORPORATED: $100,000 · EnvironmentSHELBURNE FARMS: $50,000 · EnvironmentNATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL INC: $50,000 · EnvironmentVERMONT YOUTH CONSERVATION CORPS INC: $25,000 · EnvironmentNATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION: $25,000 · EnvironmentCONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION: $10,000 · EnvironmentNATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO INC: $100,000 · Arts & CultureVERMONT JOURNALISM TRUST LTD: $100,000 · Arts & CultureMONMOUTH MEDICAL CENTER: $100,000 · HealthNORTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $75,000 · PhilanthropyMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $25,000 · InternationalPATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: $10,000 · InternationalTHE CARTER CENTER INC: $5,000 · International
Other$50,763,345Community Improvement$394,244Education$380,000Environment$260,000Arts & Culture$200,000Health$100,000Philanthropy$75,000International$40,000

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 budgetNEW PROFIT INC: $350,000 over 1y, 1.2% of budgetTRUSTEES OF WESTMINSTER SCHOOL INC: $200,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetMONMOUTH MEDICAL CENTER: $100,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO INC: $100,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetVERMONT JOURNALISM TRUST LTD: $100,000 over 1y, 7.0% of budgetENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND INCORPORATED: $100,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetDavidson College: $100,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetNORTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $75,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetSYRACUSE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER MEDICAL ALUMNI FOUNDATION INC: $50,000 over 1y, 1.2% of budgetNATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL INC: $50,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE COLORADO COLLEGE: $50,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMCE SOCIAL CAPITAL: $44,244 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetCHAMPLAIN COLLEGE INCORPORATED: $30,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetVERMONT YOUTH CONSERVATION CORPS INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION: $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetPATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE CARTER CENTER INC: $5,000 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.

Vanguard Charitable E…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Vanguard Charitable Endowment ProgramPA9.6× affinity5 shared granteesties to 3 of 3Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · 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 GDS Legacy Foundation Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from GDS Legacy Foundation Inc. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 40%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%19%38%56%75%share of the org’s income from government →median 3%
  • Vermont Youth Conservation Corps Inc: 47% of income from government
  • Shelburne Farms: 3% of income from government
  • Vermont Journalism Trust Ltd: 0% of income from government
  • Champlain College Incorporated: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
4get no government money at all
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–75%
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 29 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 2019, released 2019. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on GDS Legacy’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