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Korean American Foundation at a glanceMostly funded, not a grantmaker: see who funds it →

· Community foundation

Korean American Foundation

None

$330k
Granted FY2024still arriving
12
Grants FY2024still arriving
2
States reached
$100k
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, FY2023 to 2024.

Health$220kPhilanthropy$220kHuman Services$190kYouth Development$45kArts & Culture$20kCivil Rights$20kFood & Nutrition$10kCommunity Improvement$10k
02FY2024 · 12 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 12 grants below total $300,492, the rows itemized in this filing. The $330,492 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $30,000 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–50k10 grants · $150k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $150k
$20,000
Median grant
2
States reached
$4.4M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Korean American Special Education Center$100,000
Koreatown Senior & Community Center$50,000
Zion Mountain Foundation$20,000
Korean American Story Inc$20,000
Anderson Munger Family YMCA$20,000
Korean American Family Services$20,000
Korean American Coalition$20,000
Koreatown Senior & Community Center$10,492
Koreatown Senior & Community Center$10,000
The Korean American Federation of Los Angeles$10,000
Koreatown Youth & Community Center$10,000
Koreatown Youth & Community Center$10,000
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 (FY23–24, $345k) 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%KOREATOWN YOUTH & COMMUNITY CENTER (KYCC): $25k → 14%Korean American Family Services: $20k → 14%Anderson Munger Family YMCA: $20k → 14%KOREAN AMERICAN FAMILY SERVICES: $10k → 14%Koreatown Youth & Community Center: $10k → 14%Koreatown Youth & Community Center: $10k → 14%Koreatown Senior & Community Center: $50k → 14%KOREAN AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LOS ANGELES: $20k → 14%Koreatown Senior & Community Center: $10k → 14%KOREATOWN SENIOR AND COMMUNITY CENTER: $10k → 14%KOREAN AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LOS ANGELES: $10k → 14%KOREAN AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LOS ANGELES: $10k → 14%KOREA TOWN SENIOR AND COMMUNITY CENTER: $10k → 14%The Korean American Federation of Los Angeles: $10k → 14%Koreatown Senior & Community Center: $10k → 14%ABILITY FIRST: $100k → 14%ABILITY FIRST: $10k → 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.

61%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$325k · 5 repeat orgs$210k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +31% since the first grant, against +22% for those funded once.

5 repeat relationships: 5 still active in FY2024, 0 since wound down; 4 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

5
3

Total granted

$325k
$130k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+31%
+22%

Still filing today

100%
100%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 73% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $80k went to new ones.

50%100%’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’23’24
Human ServicesYouth DevelopmentArts & CultureCivil RightsPhilanthropyOther
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

  • KA
    KOREAN AMERICAN SPECIAL EDUCATION CENTER
    2× · 2023–2024 · $110k · revenue +37%
  • KT
    KOREA TOWN SENIOR AND COMMUNITY CENTER INC
    2× · 2023–2024 · $90k · revenue +74%
  • KY
    KOREATOWN YOUTH AND COMMUNITY CENTER
    2× · 2023–2024 · $45k · revenue +31%

Funded once

  • A
    ABILITYFIRST
    one grant, 2023 · $110k · revenue -9%
  • KA
    KOREAN AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF LOS ANGELES
    one grant, 2023 · $10k · revenue +22%
  • LA
    LOS ANGELES REGIONAL FOOD BANKgraduated
    one grant, 2023 · $10k · revenue +44%
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
Korean American United Foundation
—
2
Korean Senior Citizens Association of San Fernando Valley
Recreation & Sports
3
San Francisco & Bay Area Korea Center

The mission of the korean american community center of san francisco and bay area (kaccsf) is to build community and enhance the quality of life for the korean american residents in the san francisco and bay area. we are a place-based…

Human Services
4
Korean American Leaders in Hollywood

We empower and celebrate korean americans shaping the future of entertainment and media. through advocacy community and collaboration, we champion emerging talent and leaders, and bridge korea and the global market advancing korean…

Arts & Culture
5
Korean American Association of Greater

We advocate for the rights of Korean-american and promote the well-being and prosperity of the Korean-American community. We conduct activities to promote unity and fellowship, community participation, provide educational and social…

Arts & Culture
6
Korean American Chamber of Commerce of Orange County

To promote networking among members and protect the interests and businesses of the Korean American Commuity in Orange County.

Membership Benefit
7
Korean American Community Foundation of San Francisco

The korean american community foundation of san francisco uplifts and connects the korean-american community through philanthropy.

Human Services
8
The Korean Library Foundation
Education
9
Korean American Center

Dedicated to building connections between intergenerational korean-americans and the greater community by promoting opportunities for appreciation of korea's rich cultural heritage. we aim to integrate others of various backgrounds that…

Arts & Culture
10
Korean World Mission Council
Religion
11
K J Choi Foundation
—
12
Korean-American Community Foundation Inc

Kacf provides grants and capacity building assistance to organizations working to address the most pressing needs in the korean american community and beyond. to the supporters, kacf provides a way to magnify the impact of their giving and…

Philanthropy
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Koreatown Youth and Community Center; the most unlike its peers is Zion Mountain 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

13 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.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
1
Early backer (in before they grew)
13/13
Grantees still filing
8/13
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

ABILITYFIRST: $110,000 · Human ServicesABILITYFIRSTKOREA TOWN SENIOR AND COMMUNITY CENTER INC: $90,492 · Human ServicesKOREA TOWN SENIOR AND COMMUNITY CENTER INCKOREAN AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LA: $50,000 · Human ServicesKOREAN AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LAKOREATOWN YOUTH AND COMMUNITY CENTER: $45,000 · Human ServicesKOREATOWN YOUTH AND COMMUNITY CENTERKOREAN AMERICAN FAMILY SERVICES INC: $30,000 · Human ServicesKOREAN AMERICAN FAMILY SERVICES INCYoung Men's Christian Association of Metropolitan Los Angeles: $20,000 · Human ServicesYoung Men's Christian Association of Metropolitan Los…CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $200,000 · PhilanthropyCALIFORNIA COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONZION MOUNTAIN FOUNDATION: $20,000 · PhilanthropyZION MOUNTAIN FOUNDATIONKOREAN AMERICAN SPECIAL EDUCATION CENTER: $110,000 · Youth DevelopmentKOREAN AMERICAN …KOREANAMERICANSTORYORG INC: $20,000 · Arts & CultureKOREAN AMERICAN COALITION: $20,000 · Civil RightsKOREAN AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF LOS ANGELES: $10,000 · OtherLOS ANGELES REGIONAL FOOD BANK: $10,000 · Other
Human Services$345,492Philanthropy$220,000Youth Development$110,000Arts & Culture$20,000Civil Rights$20,000Other$20,000

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 budgetCALIFORNIA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $200,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetABILITYFIRST: $110,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetKOREAN AMERICAN SPECIAL EDUCATION CENTER: $110,000 over 2y, 11% of budgetKOREA TOWN SENIOR AND COMMUNITY CENTER INC: $90,492 over 2y, 8.4% of budgetKOREAN AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LA: $50,000 over 2y, 2.2% of budgetKOREATOWN YOUTH AND COMMUNITY CENTER: $45,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetKOREAN AMERICAN FAMILY SERVICES INC: $30,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetKOREANAMERICANSTORYORG INC: $20,000 over 1y, 2.8% of budgetKOREAN AMERICAN COALITION: $20,000 over 1y, 2.8% of budgetZION MOUNTAIN FOUNDATION: $20,000 over 1y, 4.5% of budgetYoung Men's Christian Association of Metropolitan Los Angeles: $20,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetKOREAN AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF LOS ANGELES: $10,000 over 1y, 1.5% of budgetLOS ANGELES REGIONAL FOOD BANK: $10,000 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.

Open Stewardship Foun…Kang Dream FoundationKorean-American Commu…Seoul Medical Charity…Asian Pacific Communi…GofundmeorgCalifornia Community …The Bank of America C…American Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Open Stewardship FoundationCA17.8× affinity6 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Open Stewardship Foundation · Kang Dream Foundation · Korean-American Community Foundation Inc · Seoul Medical Charity Foundation · Asian Pacific Community Fund of Southern California · Gofundmeorg · California Community Foundation · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving 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 Korean American Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Korean American Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%1%4%8%15%funder's share of their income ↑0%4%8%11%15%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    8report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–15%
    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 Korean American Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Korean American 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 13 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 Korean American’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