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Low Road Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Low Road Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$7.4M
Granted FY2022
53
Grants FY2022
6
States reached
$1.5M
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02Its granteesRead
03Its fieldRead
04Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0190% 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$4.5MHealth$1.1MPhilanthropy$612kCivil Rights$500kSocial Science$500kPublic Safety & Disaster$61kCrime & Legal$50kEducation$48kOther$0
02FY2022 · 53 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 53 grants below total $6,597,313, the rows itemized in this filing. The $7,421,250 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $823,937 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 · FY2022

  • Under $10k26 grants · $106k
  • $10k–50k16 grants · $331k
  • $50k–250k3 grants · $210k
  • $250k+8 grants · $6.0M
$10,000
Median grant
6
States reached
$217M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Low Road Sharon, Inc$1,500,000
Philadelphia Museum of Art$1,250,000
Save Sharon Hospital$1,000,000
Coastal Community Foundation$610,000
Greenville County Museum of Art$590,000
American Academy of Arts & Sciences$500,000
American Academy of Arts and Letters$250,000
Foundation for Contemporary Arts$250,000
The American Academy of Art$100,000
Sharon Volunteer Ambulance Squad$60,000
Bard Prison Initiative (BPI)$50,000
Foundation for Contemporary Arts Inc.$40,000
North East Community Center$35,000
Art in General, Inc$31,393
Yale University School of Art$25,000
02Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

10%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$694k · 14 repeat orgs$6.2M to everyone else

14 repeat relationships: 14 still active in FY2022, 0 since wound down; 37 grantees were first funded in FY2022 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

14
27

Total granted

$694k
$626k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+57%
+80%

Still filing today

86%
30%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2022, 6% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $5.6M went to new ones.

50%100%’20’22
RenewedFirst-time

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

’20’22
Arts & CultureEducationEnvironmentPublic BenefitSocial ScienceYouth 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

  • AA
    AMERICAN ACADEMY IN ROME
    2× · 2020–2022 · $25k · revenue +57%
  • SL
    SHARON LAND TRUST INC
    2× · 2020–2022 · $11k · revenue ×16
  • TD
    THE DRAWING CENTER INC
    2× · 2020–2022 · $10k · revenue +67%

Funded once

  • AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION INCgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $500k · revenue +65%
  • SH
    Sharon Hospital
    one grant, 2020 · $100k
  • TB
    Trisha Brown Dance Company
    one grant, 2020 · $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.

03Its 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
National Academy of Design

The mission of the national academy of design is to promote the fine arts in america through exhibition and education.

Education
2
The Bronx Council On the Arts Incorporated

A pioneering advocate for cultural equity, the bronx council on the arts nurtures the development of diverse artists and arts organizations and build strong cultural connections in and beyond the bronx.

Arts & Culture
3
Museum of Arts and Design

To collect, display and interpret objects in craft art and design.

Arts & Culture
4
The Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences

The mission of the brooklyn institute of arts and sciences, d/b/a brooklyn museum (the "museum") is to bring people together through art and experiences that inspire celebration, compassion, courage, and the will to act. (see schedule o).

Arts & Culture
5
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute

See schedule o for the organization's mission statement.please see description for part i, line 1, above.

Arts & Culture
6
Rhode Island School of Design

The mission of rhode island school of design, through its college and museum,is to educate its students and the public in the creation and (see schedule o)appreciation of works of art and design, to discover and transmit knowledge and to…

Education
7
Boston Architectural College

The bac is committed to provide excellence in design education grounded in practice and accessible to diverse communities.

—
8
Site Santa Fe

Guided by artists, rooted in new mexico, site santa fe celebrates contemporary creative expression.

Arts & Culture
9
New York School of Interior Design

New york school of interior design provides the most innovative, immersive, and transformative interior design education in the world, demonstrating the impact of professionally designed interiors on the health, happiness, and well-being…

Education
10
The Parrish Art Museum Inc

The museum encourages an appreciation of modern and contemporary art through exhibitions, education, and public programs for diverse audiences.inspired by the natural setting and historical artistic community of long island's east end, the…

Arts & Culture
11
Museum of Modern Art

The Museum of Modern Art is a private, non-profit institution chartered by the State of New York Department of Education in 1929 to foster public awareness of modern and contemporary art. (Continued in Schedule O)

Arts & Culture
12
Public Art Fund Inc

As the leader in its field, public art fund brings dynamic contemporary art to a broad audience in new york city and beyond by mounting ambitious free exhibitions of international scope and impact that offer the public powerful experiences…

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Foundation for Contemporary Arts Inc; the most unlike its peers is Low Road Sharon Inc. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
03the grantee network

47 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. 47 of the 81 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)
9
Early backer (in before they grew)
46/47
Grantees still filing
32/47
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Low Road Sharon, Inc: $1,500,000 · Arts & CultureLow Road Sharon, IncPHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART: $1,250,000 · Arts & CulturePHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ARTFOUNDATION FOR CONTEMPORARY ARTS INC: $575,000 · Arts & CultureFOUNDATION FOR CONTEMPORARY ARTS INC+17 more: $128,563 · Arts & CultureGreenville County Museum of Art: $590,000 · OtherGreenville County Mus…AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND LETTERS: $250,000 · OtherAMERICAN ACADEMY OF A…The American Academy of Art: $100,000 · OtherThe American Academy …Sharon Hospital: $100,000 · OtherSharon HospitalSharon Volunteer Ambulance Squad: $60,000 · OtherBard Prison Initiative (BPI): $50,000 · Other+46 more: $291,850 · Other+46 moreSAVE SHARON HOSPITAL INC: $1,000,000 · Public BenefitSAVE SHARON HOS…COASTAL COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF SOUTH CAROLINA INC: $610,000 · PhilanthropyCOASTAL C…+2 more: $1,500 · PhilanthropyAMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS & SCIENCES: $500,000 · Social ScienceAMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION INC: $500,000 · Civil RightsINDIAN MOUNTAIN SCHOOL INC: $20,000 · EducationUS AFRICA CHILDRENS FELLOWSHIP INC: $5,000 · Education+1 more: $500 · Education
Arts & Culture$3,453,563Other$1,441,850Public Benefit$1,000,000Philanthropy$611,500Social Science$500,000Civil Rights$500,000Education$25,500

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 budgetLow Road Sharon, Inc: $1,500,000 over 1y, 50% of budgetPHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART: $1,250,000 over 1y, 1.4% of budgetCOASTAL COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF SOUTH CAROLINA INC: $610,000 over 1y, 1.2% of budgetFOUNDATION FOR CONTEMPORARY ARTS INC: $575,000 over 2y, 5.3% of budgetAMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS & SCIENCES: $500,000 over 1y, 2.1% of budgetAMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION INC: $500,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetAMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND LETTERS: $250,000 over 1y, 2.6% of budgetNORTHEAST COMMUNITY CENTER INC: $35,000 over 1y, 1.8% of budgetAMERICAN ACADEMY IN ROME: $25,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetNEW YORK STUDIO SCHOOL: $20,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetPRINTED MATTER INC: $20,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetINDIAN MOUNTAIN SCHOOL INC: $20,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetARTISTS SPACE INC: $20,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetSHARON LAND TRUST INC: $10,500 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetSTEPHEN PETRONIO DANCE COMPANY INC: $10,000 over 1y, 1.0% of budgetTHE DRAWING CENTER INC: $10,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetTHE CORNER FOOD PANTRY INC: $7,000 over 2y, 1.5% of budgetSALISBURY VISITING NURSE ASSOCIATION INC: $6,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetCOLUMBIA MUSEUM OF ART: $5,670 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFRESH AIR FUND: $5,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE POETRY PROJECT LTD: $5,500 over 2y, 0.9% of budgetSHAKER MUSEUM AND LIBRARY: $5,500 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetTRISHA BROWN COMPANY INC: $5,500 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetAMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY: $5,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSHARON HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC: $5,000 over 1y, 2.5% of budgetJONAH BOKAER ARTS FOUNDATION: $5,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetTri-State Public Communications Inc: $5,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetUS AFRICA CHILDRENS FELLOWSHIP INC: $5,000 over 1y, 3.1% of budgetTHE CENTER FOR KHMER STUDIES INC: $5,000 over 1y, 1.0% of budgetTHE CORPORATION OF YADDO: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetHOUSATONIC YOUTH SERVICE BUREAU INC: $5,000 over 1y, 1.2% of budgetTHE AMERICAN AGORA FOUNDATION INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetCENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY PRINTMAKING: $1,500 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetTHE WASSAIC PROJECT INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBERKSHIRE TACONIC COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSHARON FIRE DEPARTMENT INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSTUDIO IN A SCHOOL ASSOCIATION INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE BROOKLYN RAIL INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCHORE SERVICE INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetNORTHWEST CONNECTICUT LAND CONSERVANCY INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSILVERMINE GUILD OF ARTISTS INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNORTHWEST CONNECTICUT COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNew Museum of Contemporary Art: $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.

Berkshire Taconic Com…Peter and Helen Haje …The Jm Kaplan Fund IncThe Hallingby Family …Ag FoundationEaston Family FundHelen Frankenthaler F…The Cowles Charitable…Jewish Communal FundMilton and Sally Aver…The Goldman Sachs Cha…Arison Arts Foundation
Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation IncMA31.3× affinity13 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation Inc · Peter and Helen Haje Foundation · The Jm Kaplan Fund Inc · The Hallingby Family Foundation Inc · Ag Foundation · Easton Family Fund · Helen Frankenthaler Foundation Inc · The Cowles Charitable Trust · Jewish Communal Fund · Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation · The Goldman Sachs Charitable Gift Fund · Arison Arts 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.
04Through Plinth

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to Low Road Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Low Road 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 81 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 2022, released 2022. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Possibly out of date. A more recent filing (FY2024) is on record and reports $9.9M of grant expense with no grantee named in the published copy. A private foundation itemizes every grant it makes, so a return carrying none has filed its list as an attachment that the public copy does not include. The figures above are therefore from FY2022, the most recent year this funder’s grantee list reached the public record.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Low Road’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