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Lobster Cove Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Lobster Cove 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.

$250k
Granted FY2025still arriving
16
Grants FY2025still arriving
7
States reached
$50k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0194% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Education$95kEnvironment$95kInternational$89kFood & Nutrition$85kRecreation & Sports$55kAnimals$45kArts & Culture$27kPublic Benefit$25kOther$0
02FY2025 · 16 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • $10k–50k15 grants · $200k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $50k
$15,000
Median grant
7
States reached
$669k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
CAST$50,000
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS$30,000
S POVERTY LAW CENTER$15,000
NRDC$15,000
FOOD BANK OF BOSTON$15,000
WILDERNESS SOCIETY$15,000
ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND$15,000
SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST$15,000
WORLD WILDLIFE FUND$10,000
CORNELL LAB OF ORNITHOLOGY$10,000
UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS$10,000
TRUSTEES OF RESERVATIONS$10,000
NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION$10,000
Individual grant recipient$10,000
GRACE 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 (FY17–25, $110k) land where the poverty rate runs at 8%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 0% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%CAST: $50k → 8%CAST: $45k → 8%WELLSPRING HOUSE: $10k → 10%WELLSPRING HOUSE: $5k → 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.

Which US states its grants reach

MN
IL
MI
NY
MA
PA
NJ
CA
CO
KY
MD
DC
AL
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.

68%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$472k · 11 repeat orgs$224k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +40% since the first grant, against +13% for those funded once.

11 repeat relationships: 4 still active in FY2025, 7 since wound down; 12 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

11
10

Total granted

$472k
$79k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+40%
+13%

Still filing today

73%
90%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 42% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $145k 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
EnvironmentInternationalArts & CultureFood & NutritionHuman ServicesPublic BenefitOther
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

  • CI
    CAST INC
    2× · 2017–2018 · $95k · revenue +31%
  • MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC
    3× · 2022–2025 · $80k · revenue +13%
  • S
    SPOONFULS
    3× · 2020–2022 · $40k · revenue +53%

Funded once

  • WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC
    one grant, 2022 · $20k · revenue -40%
  • FB
    FOOD BANK OF THE ROCKIES
    one grant, 2021 · $10k · revenue +7%
  • ST
    SOUNDS TRUE FOUNDATIONgraduated
    one grant, 2019 · $10k · revenue +63%
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
Rainforest Trust

Rainforest trust saves endangered wildlife and protects our planet by creating rainforest reserves through partnerships, community engagement, and donor support.

International
2
Friends of the Earth

Friends of the earth strives for a more healthy and just world by defendng the environment and human health while advancing social and economic justice by conducting research and education, transforming the economy so it protects the…

Environment
3
World Resources Institute

Wri is committed to creating change that improves people's lives and ensures the natural world can thrive. (see schedule o)wri's bold vision requires a formula for success we call "count it. change it. scale it.":- count it: our work is…

International
4
Conservation International Foundation

Ci works to spotlight and secure the critical benefits that nature provides to humanity.

Environment
5
Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Foundation

To engage and catalyze global seafood supply chains in rebuilding depleted fish stocks and reducing the environmental impacts of fishing and fish farming.

Animals
6
Wildaid Inc

Wildaid's mission is to inspire change and empower the world to protect wildlife and vital habitats from critical threats.

Animals
7
Wildlife Conservation Network Inc

Connect conservationists and supporters, deploy resources to the field, provide conservationists with tools and support they need to succeed.

Animals
8
Cdp North America Inc

Cdp north america, inc. 's ("cdp-na") vision for the future is a thriving economy that works for people and planet in the long term. we focus investors and companies on taking urgent action to build a truly sustainable economy by measuring…

Environment
9
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

To sustain, restore, and enhance the nation's fish, wildlife, plants, and habitats.

Animals
10
The Water Research Foundation

The purpose of the water research foundation (wrf) is a definitive research organization to advance the science of all things water to better meet the evolving needs of its subscribers and the water sector. to engage exclusively in…

Environment
11
Native Plant Trust Inc

The organization's mission is to conserve and promote new england's native plants to ensure healthy, biologically diverse landscapes.

Environment
12
Oceana Inc

To advocate for policy changes by governments and corporations in order to preserve ocean life and return the oceans to their former abundance.

Environment
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is National Park Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Old Friends Inc. 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

24 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. 24 of the 33 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)
24/24
Grantees still filing
14/24
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

CAST INC: $100,000 · OtherCAST INCANNISQUAM ASSOCIATION STAGE COACH 1: $55,000 · OtherANNISQUAM ASSOCIATION STAGE COACH 1SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST: $30,000 · OtherSHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUSTFOOD BANK OF BOSTON: $15,000 · OtherFOOD BANK OF BOSTONS POVERTY LAW CENTER: $15,000 · OtherS POVERTY LAW CENTERCORNELL LAB OF ORNITHOLOGY: $10,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $10,000 · OtherNATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION: $10,000 · OtherGRACE CENTER: $10,000 · Other+1 more: $5,000 · OtherMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $80,000 · InternationalMEDECINS SANS FRON…WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $20,000 · InternationalWORLD CENTRAL KITC…THE UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS INC: $10,000 · InternationalTHE UNION OF CONCE…+2 more: $4,000 · InternationalCAST INC: $95,000 · Human ServicesCAST INCWELLSPRING HOUSE INC: $15,000 · Human ServicesWELLSPRING HOUSE …Wild Earth Allies Inc: $20,000 · EnvironmentWild Earth Al…ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND INCORPORATED: $15,000 · EnvironmentENVIRONMENTAL…THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY: $15,000 · EnvironmentTHE WILDERNES…NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL INC: $15,000 · EnvironmentNATURAL RESOU…WORLD WILDLIFE FUND INC: $10,000 · EnvironmentWORLD WILDLIF…THE TRUSTEES OF RESERVATIONS: $10,000 · EnvironmentTHE TRUSTEES …SPOONFULS: $40,000 · Food & NutritionSPOONFULSFeeding America: $20,000 · Food & NutritionFeeding Ame…FOOD BANK OF THE ROCKIES: $10,000 · Food & NutritionFOOD BANK O…CAPE ANN MUSEUM INC: $10,000 · Arts & CultureROCKPORT MUSIC INC: $10,000 · Arts & CultureSTORYCORPS INC: $5,000 · Arts & CultureGLOUCESTER WRITERS CENTER INC: $2,000 · Arts & CultureON BEING PROJECT: $15,000 · Public BenefitSOUNDS TRUE FOUNDATION: $10,000 · Public BenefitOld Friends Inc: $5,000 · Animals
Other$260,000International$114,000Human Services$110,000Environment$85,000Food & Nutrition$70,000Arts & Culture$27,000Public Benefit$25,000Animals$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 budgetCAST INC: $95,000 over 2y, 0.6% of budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $80,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetSPOONFULS: $40,000 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetWild Earth Allies Inc: $20,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $20,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFeeding America: $20,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND INCORPORATED: $15,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE WILDERNESS SOCIETY: $15,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWELLSPRING HOUSE INC: $15,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetNATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL INC: $15,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetON BEING PROJECT: $15,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetFOOD BANK OF THE ROCKIES: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSOUNDS TRUE FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 2.7% of budgetWORLD WILDLIFE FUND INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCAPE ANN MUSEUM INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetTHE TRUSTEES OF RESERVATIONS: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetROCKPORT MUSIC INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetOld Friends Inc: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetSTORYCORPS INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetHAITI PROJECTS INC: $3,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetGLOUCESTER WRITERS CENTER INC: $2,000 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetCURE INTERNATIONAL INC: $1,000 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.

The Jebediah Foundati…Boston Foundation IncJpmorgan Chase Founda…National Philanthropi…The Bank of America C…American Endowment Fo…Vanguard Charitable E…Donor Advised Charita…American Online Givin…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
The Jebediah Foundation 7563-Xxxxxx00129MA13.6× affinity4 shared granteesties to 10 of 10Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Jebediah Foundation 7563-Xxxxxx00129 · Boston Foundation Inc · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · National Philanthropic Trust · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · American Endowment Foundation · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · 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 Lobster Cove Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Lobster Cove Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 20%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%23%45%68%90%share of the org’s income from government →median 9%
  • Cape Ann Museum Inc: 38% of income from government
  • Cast Inc: 15% of income from government
  • Wellspring House Inc: 9% of income from government
  • Rockport Music Inc: 4% of income from government
  • The Trustees of Reservations: 2% of income from government
  • Gloucester Writers Center Inc: 1% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
2get 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 · 0–90%
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.

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 33 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 Lobster Cove’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