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Ligon-Lamsam Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Ligon-Lamsam 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.

$73k
Granted FY2025still arriving
4
Grants FY2025still arriving
4
States reached
$35k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0198% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Education$967kArts & Culture$132kPublic Benefit$48kHealth$11kRecreation & Sports$1kAnimals$500Other$0
02FY2025 · 4 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k2 grants · $8k
  • $10k–50k2 grants · $65k
$30,000
Median grant
4
States reached
$294k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
FINE ARTS MUSEUM OF SAN FRANCISCO$35,000
ST JOHN'S COLLEGE$30,000
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS$5,000
YALE UNIVERSITY$2,500
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:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY17–25) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 8%. 94% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 8%STANFORD UNIVERSITY: $16k → 8%BELVEDERE-TIBURON LANDMARKS SOCIETY: $250 → 8%FINE ARTS MUSEUM OF SAN FRANCISCO: $35k → 10%THE TEXAS TRIBUNE: $10k → 10%AUSTIN FARM SANCTUARY: $500 → 12%ALLIANCE FOR YOUTH ORGANIZING: $3k → 16%YALE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT: $50k → 12%LOUDOUN COMMUNITY MEDIA: $8k → 4%DEEP RUN HUNT CLUB: $1k → 6%ALBERMARLE COUNTY FAIR: $2k → 8%UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA HEALTH FOUDATION: $10k → 22%CYSTIC FIBROSIS FOUNDATION: $1k → 8%JOHN HOPKINS UNIVERSITY: $20k → 19%FINE ARTS MUSEUM OF SAN FRANCISCO: $35k → 10%THE TEXAS TRIBUNE: $10k → 10%YALE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT: $50k → 12%FINE ARTS MUSEUM OF SAN FRANCISCO: $29k → 10%THE TEXAS TRIBUNE: $5k → 10%YALE UNIVERSITY: $25k → 12%FINE ARTS MUSEUM OF SAN FRANCISCO: $25k → 10%THE TEXAS TRIBUNE: $5k → 10%YALE SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT: $25k → 12%THE TEXAS TRIBUNE: $5k → 10%YALE UNIVERSITY: $3k → 12%THE TEXAS TRIBUNE: $5k → 10%THE TEXAS TRIBUNE: $5k → 10%ST JOHN'S COLLEGE: $25k → 10%ST JOHN'S COLLEGE: $25k → 10%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.

92%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.1M · 8 repeat orgs$94k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +40% since the first grant, against 0% for those funded once.

8 repeat relationships: 4 still active in FY2025, 4 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

8
11

Total granted

$1.1M
$94k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+40%
0%

Still filing today

38%
73%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 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
EducationArts & CultureCivil RightsHealthAnimalsRecreation & SportsOther
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

  • SJ
    ST JOHN'S COLLEGE
    6× · 2020–2025 · $371k · revenue +40%
  • CO
    CORPORATION OF THE FINE ARTS MUSEUMS
    4× · 2022–2025 · $124k · revenue +4%
  • TEXAS TRIBUNE INC
    7× · 2017–2023 · $45k · revenue +118%

Funded once

  • YS
    YALE SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT
    one grant, 2023 · $25k
  • TT
    THE TEJAS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2024 · $25k · revenue 0% · 95% of their budget
  • JH
    JOHN HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
    one grant, 2017 · $20k
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
The University of TexasTexas a&M Investment Management Company

To generate superior long-term investment returns to support The University of Texas and Texas A&M University systems as they provide world-class teaching, push the boundaries of discovery, and achieve excellence in patient healthcare for…

Education
2
Trinity University

Trinity university is an independent co-educational university whose mission is excellence in the interrelated areas of teaching, research and services.

Education
3
Uatx

Uatx is a nonprofit dedicated to building a liberal arts university committed to freedom of inquiry, freedom of conscience, and civil discourse. to maintain these principles, the university will be fiercely independent financially,…

Education
4
Augustana College

Rooted in the liberal arts & sciences & lutheran expression of the christian faith, & is committed to offering a challenging education that develops qualities of mind, spirit, & body necessary for a rewarding life of leadership & service…

Education
5
Texas a&M Foundation

The texas a&m foundation builds a brighter future for texas a&m university, one relationship at a time, by uniting generosity and vision to raise support and manage endowed gifts.

Education
6
University of Virginia Investment Management Company

The university of virginia investment management company (uvimco) is organized to invest funds on behalf of the rector and visitors of the university of virginia (the university or uva) and university-associated organizations (uaos).

Education
7
The Association of Former Students of Texas a&M University

To strengthen the association of former students, promote the interests and welfare of texas a&m university, perpetuate ties of affection and esteem formed in university or college days, and serve the student body.

Education
8
Forty First Foundation

The forty first foundation supports and advances the university of texas at austin in its pursuit of excellence. we work closely with the office of the president to identify, fund, and implement strategic initiatives that enhance the…

Education
9
Colorado State University Foundation

See schedule o colorado state university foundation assists in the promotion, development, and enhancement of facilities and educational programs and enhancements of faculty, students, and alumni of colorado state university (csu). this is…

Education
10
Texas State University Development Foundation

To support and further the mission of texas state university through the acceptance and investment of gifts established as endowments benefiting the students, faculty and staff.

Education
11
University of Virginia Foundation

To provide administrative services to university of virginia (university) entities, university associated organizations, or other entities involved in activities which support the university. to engage in matters pertaining to real…

Education
12
Lehigh University

The university's goal in the coming decade is to advance learning through the integration of teaching, research and service to others. the core of this goal is to prepare graduates to engage with the world and lead lives of meaning. to do…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Alliance for Youth Organizing; the most unlike its peers is Cystic Fibrosis 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

12 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. 12 of the 20 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.

1
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
1
Early backer (in before they grew)
12/12
Grantees still filing
7/12
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN: $245,648 · OtherTHE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTINYALE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT: $150,000 · OtherYALE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENTST JOHN'S COLLEGE: $50,000 · OtherST JOHN'S COLLEGETHE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS: $37,000 · OtherTHE UNIVERSITY OF TEXASYALE UNIVERSITY: $27,500 · OtherYALE SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT: $25,000 · OtherJOHN HOPKINS UNIVERSITY: $19,500 · Other+1 more: $1,728 · OtherST JOHN'S COLLEGE: $371,000 · EducationST JOHN'S COLLEGETEXAS TRIBUNE INC: $45,000 · EducationTEXAS TRIBUNE INCTHE TEJAS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION: $25,000 · EducationTHE TEJAS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONTHE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY: $16,000 · Education+1 more: $10,000 · EducationCORPORATION OF THE FINE ARTS MUSEUMS: $124,430 · Arts & CultureCORPORATION …LOUDOUN COMMUNITY MEDIA: $7,500 · Arts & CultureLOUDOUN COMM…+1 more: $250 · Arts & CultureALLIANCE FOR YOUTH ORGANIZING: $3,000 · Civil RightsDEEP RUN HUNT CLUB INC: $1,000 · Recreation & SportsCYSTIC FIBROSIS FOUNDATION: $1,000 · HealthAUSTIN FARM SANCTUARY AKA FULLER-WIGGS FARMS ANIMAL SANCTUARY: $500 · Animals
Other$556,376Education$467,000Arts & Culture$132,180Civil Rights$3,000Recreation & Sports$1,000Health$1,000Animals$500

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

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetST JOHN'S COLLEGE: $371,000 over 6y, 0.2% of budgetCORPORATION OF THE FINE ARTS MUSEUMS: $124,430 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetTEXAS TRIBUNE INC: $45,000 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetTHE TEJAS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION: $25,000 over 1y, 95% of budgetTHE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY: $16,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA HEALTH FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetLOUDOUN COMMUNITY MEDIA: $7,500 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetALLIANCE FOR YOUTH ORGANIZING: $3,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCYSTIC FIBROSIS FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAUSTIN FARM SANCTUARY AKA FULLER-WIGGS FARMS ANIMAL SANCTUARY: $500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBELVEDERE-TIBURON LANDMARKS SOCIETY: $250 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.

Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Donor Advised Charitable Giving IncCO5.4× affinity4 shared granteesties to 2 of 2Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: 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 Ligon-Lamsam Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Ligon-Lamsam Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%5%10%15%20%share of the org’s income from government →median 2%
  • St John's College: 2% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
1get no government money at all
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–20%
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 20 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 Ligon-Lamsam’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