Skip to content
Irene and Wallace D Franson Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Irene and Wallace D Franson Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$5k
Granted FY2025still arriving
4
Grants FY2025still arriving
1
States reached
$2k
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, FY2017 to 2025.

Religion$12kHealth$11kPhilanthropy$11kArts & Culture$9kEnvironment$8kHuman Services$7kEducation$2kFood & Nutrition$2kOther$0
02FY2025 · 4 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$1,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$40k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
DESERT COMMUNITY FOUNDATION$1,500
EISENHOWER MEDICAL CENTER$1,000
THE LIVING DESERT$1,000
NEW DIRECTIONS$1,000
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:

Its human-services grants (FY21–21, $1k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $1k → 14%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

MN
NY
PA
CA
CO
MO
DC
TX
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.

82%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$44k · 7 repeat orgs$10k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +84% since the first grant, against +4% for those funded once.

7 repeat relationships: 3 still active in FY2025, 4 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

7
13

Total granted

$44k
$10k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+84%
+4%

Still filing today

43%
69%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
HealthEnvironmentPhilanthropyPublic BenefitInternationalYouth DevelopmentOther
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

  • TS
    TEMPLE SINAI
    4× · 2017–2021 · $12k
  • LD
    LIVING DESERT THE
    7× · 2017–2025 · $8k · revenue +84%
  • EM
    Eisenhower Medical Center
    7× · 2017–2025 · $7k · revenue +94%

Funded once

  • UNITED STATES FUND FOR UNICEF
    one grant, 2022 · $2k · revenue -21%
  • GS
    GIRL SCOUTS HEART OF CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
    one grant, 2023 · $1k · revenue -11%
  • AN
    American National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branchesgraduated
    one grant, 2021 · $1k · revenue +27%
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
Scripps Health

Founded in 1924 by philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps, Scripps Health is a $4.9 billion, private not-for-profit integrated health system in San Diego, Ca. (see Sch O)

Health
2
Usc Arcadia Hospital Foundation

Mission statement the mission of usc arcadia hospital foundation educates and inspires the community to generously support quality medical care at usc arcadia hospital.

Health
3
University of Chicago Medical Center

Our mission at the university of chicago medicine is to provide superior health care through rigorous research, innovative education, and comprehensive care and healing. in partnership with our colleagues, we pursue life-changing…

Health
4
Feeding San Diego

On a mission to connect every person facing hunger with nutritious meals by maximizing food rescue. through direct service and community partnerships, feeding san diego provides more than 26 million meals each year to children, families,…

Food & Nutrition
5
Project Drawdown

Project drawdown's mission is to drive meaningful climate action by advancing science-based solutions and strategies. project drawdown's work is focused on three pillars: science - advancing science-based climate solutions and strategies;…

Education
6
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
7
Southern California University of Health Sciences

The mission of southern california university of health sciences (scu) is to educate students as competent, caring and successful practitioners of integrative healthcare. the university is committed to providing excellence in academics,…

Education
8
Sutter Bay Hospitals

MISSION STATEMENT: MISSION: CARING FOR OUR PATIENTS FIRST AND OUR PEOPLE ALWAYS. VISION: TO BE THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE, INTEGRATED AND CONNECTED HEALTH SYSTEM FOR GETTING AND STAYING WELL. VALUES: EXCELLENCE - We deliver high-quality,…

Health
9
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

As a leading academic healthcare organization, our mission is to elevate the health status of the communities we serve.(see schedule o for continuation)(continued)-we deliver exceptional healthcare enhanced by research and education-we…

Health
10
Banner -University Medical Group

Assist banner health complete its mission to make health care easier so life can be better by providing integrated & coordinated care & population health management.

Health
11
Pasadena Hospital Association Ltd

Huntington Health stands for community. We stand for compassion. But more than anything, Huntington stands for health. Providing world-class health care is our specialty, and it's what we've been doing for the San Gabriel Valley since…

Health
12
Second Harvest of Silicon Valley

To realize our vision of a hunger free community we will provide more food, healthy food and better access to food. we will leverage our own resources and also work with partners in the community.

Food & Nutrition
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is American National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches; the most unlike its peers is Desert Community 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

14 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

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 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 14 of the 22 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)
0
Early backer (in before they grew)
14/14
Grantees still filing
9/14
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

TEMPLE SINAI: $11,640 · OtherTEMPLE SINAINEW DIRECTIONS INC: $7,000 · OtherNEW DIRECTIONS INCMCCALLUM THEATRE: $7,000 · OtherMCCALLUM THEATRETURNER SYNDROME SOCIETY: $2,500 · OtherTURNER SYNDROME SOCIETYPBS SOCAL: $1,500 · Other+9 more: $6,000 · Other+9 moreDESERT COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $10,000 · PhilanthropyDESERT COMMUNITY F…COMIC RELIEF INC DBA COMIC RELIEF US: $500 · PhilanthropyLIVING DESERT THE: $7,500 · EnvironmentLIVING DESERT…Eisenhower Medical Center: $7,000 · HealthEisenhower Me…NATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY: $500 · HealthNATIONAL MULT…UNITED STATES FUND FOR UNICEF: $2,000 · InternationalGIRL SCOUTS HEART OF CENTRAL CALIFORNIA: $1,000 · Youth DevelopmentUNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: $1,000 · Education
Other$35,640Philanthropy$10,500Environment$7,500Health$7,500International$2,000Youth Development$1,000Education$1,000

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 budgetDESERT COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetLIVING DESERT THE: $7,500 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetEisenhower Medical Center: $7,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetNEW DIRECTIONS INC: $7,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetUNITED STATES FUND FOR UNICEF: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGIRL SCOUTS HEART OF CENTRAL CALIFORNIA: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLOS ANGELES REGIONAL FOOD BANK: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSECOND HARVEST HEARTLAND: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCOMIC RELIEF INC DBA COMIC RELIEF US: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetVETERANS COMMUNITY PROJECT: $500 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 set of overlaps that mostly run through this funder rather than between each other.

Amazonsmile Foundation
Amazonsmile FoundationWA3.2× affinity5 shared granteesties to 0 of 0Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: 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 Irene and Wallace D Franson Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Irene and Wallace D Franson Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%23%45%68%90%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    4report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–90%
    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 Irene and Wallace D Franson Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Irene and Wallace D Franson 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 from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 22 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 Irene and Wallace D Franson’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