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Philip E Fess Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Philip E Fess Family Foundation

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.

$56k
Granted FY2025still arriving
10
Grants FY2025still arriving
6
States reached
$10k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0197% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Food & Nutrition$160kHealth$154kHuman Services$39kArts & Culture$25kEducation$18kRecreation & Sports$11kAnimals$11kPublic Safety & Disaster$7kOther$0
02FY2025 · 10 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k7 grants · $26k
  • $10k–50k3 grants · $30k
$6,000
Median grant
6
States reached
$976k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
FEEDING SAN DIEGO$10,400
TOP BOX FOODS$10,000
WORLD CENTRAL KITCHENS$10,000
HADLEY INSTITUTE$6,370
FENIX FAMILY HEALTH CENTER$6,000
ST JUDE'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL$6,000
LUCKY DUCK FOUNDATION$2,500
THE EVANS SCHOOL$2,000
LEUKEMIA LYMPHOMA SOCIETY$2,000
PAN CAN PURPLE STRIDE$1,000
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 (FY18–21, $10k) land where the poverty rate runs at 12%, 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%BLACK MOUNTAIN HOME: $2k → 12%BLACK MOUNTAIN HOME: $2k → 12%BLACK MOUNTAIN HOME: $1k → 12%BLACK MOUNTAIN HOME: $1k → 12%CHALLENGED ATHLETES FOUNDATION: $4k → 11%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.

Which US states its grants reach

WA
MT
IL
NY
IA
CA
VA
MD
TN
NC
DC
TX
FL
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.
$477k · 25 repeat orgs$38k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +32% since the first grant, against +4% for those funded once.

25 repeat relationships: 7 still active in FY2025, 18 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

25
21

Total granted

$477k
$28k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+32%
+4%

Still filing today

72%
52%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 83% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $9k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
HealthFood & NutritionInternationalEducationPhilanthropyHuman ServicesOther
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

  • FS
    FEEDING SAN DIEGO
    6× · 2020–2025 · $73k · revenue +29%
  • FF
    Fenix Family Health Center
    9× · 2017–2025 · $62k · revenue +157%
  • TB
    TOP BOX FOODS
    8× · 2017–2025 · $57k · revenue +310%

Funded once

  • SD
    SAN DIEGUITO SURF SOCCER CLUB
    one grant, 2022 · $5k · revenue -99%
  • Best Buddies International Inc
    one grant, 2023 · $4k · revenue +18%
  • CA
    CHALLENGED ATHLETES INC
    one grant, 2019 · $4k · revenue 0%
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
Curebound

Curebound's mission is to accelerate cancer research and save lives. we raise and invest strategic funding for innovative adult and pediatric cancer research with one vision: cures in our lifetime.

Health
2
St Francis Foundation of Santa Barbara

The mission of st. francis foundation of santa barbara is to promote and support health care.

Health
3
The Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Fdn Group

Susan g. komen 's mission is to save lives by meeting the most critical needs in our communities & investing in breakthrough research to prevent & cure breast cancer.

—
4
Balboa Park Conservancy

Balboa Park Conservancy (the Conservancy) was organized on November 3, 1923. The Conservancy is the City of San Diegos (the City) partner and advocated for the greater good of Balboa Park (the Park). The Conservancy collaborated with and…

—
5
Ucsf Foundation Investment Company

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

Education
6
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc

The mission of dfci is to provide expert, compassionate, and equitable care to children, adults, and their families, while advancing the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, cure, and prevention of cancer and related diseases. we train new…

Health
7
San Diego Habitat Conservancy

Acquire, manage and protect land in perpetuity that supports sensitive habitats and species, and to educate and inspire people and communities as stewards and advocates of their natural environment.

Arts & Culture
8
Sutter Bay Hospitals

MISSION STATEMENT: MISSION: CARING FOR OUR PATIENTS FIRST AND OUR PEOPLE ALWAYS. VISION: TO BE THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE, INTEGRATED AND CONNECTED HEALTH SYSTEM FOR GETTING AND STAYING WELL. VALUES: EXCELLENCE - We deliver high-quality,…

Health
9
Community Foundation Santa Cruz County

To promote philanthropy to make santa cruz county a better place to live, now and in the future.we bring together people, ideas, and resources to inspire philanthropy and accomplish great things.

Philanthropy
10
California Institute for BioMedical Research

Our mission is to build a unique institute that bridges basic research and drug discovery, and that attracts the best and brightest scientists, physicians and students to work together synergistically to find cures for neglected human…

—
11
Gastro Intestinal Research Foundation Inc

The GI Research Foundation works to treat, prevent, and cure digestive diseases. In collaboration with the physicians and scientists at the University of Chicago Digestive Diseases Center, we fund innovative clinical and laboratory…

Health
12
Cancer Research and Biostatistics

To help conquer cancer and other diseases through the application of biostatistical principles and innovative data management methods.

Health
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The San Diego Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Evans School 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

30 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. 30 of the 50 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)
4
Early backer (in before they grew)
30/30
Grantees still filing
19/30
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

FEEDING SAN DIEGO: $73,200 · Food & NutritionFEEDING SAN DIEGOTOP BOX FOODS: $57,000 · Food & NutritionTOP BOX FOODSJACOBS & CUSHMAN SAN DIEGO FOOD BANK: $50,000 · Food & NutritionJACOBS & CUSHMAN SAN DIEGO FOOD BANKAmerican Brain Tumor Association: $39,000 · OtherAmerican Brain Tumor AssociationYMCA OF MISSION VALLEY: $30,000 · OtherYMCA OF MISSION VALLEYTHE ROSS K MCNEILL FDN: $15,000 · OtherTHE ROSS K MCNEILL FDNBISHOP SCHOOL: $14,000 · OtherBISHOP SCHOOLTHE ROSS KJ MCNEILL FDN: $13,000 · OtherTHE ROSS KJ MCNEILL FDNKPBS: $8,000 · OtherHADLEY INSTITUTE: $6,370 · Other+22 more: $32,330 · Other+22 moreFenix Family Health Center: $62,000 · HealthFenix Family Health CenterST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC: $55,000 · HealthST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH H…LUCKY DUCK FOUNDATION: $5,500 · Health+5 more: $10,250 · Health+5 moreWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $17,000 · InternationalBest Buddies International Inc: $4,000 · InternationalGLOBAL COMMUNITIES: $2,000 · InternationalBLACK MOUNTAIN HOME FOR CHILDREN YOUTH AND FAMILIES INC: $6,000 · Human ServicesCHALLENGED ATHLETES INC: $3,500 · Human ServicesThe Anti-Cruelty Society: $8,000 · AnimalsMontana Wild Wings Recovery Center: $1,000 · AnimalsMt Helix Park Foundation: $2,000 · PhilanthropyTHE SAN DIEGO FOUNDATION: $2,000 · PhilanthropyTHE OCTOBER SAVES GOALIE CHALLENGE: $500 · Philanthropy
Food & Nutrition$180,200Other$157,700Health$132,750International$23,000Human Services$9,500Animals$9,000Philanthropy$4,500

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 budgetFEEDING SAN DIEGO: $73,200 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetFenix Family Health Center: $62,000 over 9y, 1.1% of budgetTOP BOX FOODS: $57,000 over 8y, 1.5% of budgetST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC: $55,000 over 9y, 0.0% of budgetJACOBS & CUSHMAN SAN DIEGO FOOD BANK: $50,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetAmerican Brain Tumor Association: $39,000 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $17,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetThe Anti-Cruelty Society: $8,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetBLACK MOUNTAIN HOME FOR CHILDREN YOUTH AND FAMILIES INC: $6,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetLUCKY DUCK FOUNDATION: $5,500 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetSAN DIEGUITO SURF SOCCER CLUB: $5,200 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBest Buddies International Inc: $4,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE UC DAVIS FOUNDATION: $4,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetCHALLENGED ATHLETES INC: $3,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBLOOD CANCER UNITED INC: $3,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetGirls on the Run of San Diego: $3,000 over 2y, 0.6% of budgetCabrillo National Monument Foundation: $2,500 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetMt Helix Park Foundation: $2,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetThe Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Inc: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE SAN DIEGO FOUNDATION: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGLOBAL COMMUNITIES: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSCRIPPS HEALTH: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetEmilio Nares Foundation: $1,500 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetCROHN'S & COLITIS FOUNDATION INC: $1,250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetALBION 12 FOUNDATION: $1,030 over 2y, 1.4% of budgetMontana Wild Wings Recovery Center: $1,000 over 1y, 1.4% of budgetTorrey Pines Association DBA Torrey Pines Conservancy: $1,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetSARAH'S CIRCLE: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE OCTOBER SAVES GOALIE CHALLENGE: $500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetEVANS SCHOOL FOUNDATION: $300 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.

The San Diego Foundat…Sempra FoundationRancho Santa Fe Found…Jewish Community Foun…Charities Aid Foundat…National Philanthropi…Vanguard Charitable E…American Endowment Fo…Morgan Stanley Global…The Bank of America C…American Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…
The San Diego FoundationCA18.7× affinity7 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The San Diego Foundation · Sempra Foundation · Rancho Santa Fe Foundation · Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego · Charities Aid Foundation America · National Philanthropic Trust · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · American Endowment Foundation · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving 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 Philip E Fess Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Philip E Fess 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%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 44%
  • Global Communities: 44% of income from government
  • Best Buddies International Inc: 4% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
7report 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.

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 50 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 Philip E Fess 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