Skip to content
Nancy C and Dale Dougherty Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Nancy C and Dale Dougherty 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.

$130k
Granted FY2022
5
Grants FY2022
4
States reached
$50k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead

Read this first · the figures below need context

92% of Nancy C and Dale Dougherty Foundation’s FY2024 grant dollars went to Community Foundation Sonoma County, not to grantees.

Its money now reaches organizations through that sponsor, which does not report who recommended each grant. FY2024 names 1 organization directly, so a portfolio cannot be read from it. Everything below is therefore FY2022, the last year Nancy C and Dale Dougherty Foundation named its own grantees at scale: 5 organizations, $130k. It is dated, not current.

Organizations named directly on the return

3
’17
2
’18
2
’19
3
’20
8
’21
5
’22
2
’23
1
’24

Amber years are those where most dollars went to a sponsor.

01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Philanthropy$760kEnvironment$300kYouth Development$175kArts & Culture$165kHealth$75kEducation$40kHuman Services$5kCrime & Legal$5k
02FY2022 · 5 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2022

  • Under $10k1 grant · $5k
  • $10k–50k2 grants · $25k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $100k
$15,000
Median grant
4
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
MAKER EDUCATION INITIATIVE$50,000
CONSERVATION LAW FOUNDATION INC$50,000
BIG PICTURE COMPANY INC$15,000
GIANT STEPS THERAPEUTIC EQUESTRIAN CENTER INC$10,000
MATTS MAKER SPACE INC$5,000
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 (FY17–19, $210k) land where the poverty rate runs at 10%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 98% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%TIDES CENTER: $50k → 10%TIDES CENTER: $50k → 10%TIDES CENTER: $50k → 10%TIDES CENTER: $50k → 10%LATINO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $5k → 10%CALIFORNIA PARENTING INSTITUTE: $5k → 9%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.

88%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$680k · 6 repeat orgs$90k to everyone else

6 repeat relationships: 4 still active in FY2022, 2 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2022 (too recent to call). Read against FY2022, the last year this funder named its own grantees directly; its giving has since run through a sponsor, which reports no donor behind each grant.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

6
7

Total granted

$680k
$85k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+38%
+54%

Still filing today

100%
100%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 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
Youth DevelopmentArts & CultureHealthEducationEnvironmentPhilanthropyOther
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

  • CONSERVATION LAW FOUNDATION INC
    4× · 2020–2023 · $300k · revenue +75%
  • NY
    NEW YORK HALL OF SCIENCE
    2× · 2019–2021 · $100k · revenue +31%
  • SC
    Sebastopol Center for the Arts
    2× · 2021–2023 · $50k · revenue +38%

Funded once

  • GM
    George Mark Childrens Fundgraduated
    one grant, 2021 · $25k · revenue +54%
  • EB
    Earle Baum Center of the Blind Inc
    one grant, 2017 · $20k · revenue -92%
  • SC
    Sonoma County Local News Initiative
    one grant, 2021 · $15k · revenue -100%
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 Climate Center

The Climate Center is a climate and energy policy nonprofit working to rapidly reduce climate pollution at scale, starting in California.

Education
2
Santa Cruz Local Inc

Independent nonpartisan newsroom serving Santa Cruz County, California we are all watching and engaged in our local government, our needs are addressed, democracy works better and our community is stronger.

—
3
California Donor Table

California Donor Table anchors a hub of donors, foundations, and community leaders. We pool together our resources to shape California into a truly democratic state that works for the people, not the powerful. Rooted in our commitment to…

Civil Rights
4
Sonoma Valley Education Foundation

The Sonoma Valley Education Foundation exists to improve education by enriching teaching, inspiring learning, and advancing innovative programs that enable every student to succeed.

Philanthropy
5
SFMade Inc

Our mission is to help manufacturers thrive, innovate, and create good jobs, for a more diverse and sustainable Bay Area.

Community Improvement
6
Bay Area Creative Foundation

The Bay Area Creative Foundation celebrates, cultivates, and inspires creativity in youth and young adults. We believe in fostering a society that embodies creative spirit, art, and innovation.

Arts & Culture
7
Sacramento Region Community Foundation

The Sacramento Region Community Foundation leads, serves, and inspires enduring philanthropy for a just and vibrant Sacramento region.

Philanthropy
8
Solano Community Foundation

The Solano Community Foundation strengthens Solano County by advancing equity, supporting nonprofit resilience, and expanding access to philanthropy. We serve as a community leader, responsive grantmaker, and trusted partner for donors who…

Philanthropy
9
Community Credit Lab

To support equitable access to economic opportunities for immigrants, refugees, low-income, marginalized, and underserved communities in king county and the united states.

Human Services
10
Kqed Inc

See schedule okqed serves the people of northern california with a community-supported alternative to commercial media, providing the knowledge needed to make informed decisions; convening community dialogue; bringing the arts to everyone;…

Arts & Culture
11
Center for the Future of Learning

The Center for the Future of Learning empowers a vibrant learning ecosystem connecting communities to create future-focused solutions for today while sharing effective practices to advance tomorrow. The Center for the Future of Learning…

Education
12
Jobs with Justice San Francisco

A long-term, strategic alliance of labor, community, faith-based, and student organizations working together to build greater economic power for workers and community members through employee rights at work and access to good jobs,…

Employment
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Latino Community Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Matts Maker Space 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.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

1
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
3
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

SONOMA COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $550,000 · PhilanthropySONOMA COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION+1 more: $5,000 · PhilanthropyCONSERVATION LAW FOUNDATION INC: $300,000 · EnvironmentCONSERVATION LAW FOUND…TIDES CENTER: $200,000 · Human ServicesTIDES CENTER+2 more: $10,000 · Human ServicesMaker Education Initiative: $175,000 · Youth DevelopmentMaker Educati…+1 more: $5,000 · Youth DevelopmentNEW YORK HALL OF SCIENCE: $100,000 · Arts & CultureNEW YORK HA…Sebastopol Center for the Arts: $50,000 · Arts & CultureSebastopol …Giant Steps Therapeutic Equestrian Center Inc: $30,000 · HealthGeorge Mark Childrens Fund: $25,000 · HealthTHE BIG PICTURE COMPANY: $25,000 · EducationDIGITAL HARBOR FOUNDATION: $10,000 · EducationEarle Baum Center of the Blind Inc: $20,000 · OtherSonoma County Local News Initiative: $15,000 · OtherEQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE: $5,000 · Other
Philanthropy$555,000Environment$300,000Human Services$210,000Youth Development$180,000Arts & Culture$150,000Health$55,000Education$35,000Other$40,000

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 budgetSONOMA COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $550,000 over 3y, 1.0% of budgetCONSERVATION LAW FOUNDATION INC: $300,000 over 4y, 0.9% of budgetTIDES CENTER: $200,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetMaker Education Initiative: $175,000 over 4y, 39% of budgetNEW YORK HALL OF SCIENCE: $100,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetSebastopol Center for the Arts: $50,000 over 2y, 3.1% of budgetGiant Steps Therapeutic Equestrian Center Inc: $30,000 over 4y, 1.0% of budgetGeorge Mark Childrens Fund: $25,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetTHE BIG PICTURE COMPANY: $25,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetEarle Baum Center of the Blind Inc: $20,000 over 1y, 1.4% of budgetSonoma County Local News Initiative: $15,000 over 1y, 2.1% of budgetDIGITAL HARBOR FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 1.3% of budgetREDWOOD CREDIT UNION COMMUNITY FUND INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetEQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMATTS MAKER SPACE INC: $5,000 over 1y, 2.7% of budgetCalifornia Parenting Institute: $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.

Sonoma County Communi…National Philanthropi…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Sonoma County Community FoundationCA15.6× affinity5 shared granteesties to 4 of 4Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Sonoma County Community Foundation · National Philanthropic Trust · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · 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 Nancy C and Dale Dougherty Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Nancy C and Dale Dougherty Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%3%10%23%40%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 2%
  • Digital Harbor Foundation: 2% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
1get no government money at all
6report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
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 Nancy C and Dale Dougherty Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Nancy C and Dale Dougherty 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 17 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.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Nancy C and Dale Dougherty’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