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Peter Fogliano & Hal Lester Foundation Inc at a glance

· Private foundation

Peter Fogliano & Hal Lester Foundation Inc

Its FY2025 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$92k
Granted FY2025still arriving
9
Grants FY2025still arriving
5
States reached
$53k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
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 2025.

Arts & Culture$376kHealth$62kEnvironment$35kAnimals$29kYouth Development$27kEducation$25kPublic Safety & Disaster$8k
02FY2025 · 9 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k7 grants · $29k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $10k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $53k
$5,000
Median grant
5
States reached
$933k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
FRIENDS OF FLORENCE$53,000
BOYS REPUBLIC$10,000
MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM$5,000
BIG SUR HEALTH CENTER$5,000
RANCHO CIELO$5,000
AMERICAN LIVER FOUNDATION$5,000
DIAN FOSSEY GORILLA FUND$3,000
BIG LIFE FOUNDATION$3,000
MONTEREY FIREFIGHTERS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION$3,000
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 (FY21–25, $22k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%BOYS REPUBLIC: $10k → 14%BOYS REPUBLIC: $5k → 14%BOYS REPUBLIC: $5k → 14%BOYS REPUBLIC: $1k → 14%BOYS REPUBLIC: $1k → 14%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.
04

Where the work is directed

The same grants placed two ways: where each recipient sits, and where its stated purpose sends the money.

About 50% of Peter Fogliano & Hal Lester Foundation Inc’s grant dollars are earmarked for a different county than the recipient’s own address. By recipient address, 19% of the giving stays in CA; by stated purpose, 13%.

Peter Fogliano & Hal Lester Foundation Inclessmore of its giving
Placed by recipient address · 68% directed abroad (not shown)
How this is measured
Recipient view: each grant at its grantee’s ZIP, mapped to a county. Directed view: each grant at the county its stated purpose names, falling back to the recipient’s county when the purpose names no place; US grants only. A county shows only if it carries the top 95% of that view’s dollars. Purposes are read from the funder’s own 990 grant descriptions.
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.
$520k · 10 repeat orgs$38k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +71% since the first grant, against -60% for those funded once.

10 repeat relationships: 7 still active in FY2025, 3 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

10
4

Total granted

$520k
$33k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+71%
-60%

Still filing today

90%
75%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 94% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $5k went to new ones.

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

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

’19’20’21’22’23’25
AnimalsHealthArts & CultureHuman ServicesYouth DevelopmentOther
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

  • Big Sur Health Center Inc
    5× · 2019–2025 · $30k · revenue +85%
  • BR
    Boys Republic
    4× · 2021–2025 · $22k · revenue +53%
  • MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM FOUNDATION
    6× · 2019–2025 · $18k · revenue +71%

Funded once

  • AU
    AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC
    one grant, 2023 · $25k · revenue -60%
  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2019 · $5k
  • WF
    WRIGHT FOUNDATION FOR PEDIATRIC OPHTHALMOLOGY AND STRABISMUS
    one grant, 2021 · $2k · revenue -71%
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 Francisco Bay Bird Observatory

The San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory is dedicated to the conservation of birds and their habitats through science and outreach.

Environment
2
Alaska Whale Foundation

Alaska Whale Foundation is dedicated to marine mammal conservation through research monitoring and education.

Environment
3
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
—
4
Reef Check Foundation

Leading Citizen scientists to promote stewardship of sustainable reef communities worldwide.

Environment
5
The Ocean Foundation

As the only community foundation for the ocean, The Ocean Foundation's 501(c)(3) mission is to improve global ocean health, climate resilience, and the blue economy. We create partnerships to connect people in the communities in which we…

Environment
6
Rainforest Trust

Rainforest trust saves endangered wildlife and protects our planet by creating rainforest reserves through partnerships, community engagement, and donor support.

International
7
Los Padres Forestwatch Inc

Los padres forestwatch protects the los padres national forest and the carrizo plain national monument through education, advocacy, and when necessary, legal action for the benefit of our communities, climate and future generations.

Environment
8
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

To sustain, restore, and enhance the nation's fish, wildlife, plants, and habitats.

Animals
9
The Water Research Foundation

The purpose of the water research foundation (wrf) is a definitive research organization to advance the science of all things water to better meet the evolving needs of its subscribers and the water sector. to engage exclusively in…

Environment
10
Ucsf Foundation Investment Company

The organization provides professional investment management services for endowed gifts and financial assets entrusted to the ucsf foundation.

Education
11
Marine Megafauna Foundation

Save threatened marine life using pioneering research, education, and sustainable conservation solutions

International
12
Ecological Rights Foundation

The mission of this organization shall be to educate the general public about environmental practices which cause harm to human health, the environment and other natural resources; and to seek redress of these harms through litigation or…

Environment
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Point Lobos Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Wright Foundation for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
05the grantee network

14 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

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 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 14 of the 16 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)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
14/14
Grantees still filing
8/14
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Friends of Florence: $375,900 · Arts & CultureFriends of FlorenceBig Sur Health Center Inc: $30,000 · OtherBig Sur Health Cent…AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC: $25,000 · OtherAUGUSTA UNIVERSITY …AMERICAN LIVER FOUNDATION: $20,000 · OtherAMERICAN LIVER FOUN…Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International Inc: $16,000 · OtherDian Fossey Gorilla…Individual grant recipient: $5,000 · Other+1 more: $1,000 · OtherMONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM FOUNDATION: $17,500 · AnimalsMONTEREY …BIG LIFE FOUNDATION USA: $16,000 · AnimalsBIG LIFE …JANE GOODALL INSTITUTE FOR WILDLIFE RESEARCH EDUCATION AND CONSERVATION: $8,500 · AnimalsJANE GOOD…THE DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST USA INC: $4,000 · AnimalsTHE DAVID…Boys Republic: $22,000 · Human ServicesAmerican Liver Foundation: $10,000 · HealthWRIGHT FOUNDATION FOR PEDIATRIC OPHTHALMOLOGY AND STRABISMUS: $1,500 · HealthRANCHO CIELO INC: $5,000 · Youth DevelopmentMONTEREY FIREFIGHTERS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $3,000 · Public Safety & Disaster
Arts & Culture$375,900Other$97,000Animals$46,000Human Services$22,000Health$11,500Youth Development$5,000Public Safety & Disaster$3,000

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

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetFriends of Florence: $375,900 over 5y, 14% of budgetBig Sur Health Center Inc: $30,000 over 5y, 0.9% of budgetAUGUSTA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBoys Republic: $22,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetMONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM FOUNDATION: $17,500 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetDian Fossey Gorilla Fund International Inc: $16,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetBIG LIFE FOUNDATION USA: $16,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetAmerican Liver Foundation: $10,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetJANE GOODALL INSTITUTE FOR WILDLIFE RESEARCH EDUCATION AND CONSERVATION: $8,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetRANCHO CIELO INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST USA INC: $4,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetWRIGHT FOUNDATION FOR PEDIATRIC OPHTHALMOLOGY AND STRABISMUS: $1,500 over 1y, 2.2% of budgetPoint Lobos Foundation: $1,000 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.

Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Donor Advised Charitable Giving IncCO5.4× affinity4 shared granteesties to 2 of 2Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: 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 Peter Fogliano & Hal Lester Foundation Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Peter Fogliano & Hal Lester Foundation Inc. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%1%4%8%15%funder's share of their income ↑0%10%20%30%40%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get no government money at all
    2report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–40%
    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 16 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 Peter Fogliano & Hal Lester’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