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Lighten Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Lighten Family 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.

$461k
Granted FY2025still arriving
16
Grants FY2025still arriving
8
States reached
$300k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
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 2024.

Arts & Culture$1.0MYouth Development$356kCivil Rights$327kReligion$300kEducation$103kPublic Safety & Disaster$21kHealth$11kHousing & Shelter$10kOther$0
02FY2025 · 16 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k9 grants · $18k
  • $10k–50k6 grants · $143k
  • $250k+1 grant · $300k
$7,000
Median grant
8
States reached
$5.1M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
BOULE FOUNDATION$300,000
GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH$32,000
DIVINE FAVOR & FELLOWSHIP MINISTRIES$26,000
YALE UNIVERSITY$25,000
YALE UNIVERSITY$25,000
NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND INC$25,000
ALVIN AILEY DANCE FOUNDATION INC$10,000
CENTER CHAPEL MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH$7,000
NEW ROCHELLE POLICE FOUNDATION INC$2,500
MARCH OF DIMES INC$2,000
DELTA COUNTY CANCER ALLIANCE INC$1,000
DELTA ANIMAL SHELTER$1,000
MARC LUSTGARTEN PANCREATIC CANCER FOUNDATION$1,000
UNITED NEGRO COLLEGE FUND INC$1,000
FELLAS COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP FUND$1,000
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 (FY19–25, $9k) land where the poverty rate runs at 6%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 0% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%ELLIS MARSALIS CENTER FOR MUSIC INC: $3k → 8%MARC LUSTGARTEN PANCREATIC CANCER FOUNDATION: $2k → 6%MARC LUSTGARTEN PANCREATIC CANCER FOUNDATION: $1k → 6%MARC LUSTGARTEN PANCREATIC CANCER FOUNDATION: $1k → 6%MARC LUSTGARTEN PANCREATIC CANCER FOUNDATION: $1k → 6%MARC LUSTGARTEN PANCREATIC CANCER FOUNDATION: $1k → 6%MARC LUSTGARTEN PANCREATIC CANCER FOUNDATION: $500 → 6%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

NY
MA
NJ
CT
CA
MD
TN
DC
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.

97%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$2.6M · 20 repeat orgs$66k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +36% since the first grant, against -10% for those funded once.

20 repeat relationships: 11 still active in FY2025, 9 since wound down; 4 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

20
12

Total granted

$2.6M
$52k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+36%
-10%

Still filing today

65%
75%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 97% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $14k 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
EducationHealthCivil RightsArts & CultureHuman ServicesYouth DevelopmentOther
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

  • NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE & EDUC FUND INC
    7× · 2017–2025 · $350k · revenue +102%
  • BF
    BOULE FOUNDATION
    2× · 2019–2025 · $325k · revenue +98%
  • BA
    BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF NEW ROCHELLE INC
    5× · 2017–2024 · $30k · revenue +298%

Funded once

  • AT
    APOLLO THEATER FOUNDATION INC
    one grant, 2017 · $25k · revenue -14%
  • TS
    THE STONE TRUST CORPORATION
    one grant, 2017 · $10k · revenue -39%
  • II
    INTERSECTIONS INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVE INC
    one grant, 2017 · $5k
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
New York University

Nyu is a private university with approximately 60,000 matriculating students in 20 schools and institutes. nyu's primary missions are education, research and scholarship, and patient care.

Education
2
Advantage Testing Foundation

Our mission is to advance the academic and professional aspirations of underrepresented students of modest means, thereby expanding our nation's leadership pool. we provide educational tutoring, standardized test preparation and academic…

Education
3
The Baruch College Fund

The baruch college fund is an organization engaged in generating, encouraging and promoting the educational welfare of the students of the bernard m. baruch college of the city university of new york.

Education
4
The Graduate Center Foundation Inc

The graduate center foundation is committed to promoting and safe-guarding the success of the graduate center by raising funds and managing and investing donations for use by the graduate center. the board of trustees of the foundation…

—
5
Arthur Miller Foundation

To honor the legacy of the great american playwright, arthur miller, and his new york city public school education, the arthur miller foundation (the "foundation") increases equitable access to quality theater education for public school…

Philanthropy
6
Manhattanville University

To educate students to be ethical and socially responsible leaders in a global community.

Education
7
Lycee Francais De New York

"citizens of culture and courage"committed to bilingual french and american education of the highest standard, our mission is to prepare students of many origins to be thinkers, innovators and leaders, at home in the world. we inspire and…

Education
8
Manhattan School of Music

Manhattan school of music is deeply committed to excellence in education, performance, and creative activity; to the humanity of the school's environment; and to the cultural enrichment of the larger community. a premiere international…

Arts & Culture
9
Institute for Advanced Study - Louis Bamberger & Mrs Felix Fuld Foundation

The institute for advanced study (the institute) is one of the world's leading centers for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. see schedule o.

Science & Tech
10
New York Genome Center Inc

Operate a state-of-the-art, world-class genomic research center that creates and uses advanced genomics to understand the genetic basis of disease. for more information, see schedule o.

Health
11
The Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Association

For over 150 years, the 92nd street y, new york has been serving its communities and the larger world by bringing people together (continued on schedule o)and providing exceptional, groundbreaking programs in the performing and visual…

Religion
12
Reach Prep Inc

Provide transformative educational experiences that empower underserved students

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Naacp Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Beta Zeta Boule 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

29 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. 29 of the 37 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)
27/29
Grantees still filing
15/29
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

YALE UNIVERSITY: $1,400,000 · OtherYALE UNIVERSITYGRACE BAPTIST CHURCH: $184,500 · OtherGRACE BAPTIST CHURCHNEW YORK THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY: $78,750 · Other+18 more: $163,500 · Other+18 moreBOULE FOUNDATION: $325,000 · EducationBOULE FOUNDATIO…+7 more: $29,700 · Education+7 moreNAACP LEGAL DEFENSE & EDUC FUND INC: $350,000 · Civil RightsNAACP LEGAL DEF…+1 more: $3,000 · Civil RightsAPOLLO THEATER FOUNDATION INC: $25,000 · Arts & CultureALVIN AILEY DANCE FOUNDATION INC: $10,000 · Arts & CultureBOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF NEW ROCHELLE INC: $29,500 · Youth DevelopmentNEW ROCHELLE POLICE FOUNDATION INC: $23,080 · Crime & LegalMARC LUSTGARTEN PANCREATIC CANCER FOUNDATION: $6,000 · Human ServicesELLIS MARSALIS CENTER FOR MUSIC INC: $2,500 · Human Services
Other$1,826,750Education$354,700Civil Rights$353,000Arts & Culture$35,000Youth Development$29,500Crime & Legal$23,080Human Services$8,500

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 budgetNAACP LEGAL DEFENSE & EDUC FUND INC: $350,000 over 7y, 0.3% of budgetBOULE FOUNDATION: $325,000 over 2y, 1.0% of budgetNEW YORK THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY: $78,750 over 6y, 0.6% of budgetBOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF NEW ROCHELLE INC: $29,500 over 5y, 0.9% of budgetAPOLLO THEATER FOUNDATION INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetNEW ROCHELLE POLICE FOUNDATION INC: $23,080 over 9y, 1.8% of budgetFOUNDATION OF WESTCHESTER CLUBMEN INC: $20,000 over 4y, 8.7% of budgetALVIN AILEY DANCE FOUNDATION INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE STONE TRUST CORPORATION: $10,000 over 1y, 1.5% of budgetThe Fellas College Scholarship Fund: $7,900 over 6y, 5.1% of budgetUNITED NEGRO COLLEGE FUND INC: $7,500 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetMARC LUSTGARTEN PANCREATIC CANCER FOUNDATION: $6,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetNew Rochelle Basketball Association Inc: $4,000 over 4y, 0.6% of budgetNAACP FOUNDATION: $3,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetFAMILY SERVICES OF WESTCHESTER INC: $3,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMETRO-MANHATTAN COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONINC: $3,000 over 2y, 2.7% of budgetBROOKLYN JESUIT PREP: $3,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetELLIS MARSALIS CENTER FOR MUSIC INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetLEGAL AID SOCIETY OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: $2,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetPANCREATIC CANCER ACTION NETWORK INC: $1,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetREACH ACADEMY LEARNING CENTER: $1,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetRETT SYNDROME RESEARCH TRUST INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetJULIA DYCKMAN ANDRUS MEMORIAL INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE HOWARD UNIVERSITY: $500 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.

The New York Communit…Charities Aid Foundat…National Philanthropi…Morgan Stanley Global…The Bank of America C…Vanguard Charitable E…Network for GoodAmerican Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
The New York Community TrustNY12.7× affinity4 shared granteesties to 10 of 10Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The New York Community Trust · Charities Aid Foundation America · National Philanthropic Trust · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Network for Good · 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 Lighten Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Lighten Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 40%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%19%38%56%75%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    4get no government money at all
    3report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–75%
    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 37 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 Lighten 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