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John Baldessari Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

John Baldessari 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.

$4k
Granted FY2021
1
Grants FY2021
1
States reached
$4k
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 2021.

Arts & Culture$68kHousing & Shelter$48kHuman Services$47kEducation$45kYouth Development$23kFood & Nutrition$20kInternational$6kHealth$5kOther$0
02FY2021 · 1 grant

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$3,750
Median grant
1
States reached
$2.9M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
THE ASPEN INSTITUTE$3,750
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 (FY17–18, $15k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 12%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 12%DOWNTOWN WOMEN'S CENTER: $10k → 14%DOWNTOWN WOMEN'S CENTER: $5k → 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.
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.

52%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$138k · 7 repeat orgs$126k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +96% since the first grant, against +94% for those funded once.

7 repeat relationships: 0 still active in FY2021, 7 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2021 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

7
15

Total granted

$138k
$123k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+96%
+94%

Still filing today

57%
53%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2021, 0% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $4k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’21
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’21
Arts & CultureEducationHuman ServicesInternationalHealthHousing & ShelterOther
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

  • VA
    VENICE ARTS
    3× · 2017–2019 · $30k · revenue +96%
  • DW
    DOWNTOWN WOMEN'S CENTER
    2× · 2017–2018 · $15k · revenue +285%
  • AD
    Art Division
    2× · 2018–2019 · $13k · revenue +79%

Funded once

  • LA
    LOS ANGELES REGIONAL FOOD BANKgraduated
    one grant, 2019 · $20k · revenue +184%
  • FF
    FOUNDATION FOR CONTEMPORARY
    one grant, 2018 · $18k
  • OC
    OTIS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGNgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $10k · revenue +51%
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
California Institute of Contemporary Art
—
2
University of Southern California

The central mission of the university of southern california is the development of human beings and society as a whole through the cultivation and enrichment of the human mind and spirit. the principal means by which our mission is…

Education
3
Contemporary Art Review Los Angeles

Contemporary Art Review Los Angeles (Carla) is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization and publishing platform that is dedicated to providing inclusive perspectives on contemporary art. Publishing in both print and online, Carla is an…

Arts & Culture
4
Inner-City Arts

Inner-city arts believes that the arts and creativity are transformational, and we envision a society that honors the human capacity for creativity, and values its cultivation in the education of young people. inner-city arts uses arts…

Arts & Culture
5
Arts for La

Arts for la leads communities, artists and organizations to advocate for an equitable, healthy, and creative los angeles region through the arts.

Arts & Culture
6
California College of the Arts

California college of the arts educates students to shape culture and society through the practice and critical study of art, architecture, design, and writing. benefitting from its san francisco bay area location, the college prepares…

Education
7
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
8
Art Share Los Angeles

Promoting culturals arts in los angeles including education, gallery exhibits, artist living and work spaces theater, art and community festivals, artistic development and community outreach.

Arts & Culture
9
Economic Development Corporation of Los Angeles County

The function of the corporation shall be to ease the burdens of government by assisting, implementing, supporting and/or contributing to the support of programs, projects and activities of a public nature. which are directed toward…

—
10
Laguna College of Art & Design

Laguna college of art & design prepares individuals for careers as creative artists and designers in a culturally and ethnically diverse world through a curriculum that emphasizes acquiring skills based on observation, representation, and…

Education
11
La Blueprint
Science & Tech
12
Angels Gate Cultural Center Inc

To provide space for artists to work and to engage community through arts education, exhibitions of contemporary art, and cultural events.

Arts & Culture
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is California Community Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles. 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, 2017–2025.

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. 14 of the 24 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)
4
Early backer (in before they grew)
14/14
Grantees still filing
12/14
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

SANTA MONICA COLLEGE: $30,000 · OtherSANTA MONICA COLLEGEVENICE COMMUNITY HOUSING: $27,500 · OtherVENICE COMMUNITY HOUSINGLOS ANGELES REGIONAL FOOD BANK: $20,000 · OtherLOS ANGELES REGIONAL FOOD BANKFOUNDATION FOR CONTEMPORARY: $17,500 · OtherFOUNDATION FOR CONTEMPORARYUCLA ARTS: $10,000 · OtherUCLA ARTSCAL STATE FULLERTON: $10,000 · OtherCAL STATE FULLERTONBIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS: $10,000 · OtherBIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS+7 more: $31,750 · Other+7 moreVENICE ARTS: $30,000 · Arts & CultureVENICE ARTSArt Division: $12,500 · Arts & CultureArt DivisionLA River Public Art Project: $10,000 · Arts & CultureLA River Public Art Proj…FOUNDATION FOR CONTEMPORARY ARTS INC: $5,000 · Arts & CultureFOUNDATION FOR CONTEMPOR…DOWNTOWN WOMEN'S CENTER: $15,000 · Human ServicesOTIS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN: $10,000 · EducationCALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY LONG BEACH RESEARCH FOUNDATION: $5,000 · EducationGIRL SCOUTS OF GREATER LOS ANGELES: $12,500 · Youth DevelopmentDIRECT RELIEF: $6,000 · InternationalVENICE FAMILY CLINIC: $5,000 · Health
Other$156,750Arts & Culture$57,500Human Services$15,000Education$15,000Youth Development$12,500International$6,000Health$5,000

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetVENICE ARTS: $30,000 over 3y, 1.7% of budgetLOS ANGELES REGIONAL FOOD BANK: $20,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDOWNTOWN WOMEN'S CENTER: $15,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetGIRL SCOUTS OF GREATER LOS ANGELES: $12,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetArt Division: $12,500 over 2y, 1.3% of budgetOTIS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetVENICE FAMILY CLINIC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetVENICE COMMUNITY HOUSING CORPORATION: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetFOUNDATION FOR CONTEMPORARY ARTS INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY LONG BEACH RESEARCH FOUNDATION: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCALIFORNIA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $4,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE ASPEN INSTITUTE INC: $3,750 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.

California Community …The Annenberg Foundat…The Rose Hills Founda…The J Paul Getty TrustThe Ralph M Parsons F…Jewish Community Foun…National Philanthropi…The Bank of America C…Donor Advised Charita…American Online Givin…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
California Community FoundationCA16.6× affinity6 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: California Community Foundation · The Annenberg Foundation · The Rose Hills Foundation · The J Paul Getty Trust · The Ralph M Parsons Foundation · Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles · National Philanthropic Trust · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · 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 John Baldessari Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from John Baldessari Family 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
    7report 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 John Baldessari Family Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to John Baldessari 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 from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 24 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 2021, released 2021. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Possibly out of date. A more recent filing (FY2024) is on record and reports no grant expense, so the figures above are from FY2021, the most recent year this funder made grants.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on John Baldessari Family’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