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Sands Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Sands Family 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.

$68k
Granted FY2025still arriving
13
Grants FY2025still arriving
6
States reached
$50k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0195% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2025.

Education$438kPhilanthropy$44kHuman Services$23kReligion$21kHousing & Shelter$13kHealth$12kArts & Culture$12kEnvironment$10kOther$0
02FY2025 · 13 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k11 grants · $8k
  • $10k–50k2 grants · $60k
$500
Median grant
6
States reached
$541k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
WILLIAMS COLLEGE$49,796
PENFED FOUNDATION$10,000
THE GOOD SHEPHERD CHURCH$3,000
EMMANUAL CHURCH$1,000
QUAIL VALLEY CHARITIES$1,000
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF INDIAN RIVER COUNTY$510
DANA FARBER INSTITUTE$500
VERO BEACH DOG PARK$500
TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA COLLEGE$500
Individual grant recipient$500
GARDEN CLUB OF DUBLIN$300
TENACITY$250
THE WALDEN SCHOOL$250
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 (FY20–24, $22k) land where the poverty rate runs at 9%, against an area that typically sits at 8%. 94% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 8%EAST END HOUSE: $1k → 8%BRIDGEPORT RESCUE MISSION: $5k → 9%BRIDGEPORT RESCUE MISSION: $3k → 9%BRIDGEPORT RESCUE MISSION: $3k → 9%BRIDGEPORT RESCUE MISSION: $3k → 9%THE RIVER CENTER: $200 → 7%THE RIVER CENTER: $100 → 7%MONADNOCK FAMILY SERVICES: $4k → 9%MONADNOCK FAMILY SERVICES: $2k → 9%MONADNOCK FAMILY SERVICES: $1k → 9%MONADNOCK FAMILY SERVICES: $1k → 9%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

VT
NH
MI
NY
MA
OR
CT
CA
VA
MD
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.

96%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$560k · 29 repeat orgs$22k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +33% since the first grant, against +24% for those funded once.

29 repeat relationships: 6 still active in FY2025, 23 since wound down; 7 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

29
20

Total granted

$560k
$15k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+33%
+24%

Still filing today

66%
45%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 91% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $6k went to new ones.

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

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

’20’21’22’23’24’25
EducationHuman ServicesArts & CultureHealthFood & NutritionAnimalsOther
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

  • Williams College
    6× · 2020–2025 · $422k · revenue +51%
  • JF
    JOHN F KENNEDY FAMILY SERVICE CENTER INC
    5× · 2020–2024 · $13k · revenue +60%
  • TM
    The Monadnock Conservancy
    4× · 2020–2024 · $10k · revenue +199%

Funded once

  • PL
    PETERBOUROUGH LIBRARY
    one grant, 2020 · $5k
  • PAN-MASSACHUSETTS CHALLENGE INC
    one grant, 2021 · $3k · revenue +24%
  • HH
    HOME HEALTHCARE AND HOSPICE SERVICES
    one grant, 2022 · $2k
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
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
2
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
3
Dean College

Dean college is a private, residential new england college grounded in a culture and tradition that all students deserve the opportunity to discover and exceed their greatest aspirations. a personal and transformative community since 1865,…

Education
4
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
5
Mcphs University

Mcphs university prepares students for careers in health care through teaching, scholarship, research, professional service and community engagement.

Education
6
Nichols College

Nichols college strives to develop tomorrow's leaders through a dynamic, career-focused business education. the college transforms students into successful graduates who respond to challenges, are eager for responsibility, and assume…

Education
7
Northeast College of Health Sciences

Northeast college of health sciences (the college) is committed to academic excellence, leadership, and professional best practices in the health sciences.

Education
8
Boston Architectural College

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

—
9
Massachusetts Higher Education Assistance Corporation

The organization's primary exempt purpose is to provide access to and conduct activities in furtherance of higher education.

—
10
Quinnipiac University

To build the university of the future with a strategy propelling us from our storied past toward an ambitious, inclusive & innovative future by preparing graduates as enlightened global citizens equipped for the challenges & opportunities…

Education
11
President and Fellows of Harvard College

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

Education
12
Dublin School Inc

At dublin school we strive to awaken a curiosity for knowledge and a passion for learning. we instill the values of discipline and meaningful work that are necessary for the good of self and community. we respect the individual learning…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Mending Hearts Inc; the most unlike its peers is Dublin Community 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

32 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. 32 of the 57 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)
8
Early backer (in before they grew)
32/32
Grantees still filing
27/32
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Williams College: $422,080 · EducationWilliams College+5 more: $6,600 · EducationPENFED FOUNDATION: $40,000 · OtherPENFED FOUNDATIONEMMANUAL CHURCH: $17,500 · OtherEMMANUAL CHURCHJOHN F KENNEDY FAMILY SERVICE CENTER INC: $12,500 · OtherJOHN F KENNEDY FAMIL…PETERBOUROUGH LIBRARY: $5,000 · Other+33 more: $28,060 · Other+33 moreBRIDGEPORT RESCUE MISSION INC: $12,500 · Human ServicesMONADNOCK FAMILY SERVICES: $8,000 · Human ServicesEAST END HOUSE INC: $1,000 · Human Services+1 more: $300 · Human ServicesPETERBOROUGH PLAYERS INC: $7,000 · Arts & CultureThe OSS Society Inc: $2,550 · Arts & CultureDUBLIN COMMUNITY CENTER: $450 · Arts & Culture+1 more: $100 · Arts & CultureThe Monadnock Conservancy: $10,000 · EnvironmentMonadnock Community Hospital: $3,000 · HealthDana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc: $1,500 · HealthMENDING HEARTS INC: $500 · HealthTHE CORNUCOPIA PROJECT INC: $2,357 · Food & NutritionTHE COMMUNITY KITCHEN INC: $500 · Food & Nutrition
Education$428,680Other$103,060Human Services$21,800Arts & Culture$10,100Environment$10,000Health$5,000Food & Nutrition$2,857

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 budgetWilliams College: $422,080 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetBRIDGEPORT RESCUE MISSION INC: $12,500 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetJOHN F KENNEDY FAMILY SERVICE CENTER INC: $12,500 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetThe Monadnock Conservancy: $10,000 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetMONADNOCK FAMILY SERVICES: $8,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetPETERBOROUGH PLAYERS INC: $7,000 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetMonadnock Community Hospital: $3,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetThe OSS Society Inc: $2,550 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetPAN-MASSACHUSETTS CHALLENGE INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE CORNUCOPIA PROJECT INC: $2,357 over 4y, 0.4% of budgetTHE EPIPHANY SCHOOL INC: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSERVICE TO SCHOOL: $2,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetWARRIOR-SCHOLAR PROJECT FOUNDATION: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetJacksonville University: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetDana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc: $1,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetVERO BEACH DOG PARK INC: $1,250 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetPOODLE AND POOCH RESCUE INC: $1,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetBOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF INDIAN RIVER COUNTY INC: $510 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE COMMUNITY KITCHEN INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMENDING HEARTS INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE ST CHRISTOPHER SCHOOL INC: $500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSCALPEL AT THE CROSS INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDUBLIN COMMUNITY CENTER: $450 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetTHE RIVER CENTER FAMILY & COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER: $300 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetTENACITY INC: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDUBLIN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $250 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetDANA-FARBER INC: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY: $100 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.

New Hampshire Charita…Eaton Family Fund IncGilbert Verney Founda…Eversource Energy Fou…The Kingsbury FundHoffman Family Founda…The Memton Fund IncGs Donor Advised Phil…Vanguard Charitable E…Morgan Stanley Global…The Bank of America C…National Philanthropi…
New Hampshire Charitable FoundationNH20.2× affinity8 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: New Hampshire Charitable Foundation · Eaton Family Fund Inc · Gilbert Verney Foundation · Eversource Energy Foundation Inc · The Kingsbury Fund · Hoffman Family Foundation · The Memton Fund Inc · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · National Philanthropic Trust

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 Sands Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Sands 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%10%20%30%40%share of the org’s income from government →median 3%
  • Trustees of Boston University: 12% of income from government
  • Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc: 7% of income from government
  • East End House Inc: 3% of income from government
  • Jacksonville University: 3% of income from government
  • The Epiphany School Inc: 0% of income from government
  • Pan-Massachusetts Challenge Inc: 0% of income from government
  • Williams College: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
5get no government money at all
7report 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 57 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 Sands 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