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Plinth

· Private foundation

Roger L Clifton 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.

$36k
Granted FY2025still arriving
16
Grants FY2025still arriving
7
States reached
$6k
Largest
01What you fund
0197% classified

What you funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year — across FY20192025.

Education$78kRecreation & Sports$57kArts & Culture$34kScience & Tech$25kFood & Nutrition$8kReligion$8kInternational$7kHealth$5kOther$0
02FY2025 · 16 grants

Where the money goes

Your grants by size, and where they go.

$1,500
Median grant
7
States reached
$678k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
FRIENDS OF HARVARD SWIMMING$6,000
GNOME SURF$5,000
UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO - TORERO STUDENT SUPPORT FUND$5,000
BOSTON BOOK FESTIVAL$5,000
MOSES BROWN SCHOOL (TRIPP FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP FUND)$3,000
WORLD COMPUTER EXCHANGE$2,000
DOWNTOWN EVENING SOUP KITCHEN$2,000
CENTER FOR FICTION$1,500
CAPE ELEUTHERA FOUNDATION$1,500
NANTUCKET BOOK FOUNDATION$1,000
IRAIVAN TEMPLE (SAN MARGA)$1,000
HANDS IN OUTREACH$500
ALLEN'S NECK FRIENDS MEETING$500
HARVARD UNIVERSITY$500
WESTPORT FAIR$500
02The need
03

Do your dollars go where the need is?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, then read against the area’s typical level.

show:

Your human-services grants (FY19–19, $1k) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of your grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%RIVER FUND: $1k → 13%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount

Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty linein the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP; grantee ZIP can differ from where services are delivered.

Which US states your grants reach

ME
VT
NY
MA
IN
PA
CT
RI
CA
NC
HI

US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are actually delivered. Need from public data — U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA — shown as context about the area, never attributed to your giving.

03Your edge
repeat funding

Who you back again

Which organizations you funded more than once, and which you funded a single time. Each grantee is matched to its own filings.

96%of every dollar goes to organizations you’ve funded before.
$203k · 29 repeat orgs$9k to everyone else

And the relationships you keep tend to grow: grantees you re-up on have seen median revenue of +36% since the first grant, against +30% for the ones you funded once.

29 repeat relationships — 13 still active in FY2025, 16 since wound down; 2 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

29
11

Total granted

$203k
$7k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+36%
+30%

Still filing today

52%
82%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 93% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $3k 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
EducationArts & CultureInternationalRecreation & SportsEnvironmentHuman ServicesOther

First-time = a grantee’s first year in your filing window; renewed = funded in an earlier year too. As a portfolio matures the renewed share naturally climbs — once funded, an org stays “renewable” — so the signal is the years that buck it (a new-grantee intake wave). 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

  • BB
    BOSTON BOOK FESTIVAL INC
    7× · 2019–2025 · $19k · revenue +108%
  • CAPE ELEUTHERA FOUNDATION INC
    5× · 2021–2025 · $9k · revenue +89%
  • DE
    DOWNTOWN EVENING SOUP KITCHEN INC
    4× · 2022–2025 · $8k · revenue +168%

Funded once

  • ESPERANZA ACADEMY INCgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $1k · revenue +203%
  • MC
    MALARIA CONSORTIUM US INCgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $1k · revenue +648%
  • TR
    THE RIVER FUND NEW YORK INCgraduated
    one grant, 2019 · $1k · revenue +89%

Repeat = funded in two or more distinct years; growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Your field

The map has a center of gravity: the average direction from the rest of the sector toward the organizations the foundation funds — the shape of its giving. Scoring every nonprofit along that direction surfaces the ones that look most like the portfolio. These are the closest matchesthat aren’t grantees — a resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
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
2
Westport Library Association Inc

The westport library was established for the purpose of maintaining a public library in the town of westport, connecticut. the library is committed to empowering the individual and strengthening the community through dynamic interaction…

Education
3
President and Trustees of Bates College

Bates is a college of the liberal arts and sciences, and is a coeducational, nonsectarian, residential college with special commitments to academic rigor, and to assuring in all of its efforts the dignity of each individual, and access to…

Education
4
Associates of Boston Public Library Inc

The associates of the boston public library is an independent nonprofit dedicated to preserving and promoting the historic, literary, and artistic treasures of the boston public library through targeted grantmaking and cultural events. by…

Education
5
Proprietors of the Salem Athenaeum

The mission of the salem athenaeum is to preserve and excite the literary and cultural passions of the north shore.

Education
6
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.…

7
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
8
Wheaton College

Wheaton college provides a transformative liberal arts education, combining theory and practice, for intellectually curious students within a collaborative and vibrant extended community and network that values and strives to create an…

Education
9
Trustees of Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College educates the most promising students and prepares them for a lifetime of learning and of responsible leadership, through a faculty dedicated to teaching and the creation of knowledge.

Education
10
Boston Architectural College

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

11
The Company of the Redwood Library and Athenaeum

Founded in 1747 on the enlightenment ideals of intellectual pursuit and civic engagement, the redwood library and athenaeum generates knowledge in the humanities for the benefit of the widest possible audience with nothing in view but the…

12
Westhampton Free Library

The mission of the library is to serve to the community, cultivate knowledge, promote curiosity, and inspire lifelong learning.

Education

For reference, the grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Our Sisters School and the most unlike its peers is Katie Brown Educational Program Inc. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.

For each theme you fund, this compares how the sector’s money is shifting with how your own giving is shifting.

← shrinkinggrowing →↓ leaning in → pulling backsteadyFood Pantries & AssistanceIndependent K-8 SchoolsPublic Library SupportLand Conservation Organizat…Community Arts OrganizationsClassical Music EnsemblesFaith-Based Liberal Arts Co…
the sector your giving your giving is ahead of the sector the sector’s ahead of you· dot size = how much the theme matters to each side
Ordered by the change in your giving — leaning in on top, pulling back at the bottom. The bar between the two dots is how out of step you are with the sector. Hover any row for detail.

Sector change and giving change are each shown relative to their own range, growing (right) or shrinking (left); both normalized, so inflation isn’t mistaken for growth.

Your grantees are a median of 29 years old; the field is 17. You back the established end — and your money leans older still.

THE FIELDby orgYOUR GRANTEESby number20%0%<5yr14%4%5–10yr20%18%10–20yr19%36%20–35yr14%14%35–55yr14%29%55yr+
THE FIELDby orgYOUR MONEYby value20%0%<5yr14%1%5–10yr20%27%10–20yr19%33%20–35yr14%11%35–55yr14%28%55yr+

The field is 20% startups (under 5 years old) — 0% of your grantees by number, and just 0% of your money.

Closures · last 5 years

The orgs you fund almost never close 0.0% lost their exemption, against 11% of the field you don’t fund.

orgs you fund
0.0%0/30
the rest of the field
11%
4,714/42,328

Age = years since IRS exemption (a founding proxy). “Closed” = auto-revocation for 3 years of non-filing — a floor on closure, not proof, and bigger established orgs lapse least. Association, not causation.

04the grantee network

28 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each one resolved to its own IRS returns and tracked year by year — your grant beside their revenue from every source. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

Counted here: distinct organizations you funded across 20172025, not grant rows in a single year — so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 28 of the 44 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile; the rest are funded organizations whose filings we could not track year by year.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
10
Early backer (in before they grew)
28/28
Grantees still filing
20/28
Grew since you first funded

Where your money sits — by cause, then by grantee

MOSES BROWN SCHOOL (TRIPP FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP FUND) — $31,968 · OtherMOSES BROWN SCHOOL (TRIPP FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP FUND)GNOME SURF — $31,300 · OtherGNOME SURFFRIENDS OF HARVARD SWIMMING — $21,000 · OtherFRIENDS OF HARVARD SWIMMINGYALE UNIVERSITY — $14,000 · OtherYALE UNIVERSITYUNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO - TORERO STUDENT SUPPORT FUND — $10,000 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO - TORERO STUDENT SUPPORT FUNDDOWNTOWN EVENING SOUP KITCHEN INC — $8,000 · OtherDOWNTOWN EVENING SOUP KITCHEN INCIRAIVAN TEMPLE (SAN MARGA) — $7,000 · Other+15 more — $23,100 · Other+15 moreBOSTON BOOK FESTIVAL INC — $19,150 · EducationBOSTON BOOK FESTIVAL INCPresident and Fellows of Harvard College — $15,500 · EducationPresident and Fellows of Ha…WORLD COMPUTER EXCHANGE INC — $13,000 · EducationWORLD COMPUTER EXCHANGE INCUniversity of Notre Dame du Lac — $2,000 · EducationOUR SISTERS SCHOOL — $2,000 · Education+5 more — $4,450 · Education+5 moreCAPE ELEUTHERA FOUNDATION INC — $9,000 · InternationalHANDS IN OUTREACH INC — $6,400 · InternationalBOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA INC — $2,750 · Arts & CultureTRYON CONCERT ASSOCIATION INC — $500 · Arts & CultureTRYON FINE ARTS CENTER INC — $500 · Arts & CultureTHE ACADEMY OF AMERICAN POETS INC — $250 · Arts & CultureYOUR THEATRE INC — $250 · Arts & CultureWESTPORT FAIR INC — $2,800 · Recreation & SportsInternational Surf Therapy Organization — $1,000 · Recreation & SportsSTARK MOUNTAIN FOUNDATION INC — $2,000 · EnvironmentBUZZARDS BAY COALITION — $600 · EnvironmentMALARIA CONSORTIUM US INC — $1,000 · Health
Other$146,368Education$56,100International$15,400Arts & Culture$4,250Recreation & Sports$3,800Environment$2,600Health$1,000

Each org by its size and your share of it — top-left is where you’re load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ your share of their budgetBOSTON BOOK FESTIVAL INC — $19,150 over 7y, 0.8% of budgetPresident and Fellows of Harvard College — $15,500 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetWORLD COMPUTER EXCHANGE INC — $13,000 over 7y, 8.8% of budgetCAPE ELEUTHERA FOUNDATION INC — $9,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetDOWNTOWN EVENING SOUP KITCHEN INC — $8,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetHANDS IN OUTREACH INC — $6,400 over 7y, 0.2% of budgetWESTPORT FAIR INC — $2,800 over 7y, 4.1% of budgetBOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA INC — $2,750 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetSTARK MOUNTAIN FOUNDATION INC — $2,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetUniversity of Notre Dame du Lac — $2,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetOUR SISTERS SCHOOL — $2,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetNew Haven Preservation Trust Incorporated — $1,500 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetESPERANZA ACADEMY INC — $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetInternational Surf Therapy Organization — $1,000 over 2y, 0.9% of budgetMALARIA CONSORTIUM US INC — $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE RIVER FUND NEW YORK INC — $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWESTPORT HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC — $600 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetBUZZARDS BAY COALITION — $600 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE WOLF SCHOOL INC — $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTRYON FINE ARTS CENTER INC — $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetKATIE BROWN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM INC — $450 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetTHE ACADEMY OF AMERICAN POETS INC — $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetYOUR THEATRE INC — $250 over 1y, 0.1% of budget
Go grantee by grantee — a decade per org, and how each moved after you funded them

A decade per grantee — revenue shaded, your grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

  • Who funds BOSTON BOOK FESTIVAL INC
  • Who funds President and Fellows of Harvard College
  • Who funds WORLD COMPUTER EXCHANGE INC
  • Who funds CAPE ELEUTHERA FOUNDATION INC
  • Who funds DOWNTOWN EVENING SOUP KITCHEN INC
  • Who funds HANDS IN OUTREACH INC
  • Who funds WESTPORT FAIR INC
  • Who funds BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA INC
  • Who funds STARK MOUNTAIN FOUNDATION INC
  • Who funds University of Notre Dame du Lac
  • Who funds OUR SISTERS SCHOOL
  • Who funds THE MERCANTILE LIBRARY ASSOCIATION OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK INC
  • Who funds New Haven Preservation Trust Incorporated
  • Who funds ESPERANZA ACADEMY INC
  • Who funds NANTUCKET BOOK FOUNDATION INC
  • Who funds International Surf Therapy Organization
  • Who funds MALARIA CONSORTIUM US INC
  • Who funds THE RIVER FUND NEW YORK INC
  • Who funds WESTPORT HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC
  • Who funds BUZZARDS BAY COALITION
  • Who funds TRYON CONCERT ASSOCIATION INC
  • Who funds WESTPORT BABE RUTH LEAGUE
  • Who funds THE WOLF SCHOOL INC
  • Who funds TRYON FINE ARTS CENTER INC
  • Who funds KATIE BROWN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM INC

The grantmakers whose grantees overlap with yours far more than size alone predicts. Each orbits closer the stronger the alignment; the arcs between them show where they also fund each other. Here it reads as a tightly interlocked camp — most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

Boston Foundation IncMA11.6× affinity4 shared granteesties to 9 of 9Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Boston Foundation Inc · The Ayco Charitable Foundation · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · American Endowment Foundation · National Philanthropic Trust · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile Foundation

Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. A research starting point: overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

Government reliance of your grantees

Every dot is one organization Roger L Clifton Foundation funds. Left–right is the share of its income from government; up–down is the share from you. Bigger dots raise more. Filter to federal, a single department, or state — and drag the year to watch it move.

2024
202122232425
no gov · 70%1%3%6%10%your share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from governmentmedian 1%
  • Buzzards Bay Coalition37% of income from government
  • New Haven Preservation Trust Incorporated29% of income from government
  • President and Fellows of Harvard College7% of income from government
  • Boston Book Festival Inc2% of income from government
  • Nantucket Book Foundation Inc1% of income from government
  • Your Theatre Inc1% of income from government
  • Westport Historical Society Inc1% of income from government
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra Inc0% of income from government
  • Our Sisters School0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
7get 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
typical government reliance, FY2025

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 your grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first — a floor, not 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 12–24 months.

On method. Every financial figure here is read directly from IRS e-file XML — your own 990/990-PF and the multi-year returns of the 44 grantees we resolved across every year we hold, several hundred filings in all (a different count from the grant rows on the cover, which are one fiscal year)— each linked to its source. Grantee achievements and outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III); we read these as association with sustained funding — the foundation is one of several forces — suppress low-confidence name matches rather than guess, and say so where a figure rests on a single grant or filing. Not everything on this page is a filed figure, and the difference matters. Filed is what you reported on your 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. How we build these →

Generated from your IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

More from the funding graph