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Must at a glanceMostly funded, not a grantmaker: see who funds it →

· Public charity

Must

A collaboration of business owners and community members dedicated to making a difference by pooling donations and gifting them to local non-profits serving people in need.

$887k
Granted FY2024still arriving
7
Grants FY2024still arriving
1
States reached
$472k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0196% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Housing & Shelter$1.5MYouth Development$1.1MHealth$585kHuman Services$501kCrime & Legal$220kFood & Nutrition$203kArts & Culture$111kEnvironment$19kOther$0
02FY2024 · 7 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k1 grant · $6k
  • $50k–250k5 grants · $398k
  • $250k+1 grant · $472k
$71,192
Median grant
1
States reached
$6.7M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
LUMINA ALLIANCE$472,166
VINEYARD TEAM$101,580
TRANSITIONS MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION$88,000
BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF THE MID CENTRAL COAST$71,192
PASO ROBLES YOUTH ARTS CENTER$69,907
EL CAMINO HOMELESS ORGANIZATION$67,810
STUDIOS ON THE PARK$6,300
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 (FY17–24, $331k) land where the poverty rate runs at 12%, 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%EL CAMINO HOMELESS ORGANIZATION: $264k → 12%EL CAMINO HOMELESS ORGANIZATION: $68k → 12%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.

89%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$3.8M · 10 repeat orgs$475k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +40% since the first grant, against +12% for those funded once.

10 repeat relationships: 2 still active in FY2024, 8 since wound down; 5 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

10
11

Total granted

$3.8M
$138k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+40%
+12%

Still filing today

80%
100%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 62% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $337k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
Housing & ShelterYouth DevelopmentHuman ServicesArts & CultureEnvironmentCivil RightsOther
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

  • AH
    AFFORDABLE HOUSING PASO ROBLES
    4× · 2017–2020 · $693k · revenue +40% · 57% of their budget
  • EC
    EL CAMINO HOMELESS ORGANIZATION
    4× · 2017–2024 · $518k · revenue +441% · 37% of their budget
  • LA
    LUMINA ALLIANCE
    2× · 2023–2024 · $491k · revenue +7%

Funded once

  • BB
    BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTYgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $27k · revenue +88%
  • PR
    PASO ROBLES YOUTH ARTS CENTERgraduated
    one grant, 2023 · $25k · revenue +74%
  • SLO NOOR FOUNDATION A NON-PROFIT CORPORATION
    one grant, 2023 · $10k · revenue -15%
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
San Luis Obispo Non-Profit Housing

The corporation was formed primarily to engage in acquiring, developing, rehabilitation, owning and managing affordable housing for low and moderate income persons in the cities and unincorporated areas of san luis obispo county.

Unclassified
2
San Luis Obispo County Housing Trust Fund

Increase the supply of affordable housing in san luis obispo county.

Housing & Shelter
3
Boys & Girls Club of South San Luis Obispo County

To operate a boys and girls club facility and after-school and summer camp programs for all area children regardless of ability to pay in the Five Cities area of San Luis Obispo County.

Youth Development
4
San Luis Obispo Medical Education and Research Foundation Inc
—
5
San Benito County Community Services Development Corporation

To pursue affordable housing for low to moderate income residents by fostering strategic relationships with other agencies.

Housing & Shelter
6
Hospice of San Luis Obispo County

Hospice of slo provides volunteer support, education, and counseling to those living with life threatening or terminal illness, their families, and the bereaved. our primary clientele are low to moderate income children, adults, families,…

—
7
San Luis Obispo County Child Abuse Prevention Council Dba Cfsslo

The vision of center for family strengthening is a community where all children are valued, nurtured and safe. our misson is to build effective community partnerships dedicated to the support of strong families and the prevention of child…

Crime & Legal
8
San Luis Obispo County Bicycle Coalition

Bike slo county inspires, educates, advocates, and works to build a safe, healthy and connected community through bicycling.

Public Benefit
9
Court Appointed Special Advocate of San Benito County Inc

The mission of CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of San Benito County is to train and support community volunteers who advocate for abused and neglected children placed in foster care, upholding the children's rights while pursuing…

Civil Rights
10
Sun Street Centers

To prevent alcohol and drug addiction by offering education, prevention and recovery to individuals and families, regardless of income level.

Human Services
11
San Luis Obispo Legal Assistance Foundation

San luis obispo legal assistance foundation's mission is to provide legal services and resources to people in need.

Crime & Legal
12
Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo County Inc

Mission Statement: Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo County addresses the causes of poverty, empowering low-income people to achieve self-sufficiency through community-based collaborations and programs.Vision Statement:…

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is El Camino Homeless Organization; the most unlike its peers is Infinite Music Foundation. 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

21 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. 21 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.

2
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
5
Early backer (in before they grew)
20/21
Grantees still filing
15/21
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

TRANSITIONSMENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION: $479,210 · OtherTRANSITIONSMENTAL HEALTH ASSOC…Boys & Girls Club of North SLO Co Inc: $231,500 · OtherBoys & Girls Club of North SLO…VINEYARD TEAM: $101,580 · OtherVINEYARD TEAMTRANSITIONS MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION: $88,000 · OtherTRANSITIONS MENTAL HEALTH ASSO…BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF THE MID CENTRAL COAST: $71,192 · OtherBOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF THE MID C…PASO ROBLES YOUTH ARTS CENTER: $69,907 · OtherPASO ROBLES YOUTH ARTS CENTER+9 more: $107,119 · Other+9 moreEL CAMINO HOMELESS ORGANIZATION: $517,837 · Human ServicesEL CAMINO HOMELESS ORGANIZ…LUMINA ALLIANCE: $491,366 · Human ServicesLUMINA ALLIANCEAFFORDABLE HOUSING PASO ROBLES: $692,591 · Housing & ShelterAFFORDABLE HOUSING PASO R…PEOPLE'S SELF HELP HOUSING CORP: $262,447 · Housing & ShelterPEOPLE'S SELF HELP HOUSIN…+1 more: $10,000 · Housing & ShelterBOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF THE CENTRAL COAST: $794,331 · Youth DevelopmentBOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF…+1 more: $7,600 · Youth DevelopmentCOURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY INC: $209,550 · Civil RightsCENTRAL COAST VINEYARD TEAM: $101,500 · Food & NutritionPASO ROBLES YOUTH ARTS CENTER: $24,800 · Arts & CultureINFINITE MUSIC FOUNDATION: $9,700 · Arts & Culture
Other$1,148,508Human Services$1,009,203Housing & Shelter$965,038Youth Development$801,931Civil Rights$209,550Food & Nutrition$101,500Arts & Culture$34,500

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

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetBOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF THE CENTRAL COAST: $794,331 over 3y, 10% of budgetAFFORDABLE HOUSING PASO ROBLES: $692,591 over 4y, 57% of budgetEL CAMINO HOMELESS ORGANIZATION: $517,837 over 4y, 37% of budgetLUMINA ALLIANCE: $491,366 over 2y, 7.7% of budgetTRANSITIONSMENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION: $479,210 over 2y, 2.3% of budgetPEOPLE'S SELF HELP HOUSING CORP: $262,447 over 3y, 0.7% of budgetBoys & Girls Club of North SLO Co Inc: $231,500 over 4y, 13% of budgetCOURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY INC: $209,550 over 4y, 7.5% of budgetCENTRAL COAST VINEYARD TEAM: $101,500 over 2y, 12% of budgetBIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY: $27,160 over 1y, 6.7% of budgetPASO ROBLES YOUTH ARTS CENTER: $24,800 over 1y, 5.6% of budgetSLO NOOR FOUNDATION A NON-PROFIT CORPORATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetHABITAT FOR HUMANITY FOR SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY: $10,000 over 1y, 4.2% of budgetFAMILY CARE NETWORK INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetRESTORATIVE PARTNERS INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetSmart Share Housing Solutions Inc: $10,000 over 1y, 4.9% of budgetFRIENDS OF SAN LUIS OBISPO BOTANICAL GARDEN: $10,000 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetOne Cool Earth: $8,700 over 1y, 1.1% of budgetTOLOSA CHILDREN'S DENTAL CENTER OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY: $7,600 over 1y, 0.4% 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 Community Foundat…The Niner Foundation …Resnick FoundationDignity HealthCarol and Warren Sins…The Dorf Foundation I…Hughes Charitable Fou…Hutton Foundation Dba…Sempra FoundationSanta Barbara Foundat…The Blackbaud Giving …The Bank of America C…
The Community Foundation San Luis ObispoCA47× affinity20 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Community Foundation San Luis Obispo · The Niner Foundation Inc · Resnick Foundation · Dignity Health · Carol and Warren Sinsheimer Foundation Inc · The Dorf Foundation Inc · Hughes Charitable Foundation · Hutton Foundation Dba Hutton Parker Foundation · Sempra Foundation · Santa Barbara Foundation · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc

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 Must funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Must. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%4%15%34%60%funder's share of their income ↑0%13%25%38%50%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    12report 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.

    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 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 Must’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