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California · Private foundation

Robert & Margaret McNamara 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.

$93k
Granted FY2025(still arriving)
56
Grants FY2025
50
Organizations funded FY2024
46%
First-time grantees FY2024
Read the full brief
Median grant, FY2025
$250
Largest grant, FY2025
$34,292
Organizations funded a year
20 to 50
FY2018 to FY2024
States reached, FY2025
11
Total assets, FY2025
$887k
Applications
Preselected organizations only
Per its most recent filing; check its own site

How open it is to new grantees

In FY2024, 46% of the organizations Robert & Margaret McNamara Foundation funded were first-time grantees, receiving 14% of its grant dollars.

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 86% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $13k 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
Arts & CultureFood & NutritionEnvironmentInternationalEducationHuman 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.
The numbers by year
Fiscal yearOrganizations fundedTo those organizationsFirst-time grantees
FY2025still arriving55$93k38%
FY202450$99k46%
FY202348$75k50%
FY202247$65k70%
FY202120$67k35%
FY202028$29k54%
FY201931$50k65%
FY201832$60kn/a
87% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2018 to 2025.

Environment$302kEducation$63kFood & Nutrition$55kCommunity Improvement$24kCrime & Legal$21kInternational$21kArts & Culture$13kPublic Benefit$11kOther$0

Where its grants go

Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.

Which US states its grants reach

VT
NH
MT
IL
WI
MI
NY
MA
IA
PA
RI
CA
CO
VA
MD
NC
SC
DC
HI
TX

Top grantees

Largest recipients by total granted, FY2018 to FY2025, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.

Show all 91 grantees
All grantees of Robert & Margaret McNamara Foundation by total granted
GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Center for Land-Based Learning$159,48062%
McE Social Capital$22,12220%
The Edible Schoolyard Project dba The Alice Waters Institute$19,54570%
Winters Farm to School$12,41085%
Rios to Rivers$11,00027%
Friends of Project Renew$10,70017%
Uc Santa Barbara Foundation$10,00020%
Democracy Now Productions Inc$9,10050%
Kitchen Table Advisors$6,2673n/a
Ecological Farming Association$5,09720%
Work on Climate$5,00011%
Yolo Land Trust$4,78570%
Real Organic Project Inc$3,00040%
Waging Peace in Vietnam Education Fund$3,0002n/a
Global Village Foundation$2,8001n/a
Sustainable Conservation$2,75050%
Solano Land Trust$2,55740%
The Sand County Foundation Inc$2,50050%
Martha's Vineyard Museum Inc$2,50010%
American Farmland Trust$2,45050%
The Uc Davis Foundation$2,20050%
American Leadership Forum Mountain Valley Chapter$2,04060%
Putah Creek Council$1,96340%
Yolo Food Bank$1,85050%
Historical Society of Winters$1,7503n/a
St James School$1,6503n/a
Occidental Arts and Ecology Center$1,50020%
St Paul's School$1,35040%
Kvie Inc$1,25020%
International House$1,18340%
Kitchen Sisters$1,15050%
Wild Farm Alliance$1,10050%
The Halo Trust (Usa) Inc$1,03610%
Mercy Corps$1,03010%
Sustainable Markets Foundation$1,00010%
Little Angels Service Dogs$1,00010%
Ujamaa Farmer Collective Association$1,00010%
Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services$1,00010%
Alfred a Braun Hut System Inc$1,00010%
Duke University$1,00010%
The Trust for Public Land$1,00010%
Independence Pass Foundation$1,00010%
FEAST Inc$85030%
World Central Kitchen Inc$77030%
Kqed Inc$75020%
La Pea Cultural Center Inc$75010%
St Francis High School$6502n/a
International House$51710%
Hawaii Farmers Union Foundation$51610%
Heroic Hearts Project Inc$50010%
Soil Born Farm Urban Agriculture Project$50010%
Glenview Classical Series$50010%
Reproductive Freedom for All$50010%
City of Austin$5001n/a
Coro Northern California Inc$50010%
John Muir Land Trust prev Muir Heritage Land Trust$50010%
League of Conservation Voters Inc$50010%
Refed Inc$49020%
Winters Friends of the Library$45020%
Redwood Coast Medical Services Inc$41510%
Nevada City Community Broadcast Group$37020%
City Slicker Farms$36510%
Evergreen Community Charter School$35210%
The Yolo Interfaith Immigration Network$35020%
Bread & Puppet Theatre Inc$30010%
American Leadership Forum National$30011%
Food Literacy Center$25810%
On Stage Vacaville$25810%
First Amendment Coalition$2501n/a
International House Davis$25010%
USA for Unfpa Inc$2501n/a
St Francis Catholic High School Of$2501n/a
Tipping Point Community$25010%
Natural Resources Defense Council Inc$25010%
Climate Ride Inc$25010%
Civil Eats$25010%
American Civil Liberties Union Foundation Inc$25010%
A Better Chance Inc$20810%
Tuleyome$20010%
Earthjustice$20010%
Winters Community Corazon$2001n/a
Heyday$10010%
Fred Finch Youth Center$10010%
Shop Class Inc$10010%
Filmmakers Collaborative$10010%
San Francisco Mime Troupe Inc$10010%
The Urban Food Initiative Inc$10010%
Pacific Studies Center$1001n/a
Illuminate the Arts$10010%
LandPaths$10010%
Middle East Children's Alliance$10010%

What it could do for these grantees

Plus 84 recipients with no EIN on record ($194k), not named here.

Where it is load-bearing

Each grantee by its size and the share of its budget Robert & Margaret McNamara Foundation supplied at peak.

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetCenter for Land-Based Learning: $159,480 over 6y, 2.2% of budgetMcE Social Capital: $22,122 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetThe Edible Schoolyard Project dba The Alice Waters Institute: $19,545 over 7y, 0.4% of budgetWinters Farm to School: $12,410 over 8y, 4.7% of budgetRios to Rivers: $11,000 over 2y, 7.0% of budgetFriends of Project Renew: $10,700 over 1y, 6.6% of budgetUc Santa Barbara Foundation: $10,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetDemocracy Now Productions Inc: $9,100 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetEcological Farming Association: $5,097 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetWork on Climate: $5,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetYolo Land Trust: $4,785 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetReal Organic Project Inc: $3,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetSustainable Conservation: $2,750 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetSolano Land Trust: $2,557 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetThe Sand County Foundation Inc: $2,500 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetMartha's Vineyard Museum Inc: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetAmerican Farmland Trust: $2,450 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetThe Uc Davis Foundation: $2,200 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetAmerican Leadership Forum Mountain Valley Chapter: $2,040 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetPutah Creek Council: $1,963 over 4y, 0.3% of budgetYolo Food Bank: $1,850 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetOccidental Arts and Ecology Center: $1,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSt Paul's School: $1,350 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetKvie Inc: $1,250 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetInternational House: $1,183 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetKitchen Sisters: $1,150 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetWild Farm Alliance: $1,100 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetThe Halo Trust (Usa) Inc: $1,036 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMercy Corps: $1,030 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSustainable Markets Foundation: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLittle Angels Service Dogs: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetUjamaa Farmer Collective Association: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSacramento Food Bank & Family Services: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAlfred a Braun Hut System Inc: $1,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetDuke University: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetThe Trust for Public Land: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetIndependence Pass Foundation: $1,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetFEAST Inc: $850 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetWorld Central Kitchen Inc: $770 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetKqed Inc: $750 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetLa Pea Cultural Center Inc: $750 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetInternational House: $517 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHawaii Farmers Union Foundation: $516 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHeroic Hearts Project Inc: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSoil Born Farm Urban Agriculture Project: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGlenview Classical Series: $500 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetReproductive Freedom for All: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCoro Northern California Inc: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budget

Tap a dot to name the grantee.

How this is measured
Share of budget is the funder’s grant in a year over the grantee’s total revenue that year, at its highest across the years we hold; revenue is from all sources. Only grantees confirmed against their own filings, whose grants do not exceed their revenue, are plotted: the largest 79.

Nonprofits that may fit its grantmaking

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 Francisco FoundationCA26.3× affinity16 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The San Francisco Foundation · Sacramento Region Community Foundation · Mariani Nut Company Foundation Inc · Marin Community Foundation · Clif Family Foundation · Teichert Foundation · Silicon Valley Community Foundation · Western Health Advantage · The James Irvine Foundation · The California Wellness Foundation · Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco the Peninsula Marin & Sonoma · The Elizabeth R & William J Patterson 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.

Compare Robert & Margaret McNamara Foundation with peer funders

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to Robert & Margaret McNamara Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Robert & Margaret McNamara 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.

About Robert & Margaret McNamara Foundation

How much does Robert & Margaret McNamara Foundation give?
Robert & Margaret McNamara Foundation reported 56 grants totaling $93,001 in its FY2025 IRS filing. It funded between 20 and 50 organizations a year over FY2018 to FY2024.
What does Robert & Margaret McNamara Foundation fund?
By grant dollars over FY2018 to FY2025, its largest causes are Environment (54%), Education (11%), Food & Nutrition (10%).
Who are Robert & Margaret McNamara Foundation's largest grantees?
By total granted over FY2018 to FY2025: Center for Land-Based Learning ($159k), McE Social Capital ($22k), The Edible Schoolyard Project dba The Alice Waters Institute ($20k).
Does Robert & Margaret McNamara Foundation fund new organizations?
In FY2024, 46% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
Does Robert & Margaret McNamara Foundation accept unsolicited applications?
Its most recent filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and does not take unsolicited requests. Check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.
Which funders back the same organizations as Robert & Margaret McNamara Foundation?
Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include The San Francisco Foundation, Sacramento Region Community Foundation, Mariani Nut Company Foundation Inc.
Where is Robert & Margaret McNamara Foundation based?
Robert & Margaret McNamara Foundation is based in CA.

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 182 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

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