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Pendleton and Elisabeth Carey Miller Charitable Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Pendleton and Elisabeth Carey Miller Charitable Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$817k
Granted FY2024still arriving
17
Grants FY2024still arriving
3
States reached
$185k
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, FY2019 to 2024.

Environment$2.4MEducation$955kRecreation & Sports$367kArts & Culture$213kFood & Nutrition$175kCrime & Legal$148kScience & Tech$88kAnimals$79kOther$0
02FY2024 · 17 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k3 grants · $12k
  • $10k–50k10 grants · $199k
  • $50k–250k4 grants · $606k
$25,000
Median grant
3
States reached
$18M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
ELISABETH MILLER BOTANICAL GARDEN T$185,116
UNIVERSITY WA MILLER LIBRARY$173,632
ELISABETH MILLER BOTANICAL GARDEN T$155,102
ELISABETH MILLER BOTANICAL GARDEN T$92,540
UNIVERSITY OF WA BOTANIC GARDENS$41,500
DISCOVER YOUR NORTHWEST$30,000
UNIVERSITY OF WA SCHOOL OF LAW$25,000
SMITHSONIAN NAT'L MUSEUM-NATURAL HI$25,000
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON$25,000
ARBORETUM FOUNDATION$12,500
THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND$10,000
HOLOCAUST CENTER FOR HUMANITY$10,000
PACIFIC SCIENCE CENTER$10,000
WASHINGTON STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY$10,000
THE GARDEN CONSERVANCY$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 (FY20–23, $55k) land where the poverty rate runs at 9%, against an area that typically sits at 7%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 7%UPLIFT NORTHWEST: $20k → 9%UPLIFT NORTHWEST: $10k → 9%RYTHER: $25k → 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.

83%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$3.8M · 20 repeat orgs$777k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +57% since the first grant, against -17% for those funded once.

20 repeat relationships: 10 still active in FY2024, 10 since wound down; 4 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

20
15

Total granted

$3.8M
$538k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+57%
-17%

Still filing today

65%
47%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 71% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $239k went to new ones.

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

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

’19’20’21’22’23’24
EnvironmentArts & CultureRecreation & SportsHuman ServicesAnimalsOther
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

  • TE
    THE ELISABETH CAREY MILLER BOTANICAL GARDEN TRUST
    6× · 2019–2024 · $1.9M · revenue +43% · 52% of their budget
  • SP
    SEATTLE PARKS FOUNDATION
    5× · 2019–2023 · $320k · revenue +107%
  • THE BLOEDEL RESERVE
    5× · 2019–2023 · $160k · revenue +11%

Funded once

  • UO
    UNIVERSITY OF WA
    one grant, 2022 · $188k
  • UO
    UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON MILLER LIB
    one grant, 2023 · $168k
  • R
    RYTHER
    one grant, 2020 · $25k · revenue +23%
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
George Weyerhaeuser Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection

Pacific bonsai museum inspires a closer look at nature through the living art of bonsai. we create opportunities to experience the powerful presence of bonsai and be moved to cultivate a more intentional relationship with nature. through…

Arts & Culture
2
Sonoma Botanical Garden
—
3
E B Dunn Historic Garden Trust

We preserve and enhance Dunn Gardens as a public resource, celebrating the original 1915 Olmsted design and showcasing the evolution of garden design in the Pacific Northwest.

Philanthropy
4
Great Peninsula Conservancy

Preserve in perpetuity the natural habitats, rural landscapes, and open spaces of the great peninsula of washington's puget sound.

Environment
5
New York Botanical Garden

The new york botanical garden is a museum of plants and a scientific research center devoted to the study of plants and their uses. it is the garden's mission to improve public understanding of the natural world, horticulture, and the…

Environment
6
Museum of Northwest Art

The museum of northwest art collects, preserves, interprets and exhibits art created in the pacific northwest, supports artists, and strives to integrate art into the lives of all people. the museum is free and open to the public seven…

Arts & Culture
7
Houston Botanic Garden

To enrich life through discovery, education, and the conservation of plants and the natural environment.

Environment
8
San Francisco Botanical Garden Society At Strybing Arboretum

Gardens of golden gate park connects people to plants, the planet, and each other. the gardens offer educational and experiential programs for visitors and actively manages the living collections.

Environment
9
Museum Foundation of Pacific Grove Inc

The Museum inspires wonder, discovery, and stewardship of our natural world. The Museum is a catalyst for conservation and a valued learning resource, facilitating active scientific and historical inquiry for all ages.

Arts & Culture
10
Meerkerk Rhododendron Gardens

Meerkerk Gardens is a 10 acre botanical garden featuring a world class collection of hybrid and species rhododendrons, surrounded by 43 acres of native forest preserve. Our gardens, nursery, educational and cultural programs draw visitors…

Environment
11
Colorado Museum of Natural History

Be a catalyst! Ignite our community's passion for nature and science.

Arts & Culture
12
National Tropical Botanical Garden

To enrich life by perpetuating tropical plants, ecosystems and cultural heritage through discovery, scientific research, conservation, and education.

Environment
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The Garden Conservancy Inc; the most unlike its peers is Ryther. 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

22 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. 22 of the 39 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.

1
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
7
Early backer (in before they grew)
22/22
Grantees still filing
14/22
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

THE ELISABETH CAREY MILLER BOTANICAL GARDEN TRUST: $1,873,771 · OtherTHE ELISABETH CAREY MILLER BOTANICAL GARDEN TRUSTUNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON: $460,158 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTONUNIVERSITY OF WA: $187,579 · OtherUNIVERSITY WA MILLER LIBRARY: $173,632 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON MILLER LIB: $168,368 · OtherTHE BLOEDEL RESERVE: $160,000 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF WA BOTANIC GARDENS: $145,700 · Other+14 more: $462,649 · Other+14 moreSEATTLE PARKS FOUNDATION: $320,000 · Recreation & SportsDiscover Your Northwest: $30,000 · Recreation & SportsARBORETUM FOUNDATION: $82,900 · EnvironmentNORTHWEST HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY: $60,000 · EnvironmentTHE GARDEN CONSERVANCY INC: $35,000 · EnvironmentTHE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND: $35,000 · EnvironmentFriends of Lakewood: $25,000 · EnvironmentBRAIDED RIVER: $17,000 · EnvironmentBELLEVUE BOTANICAL GARDEN SOCIETY: $12,000 · EnvironmentPACIFIC SCIENCE CENTER FOUNDATION: $70,000 · Arts & CultureBURKE MUSEUM ASSOCIATION: $50,000 · Arts & CultureBLACKPASTORG: $30,000 · Arts & CultureHUMANITIES WASHINGTON: $15,000 · Arts & CultureOlympia Historical Society: $6,500 · Arts & Culture+1 more: $5,000 · Arts & CultureUPLIFT NORTHWEST: $30,000 · Human ServicesRYTHER: $25,000 · Human ServicesWOODLAND PARK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY: $53,600 · Animals
Other$3,631,857Recreation & Sports$350,000Environment$266,900Arts & Culture$176,500Human Services$55,000Animals$53,600

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 budgetTHE ELISABETH CAREY MILLER BOTANICAL GARDEN TRUST: $1,873,771 over 6y, 52% of budgetSEATTLE PARKS FOUNDATION: $320,000 over 5y, 1.5% of budgetTHE BLOEDEL RESERVE: $160,000 over 5y, 1.5% of budgetARBORETUM FOUNDATION: $82,900 over 6y, 0.8% of budgetPACIFIC SCIENCE CENTER FOUNDATION: $70,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetNORTHWEST HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY: $60,000 over 3y, 12% of budgetWOODLAND PARK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY: $53,600 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetBURKE MUSEUM ASSOCIATION: $50,000 over 2y, 1.2% of budgetTHE GARDEN CONSERVANCY INC: $35,000 over 5y, 0.2% of budgetTHE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND: $35,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetDiscover Your Northwest: $30,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetUPLIFT NORTHWEST: $30,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetBLACKPASTORG: $30,000 over 6y, 5.0% of budgetRYTHER: $25,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetFriends of Lakewood: $25,000 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetBRAIDED RIVER: $17,000 over 1y, 1.5% of budgetHUMANITIES WASHINGTON: $15,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetBELLEVUE BOTANICAL GARDEN SOCIETY: $12,000 over 1y, 1.5% of budgetHolocaust Center For Humanity: $10,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetOlympia Historical Society: $6,500 over 2y, 5.7% of budgetSHORELINE HISTORICAL MUSEUM: $5,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetHARDY FERN FOUNDATION: $3,500 over 1y, 5.1% 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.

  • Who funds THE ELISABETH CAREY MILLER BOTANICAL GARDEN TRUST ↗
  • Who funds SEATTLE PARKS FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds THE BLOEDEL RESERVE ↗
  • Who funds ARBORETUM FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds PACIFIC SCIENCE CENTER FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds NORTHWEST HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ↗
  • Who funds WOODLAND PARK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY ↗
  • Who funds BURKE MUSEUM ASSOCIATION ↗
  • Who funds THE GARDEN CONSERVANCY INC ↗
  • Who funds THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND ↗
  • Who funds Discover Your Northwest ↗
  • Who funds UPLIFT NORTHWEST ↗
  • Who funds BLACKPASTORG ↗
  • Who funds RYTHER ↗
  • Who funds Friends of Lakewood ↗
  • Who funds BRAIDED RIVER ↗
  • Who funds HUMANITIES WASHINGTON ↗
  • Who funds BELLEVUE BOTANICAL GARDEN SOCIETY ↗
  • Who funds Holocaust Center For Humanity ↗
  • Who funds Olympia Historical Society ↗
  • Who funds SHORELINE HISTORICAL MUSEUM ↗
  • Who funds HARDY FERN FOUNDATION ↗

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.

Seattle FoundationArtsfundLucky Seven FoundationMightycause Charitabl…The Hugh and Jane Fer…Wyman Youth TrustThe Norcliffe Foundat…Raynier Institute & F…Puget Sound Energy Fo…Gates FoundationThe Baker FoundationDv & Ida McEachern Ch…
Seattle FoundationWA30.7× affinity14 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Seattle Foundation · Artsfund · Lucky Seven Foundation · Mightycause Charitable Foundation · The Hugh and Jane Ferguson Foundation · Wyman Youth Trust · The Norcliffe Foundation · Raynier Institute & Foundation · Puget Sound Energy Foundation · Gates Foundation · The Baker Foundation · Dv & Ida McEachern Charitable Tr

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 Pendleton and Elisabeth Carey Miller Charitable Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Pendleton and Elisabeth Carey Miller Charitable Foundation. 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%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    10report 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 Pendleton and Elisabeth Carey Miller Charitable Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Pendleton and Elisabeth Carey Miller 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 39 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 Pendleton and Elisabeth Carey Miller’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