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Plum Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Plum 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.

$731k
Granted FY2022
27
Grants FY2022
7
States reached
$85k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02Its granteesRead
03Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0187% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Health$368kArts & Culture$270kEducation$220kEnvironment$109kFood & Nutrition$95kCivil Rights$45kHousing & Shelter$35kPhilanthropy$30kOther$0
02FY2022 · 27 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 27 grants below total $611,000, the rows itemized in this filing. The $731,000 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $120,000 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2022

  • Under $10k7 grants · $38k
  • $10k–50k16 grants · $294k
  • $50k–250k4 grants · $280k
$12,500
Median grant
7
States reached
$1.7M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Dalhousie University$84,500
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center$80,000
Briscoe Western Art Museum$60,000
Halifax Sexual Health Centre$55,000
Doheny Eye Institute$34,500
UCLA Foundation$30,000
WRRAP$30,000
Los Angeles Family Housing$25,000
King Baudouin Foundation United States$25,000
Food Forward$20,000
Crested Butte Center for the Arts$20,000
Blank Theatre Company$20,000
Santa Monica Arts Foundation$15,000
Friends of Israel's Environment$12,500
Friends of Vancouver Foundation$12,000
02Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

70%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$843k · 17 repeat orgs$353k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +34% since the first grant, against +18% for those funded once.

17 repeat relationships: 13 still active in FY2022, 4 since wound down; 12 grantees were first funded in FY2022 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

17
10

Total granted

$843k
$151k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+34%
+18%

Still filing today

59%
30%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2022, 64% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $202k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’20’22
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’20’22
Arts & CultureHealthHuman ServicesPhilanthropyFood & NutritionRecreation & SportsOther
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

  • CEDARS-SINAI MEDICAL CENTER
    2× · 2020–2022 · $130k · revenue +55%
  • DE
    DOHENY EYE INSTITUTE
    2× · 2020–2022 · $85k · revenue +34%
  • FF
    FOOD FORWARD INC
    3× · 2017–2022 · $80k · revenue +483%

Funded once

  • UO
    University of Texas, San Antonio
    one grant, 2020 · $50k
  • R
    Relmagine
    one grant, 2020 · $20k
  • QI
    QE II Foundation
    one grant, 2020 · $20k
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.

03Its 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 San Diego Foundation

The san diego foundation inspires enduring philanthropy and enables community solutions to improve the quality of life in our region.

Philanthropy
2
San Diego Opera Association

Mission: the mission of san diego opera is to deliver exceptional performances and exciting, accessible programs to diverse audiences, focusing on community partnerships, and the transformative and expressive power of the human voice. as…

Arts & Culture
3
Academy of Television Arts and Sciences

The Television Academy is dedicated to celebrating excellence, innovation and the advancement of the telecommunications arts and sciences through recognition, education and leadership, while fostering a diverse, inclusive and accessible…

—
4
University of California Irvine Foundation

The mission of the university of california, irvine foundation (uc irvine foundation) is to raise and manage private funds to support uc irvine's broader mission of excellence in teaching, research and public service. to this end, the uc…

Education
5
Los Angeles Opera Company

To serve the public by producing world-class opera that preserves, promotes and advances the art form while embodying the diversity, spirit and artistic sensibility unique to los angeles. we envision an engaged and enlightened community in…

Arts & Culture
6
Latino Theater Company

The latino theater company operates the los angeles theatre center, whose mission is to provide a world class arts center for those pursuing artistic excellence; a laboratory where both tradition and innovation are honored and honed; a…

Arts & Culture
7
University of Southern California

The central mission of the university of southern california is the development of human beings and society as a whole through the cultivation and enrichment of the human mind and spirit. the principal means by which our mission is…

Education
8
Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego

The museum of contemporary art san diego invites all audiences to experience our world, our region, and ourselves through the prism of contemporary art.

Arts & Culture
9
Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy

To improve the skills, wages, and working conditions of workers in the tourism industry and to assure that the benefits of tourism contribute equitably to the economic and social development of all communities in the greater los angeles…

Health
10
Uc Santa Barbara Foundation

The uc santa barbara foundation actively works to further the goals of the university of california, santa barbara. the foundation seeks to maintain and nurture the university's quality and distinction. on behalf of the campus, the…

Education
11
Los Angeles Conservancy

The los angeles conservancy is a nonprofit membership organization that works through education and advocacy to recognize, preserve, and revitalize the historic architectural and cultural resources of los angeles county.

Arts & Culture
12
The California Medical Innovations Institute Inc

The Institute is a scientific research center dedicated to conducting basic and applied research to advance the understanding of human disease and the improvement of human health. The Institute fosters an innovative research environment…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is California Community Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Doheny Eye Institute. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
03the grantee network

24 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. 24 of the 42 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)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
24/24
Grantees still filing
16/24
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Briscoe Western Art Museum: $135,000 · OtherBriscoe Western Art MuseumDalhousie University: $119,500 · OtherDalhousie UniversityDOHENY EYE INSTITUTE: $84,500 · OtherDOHENY EYE INSTITUTEHalifax Sexual Health Centre: $55,000 · OtherHalifax Sexual Health CentreUniversity of Texas, San Antonio: $50,000 · OtherUniversity of Texas, San AntonioTHE BLANK THEATRE COMPANY: $45,000 · OtherFriends of Israel's Environment: $41,000 · OtherHalifax Sexual Health Center: $33,000 · OtherAccelerated H2O: $30,000 · OtherEpilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles: $30,000 · Other+20 more: $228,000 · Other+20 moreCEDARS-SINAI MEDICAL CENTER: $130,000 · HealthCEDARS-SINAI ME…Women's Reproductive Rights Assistance Project: $30,000 · HealthWomen's Reprodu…CHRISTUS CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION: $10,000 · HealthCHRISTUS CHILDR…FOOD FORWARD INC: $80,000 · Food & NutritionTHE CENTER FOR THE ARTS: $20,000 · Arts & CultureSANTA MONICA ARTS FOUNDATION INC: $20,000 · Arts & CultureSKIRBALL CULTURAL CENTER: $15,000 · Arts & CultureALAMO PUBLIC TELECOMMUNICATIONS COUNCIL DOING BUSINESS AS KLRN: $10,000 · Arts & CultureUCLA FOUNDATION: $45,000 · EducationBEXAR COUNTY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER FDN TOBIN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ART: $15,000 · EducationMYRIAD USA INC: $25,000 · InternationalPHIL HARDBERGER PARK CONSERVANCY: $25,000 · Recreation & Sports
Other$851,000Health$170,000Food & Nutrition$80,000Arts & Culture$65,000Education$60,000International$25,000Recreation & Sports$25,000

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 budgetCEDARS-SINAI MEDICAL CENTER: $130,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetDOHENY EYE INSTITUTE: $84,500 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetFOOD FORWARD INC: $80,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetUCLA FOUNDATION: $45,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE BLANK THEATRE COMPANY: $45,000 over 3y, 9.7% of budgetWomen's Reproductive Rights Assistance Project: $30,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetMYRIAD USA INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPHIL HARDBERGER PARK CONSERVANCY: $25,000 over 2y, 8.0% of budgetTHE CENTER FOR THE ARTS: $20,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetSANTA MONICA ARTS FOUNDATION INC: $20,000 over 2y, 46% of budgetSAN ANTONIO FOOD BANK: $15,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLANGE FOUNDATION: $15,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetSKIRBALL CULTURAL CENTER: $15,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetBEXAR COUNTY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER FDN TOBIN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ART: $15,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetFriends of Israels Environment: $12,500 over 1y, 10% of budgetALAMO PUBLIC TELECOMMUNICATIONS COUNCIL DOING BUSINESS AS KLRN: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetTHE HIDE AND SEEK FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 2y, 2.2% of budgetCHRISTUS CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMorgan's Inclusion Initiative FKA Morgan's Wonderland Inclusion Foundation: $10,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetCALIFORNIA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPICO UNION PROJECT: $5,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetNAACP LEGAL DEFENSE & EDUC FUND INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSan Antonio Foundation for Excellence in Education Inc: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetLHASA HAPPY HOMES RESCUE INC: $5,000 over 1y, 2.8% 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.

Betty Stieren Kelso F…Nancy Smith Hurd Foun…Barrett Family Founda…Faye L & William L Co…Harvey E Najim Charit…Greater Houston Commu…Vanguard Charitable E…Morgan Stanley Global…National Philanthropi…Fidelity Investments …American Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…
Betty Stieren Kelso FoundationTX15.7× affinity5 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Betty Stieren Kelso Foundation · Nancy Smith Hurd Foundation · Barrett Family Foundation · Faye L & William L Cowden Charitable Foundation · Harvey E Najim Charitable Foundation · Greater Houston Community Foundation · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · 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.

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 42 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.

Possibly out of date. A more recent filing (FY2025) is on record and reports $1.0M of grant expense with no grantee named in the published copy. A private foundation itemizes every grant it makes, so a return carrying none has filed its list as an attachment that the public copy does not include. The figures above are therefore from FY2022, the most recent year this funder’s grantee list reached the public record.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Plum’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