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Lucy I Sherman Charitable Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Lucy I Sherman Charitable 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.

$23k
Granted FY2024still arriving
8
Grants FY2024still arriving
4
States reached
$15k
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, FY2018 to 2024.

International$121kArts & Culture$11kFood & Nutrition$10kEducation$7kHealth$6kCrime & Legal$2kHousing & Shelter$2kHuman Services$1kOther$0
02FY2024 · 8 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k7 grants · $8k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $15k
$1,000
Median grant
4
States reached
$131k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE INC$15,000
OXFAM-AMERICA INC$2,000
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS USA INC$2,000
WGBH EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION$1,000
SAFE PASSAGE FOUNDATION$1,000
TENACITY INC$500
AMERICAN INDIAN COLLEGE FUND$500
MHSA MASSACHUSETTS HOUSING AND SHELTER ALIIANCE$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:

Its human-services grants (FY20–22, $8k) land where the poverty rate runs at 15%, against an area that typically sits at 9%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 9%HOME FOR LITTLE WANDERERS: $1k → 16%WORLD FOOD PROGRAM USA: $4k → 14%PINE STREET INN: $1k → 16%WORLD FOOD PROGRAM USA: $2k → 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.

Which US states its grants reach

ME
NY
MA
CT
RI
CO
DC
FL
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.

87%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$140k · 11 repeat orgs$20k to everyone else

11 repeat relationships: 5 still active in FY2024, 6 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

11
10

Total granted

$140k
$19k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+51%
+82%

Still filing today

91%
70%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 93% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $2k went to new ones.

50%100%’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
InternationalHealthHuman ServicesArts & CultureEducationFood & NutritionOther
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

  • IR
    International Rescue Committee INC
    6× · 2018–2024 · $75k · revenue +80%
  • MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC
    6× · 2018–2024 · $21k · revenue +89%
  • United States Association for UNHCR
    3× · 2018–2020 · $12k · revenue +51%

Funded once

  • AMERICARES FOUNDATION INCgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $10k · revenue +35%
  • BI
    BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS HOSPITAL - MILTON
    one grant, 2022 · $2k · revenue +19%
  • TM
    The Miriam Hospital Foundationgraduated
    one grant, 2018 · $1k · revenue +410%
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
Mass General Brigham Incorporated & Affiliates Group Return

Mass general brigham incorporated is developing an integrated health care delivery system throughout the region that offers patients a continuum of coordinated, high-quality care.

Health
2
Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary

THE MASSACHUSETTS EYE AND EAR INFIRMARY ("THE INFIRMARY") IS A NOT-FOR-PROFIT TEACHING HOSPITAL CONDUCTING PATIENT CARE AND RESEARCH. THE INFIRMARY IS A TEACHING HOSPITAL OF HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL AND AN INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR RESEARCH.…

Health
3
Management Sciences for Health Inc

(msh) saves lives and improves the health of the world's poorest (see schedule o) and most vulnerable people by closing the gap between knowledge and action in public health.

International
4
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Inc

Tertiary care academic medical center

Health
5
Bentley University

Organization's mission bentley university believes good business can impact more than the bottom line - it can change the world. bentley is a community of future business leaders who will deliver value in the marketplace and lasting…

Education
6
Winchester Hospital

The mission of winchester hospital is "to care. to heal. to excel." this ethos provides each and every staff member with clear expectations, promoting teamwork and respect while ensuring safety, quality and empathy for patients. winchester…

Health
7
Partners in Health a Nonprofit Corporation

Partners In Health (PIH) is a non-profit, global health organization that fights social injustice by bringing the benefits of modern medical science first and foremost to the most vulnerable communities worldwide. In Haiti, Malawi, Rwanda,…

Health
8
United States Pharmacopeial Convention

Usp's mission is to improve global health through public standards and related programs that help ensure the quality, safety, and benefit of medicines and foods.

Health
9
Mary's Meals Usa Inc

To raise donations to (i) provide a daily meal in a place of education for children in the world's poorest communities; (ii) occasionally provide relief for those suffering, in any part of the world, as a result of humanitarian crises…

International
10
Mass General Brigham Incorporated

Patient care, teaching, research and serving the community.

Health
11
Northeast Hospital Corporation

Centering on a concept and continuum of care that embraces the health, well-being and dignity of each patient, regardless of their ability to pay, northeast hospital corporation (nhc) has four facilities, beverly hospital, addison gilbert…

Health
12
Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition

The mission of the global alliance for improved nutrition (gain) is to improve the consumption of healthier diets for all, especially the most vulnerable, by improving the availability, affordability, desirability, and sustainability of…

Food & Nutrition
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Medecins Sans Frontieres Usa Inc; the most unlike its peers is North Port Meals On Wheels 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

20 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. 20 of the 24 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)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
19/20
Grantees still filing
18/20
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

International Rescue Committee INC: $75,000 · InternationalInternational Rescue Committee INCMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $21,000 · InternationalMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INCUnited States Association for UNHCR: $12,000 · InternationalUnited States Association for UNHCRAMERICARES FOUNDATION INC: $10,000 · InternationalAMERICARES FOUNDATION INC+2 more: $6,000 · InternationalWGBH Educational Foundation: $6,500 · Arts & CultureMUSIC WITH HEART: $4,500 · Arts & CultureFRIENDS OF THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAM INC: $5,500 · Human ServicesTHE HOME FOR LITTLE WANDERERS INC: $1,000 · Human ServicesPINE STREET INN INC: $1,000 · Human ServicesFeeding America: $4,000 · Food & NutritionNORTH PORT MEALS ON WHEELS INC: $500 · Food & NutritionSAFE PASSAGE FOUNDATION: $2,000 · OtherALFRED AND JOAN GOLDBERG EDUCATION AND FELLOWSHIP FUND: $1,000 · OtherYOUTH TENNIS FOUNDATION OF NEW ENGLAND: $500 · OtherMHSA MASSACHUSETTS HOUSING AND SHELTER ALIIANCE: $500 · OtherADULT BRAIN TUMOR RESEARCH FUND: $500 · OtherBETH ISRAEL DEACONESS HOSPITAL - MILTON: $2,000 · HealthThe Miriam Hospital Foundation: $1,000 · HealthDana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc: $1,000 · HealthTRUSTEES OF BOSTON COLLEGE: $3,000 · EducationAMERICAN INDIAN COLLEGE FUND: $500 · EducationTENACITY INC: $500 · Recreation & Sports
International$124,000Arts & Culture$11,000Human Services$7,500Food & Nutrition$4,500Other$4,500Health$4,000Education$3,500Recreation & Sports$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 budgetInternational Rescue Committee INC: $75,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $21,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetUnited States Association for UNHCR: $12,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetAMERICARES FOUNDATION INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWGBH Educational Foundation: $6,500 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetFRIENDS OF THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAM INC: $5,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMUSIC WITH HEART: $4,500 over 3y, 2.5% of budgetFeeding America: $4,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetOXFAM-AMERICA INC: $3,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTRUSTEES OF BOSTON COLLEGE: $3,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetSafe Passage: $3,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetBETH ISRAEL DEACONESS HOSPITAL - MILTON: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetThe Miriam Hospital Foundation: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE HOME FOR LITTLE WANDERERS INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPINE STREET INN INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTENACITY INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetYOUTH TENNIS FOUNDATION OF NEW ENGLAND: $500 over 1y, 4.7% of budgetAMERICAN INDIAN COLLEGE FUND: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNORTH PORT MEALS ON WHEELS INC: $500 over 1y, 0.2% 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.

Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift FundMA4.7× affinity4 shared granteesties to 1 of 1Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: 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 Lucy I Sherman Charitable Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Lucy I Sherman Charitable Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%13%25%38%50%share of the org’s income from government →median 3%
  • The Home for Little Wanderers Inc: 38% of income from government
  • Pine Street Inn Inc: 11% of income from government
  • Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc: 7% of income from government
  • Trustees of Boston College: 3% of income from government
  • Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital - Milton: 2% of income from government
  • Wgbh Educational Foundation: 1% of income from government
  • Americares Foundation Inc: 0% of income from government
  • Oxfam-America Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
1get 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 · 0–50%
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 Lucy I Sherman Charitable Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Lucy I Sherman Charitable 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 24 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 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Lucy I Sherman’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