Skip to content
Plinth

· Private foundation

John and Nancy Edwards Family Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$599k
Granted FY2024still arriving
20
Grants FY2024still arriving
2
States reached
$134k
Largest
01What you fund
0196% classified

What you funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year — across FY20172024.

Environment$2.2MHealth$1.4MHuman Services$1.2MArts & Culture$970kAnimals$285kPublic Safety & Disaster$227kEducation$80kPublic Benefit$51kOther$0
02FY2024 · 20 grants

Where the money goes

Your grants by size, and where they go.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k8 grants · $39k
  • $10k–50k7 grants · $88k
  • $50k–250k5 grants · $471k
$12,000
Median grant
2
States reached
$15M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Individual grant recipient$134,300
FRIENDS OF BALLONA WETLANDS$120,164
NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM$100,000
VET HUNTERS PROJECT$65,000
GREATER LOS ANGELES ZOO ASSOCIATION$52,000
THE CLAREMONT INSTITUTE$16,000
AQUARIUM OF THE PACIFIC$15,000
THE SALVATION ARMY$12,000
AFRICAN WILDLIFE FOUNDATION$12,000
AMERICAN RED CROSS$12,000
EL SEGUNDO EDUCATION FOUNDATION$11,000
JUDICIAL WATCH$10,000
PLAYA VENICE SUNRISE ROTARY$9,750
VARIOUS OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS$9,540
CATO INSTITUTE$5,000
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:

Your human-services grants (FY17–24, $314k) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 84% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of your grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT: $50k → 11%WOUNDER WARRIOR PROJECT: $25k → 14%WOUNDED WARRIORS PROJECT: $10k → 14%WESTCHESTER FAMILY YMCA: $2k → 14%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $109k → 14%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $46k → 14%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $14k → 14%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $12k → 14%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $12k → 14%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $12k → 14%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $12k → 14%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $10k → 14%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.

Which US states your grants reach

MT
NY
OH
CA
VA
KS
DC
FL

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.

98%of every dollar goes to organizations you’ve funded before.
$6.5M · 33 repeat orgs$151k to everyone else

And the relationships you keep tend to grow: grantees you re-up on have seen median revenue of +26% since the first grant, against +16% for the ones you funded once.

33 repeat relationships — 19 still active in FY2024, 14 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

33
9

Total granted

$6.5M
$135k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+26%
+16%

Still filing today

70%
78%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 97% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $16k went to new ones.

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

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
Arts & CultureAnimalsPublic BenefitHealthHuman ServicesEnvironmentOther

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

  • FO
    FRIENDS OF BALLONA WETLANDS
    8× · 2017–2024 · $1.2M · revenue +69% · 41% of their budget
  • AO
    AQUARIUM OF THE PACIFIC CORPORATION
    7× · 2018–2024 · $525k · revenue +46%
  • HT
    HEAL THE BAY
    7× · 2017–2024 · $465k · revenue +8%

Funded once

  • CC
    Central Coast Wine Classic
    one grant, 2017 · $60k
  • HISPANIC FEDERATION INCgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $25k · revenue +187%
  • SHARE OUR STRENGTHgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $25k · revenue +60%

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
California Ocean Science Trust

California ocean science trust (ost) is a non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating progress towards a healthy and productive ocean future for california. created by state legislation, ost bridges the gap between cutting-edge…

Environment
2
Ucla Foundation

The ucla foundation is the giving, receiving, and investing arm of the ucla campus. the foundation enables private donors to help build, sustain and advance one of the world's finest academic and research institutions. private philanthropy…

Education
3
Zoological Society of San Diego

San diego zoo wildlife alliance is committed to saving species worldwide by uniting our expertise in wildlife care and conservation science with our dedication to inspiring passion for nature.

Animals
4
United States Naval Institute

Provide an independent forum for those who dare to read, think, speak, and write to advance the professional, literary, and scientific understanding of sea power and other issues critical to global security.

5
California Dental Association Foundation

The foundation's mission is to improve the oral health of all californians by supporting the dental profession and its efforts to meet community needs.

Science & Tech
6
Sacramento Zoological Society

The sacramento zoo inspires appreciation, respect and a connection with wildlife and nature through education, recreation and conservation.

Animals
7
The Water Research Foundation

The purpose of the water research foundation (wrf) is a definitive research organization to advance the science of all things water to better meet the evolving needs of its subscribers and the water sector. to engage exclusively in…

Environment
8
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
9
Los Angeles County Medical Association

To enhance the professionalism and clinical autonomy of physicians to allow them to advocate for their patients and the health of the community of los angeles.

10
Uc Riverside Foundation

To support educational, research and public functions and programs of the riverside campus of the university of california.

Education
11
San Diego Society of Natural History

Conserving nature through science and discovery.

Arts & Culture
12
Santa Catalina Island Conservancy

The catalina island conservancy protects and stewards 88% of catalina island. more than 42,000 acres of wildlands, coves and coastal habitats. founded to preserve the island's natural resources, the conservancy advances a mission rooted in…

For reference, the grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Wounded Warrior Project Inc and the most unlike its peers is Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.

Your grantees are a median of 41 years old; the field is 15. You back the established end — and your money leans older still.

THE FIELDby orgYOUR GRANTEESby number23%0%<5yr15%0%5–10yr20%9%10–20yr18%28%20–35yr12%34%35–55yr13%28%55yr+
THE FIELDby orgYOUR MONEYby value23%0%<5yr15%0%5–10yr20%19%10–20yr18%20%20–35yr12%45%35–55yr13%16%55yr+

The field is 23% startups (under 5 years old) — 0% of your grantees by number, and just 0% of your money.

Closures · last 5 years

The orgs you fund almost never close 0.0% lost their exemption, against 14% of the field you don’t fund.

orgs you fund
0.0%0/36
the rest of the field
14%
11,586/82,964

Age = years since IRS exemption (a founding proxy). “Closed” = auto-revocation for 3 years of non-filing — a floor on closure, not proof, and bigger established orgs lapse least. Association, not causation.

04the grantee network

35 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. 35 of the 45 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.

3
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
32/35
Grantees still filing
24/35
Grew since you first funded

Where your money sits — by cause, then by grantee

Individual grant recipient — $1,355,550 · OtherIndividual grant recipientFRIENDS OF BALLONA WETLANDS — $1,193,539 · OtherFRIENDS OF BALLONA WETLANDS+25 more — $600,940 · Other+25 moreVET HUNTERS PROJECT — $683,190 · AnimalsVET HUNTERS PROJECTAQUARIUM OF THE PACIFIC CORPORATION — $525,000 · AnimalsAQUARIUM OF THE PACIFIC C…GREATER LOS ANGELES ZOOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION — $192,000 · AnimalsGREATER LOS ANGELES ZOOLO…AFRICAN WILDLIFE FOUNDATION INC — $93,000 · AnimalsAFRICAN WILDLIFE FOUNDATI…THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM SANTA MARIA CALIFORNIA — $890,000 · Arts & CultureTHE NATURAL HIS…+3 more — $20,000 · Arts & CultureHEAL THE BAY — $465,000 · Environment+1 more — $2,500 · EnvironmentAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches — $227,000 · Human ServicesWOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT INC — $160,000 · Human Services+1 more — $2,000 · Human ServicesUNITED SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS INC — $105,000 · Public BenefitNAVY-MARINE CORPS RELIEF SOCIETY — $45,000 · Public BenefitJUDICIAL WATCH INC — $25,000 · Public BenefitCATO INSTITUTE — $10,000 · Public BenefitHISPANIC FEDERATION INC — $25,000 · Community Improvement
Other$3,150,029Animals$1,493,190Arts & Culture$910,000Environment$467,500Human Services$389,000Public Benefit$185,000Community Improvement$25,000

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

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ your share of their budgetFRIENDS OF BALLONA WETLANDS — $1,193,539 over 8y, 41% of budgetTHE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM SANTA MARIA CALIFORNIA — $890,000 over 8y, 42% of budgetVET HUNTERS PROJECT — $683,190 over 8y, 99% of budgetAQUARIUM OF THE PACIFIC CORPORATION — $525,000 over 7y, 0.4% of budgetHEAL THE BAY — $465,000 over 7y, 3.6% of budgetAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches — $227,000 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetGREATER LOS ANGELES ZOOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION — $192,000 over 6y, 0.3% of budgetWOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT INC — $160,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetUNITED SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS INC — $105,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetAFRICAN WILDLIFE FOUNDATION INC — $93,000 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetEL SEGUNDO EDUCATION FOUNDATION — $67,525 over 6y, 0.7% of budgetCentral Coast Wine Classic — $60,000 over 1y, 11% of budgetNAVY-MARINE CORPS RELIEF SOCIETY — $45,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetSMILE TRAIN INC — $33,500 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetHISPANIC FEDERATION INC — $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetJUDICIAL WATCH INC — $25,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetSHARE OUR STRENGTH — $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE CLAREMONT INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF STATESMANSHIP & POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY — $16,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetWOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL ZIONIST ORGANIZATION — $13,600 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetTOWER-60 INC — $11,100 over 3y, 9.1% of budgetEl Segundo Little League Inc — $10,900 over 6y, 6.3% of budgetCATO INSTITUTE — $10,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetFRIENDS OF THE CHINESE AMERICAN MUSEUM — $10,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetPTA CONGRESS OF PARENTS RICHMOND STREET SCHOOL — $7,500 over 3y, 2.5% of budgetCALIFORNIA HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER FOUNDATION — $7,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetInternational Rett Syndrome Foundation — $6,625 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetLAX COASTAL EDUCATION FOUNDATION — $5,000 over 5y, 1.1% of budgetLOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC ASSOCIATION — $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetROCKY MOUNTAIN BALLET THEATRE — $5,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetYoung Men's Christian Association of Metropolitan Los Angeles — $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE NATURE CONSERVANCY — $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWEST COAST SPORTS MEDICINE FOUNDATION — $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% 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 tightly interlocked camp — most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

California Community FoundationCA13.5× affinity5 shared granteesties to 6 of 6Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: California Community Foundation · American Endowment Foundation · Network for Good · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Amazonsmile Foundation

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 John and Nancy Edwards Family 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 or a single department — and drag the year to watch it move.

2024
202122232425
no gov · 00%6%25%56%100%your share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from governmentmedian 0%
  • Wounded Warrior Project Inc0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
7report 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, 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 John and Nancy Edwards Family Foundation?

Find your warmest path to John and Nancy Edwards Family 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 45 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 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

More from the funding graph