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Martha & Philip Sagon Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Martha & Philip Sagon Family Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$1.0M
Granted FY2025still arriving
13
Grants FY2025still arriving
5
States reached
$300k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0192% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Arts & Culture$1.3MHealth$1.3MRecreation & Sports$250kEnvironment$200kFood & Nutrition$175kReligion$145kHuman Services$100kEmployment$75kOther$0
02FY2025 · 13 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • $10k–50k5 grants · $125k
  • $50k–250k6 grants · $300k
  • $250k+2 grants · $600k
$50,000
Median grant
5
States reached
$11M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA$300,000
MEDSTAR HEALTH$300,000
GARDEN OF REMEMBRANCE$50,000
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY$50,000
NO KID HUNGRY$50,000
DC CENTRAL KITCHEN$50,000
JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL$50,000
CARING MATTERS$50,000
CAPITAL JEWISH MUSEUM$25,000
WASHINGTON HEBREW CONGREGATION$25,000
Individual grant recipient$25,000
BRAVO - VAIL$25,000
MCV FOUNDATION$25,000
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 (FY25–25, $50k) land where the poverty rate runs at 8%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 0% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%CARING MATTERS: $50k → 8%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.

93%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$3.5M · 17 repeat orgs$266k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +14% since the first grant, against +9% for those funded once.

17 repeat relationships: 10 still active in FY2025, 7 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

17
6

Total granted

$3.5M
$141k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+14%
+9%

Still filing today

59%
83%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 88% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $125k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Arts & CultureHealthEducationRecreation & SportsInternationalSocial ScienceOther
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

  • MH
    MEDSTAR HEALTH INC
    5× · 2021–2025 · $1.0M · revenue +11%
  • Northwestern University
    5× · 2021–2025 · $250k · revenue +14%
  • SHARE OUR STRENGTH
    4× · 2022–2025 · $175k · revenue +5%

Funded once

  • WH
    WASHINGTON HOSPITAL CENTER CORPORATION
    one grant, 2024 · $50k · revenue +11%
  • MS
    MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING CANCER CENTER
    one grant, 2022 · $25k
  • SM
    SIBLEY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2024 · $25k · revenue +9%
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 George Washington University

The mission of the george washington university (gw) is to educate individuals in liberal arts, languages, sciences, learned professions, and other courses and subjects of study, and to conduct scholarly research and publish the findings…

Education
2
University of New Haven

The University of New Haven is a student-centered comprehensive university with an emphasis on excellence in liberal arts and professional education. Our mission is to prepare our students to lead purposeful and fulfilling lives in a…

Education
3
Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Committed to exceptional healthcare quality for all and actively engaged with our community, einstein drives scientific discovery and educates compassionate leaders in health and science.

Education
4
Metropolitan Jewish Health System Inc

Mjhs health system is a charitable not-for-profit established to support the activities of affiliated organizations. mjhs is built on the core values of compassion, dignity and respect, first established by the four brooklyn ladies in…

Health
5
Harvard Club of Washington Dc

To inform and enrich the intellectual lives of 20,000 alumni of harvard university in the washington, dc area and to assist harvard university with respect to applicants and undergraduates from the dc area.

Education
6
University of Maryland Neurosurgeryassociates Pa

Under the medical service plan of the university of maryland school of medicine, medical services are rendered by the members of the faculty on behalf of the school of medicine in connection with their duties to provide clinical…

Education
7
Highmark Health

As the parent entity of a blended health organization, highmark health seeks to improve the health and well-being of the people and communities it serves by providing affordable, accessible and high-quality healthcare.

Health
8
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

Create a more accessible, sustainable, prosperous and livable national capital region by being a discussion forum, expert resource, issue advocate, and catalyst for action.

Public Benefit
9
University of Maryland Oncology Associates Pa

Under the medical service plan of the university of maryland school of medicine, medical services are rendered by the members of the faculty on behalf of the school of medicine in connection with their duties to provide clinical…

Health
10
University of Maryland Neurology Associates Pa

Under the medical service plan of the university of maryland school of medicine, medical services are rendered by the members of the faculty on behalf of the school of medicine in connection with their duties to provide clinical…

—
11
United States Naval Institute

Provide an independent forum for those who dare to read, think, speak, and write to advance the professional, literary, and scientific understanding of sea power and other issues critical to global security.

—
12
Northeast College of Health Sciences

Northeast college of health sciences (the college) is committed to academic excellence, leadership, and professional best practices in the health sciences.

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Sibley Memorial Hospital Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Medstar Health 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

17 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. 17 of the 26 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)
0
Early backer (in before they grew)
17/17
Grantees still filing
11/17
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: $1,000,000 · OtherNATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAGARDEN OF REMEMBRANCE: $200,000 · OtherGARDEN OF REMEMBRANCESHARE OUR STRENGTH: $175,000 · OtherSHARE OUR STRENGTHWASHINGTON HEBREW CONGREGATION: $145,480 · OtherWASHINGTON HEBREW CONGREGATIONCROHN & COLITIS FOUNDATION OF GREATER WASHINGTON: $100,000 · OtherBRAVO - VAIL: $75,000 · OtherTHE DC CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $75,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $75,000 · OtherBOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF GREATER WASHINGTON AND AFFILIATE: $75,000 · Other+4 more: $165,000 · Other+4 moreMEDSTAR HEALTH INC: $1,000,000 · HealthMEDSTAR HEALTH INCWASHINGTON HOSPITAL CENTER CORPORATION: $50,000 · Health+1 more: $25,000 · HealthJOHN F KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS: $150,000 · Arts & CultureLillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum: $75,000 · Arts & CultureNational Gallery of Art: $20,000 · Arts & CultureHILLWOOD ESTATE MUSEUM & GARDENS: $11,000 · Arts & CultureNorthwestern University: $250,000 · Recreation & SportsCARINGMATTERS INC: $50,000 · Human ServicesMEDICAL COLLEGE OF VA FOUNDATION: $25,000 · EducationTHE SEED FOUNDATION: $5,000 · EducationWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $25,000 · InternationalALZHEIMER'S DRUG DISCOVERY FOUNDATION: $20,000 · Social Science
Other$2,085,480Health$1,075,000Arts & Culture$256,000Recreation & Sports$250,000Human Services$50,000Education$30,000International$25,000Social Science$20,000

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

25%50%75%100%$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetMEDSTAR HEALTH INC: $1,000,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetNorthwestern University: $250,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetSHARE OUR STRENGTH: $175,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetJOHN F KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS: $150,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetTHE DC CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $75,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetLillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum: $75,000 over 2y, 1.2% of budgetBOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF GREATER WASHINGTON AND AFFILIATE: $75,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetEDLAVITCH JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF WASHINGTON DC INC: $50,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetWASHINGTON HOSPITAL CENTER CORPORATION: $50,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCARINGMATTERS INC: $50,000 over 1y, 4.2% of budgetSIBLEY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL FOUNDATION: $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMEDICAL COLLEGE OF VA FOUNDATION: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNational Gallery of Art: $20,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetALZHEIMER'S DRUG DISCOVERY FOUNDATION: $20,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetHILLWOOD ESTATE MUSEUM & GARDENS: $11,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE SEED FOUNDATION: $5,000 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.

Greater Washington Co…American Gift FundThe Nussdorf Family F…Michael and Deborah R…Ronald & Joy Paul Fam…The Morris and Gwendo…Vanguard Charitable E…Morgan Stanley Global…National Philanthropi…American Endowment Fo…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …
Greater Washington Community FoundationDC15.1× affinity5 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Greater Washington Community Foundation · American Gift Fund · The Nussdorf Family Foundation Inc · Michael and Deborah Ratner Salzberg Family Foundation · Ronald & Joy Paul Family Foundation Inc · The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · American Endowment Foundation · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund

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 Martha & Philip Sagon Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Martha & Philip Sagon Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%8%15%22%30%share of the org’s income from government →median 23%
  • Medstar Health Inc: 23% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
5report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–30%
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 Martha & Philip Sagon Family Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Martha & Philip Sagon Family 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 26 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 Martha & Philip Sagon Family’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