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Robin & Christopher Steis Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Robin & Christopher Steis 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.

$32k
Granted FY2025still arriving
15
Grants FY2025still arriving
7
States reached
$25k
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, FY2019 to 2025.

Philanthropy$56kEducation$36kArts & Culture$10kEnvironment$8kInternational$3kHealth$3kMembership Benefit$2kRecreation & Sports$602Other$0
02FY2025 · 15 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k14 grants · $7k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $25k
$349
Median grant
7
States reached
$81k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
DELTA UPSILON EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION$25,000
Individual grant recipient$1,500
SMITHSONIAN ASSOCIATES$1,000
NATIONAL PARK FDN$1,000
YELLOWSTONE$1,000
WETA$500
UNBOUND$400
COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG FOUNDATION$349
NATIONAL TRUST FOR SCOTLAND FOUNDATION USA$262
Individual grant recipient$135
FRIENDS OF IOLANI PALACE$104
MONTANA STATE FOUNDATION$103
Individual grant recipient$100
BISHOP MUSEUM$65
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY$18
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 (FY19–25, $3k) land where the poverty rate runs at 16%, against an area that typically sits at 9%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 9%UNBOUND: $800 → 16%UNBOUND: $400 → 16%UNBOUND: $400 → 16%UNBOUND: $400 → 16%UNBOUND: $400 → 16%UNBOUND: $400 → 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

ID
MT
NY
MA
IN
NJ
VA
MD
AZ
KS
DC
HI
GA
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.

95%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$115k · 16 repeat orgs$6k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +68% since the first grant, against +5% for those funded once.

16 repeat relationships: 11 still active in FY2025, 5 since wound down; 4 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

16
19

Total granted

$115k
$5k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+68%
+5%

Still filing today

56%
53%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 98% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $732 went to new ones.

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

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

’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Arts & CultureHealthEnvironmentHuman ServicesHousing & ShelterEducationOther
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

  • DU
    DELTA UPSILON EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
    6× · 2020–2025 · $31k · revenue +126%
  • YF
    YELLOWSTONE FOREVER
    3× · 2022–2025 · $5k · revenue +68%
  • NP
    NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION
    5× · 2019–2025 · $3k · revenue +145%

Funded once

  • GC
    GOLISANO CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF NAPLES INCgraduated
    one grant, 2019 · $1k · revenue +58%
  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2024 · $781
  • ID
    INDIANA DONOR NETWORK
    one grant, 2019 · $500
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
Eastern National

Eastern national promotes the public's understanding and support of america's national parks and other public trust partners by providing quality educational experiences, products and services.

Recreation & Sports
2
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.

—
3
Npr Foundation

The npr foundation ("foundation") is organized and operated exclusively for the benefit of its sole supported organization, national public radio, inc. ("npr inc."). the foundation supports npr inc. through various activities such as…

—
4
American Geophysical Union

Agu's mission is to advance and support an inclusive community of earth and space scientists and partners dedicated to discovery and solutions to societal challenges. agu seeks to catalyze discovery and solutions to scientific and societal…

Science & Tech
5
Native Plant Trust Inc

The organization's mission is to conserve and promote new england's native plants to ensure healthy, biologically diverse landscapes.

Environment
6
Museum of American Finance

Finance impacts everyone. as a socially relevant organization, the museum of american finance seeks to improve understanding of the influence of financial institutions and capital markets on the u.s. and global economies, and on…

—
7
Jefferson National Parks Association

Jefferson national parks association provides quality educational products and related services that enhance public understanding and appreciation of america's national parks, public lands and historic places.

Arts & Culture
8
National Museum of Forest Service History

To share the rich history and stories of america's conservation legacy.

—
9
Environmental Investigation Agency

To establish and promote programs to protect the global climate, forests, wildlife and the natural environment, through research, advocacy, and investigation.

International
10
National Tropical Botanical Garden

To enrich life by perpetuating tropical plants, ecosystems and cultural heritage through discovery, scientific research, conservation, and education.

Environment
11
Natural History Institute

Natural History Institute is organized to provide leadership and resources for a revitalized practice of natural history that integrates art, science, and humanities to promote the health and well-being of humans and the rest of the…

Arts & Culture
12
Colorado Museum of Natural History

Be a catalyst! Ignite our community's passion for nature and science.

Arts & Culture
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is National Park Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Unbound. 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

23 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. 23 of the 39 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)
22/23
Grantees still filing
15/23
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Individual grant recipient: $56,053 · OtherIndividual grant recipientDELTA UPSILON EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION: $31,155 · OtherDELTA UPSILON EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONSMITHSONIAN ASSOCIATES: $4,800 · Other+22 more: $13,256 · Other+22 moreYELLOWSTONE FOREVER: $4,673 · Environment+1 more: $89 · EnvironmentGREATER WASHINGTON EDUCATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATION INC: $1,170 · Arts & CultureGOLISANO CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF NAPLES INC: $1,000 · Arts & CultureFORD'S THEATRE SOCIETY: $500 · Arts & CultureColonial Williamsburg Foundation: $349 · Arts & CultureBISHOP MUSEUM: $326 · Arts & CultureTHE NATIONAL TRUST FOR SCOTLAND FOUNDATION USA INC: $262 · Arts & Culture+1 more: $53 · Arts & CultureUnbound: $2,800 · Human ServicesFAMILIES FIGHTING FLU INC: $2,238 · Health+1 more: $53 · HealthAssociation of National Park Rangers: $2,000 · EducationShelter House Inc: $309 · Housing & Shelter
Other$105,264Environment$4,762Arts & Culture$3,660Human Services$2,800Health$2,291Education$2,000Housing & Shelter$309

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 budgetDELTA UPSILON EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION: $31,155 over 6y, 0.7% of budgetYELLOWSTONE FOREVER: $4,673 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION: $3,100 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetUnbound: $2,800 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetFAMILIES FIGHTING FLU INC: $2,238 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetAssociation of National Park Rangers: $2,000 over 2y, 1.0% of budgetGREATER WASHINGTON EDUCATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATION INC: $1,170 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetGOLISANO CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF NAPLES INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE FRIENDS OF IOLANI PALACE: $662 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetFORD'S THEATRE SOCIETY: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBISHOP MUSEUM: $326 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetShelter House Inc: $309 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE NATIONAL TRUST FOR SCOTLAND FOUNDATION USA INC: $262 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFive Talents USA: $259 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMUSEUM OF THE ROCKIES INC: $190 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetKUMU KAHUA THEATRE INC: $104 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHUNTINGTON'S DISEASE SOCIETY OF AMERICA INC: $103 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTKE FOUNDATION INC: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY INC: $53 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWHITE HOUSE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION: $53 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTRI-RIVER HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INC: $18 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.

The Ayco Charitable F…Greater Washington Co…Shell USA Company Fou…The Bank of America C…Gs Donor Advised Phil…National Philanthropi…American Endowment Fo…Vanguard Charitable E…The Blackbaud Giving …Morgan Stanley Global…Donor Advised Charita…American Online Givin…
The Ayco Charitable FoundationNY12.8× affinity5 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Ayco Charitable Foundation · Greater Washington Community Foundation · Shell USA Company Foundation · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · American Endowment Foundation · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · American Online Giving Foundation 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 Robin & Christopher Steis Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Robin & Christopher Steis Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%0%1%3%5%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
    4report 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 39 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 Robin & Christopher Steis’ 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