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Karen Organization of San Diego at a glanceMostly funded, not a grantmaker: see who funds it →

· Public charity

Karen Organization of San Diego

Our primary purpose is to provide social services, educational enhancement, opportunities for cultural preservation and community building for the Karen and other ethnic minority groups from Burma who reside in San Diego.

$418k
Granted FY2024still arriving
9
Grants FY2024still arriving
1
States reached
$93k
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, FY2021 to 2024.

Human Services$572kInternational$358kEducation$275kCivil Rights$18kReligion$15kCommunity Improvement$12k
02FY2024 · 9 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 9 grants below total $376,819, the rows itemized in this filing. The $417,819 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $41,000 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2024

  • $10k–50k7 grants · $222k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $155k
$33,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$489k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
United Women of East Africa Support Team$93,320
Southern Sudanese Community Center of San Diego$61,500
Teaching and Learning Collaborative$48,000
UC San Diego$33,999
Somali Bautu Community of San Diego$33,000
Majdal Center$33,000
License to Freedom$31,000
Refugee Assistance Center$31,000
OneOC$12,000
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 (FY21–24, $667k) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 8%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 8%United Women of East Africa Support Team: $162k → 11%United Women of East Africa Support Team: $93k → 11%United Women of East Africa Support Team: $24k → 11%United Women of East Africa Support Team: $23k → 11%License to Freedom: $40k → 11%License to Freedom: $31k → 11%License to Freedom: $24k → 11%License to Freedom: $18k → 11%Refugee Assistance Center: $31k → 11%Haitian Bridge Alliance: $24k → 11%Refugee Assistance Center: $24k → 11%Horn of Africa Community: $20k → 11%Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans: $20k → 11%Refugee Assistance Center: $20k → 11%Haitian Bridge Alliance: $18k → 11%Refugee Assistance Center: $18k → 11%Horn of Africa Community: $8k → 11%Horn of Africa Community: $4k → 11%Majdal Center: $33k → 11%Majdal Center: $32k → 11%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.

94%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.2M · 11 repeat orgs$77k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +117% since the first grant, against -40% for those funded once.

11 repeat relationships: 8 still active in FY2024, 3 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

11
4

Total granted

$1.2M
$77k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+117%
-40%

Still filing today

64%
75%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 went to new ones.

50%100%’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’21’22’23’24
Human ServicesRecreation & SportsInternationalArts & CultureCivil RightsOther
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

  • UW
    United Women of East Africa Support Team
    4× · 2021–2024 · $302k · revenue +143%
  • SS
    SOUTHERN SUDANESE COMMUNITY CENTER OF SAN DIEGO
    4× · 2021–2024 · $124k · revenue +225%
  • LICENSE TO FREEDOM
    4× · 2021–2024 · $113k · revenue +117%

Funded once

  • I
    ISLAH
    one grant, 2021 · $24k · revenue -78%
  • PF
    PARTNERSHIP FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF NEW AMERICANS
    one grant, 2023 · $20k · revenue -74%
  • TQ
    THE QUARTERMAN & KELLER FOUNDATION INCgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $18k · revenue +128%
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
Somali Cultural Center

Amplifying Somali Voices & Building Communities

Arts & Culture
2
Somali Family Service of San Diego

Somali Family Service, guided by its community champions, empowers immigrants, refugees and other underserved communities in San Diego through its programs that promote health, educational and economic success, and leadership development.

Human Services
3
Afghan Refugee Relief

We partner closely with community organizations, local nonprofits, resettlement agencies, religious institutions and passionate volunteers focused on helping refugees, asylum-seekers and humanitarian parolees resettle in Southern…

Philanthropy
4
Somali American Community Cent

Ethnic self sufficency and refugee empowerment

Health
5
Somali Community Resettlement

To promote and advance social wellbeing and welfare of immigrants and refugees by providing much needed community and resetllement services.

Human Services
6
Somali American United Council of Arizona

The mission and vision of the organization is to facilitate and improve communication channels and contribute to the well-being of the multiethnic refugee/immigrant community, helping them to achieve self-sufficiency and assisting them in…

Employment
7
Southwest Somali Community

Our mission to empower African immigrants and refugees especially those from the East African population in Oregon. Since it started the organization found ways to improve the Somali community members access to services provided to…

Education
8
Southern California Immigration Project

Southern California Immigration Project is a public interest nonprofit organization dedicated to providing pro bono legal services to survivors of human and civil rights violations.

International
9
Salt Lake American

Serving refugees living in Salt Lake County who are unable to communicate in English and do not know how to navigate the system on-call 24-7 provided free a language interpreter and guidance through the system also help during weekday…

Religion
10
Alliance for African Assistance

Guided by christian values, our mission is to assist refugees, immigrants, the economically challenged and underserved to become self-sufficient productive members of their communities.

Community Improvement
11
The 5ive Pillars Organization

The 5ive Pillars Organization is an Afghan-American led organization that aids in the resettlement of newcomer migrants in Northern California. In conjunction with resettlement organizations, city/county agencies, and other partners, we…

Human Services
12
Horn of Africa Services

Provide support and advocacy services in response to health, employment, housing, education, and other social services

Human Services
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Refugee Assistance Center Inc; the most unlike its peers is Islah. 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

13 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. 13 of the 16 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)
5
Early backer (in before they grew)
11/13
Grantees still filing
6/13
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

United Women of East Africa Support Team: $302,320 · Human ServicesUnited Women of East Africa Support TeamLICENSE TO FREEDOM: $113,000 · Human ServicesLICENSE TO FREEDOMREFUGEE ASSISTANCE CENTER INC: $93,000 · Human ServicesREFUGEE ASSISTANCE CENTER INCMISSION EDGE SAN DIEGO: $65,000 · Human ServicesMISSION EDGE SAN DIEGOHAITIAN BRIDGE ALLIANCE: $42,000 · Human ServicesHAITIAN BRIDGE ALLIANCEHORN OF AFRICA COMMUNITY OF NORTH AMERICA: $32,000 · Human Services+1 more: $20,000 · Human ServicesREGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT SAN DIEGO: $134,999 · OtherREGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFO…SOMALI BANTU COMMUNITY OF SAN: $115,000 · OtherSOMALI BANTU COMMUNITY OF SANTeaching and Learning Collaborative: $96,500 · OtherTeaching and Learning CollaborativeREGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA: $44,000 · OtherREGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFO…SOUTHERN SUDANESE COMMUNITY CENTER OF SAN DIEGO: $123,500 · Recreation & SportsSOUTHERN SU…ISLAH: $24,000 · InternationalTHE QUARTERMAN & KELLER FOUNDATION INC: $18,000 · Civil RightsAfghan Community Islamic Center INC: $15,000 · Arts & CultureONEOC: $12,000 · Philanthropy
Human Services$667,320Other$390,499Recreation & Sports$123,500International$24,000Civil Rights$18,000Arts & Culture$15,000Philanthropy$12,000

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

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetUnited Women of East Africa Support Team: $302,320 over 4y, 2.9% of budgetSOUTHERN SUDANESE COMMUNITY CENTER OF SAN DIEGO: $123,500 over 4y, 17% of budgetSOMALI BANTU COMMUNITY OF SAN: $115,000 over 4y, 16% of budgetLICENSE TO FREEDOM: $113,000 over 4y, 4.5% of budgetREFUGEE ASSISTANCE CENTER INC: $93,000 over 4y, 6.4% of budgetMISSION EDGE SAN DIEGO: $65,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetHAITIAN BRIDGE ALLIANCE: $42,000 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetHORN OF AFRICA COMMUNITY OF NORTH AMERICA: $32,000 over 3y, 1.1% of budgetISLAH: $24,000 over 1y, 14% of budgetPARTNERSHIP FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF NEW AMERICANS: $20,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetTHE QUARTERMAN & KELLER FOUNDATION INC: $18,000 over 1y, 6.1% of budgetAfghan Community Islamic Center INC: $15,000 over 1y, 5.9% of budgetONEOC: $12,000 over 1y, 0.1% 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.

United Women of East …Price Philanthropies …The California Endowm…The San Diego Foundat…The Conrad Prebys Fou…Local Initiatives Sup…The California Wellne…Catalyst of San Diego…Fidelity Investments …
United Women of East Africa Support TeamCA22.1× affinity8 shared granteesties to 8 of 8Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: United Women of East Africa Support Team · Price Philanthropies Foundation · The California Endowment · The San Diego Foundation · The Conrad Prebys Foundation · Local Initiatives Support Corporation · The California Wellness Foundation · Catalyst of San Diego & Imperial Counties · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund

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 Karen Organization of San Diego funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Karen Organization of San Diego. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%1%5%11%20%funder's share of their income ↑0%10%20%30%40%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 · 0–40%
    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 Karen Organization of San Diego?

    Find your warmest path to Karen Organization of San Diego 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 16 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 e-file return for fiscal year 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Karen Organization of San Diego’s filings →

    More from the funding graph

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