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Roberts Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Roberts Family Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$2.5M
Granted FY2024still arriving
12
Grants FY2024still arriving
5
States reached
$1.3M
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0191% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Social Science$7.1MScience & Tech$5.2MYouth Development$1.3MEducation$356kHealth$212kRecreation & Sports$191kArts & Culture$115kEnvironment$75kOther$0
02FY2024 · 12 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k7 grants · $13k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $10k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $387k
  • $250k+2 grants · $2.1M
$8,080
Median grant
5
States reached
$54M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL$1,347,534
HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL$758,940
HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL$219,712
HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL$167,625
REVOLUTIONARY SPACES$10,000
PAN-MASS CHALLENGE$8,080
GARY SINISE FOUNDATION$1,040
ST EDWARDS CATHOLIC CHURCH$1,040
PRINCETON$1,000
ST ANDREWS BY THE SEA$1,000
FLOW THRU CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS - POINT OLEMA PSHIPS$262
SUCCESS ACADEMY$103
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 (FY23–23, $500) land where the poverty rate runs at 16%, against an area that typically sits at 8%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 8%CHRISTOPHER'S HAVEN: $500 → 16%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

NH
WA
MI
NY
MA
NJ
TN
DC
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.

97%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$17M · 17 repeat orgs$514k to everyone else

17 repeat relationships: 4 still active in FY2024, 13 since wound down; 5 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

17
26

Total granted

$17M
$501k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+29%
+64%

Still filing today

47%
58%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $12k went to new ones.

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

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
EducationHealthArts & CultureSocial ScienceEnvironmentInternationalOther
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

  • TF
    THE FESSENDEN SCHOOL
    2× · 2017–2018 · $1.3M · revenue +9%
  • CH
    Children's Hospital Corporation
    3× · 2017–2019 · $186k · revenue +91%
  • HE
    HILLWOOD ESTATE MUSEUM & GARDENS
    3× · 2018–2021 · $100k · revenue +21%

Funded once

  • PA
    PRINCETON ANNUAL GIVING
    one grant, 2017 · $260k
  • TRUSTEES OF BOSTON COLLEGEgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $100k · revenue +70%
  • STEPPINGSTONE FOUNDATION INCgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $50k · revenue +118%
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
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The mission of mit is to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century.

Education
2
Boston Architectural College

The bac is committed to provide excellence in design education grounded in practice and accessible to diverse communities.

—
3
Trustees of Boston University

Organization's mission: boston university is an international, comprehensive, private research university, committed to educating students to be reflective, resourceful individuals ready to live, adapt, and lead in an interconnected world.…

—
4
President and Fellows of Harvard College

Undergraduate, graduate, and professional education and research across a broad array of academic domains.

Education
5
The Trustees of Princeton University

Research, education and general - princeton university is a private not-for-profit, non-sectarian institution of higher learning with approximately 5,700 undergraduate and 3,300 graduate students. 2,500 students graduated in the 2024-2025…

Education
6
University of New Haven

The University of New Haven is a student-centered comprehensive university with an emphasis on excellence in liberal arts and professional education. Our mission is to prepare our students to lead purposeful and fulfilling lives in a…

Education
7
Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute

Sanford burnham prebys medical discovery institute's mission is to advance the biomedical sciences by cultivating the next generation of scientific leaders, providing meaningful opportunities for researchers of all backgrounds to learn,…

Health
8
Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

We educate the next generation of leaders to improve the health of our society.

Education
9
New York Genome Center Inc

Operate a state-of-the-art, world-class genomic research center that creates and uses advanced genomics to understand the genetic basis of disease. for more information, see schedule o.

Health
10
United States Naval Institute

Provide an independent forum for those who dare to read, think, speak, and write to advance the professional, literary, and scientific understanding of sea power and other issues critical to global security.

—
11
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Leadership in the prevention, treatment, and cure of cancer through excellence, vision and cost effectiveness in patient care, outreach programs, research, and education.

Health
12
Western New England University

Western new england university, a comprehensive private institution with a tradition of excellence in teaching and scholarship and a commitment to service, awards undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degrees in various departments from…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Noble and Greenough School; the most unlike its peers is Create Good 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

27 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. 27 of the 49 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)
5
Early backer (in before they grew)
27/27
Grantees still filing
23/27
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL: $12,244,771 · OtherHARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOLMUNICIPALITY OF PRINCETON: $3,181,302 · OtherMUNICIPALITY OF PRINCETON+28 more: $559,713 · OtherTHE FESSENDEN SCHOOL: $1,300,000 · EducationTHE FESSEN…TRUSTEES OF BOSTON COLLEGE: $100,000 · EducationTRUSTEES O…Trustees of Dartmouth College: $100,000 · EducationTrustees o…NOBLE AND GREENOUGH SCHOOL: $86,000 · Education+2 more: $50,103 · EducationChildren's Hospital Corporation: $186,333 · Health+4 more: $6,850 · HealthHILLWOOD ESTATE MUSEUM & GARDENS: $100,000 · Arts & CultureREVOLUTIONARY SPACES INC: $10,000 · Arts & CultureESPLANADE ASSOCIATION INC: $6,000 · Arts & CultureThe Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach Inc: $4,800 · Arts & Culture+1 more: $650 · Arts & CultureAMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY RESEARCH: $79,000 · Social ScienceALLIANCE TO PROTECT NANTUCKET SOUND INC: $75,000 · EnvironmentCREATE GOOD FOUNDATION: $15,000 · International
Other$15,985,786Education$1,636,103Health$193,183Arts & Culture$121,450Social Science$79,000Environment$75,000International$15,000

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 FESSENDEN SCHOOL: $1,300,000 over 2y, 2.5% of budgetChildren's Hospital Corporation: $186,333 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetTRUSTEES OF BOSTON COLLEGE: $100,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTrustees of Dartmouth College: $100,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHILLWOOD ESTATE MUSEUM & GARDENS: $100,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetNOBLE AND GREENOUGH SCHOOL: $86,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetAMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY RESEARCH: $79,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetALLIANCE TO PROTECT NANTUCKET SOUND INC: $75,000 over 3y, 2.0% of budgetSTEPPINGSTONE FOUNDATION INC: $50,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetPAN-MASSACHUSETTS CHALLENGE INC: $12,850 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetREVOLUTIONARY SPACES INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetROBERT F KENNEDY CENTER FOR JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetESPLANADE ASSOCIATION INC: $6,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBLOOD CANCER UNITED INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetThe Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach Inc: $4,800 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetUniversity of Michigan: $2,500 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetSQUASHBUSTERS INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetPINK REVOLUTION BREAST CANCER ALLIANCE OF NH CORP: $1,500 over 1y, 2.6% of budgetDana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc: $1,100 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMASSACHUSETTS DOWN SYNDROME CONGRESS INC: $1,082 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetGARY SINISE FOUNDATION: $1,040 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAmerican Museum of Natural History: $650 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetALS ONE INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetChristopher's Haven Inc: $500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetAUTISM SCIENCE FOUNDATION: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSUCCESS ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOLS - NYC: $103 over 1y, 0.0% 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.

Boston Foundation IncGe Aerospace Foundati…American Tower Corpor…Eastern Bank Foundati…The Pfizer Foundation…Vanguard Charitable E…The Bank of America C…Charities Aid Foundat…Donor Advised Charita…Morgan Stanley Global…American Online Givin…Network for Good
Boston Foundation IncMA20.1× affinity8 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Boston Foundation Inc · Ge Aerospace Foundation · American Tower Corporation Foundation Inc · Eastern Bank Foundation · The Pfizer Foundation Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Charities Aid Foundation America · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Network for Good

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 Roberts Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Roberts Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 50%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 3%
  • Revolutionary Spaces Inc: 20% of income from government
  • Children's Hospital Corporation: 10% of income from government
  • Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc: 7% of income from government
  • Trustees of Boston College: 3% of income from government
  • Als One Inc: 1% of income from government
  • The Fessenden School: 0% of income from government
  • Pan-Massachusetts Challenge Inc: 0% of income from government
  • Steppingstone Foundation Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
5get no government money at all
6report 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 Roberts Family Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Roberts Family 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 49 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 Roberts 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