Skip to content

California · Private foundation

Helms Foundation Inc

Its FY2025 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$176k
Granted FY2025(still arriving)
51
Grants FY2025
45
Organizations funded FY2024
7%
First-time grantees FY2024
Read the full brief
Median grant, FY2025
$2,000
Largest grant, FY2025
$10,000
Organizations funded a year
45 to 49
FY2018 to FY2024
States reached, FY2025
8
Total assets, FY2025
$3.9M
Applications
Preselected organizations only
Per its most recent filing; check its own site

How open it is to new grantees

In FY2024, 7% of the organizations Helms Foundation Inc funded were first-time grantees, receiving 7% of its grant dollars.

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 93% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $12k went to new ones.

50%100%’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
AnimalsEducationHuman ServicesEnvironmentYouth DevelopmentArts & CultureOther
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.
The numbers by year
Fiscal yearOrganizations fundedTo those organizationsFirst-time grantees
FY2025still arriving49$172k16%
FY202445$171k7%
FY202349$169k16%
FY202249$170k8%
FY202146$169k26%
FY202048$194k19%
FY201946$210k35%
FY201847$179k38%
100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Education$525kAnimals$291kHealth$147kHuman Services$128kReligion$96kPhilanthropy$84kYouth Development$73kFood & Nutrition$53kOther$0

Where its grants go

Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.

Which US states its grants reach

AK
ME
IL
MI
NY
OR
CA
CO
VA
MD
AZ
NC
DC
TX
FL

Top grantees

Largest recipients by total granted, FY2017 to FY2025, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.

GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
St Jude Memorial Foundation$67,5008n/a
The Thacher School Inc$66,50040%
Create Healthy Management$51,00060%
Fredericksburg Isd Education Foundation$48,00073%
The Aopa Foundation Inc$44,50090%
St Francis High School$36,5009n/a
The Health Trust$29,00080%
Alaska Mindful Paws$27,00052%
Visiontrust International Inc$25,00060%
Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches Inc$23,50080%
Show all 76 grantees
All grantees of Helms Foundation Inc by total granted
GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
St Jude Memorial Foundation$67,5008n/a
The Thacher School Inc$66,50040%
Create Healthy Management$51,00060%
Fredericksburg Isd Education Foundation$48,00073%
The Aopa Foundation Inc$44,50090%
St Francis High School$36,5009n/a
The Health Trust$29,00080%
Alaska Mindful Paws$27,00052%
Visiontrust International Inc$25,00060%
Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches Inc$23,50080%
Admiral Nimitz Foundation$23,00050%
Hill Country Community Needs Council$22,00051%
Kids in Distress Inc$20,50080%
Angel Flight West Inc$20,45090%
Rosary Academy$20,0002n/a
Bridgeport Fish Enhancement Foundation$20,00067%
Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Founda Foundation Inc$18,50070%
Raft Inc$18,0005n/a
Friends of Albert Whitted Airport Inc$18,00023%
Arctic German Shepherd Rescue Inc$17,00049%
Aerospace Center for Excellence Inc$16,50060%
Lifemoves$16,00040%
Humane Society of Pinellas Inc$15,50060%
Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation$15,00050%
Homer Animal Friends$14,50072%
Southeastern Guide Dogs Inc$14,00050%
Grey Bears$12,00040%
International Justice Mission$11,00030%
The John Thomas Dye School$10,00040%
Safe Paws Rescue Inc$10,00037%
Rise University Preparatory$10,00050%
Mid-Peninsula Education Center Inc$9,00030%
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center Inc$9,00050%
Humane Society of Sedona Inc$7,00030%
Pacific Crest Trail Association$7,00030%
The August Foundation for Alaska Racing Dogs$7,00032%
Alaska Potbelly Pig Rescue Inc$7,00051%
Able Flight Inc$7,00031%
Sempervirens Fund$7,00020%
Peninsula Spay Neuter Fund$6,5002n/a
Day Worker Center of Mountain View$6,00030%
Lewis & Clark College$6,00020%
South Peninsula Athletic and Recreational Committee$6,00051%
Loving Hearts 4 Paws$5,5006n/a
The Grace Center$5,0001n/a
Navy Seal Foundation Inc$5,00010%
Fredericksburg Dog Park Association$5,0001n/a
Special Operations Warrior Foundation$4,50020%
Yosemite Foundation$4,00010%
Alaska Zoo$4,00020%
Careers Through Culinary Arts Program Dba Culinary Careers Program$3,65020%
Save-A-Vet$3,5002n/a
The Milo Foundation$3,50010%
Sisters Servants of Mary Guild Inc$2,50014%
National Police Dog Foundation Inc$2,0001n/a
Help a Mother Out$2,00010%
Cityteam Ministries$2,00010%
Sparc Inc$2,00020%
Pets for Patriots Inc$2,00011%
Albert Whitted Airport Preservation$2,00018%
Compassion International Incorporated$2,00010%
Warrior Dog Foundation$2,00010%
Lava Mae$2,00010%
907Vets Inc$2,0002n/a
South Peninsula Hospital Inc$2,00010%
Humane Society of Broward County Inc$2,00010%
Paws of War Inc$1,50010%
Homer Elks Lodge No 2127$1,00010%
The Asher House$1,00010%
Fractured Atlas Inc$1,00010%
Thousand Smiles Foundation$1,00011%
Carrizo Plain Conservancy$1,00011%
California Native Plant Society$1,00010%
Direct Relief$1,00010%
Eastport Public Library$1,00011%
Californians Against Waste Foundation$1,0001n/a

What it could do for these grantees

Plus 44 recipients with no EIN on record ($698k), not named here.

Where it is load-bearing

Each grantee by its size and the share of its budget Helms Foundation Inc supplied at peak.

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetThe Thacher School Inc: $66,500 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetCreate Healthy Management: $51,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetFredericksburg Isd Education Foundation: $48,000 over 7y, 3.3% of budgetThe Aopa Foundation Inc: $44,500 over 9y, 0.1% of budgetThe Health Trust: $29,000 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetAlaska Mindful Paws: $27,000 over 5y, 2.1% of budgetVisiontrust International Inc: $25,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetFlorida Sheriffs Youth Ranches Inc: $23,500 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetAdmiral Nimitz Foundation: $23,000 over 5y, 0.2% of budgetHill Country Community Needs Council: $22,000 over 5y, 0.7% of budgetKids in Distress Inc: $20,500 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetAngel Flight West Inc: $20,450 over 9y, 0.0% of budgetBridgeport Fish Enhancement Foundation: $20,000 over 6y, 6.6% of budgetMarine Corps-Law Enforcement Founda Foundation Inc: $18,500 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetFriends of Albert Whitted Airport Inc: $18,000 over 2y, 2.6% of budgetArctic German Shepherd Rescue Inc: $17,000 over 4y, 9.4% of budgetAerospace Center for Excellence Inc: $16,500 over 6y, 0.2% of budgetLifemoves: $16,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetHumane Society of Pinellas Inc: $15,500 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetStephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation: $15,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetHomer Animal Friends: $14,500 over 7y, 1.5% of budgetSoutheastern Guide Dogs Inc: $14,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetGrey Bears: $12,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetInternational Justice Mission: $11,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetThe John Thomas Dye School: $10,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetSafe Paws Rescue Inc: $10,000 over 3y, 7.2% of budgetRise University Preparatory: $10,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetMid-Peninsula Education Center Inc: $9,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetAlaska Wildlife Conservation Center Inc: $9,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetHumane Society of Sedona Inc: $7,000 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetPacific Crest Trail Association: $7,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetThe August Foundation for Alaska Racing Dogs: $7,000 over 3y, 2.3% of budgetAlaska Potbelly Pig Rescue Inc: $7,000 over 5y, 1.0% of budgetAble Flight Inc: $7,000 over 3y, 1.5% of budgetSempervirens Fund: $7,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetDay Worker Center of Mountain View: $6,000 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetLewis & Clark College: $6,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSouth Peninsula Athletic and Recreational Committee: $6,000 over 5y, 1.3% of budgetNavy Seal Foundation Inc: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSpecial Operations Warrior Foundation: $4,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetYosemite Foundation: $4,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAlaska Zoo: $4,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetCareers Through Culinary Arts Program Dba Culinary Careers Program: $3,650 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetThe Milo Foundation: $3,500 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetSisters Servants of Mary Guild Inc: $2,500 over 1y, 4.4% of budgetHelp a Mother Out: $2,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCityteam Ministries: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSparc Inc: $2,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budget

Tap a dot to name the grantee.

How this is measured
Share of budget is the funder’s grant in a year over the grantee’s total revenue that year, at its highest across the years we hold; revenue is from all sources. Only grantees confirmed against their own filings, whose grants do not exceed their revenue, are plotted: the largest 64.

Nonprofits that may fit its grantmaking

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.

The Alaska Community FoundationAK21.1× affinity9 shared granteesties to 8 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Alaska Community Foundation · Silicon Valley Community Foundation · Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation · Rasmuson Foundation · The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country Inc · AbbVie Foundation · Shell USA Company Foundation · The David and Lucile Packard Foundation · Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles · The Pfizer Foundation Inc · Marin Community Foundation · McKesson Foundation Inc

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.

Compare Helms Foundation Inc with peer funders

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to Helms Foundation Inc?

Find your warmest path to Helms 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.

About Helms Foundation Inc

How much does Helms Foundation Inc give?
Helms Foundation Inc reported 51 grants totaling $176,000 in its FY2025 IRS filing. It funded between 45 and 49 organizations a year over FY2018 to FY2024.
What does Helms Foundation Inc fund?
By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2025, its largest causes are Education (32%), Animals (18%), Health (9%).
Who are Helms Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
By total granted over FY2017 to FY2025: St Jude Memorial Foundation ($68k), The Thacher School Inc ($67k), Create Healthy Management ($51k).
Does Helms Foundation Inc fund new organizations?
In FY2024, 7% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
Does Helms Foundation Inc accept unsolicited applications?
Its most recent filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and does not take unsolicited requests. Check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.
Which funders back the same organizations as Helms Foundation Inc?
Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include The Alaska Community Foundation, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation.
Where is Helms Foundation Inc based?
Helms Foundation Inc is based in CA.

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 122 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 Helms’ filings →

More from the funding graph