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Gilder Foundation Inc at a glance

· Private foundation

Gilder Foundation Inc

Its FY2021 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$14M
Granted FY2021
9
Grants FY2021
3
States reached
$3.8M
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its fieldRead
04Through 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 2021.

Arts & Culture$9.5MEducation$5.6MEnvironment$1.0MSocial Science$850kPublic Benefit$515kCivil Rights$255kRecreation & Sports$160kCommunity Improvement$100kOther$0
02FY2021 · 9 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2021

  • $50k–250k2 grants · $350k
  • $250k+7 grants · $14M
$2,000,000
Median grant
3
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
GILDER LEHRMAN INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN HISTORY$3,750,000
YALE UNIVERSITY$2,400,000
YALE UNIVERSITY$2,400,000
NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY$2,000,000
GILDER LEHRMAN INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN HISTORY$2,000,000
ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND INC$1,000,000
YALE UNIVERSITY$400,000
INTERNATIONAL AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM$200,000
READ TO LEAD$150,000
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:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY20–21) land where the poverty rate runs at 17%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 98% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%GETTYSBURG COLLEGE: $112k → 9%COLD SPRING HARBOR LABORATORY ASSOCIATION: $5k → 7%THE OLANA PARTNERSHIP: $3k → 11%THOMAS COLE HISTORIC HOUSE: $10k → 11%MORGAN LIBRARY: $25k → 17%AMERICAN FRIENDS OF P'TACH: $15k → 20%INTERNATIONAL AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM: $200k → 12%ADC RESEARCH INSTITUTE: $250k → 14%COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF GREATER MEMPHIS: $5k → 17%THOMAS JEFFERSON FOUNDATION: $100k → 8%TOWN OF ISLESBORO: $500k → 13%NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY: $3k → 17%CLUB FOR GROWTH FOUNDATION: $100k → 14%MASTERVOICES INC: $10k → 17%GILDER LEHRMAN INSTITUTE: $750k → 17%ORCHESTRA OF ST LUKE'S: $5k → 17%READ TO LEAD: $150k → 17%CENTRAL PARK CONSERVANCY: $50k → 17%LEUKEMIA AND LYMPHOMA SOCIETY: $10k → 17%MUNICIPAL ART SOCIETY OF NEW YORK: $10k → 17%NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE FUND: $5k → 17%CENTRAL PARK CONSERVANCY: $10k → 17%CONGREGATION EMANU-EL: $100k → 17%THE BROADWAY MALL ASSOCIATION: $100k → 17%METROPOLITAN OPERA: $75k → 17%NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC: $6k → 17%THE JUILLIARD SCHOOL: $5k → 17%NEW YORK CLASSICAL THEATRE: $5k → 17%NEW YORK STAGE AND FILM COMPANY: $15k → 17%KINDRED SPIRITS FOUNDATION: $5k → 17%FOUNDATION FOR CULTURAL REVIEW: $50k → 17%THE DOE FUND: $3k → 17%HUNTER COLLEGE FOUNDATION: $100k → 17%HUNTER COLLEGE FOUNDATION: $20k → 17%ORCHESTRA OF ST LUKE'S: $20k → 17%NATIONAL DANCE INSTITUTE: $5k → 17%EDUCATION THROUGH MUSIC: $5k → 17%NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY: $2.0M → 17%NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY: $1.1M → 17%NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY: $50k → 17%AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY: $5k → 17%AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY: $5k → 17%MANHATTAN INSTITUTE: $15k → 17%GILDER LEHRMAN INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN HISTORY: $3.8M → 17%GILDER LEHRMAN INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN HISTORY: $2.0M → 17%GILDER LEHRMAN INSTITUTE: $100k → 17%BREAST CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION: $10k → 17%ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND INC: $1.0M → 17%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
NY
PA
CT
VA
TN
SC
DC
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 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
Institute for Advanced Study - Louis Bamberger & Mrs Felix Fuld Foundation

The institute for advanced study (the institute) is one of the world's leading centers for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. see schedule o.

Science & Tech
2
Manhattan School of Music

Manhattan school of music is deeply committed to excellence in education, performance, and creative activity; to the humanity of the school's environment; and to the cultural enrichment of the larger community. a premiere international…

Arts & Culture
3
The Pierpont Morgan Library

The Morgan Library & Museum celebrates and shares the history and process of human creativity from antiquity to the present day through the preservation, study, and interpretation of a dynamic and growing collection.

Education
4
New York University

Nyu is a private university with approximately 60,000 matriculating students in 20 schools and institutes. nyu's primary missions are education, research and scholarship, and patient care.

Education
5
Museum of the City of New York

The museum of the city of new york fosters understanding of the distinctive nature of urban life in the world's most influential metropolis. it engages visitors by celebrating, documenting, and interpreting the city's past, present, and…

Arts & Culture
6
The Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences

The mission of the brooklyn institute of arts and sciences, d/b/a brooklyn museum (the "museum") is to bring people together through art and experiences that inspire celebration, compassion, courage, and the will to act. (see schedule o).

Arts & Culture
7
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Inc

Organization's mission statement true to the ambitious vision of its founder and her spirit of creative risk-taking, the mission of the isabella stewart gardner museum is: - to bring to life and preserve the rich historic collection; - to…

Arts & Culture
8
Bard College

Bard college seeks to provide a challenging academic program and a supportive environment that fosters a collaborative interchange of ideas in the classroom as well as ambition to achieve excellence.

Education
9
The Graduate Center Foundation Inc

The graduate center foundation is committed to promoting and safe-guarding the success of the graduate center by raising funds and managing and investing donations for use by the graduate center. the board of trustees of the foundation…

—
10
Clyfford Still Museum

Home to the art and legacy of the american painter clyfford still, we invite all to explore the potential of individual creative endeavor.

Arts & Culture
11
New York Hall of Science

Nysci's mission is to nurture generations of passionate learners, critical thinkers, and active citizens through design make play - an approach to learning and engagement that is deeply rooted in research on stem learning and guides the…

Arts & Culture
12
Manhattanville University

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

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The Philharmonic Symphony Society of Ny Inc; the most unlike its peers is Blood Cancer United 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

39 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. 39 of the 48 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)
11
Early backer (in before they grew)
38/39
Grantees still filing
31/39
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

YALE UNIVERSITY: $2,800,000 · OtherYALE UNIVERSITYYALE UNIVERSITY: $2,400,000 · OtherYALE UNIVERSITYGILDER LEHRMAN INSTITUTE: $850,000 · OtherGILDER LEHRMAN INSTITUTETOWN OF ISLESBORO: $500,000 · OtherTOWN OF ISLESBOROADC RESEARCH INSTITUTE: $250,000 · Other+14 more: $506,500 · Other+14 moreTHE GILDER LEHRMAN INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN HISTORY: $5,750,000 · EducationTHE GILDER LEHRMAN INSTITUTE OF AMERI…+5 more: $240,500 · EducationNew York Historical Society: $3,175,000 · Arts & CultureNew York Historical So…INTERNATIONAL AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM: $200,000 · Arts & CultureINTERNATIONAL AFRICAN …+15 more: $257,500 · Arts & Culture+15 moreENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND INCORPORATED: $1,000,000 · Environment+1 more: $2,500 · EnvironmentCLUB FOR GROWTH FOUNDATION INC: $100,000 · Community Improvement+1 more: $2,500 · Community ImprovementCENTRAL PARK CONSERVANCY INC: $60,000 · Recreation & SportsAMERICAN FRIENDS OF P'TACHINC: $15,000 · International
Other$7,306,500Education$5,990,500Arts & Culture$3,632,500Environment$1,002,500Community Improvement$102,500Recreation & Sports$60,000International$15,000

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

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetTHE GILDER LEHRMAN INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN HISTORY: $5,750,000 over 1y, 64% of budgetNew York Historical Society: $3,175,000 over 2y, 3.5% of budgetENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND INCORPORATED: $1,000,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetINTERNATIONAL AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM: $200,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetREAD TO LEAD INC: $150,000 over 1y, 4.7% of budgetTHE HUNTER COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC: $120,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetGETTYSBURG COLLEGE: $112,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBROADWAY MALL ASSOCIATION INC: $100,000 over 1y, 15% of budgetTHOMAS JEFFERSON FOUNDATION INC: $100,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetCLUB FOR GROWTH FOUNDATION INC: $100,000 over 1y, 9.6% of budgetCENTRAL PARK CONSERVANCY INC: $60,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetFOUNDATION FOR CULTURAL REVIEW: $50,000 over 1y, 1.4% of budgetST LUKES CHAMBER ENSEMBLE INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetNEW YORK STAGE AND FILM INC: $15,000 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetAMERICAN FRIENDS OF P'TACHINC: $15,000 over 1y, 11% of budgetMANHATTAN INSTITUTE FOR POLICY RESEARCH INC: $15,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHOMAS COLE HISTORIC HOUSE: $10,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetAmerican Museum of Natural History: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBLOOD CANCER UNITED INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMunicipal Art Society of New York: $10,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetMASTERVOICES INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetTHE BREAST CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE PHILHARMONIC SYMPHONY SOCIETY OF NY INC: $5,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNEW YORK CLASSICAL THEATRE INC: $5,000 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetKINDRED SPIRITS FOUNDATION: $5,000 over 1y, 16% of budgetCOMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF GREATER MEMPHIS INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetEDUCATION THROUGH MUSIC INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetNAACP LEGAL DEFENSE & EDUC FUND INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetJUILLIARD SCHOOL: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL DANCE INSTITUTE: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetNEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE OLANA PARTNERSHIP: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetThe New York Public Library Astor Lenox and Tilden Foundations: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE DOE FUND INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE JEWISH MUSEUM: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMESERVE-KUNHARDT FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE ACADEMY FOR TEACHERS INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% 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.

Jewish Communal FundThe Achelis & Bodman …The Hyde and Watson F…National Philanthropi…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…Vanguard Charitable E…Morgan Stanley Global…Donor Advised Charita…American Online Givin…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Jewish Communal FundNY18.8× affinity9 shared granteesties to 10 of 10Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Jewish Communal Fund · The Achelis & Bodman Foundation Co Manice & Budd LLP · The Hyde and Watson Foundation · National Philanthropic Trust · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · American Online Giving Foundation 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 Gilder Foundation Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Gilder Foundation Inc. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%4%8%11%15%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    8report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–15%
    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.
    04Through Plinth

    Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

    How do I get to Gilder Foundation Inc?

    Find your warmest path to Gilder Foundation Inc 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 48 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 2021, released 2021. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Gilder’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