Skip to content
Plinth

· Private foundation

Guidance Foundation

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.

$799k
Granted FY2021
9
Grants FY2021
4
States reached
$253k
Largest
01What you fund
0194% classified

What you funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year — across FY20172021.

International$482kEducation$249kEnvironment$55kHuman Services$55kArts & Culture$40kCivil Rights$2kOther$0
02FY2021 · 9 grants

Where the money goes

Your grants by size, and where they go.

By grant size · FY2021

  • $10k–50k2 grants · $40k
  • $50k–250k6 grants · $506k
  • $250k+1 grant · $253k
$55,051
Median grant
4
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS$253,202
DEEP SPRINGS COLLEGE$120,000
OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION$116,180
UNICEF$105,000
CONFLUENCE PROJECT$55,051
IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE COMMUNITY$55,000
COALITION OF OREGON LAND TRUSTS$55,000
OREGON PUBLIC BROADCASTING$25,000
MUSEUM OF CHINESE IN AMERICA$15,000
02The need
03

Do your dollars go where the need is?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, then read against the area’s typical level.

show:

Dollar for dollar, your grants (FY17–21) land where the poverty rate runs at 15%, against an area that typically sits at 12%. 94% of your dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of your grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 12%WOMEN'S CENTER FOR CREATIVE WORK: $2k → 14%UNICEF: $105k → 17%COALITION OF OREGON LAND TRUSTS: $55k → 12%OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $10k → 18%CONFLUENCE PROJECT: $55k → 9%DEEP SPRINGS COLLEGE: $120k → 15%UNICEF USA: $3k → 17%OREGON PUBLIC BROADCASTING: $25k → 12%DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS: $253k → 17%OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $116k → 12%DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS: $31k → 17%OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $3k → 12%DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS: $30k → 17%IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE COMMUNITY: $55k → 12%DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS: $30k → 17%DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS: $30k → 17%MUSEUM OF CHINESE IN AMERICA: $15k → 17%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount

Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty linein the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP; grantee ZIP can differ from where services are delivered.

US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are actually delivered. Need from public data — U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA — shown as context about the area, never attributed to your giving.

03Your edge
repeat funding

Who you back again

Which organizations you funded more than once, and which you funded a single time. Each grantee is matched to its own filings.

65%of every dollar goes to organizations you’ve funded before.
$611k · 3 repeat orgs$327k to everyone else

And the relationships you keep tend to grow: grantees you re-up on have seen median revenue of +55% since the first grant, against -30% for the ones you funded once.

3 repeat relationships — 3 still active in FY2021, 0 since wound down; 6 grantees were first funded in FY2021 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

3
1

Total granted

$611k
$2k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+55%
-30%

Still filing today

100%
100%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2021, 59% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $325k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21
InternationalArts & CultureEducationEnvironmentCivil RightsOther

First-time = a grantee’s first year in your filing window; renewed = funded in an earlier year too. As a portfolio matures the renewed share naturally climbs — once funded, an org stays “renewable” — so the signal is the years that buck it (a new-grantee intake wave). 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
    5× · 2017–2021 · $374k · revenue +98%
  • Oregon State University Foundation
    3× · 2018–2021 · $129k · revenue +27%
  • UNITED STATES FUND FOR UNICEF
    2× · 2019–2021 · $108k · revenue +55%

Funded once

  • WC
    WOMEN'S CENTER FOR CREATIVE WORK
    one grant, 2020 · $2k · revenue -30%

Repeat = funded in two or more distinct years; growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Your field

The map has a center of gravity: the average direction from the rest of the sector toward the organizations the foundation funds — the shape of its giving. Scoring every nonprofit along that direction surfaces the ones that look most like the portfolio. These are the closest matchesthat aren’t grantees — a resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Aquarium of the Pacific Corporation

The aquarium of the pacific's mission is to instill a sense of wonder, respect, and stewardship for the pacific ocean, its inhabitants, and ecosystems.

Animals
2
University of Oregon Foundation

The purpose and mission of the foundation are, acting on its own or through affiliates, to support and assist the university of oregon in its activities by management and administration of foundation assets representing privately donated…

Education
3
Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association

Orla serves as the leading industry advocate, striving to protect, improve and promote oregon hospitality.

4
U of O Foundation Supporting Organization

See schedule othe purpose and mission of the organization is to support and assist the university of oregon foundation in its activities by management and administration of organization assets representing privately donated funds, by…

Education
5
The California Channel

To distribute public affairs and other educational information in order to create an electronic bridge between californians and their public officials, and, in the process educate a new generation of voting citizens and civic leaders who…

6
Oregon Agricultural Trust

Oregon agricultural trust partners with farmers and ranchers to protect agricultural lands for the benefit of oregons economy, communities, and landscapes.

Environment
7
Augustana College

Rooted in the liberal arts & sciences & lutheran expression of the christian faith, & is committed to offering a challenging education that develops qualities of mind, spirit, & body necessary for a rewarding life of leadership & service…

Education
8
University of Virginia Investment Management Company

The university of virginia investment management company (uvimco) is organized to invest funds on behalf of the rector and visitors of the university of virginia (the university or uva) and university-associated organizations (uaos).

Education
9
National Opinion Research Center

See schedule onorc at the university of chicago conducts research and data science on critical societal issues to guide decision-making and the development of programs and public policy. our experts identify relationships and trends, and…

Social Science
10
Colorado Museum of Natural History

Be a catalyst! Ignite our community's passion for nature and science.

Arts & Culture
11
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
12
Oregon Research Institute

Oregon research institute is an independent behavioral sciences research center dedicated to understanding human behavior and improving the quality of human life through the prevention and treatment of health, educational, and social…

Social Science

For reference, the grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Oregon Public Broadcasting and the most unlike its peers is Oregon State University Foundation. 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

9 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each one resolved to its own IRS returns and tracked year by year — your grant beside their revenue from every source. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

Counted here: distinct organizations you funded across 20172025, not grant rows in a single year — so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 9 of the 10 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile; the rest are funded organizations whose filings we could not track year by year.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
9/9
Grantees still filing
8/9
Grew since you first funded

Where your money sits — by cause, then by grantee

MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC — $374,202 · InternationalMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INCUNITED STATES FUND FOR UNICEF — $108,000 · InternationalUNITED STATES FUND FOR UNICEFDEEP SPRINGS CORPORATION — $120,000 · OtherDEEP SPRINGS CORPORATIONCONFLUENCE PROJECT — $55,051 · OtherCONFLUENCE PROJECTTHE IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION — $55,000 · OtherTHE IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE C…Oregon State University Foundation — $129,180 · EducationOregon State Un…The Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts — $55,000 · EnvironmentOREGON PUBLIC BROADCASTING — $25,000 · Arts & CultureMUSEUM OF CHINESE IN AMERICA — $15,000 · Arts & CultureWOMEN'S CENTER FOR CREATIVE WORK — $2,000 · Civil Rights
International$482,202Other$230,051Education$129,180Environment$55,000Arts & Culture$40,000Civil Rights$2,000

Each org by its size and your share of it — top-left is where you’re load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ your share of their budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC — $374,202 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetOregon State University Foundation — $129,180 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetDEEP SPRINGS CORPORATION — $120,000 over 1y, 9.8% of budgetUNITED STATES FUND FOR UNICEF — $108,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetThe Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts — $55,000 over 1y, 6.6% of budgetTHE IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION — $55,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetOREGON PUBLIC BROADCASTING — $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMUSEUM OF CHINESE IN AMERICA — $15,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetWOMEN'S CENTER FOR CREATIVE WORK — $2,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budget
Go grantee by grantee — a decade per org, and how each moved after you funded them

A decade per grantee — revenue shaded, your grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

The grantmakers whose grantees overlap with yours far more than size alone predicts. Each orbits closer the stronger the alignment; the arcs between them show where they also fund each other. Here it reads as a set of overlaps that mostly run through you, not between each other.

Donor Advised Charitable Giving IncCO7.3× affinity4 shared granteesties to 0 of 0Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc

Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. A research starting point: overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

Government reliance of your grantees

Every dot is one organization Guidance Foundation funds. Left–right is the share of its income from government; up–down is the share from you. Bigger dots raise more. Filter to federal, a single department, or state — and drag the year to watch it move.

2024
202122232425
no gov · 00%1%3%6%10%your share of their income ↑0%8%15%22%30%share of the org’s income from governmentmedian 4%
  • The Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts18% of income from government
  • The Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization4% of income from government
  • Oregon Public Broadcasting1% of income from government
  • Oregon State University Foundation0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
1report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–30%
typical government reliance, FY2025

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 your grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first — a floor, not 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 12–24 months.

05Through Plinth

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to Guidance Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Guidance Foundation 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 directly from IRS e-file XML — your own 990/990-PF and the multi-year returns of the 10 grantees we resolved across every year we hold, several hundred filings in all (a different count from the grant rows on the cover, which are one fiscal year)— each linked to its source. Grantee achievements and outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III); we read these as association with sustained funding — the foundation is one of several forces — suppress low-confidence name matches rather than guess, and say so where a figure rests on a single grant or filing. Not everything on this page is a filed figure, and the difference matters. Filed is what you reported on your 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. How we build these →

Generated from your IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2021, released 2021. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

More from the funding graph