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Isness Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Isness Foundation

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.

$2k
Granted FY2025still arriving
8
Grants FY2025still arriving
5
States reached
$500
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0193% classified

What it funded, over time

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

International$11kAnimals$8kPublic Safety & Disaster$7kHousing & Shelter$4kEnvironment$3kPhilanthropy$3kHealth$2kFood & Nutrition$1kOther$0
02FY2025 · 8 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$330
Median grant
5
States reached
$374k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
AMERICAN NATIONAL RED CROSS$500
MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC$500
MAP INTERNATIONAL$350
Individual grant recipient$330
BUTTE HUMANE SOCIETY$250
SHARE OUR STRENGTH$250
KQED INC$180
WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INCORPORATED$100
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 (FY17–25, $5k) land where the poverty rate runs at 12%, against an area that typically sits at 9%. 74% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 9%SECOND HARVEST: $300 → 11%GIVE FOUNDATION: $500 → 9%COMFORT CASES INC: $250 → 8%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $1k → 8%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $1k → 14%AMERICAN NATIONAL RED CROSS: $500 → 14%AMERICAN NATIONAL RED CROSS: $500 → 14%AMERICAN NATIONAL RED CROSS: $500 → 14%AMERICAN NATIONAL RED CROSS: $300 → 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

IL
MI
NY
NV
PA
CT
CA
CO
NE
VA
MD
AZ
KS
AR
DC
LA
GA
TX
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.

59%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$27k · 21 repeat orgs$19k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +48% since the first grant, against +10% for those funded once.

21 repeat relationships: 6 still active in FY2025, 15 since wound down; 2 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

21
43

Total granted

$27k
$18k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+48%
+10%

Still filing today

81%
74%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 70% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $750 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
InternationalAnimalsHuman ServicesEnvironmentPublic Safety & DisasterHealthOther
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

  • AN
    American National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches
    6× · 2017–2025 · $4k · revenue +46%
  • GS
    GERMAN SHEPHERD RESCUE OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
    5× · 2019–2023 · $3k · revenue +45%
  • BH
    BUTTE HUMANE SOCIETY
    7× · 2017–2025 · $2k · revenue +219%

Funded once

  • SA
    SALVATION ARMY SOUTHERN TERRITORY EMERGENCY DISASTER
    one grant, 2018 · $2k
  • CH
    Chico Housing Action Teamgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $2k · revenue +92%
  • HH
    HAVEN HUMANE SOCIETYgraduated
    one grant, 2018 · $2k · revenue +42%
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
Conservation International Foundation

Ci works to spotlight and secure the critical benefits that nature provides to humanity.

Environment
2
World Wildlife Fund Inc

Wwf's mission is to conserve nature and reduce the most pressing threats to the diversity of life on earth. (continued on schedule o)

Environment
3
World Relief Corp of National Association of Evangelicals

To boldly engage the world's greatest crises in partnership with the church.

International
4
Management Sciences for Health Inc

(msh) saves lives and improves the health of the world's poorest (see schedule o) and most vulnerable people by closing the gap between knowledge and action in public health.

International
5
Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition

The mission of the global alliance for improved nutrition (gain) is to improve the consumption of healthier diets for all, especially the most vulnerable, by improving the availability, affordability, desirability, and sustainability of…

Food & Nutrition
6
Waterorg

Water.org's goal is to bring safe water and sanitation to the world through access to small, affordable loans.

International
7
Rainforest Alliance Inc

RA works at the intersection of business, agriculture & forests to improve lives & protect nature by transforming how land is used, production of goods & consumer choices.

—
8
The Global FoodBanking Network

To nourish the world's hungry through uniting and advancing food banks.

International
9
Actionaid Usa

Actionaid is an international network building a just, equitable, and sustainable world in solidarity with communities on the frontlines of poverty and injustice. actionaid usa is the u.s. branch of actionaid international, which works in…

Social Science
10
Floresta Usa Incorporated

Plant with purpose, a christian nonprofit organization, reverses deforestation and poverty around the world by transforming the lives of the rural poor. we do this through: - watershed restoration & regenerative agriculture - savings…

International
11
Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Foundation

To engage and catalyze global seafood supply chains in rebuilding depleted fish stocks and reducing the environmental impacts of fishing and fish farming.

Animals
12
Wildaid Inc

Wildaid's mission is to inspire change and empower the world to protect wildlife and vital habitats from critical threats.

Animals
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Action Against Hunger - Usa; the most unlike its peers is Butte Environmental Council. 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

54 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. 54 of the 68 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)
9
Early backer (in before they grew)
53/54
Grantees still filing
39/54
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

RESURGE INTERNATIONAL: $2,050 · InternationalRESURGE INTERNATIONALDIRECT RELIEF: $1,330 · InternationalDIRECT RELIEFWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $1,100 · InternationalWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INCHEART TO HEART INTERNATIONAL INC: $1,000 · InternationalHEART TO HEART INTERNATIONAL…GLOBALGIVING FOUNDATION INC: $1,000 · InternationalGLOBALGIVING FOUNDATION INCUNITED NATIONS FOUNDATION INC: $900 · InternationalUNITED NATIONS FOUNDATION IN…MAP International Inc: $850 · InternationalMAP International IncSave The Children Federation Inc: $500 · InternationalMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $500 · InternationalMercy Ships International: $500 · International+8 more: $2,000 · International+8 moreHABITAT FOR HUMANITY: $1,550 · OtherHABITAT FOR HUMANITYSALVATION ARMY SOUTHERN TERRITORY EMERGENCY DISASTER: $1,500 · OtherSALVATION ARMY SOUTHERN TERRITORY EMER…SMILE TRAIN INC: $1,300 · OtherSMILE TRAIN INCDOCTOR WITHOUT BORDERS: $850 · OtherDOCTOR WITHOUT BORDERSIndividual grant recipient: $630 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $600 · OtherKQED INC: $830 · OtherWIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION INC: $750 · Other+23 more: $7,750 · Other+23 moreGERMAN SHEPHERD RESCUE OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA: $2,950 · AnimalsGERMAN SHEPHERD RE…BUTTE HUMANE SOCIETY: $2,466 · AnimalsBUTTE HUMANE SOCIE…HAVEN HUMANE SOCIETY: $1,500 · AnimalsHAVEN HUMANE SOCIE…AMERICAN HUMANE ASSOCIATION: $500 · AnimalsAMERICAN HUMANE AS…+2 more: $250 · AnimalsAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $3,800 · Human ServicesAmerican Nat…GIVE FOUNDATION INC: $500 · Human ServicesGIVE FOUNDAT…Second Harvest: $300 · Human ServicesSecond Harve…CHARITY GLOBAL INC: $250 · Human ServicesCOMFORT CASES INC: $250 · Human ServicesButte Environmental Council: $1,050 · EnvironmentNATIONAL ARBOR DAY FOUNDATION: $850 · EnvironmentSACRAMENTO RIVER WATERSHED PROGRAM: $500 · EnvironmentNATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL INC: $250 · EnvironmentNATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION: $200 · EnvironmentUNITED WAY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA: $1,500 · PhilanthropyNORTH VALLEY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $300 · PhilanthropyChico Housing Action Team: $1,500 · Housing & Shelter
International$11,730Other$15,760Animals$7,666Human Services$5,100Environment$2,850Philanthropy$1,800Housing & Shelter$1,500

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 budgetAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $3,800 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetGERMAN SHEPHERD RESCUE OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA: $2,950 over 5y, 0.2% of budgetBUTTE HUMANE SOCIETY: $2,466 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetRESURGE INTERNATIONAL: $2,050 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetUNITED WAY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA: $1,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetChico Housing Action Team: $1,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetHAVEN HUMANE SOCIETY: $1,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetDIRECT RELIEF: $1,330 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetSMILE TRAIN INC: $1,300 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $1,100 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetHEART TO HEART INTERNATIONAL INC: $1,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetGLOBALGIVING FOUNDATION INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUNITED NATIONS FOUNDATION INC: $900 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMAP International Inc: $850 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL ARBOR DAY FOUNDATION: $850 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetKQED INC: $830 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetWIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION INC: $750 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetBENEVOLENT HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSave The Children Federation Inc: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE NATURE CONSERVANCY: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMEALS ON WHEELS AMERICA: $500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMercy Ships International: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGIVE FOUNDATION INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSACRAMENTO RIVER WATERSHED PROGRAM: $500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetAMERICAN HUMANE ASSOCIATION: $500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCALIFORNIA FIRE FOUNDATION: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetIC Nutrition for Children: $450 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetWORLD MEDICAL RELIEF INCORPORATED: $350 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSecond Harvest: $300 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFROM THE GROUND UP FARMS INC: $300 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSPECIAL OLYMPICS INC: $300 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAMERICARES FOUNDATION INC: $300 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL COUNCIL ON AGING INC: $300 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCHARITY GLOBAL INC: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCENTER FOR DISASTER PHILANTHROPY INC: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFeeding America: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUNITED STATES FUND FOR UNICEF: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSHARE OUR STRENGTH: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCOMFORT CASES INC: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFINCA INTERNATIONAL INC: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL INC: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBright Children International: $250 over 1y, 4.3% of budgetACTION AGAINST HUNGER - USA: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAIRBNBORG INC: $200 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetOPERATION SMILE INC: $200 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION: $200 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPROJECT HOPE - THE PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE HEALTH FOUNDATION INC: $200 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHEIFER PROJECT INTERNATIONAL: $200 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.

North Valley Communit…Texas Instruments Fou…AbbVie FoundationShell USA Company Fou…Silicon Valley Commun…Network for GoodThe Blackbaud Giving …Paypal Charitable Giv…Charities Aid Foundat…The Bank of America C…Morgan Stanley Global…American Online Givin…
North Valley Community FoundationCA13.4× affinity4 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: North Valley Community Foundation · Texas Instruments Foundation · AbbVie Foundation · Shell USA Company Foundation · Silicon Valley Community Foundation · Network for Good · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · Paypal Charitable Giving Fund · Charities Aid Foundation America · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · American Online Giving 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.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization Isness Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Isness 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%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 0%
  • Save the Children Federation Inc: 30% of income from government
  • Americares Foundation Inc: 0% of income from government
  • Comfort Cases Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
11report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
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 68 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 Isness’ 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