· Charitable trust
Luesther T Mertz Charitable Trust
The trust is a testamentary charitable trust under new york law and is a so-called "supporting organization" described in section 509(a)(3) of the internal revenue code.
What it funded, over time
Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2022.
Where the money goes
Grants by size, and the largest recipients.
By grant size · FY2022
- $50k–250k6 grants · $990k
- $250k+5 grants · $2.9M
| Recipient | Amount |
|---|---|
| NEW YORK SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL | $900,000 |
| NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN | $900,000 |
| THE JOYCE THEATER FOUNDATION | $480,000 |
| LINCOLN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS INC | $360,000 |
| NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL | $270,000 |
| CENTRAL PARK CONSERVANCY | $210,000 |
| AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION | $200,000 |
| BALLET TECH FOUNDATION | $200,000 |
| THIRTEENWNET EDUCATIONAL BROADCASTING CORP | $180,000 |
| NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY | $130,000 |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY POPULATION BIOLOGY GIFT FUND | $70,000 |
Does the money reach high-need areas?
Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.
Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY17–22) land where the poverty rate runs at 21%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 98% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.
How this is measured
How this is measured
Where the work is directed
The same grants placed two ways: where each recipient sits, and where its stated purpose sends the money.
About 23% of Luesther T Mertz Charitable Trust’s grant dollars are earmarked for a different county than the recipient’s own address. By recipient address, 99% of the giving stays in NY; by stated purpose, 95%.
How this is measured
Who it funds again
Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.
12 repeat relationships: 10 still active in FY2022, 2 since wound down.
How the two cohorts compare
Organizations
Total granted
Still filing today
New vs renewed · share of each year
In FY2022, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 went to new ones.
Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant
How this is measured
Backed again, and grew
- NYNEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN6× · 2017–2022 · $35M · revenue +40%
- NYNEW YORK SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL6× · 2017–2022 · $24M · revenue +33% · 29% of their budget
- JTJOYCE THEATER FOUNDATION INC7× · 2017–2023 · $12M · revenue +46% · 42% of their budget
Funded once
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.
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.
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.
The museum's mission statement is: "to discover, interpret, and disseminate - through scientific research and education - knowledge about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe."
The museum of the city of new york fosters understanding of the distinctive nature of urban life in the world's most influential metropolis. it engages visitors by celebrating, documenting, and interpreting the city's past, present, and…
Organization's mission statement true to the ambitious vision of its founder and her spirit of creative risk-taking, the mission of the isabella stewart gardner museum is: - to bring to life and preserve the rich historic collection; - to…
The mission of lowell observatory is to pursue the study of astronomy, especially the study of our solar system and its evolution; to conduct pure research in astronomical phenomena; and to maintain quality public education and outreach…
Perform, promote and sustain classical ballet.
We harness the power of plants for humankind and share the joy and beauty of tropical gardening with everyone. fairchild tropical botanic garden is a museum of tropical plants within a world famous, 83-acre designed landscape. it was…
The institute for advanced study (the institute) is one of the world's leading centers for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. see schedule o.
The municipal art society of new york (mas) lifts up the voices of the people in the debates that shape new york's built environment and leads the way to a more livable city from sidewalk to skyline. mas envisions a future in which all new…
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…
El museo's mission is to preserve, interpret, and promote the artistic heritage of puerto ricans and all latin americans in the united states by means of exhibitions, public programs, publications, and educational activities.
To inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers and excite learners of all ages about the power, promise, and pure fun of science and technology.lsc offers exceptional science learning onsite, offsite, and online as well as…
How this is measured
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 14 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.
Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee
Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing
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.
- Who funds NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN ↗
- Who funds NEW YORK SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ↗
- Who funds JOYCE THEATER FOUNDATION INC ↗
- Who funds LINCOLN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS INC ↗
- Who funds NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL INC ↗
- Who funds BALLET TECH FOUNDATION INC ↗
- Who funds AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION INC ↗
- Who funds CENTRAL PARK CONSERVANCY INC ↗
- Who funds ST FRANCIS HOSPITAL ↗
- Who funds NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY INC ↗
- Who funds THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY ↗
- Who funds THE NEW YORK COMMUNITY TRUST ↗
How much its grantees rely on government
Each dot is one organization Luesther T Mertz Charitable Trust funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Luesther T Mertz Charitable Trust. Bigger dots raise more.
How this is measured
Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus
How do I get to Luesther T Mertz Charitable Trust?
Find your warmest path to Luesther T Mertz Charitable Trust 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.
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