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Seattle-Sonoran Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Seattle-Sonoran Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$390k
Granted FY2024still arriving
57
Grants FY2024still arriving
10
States reached
$60k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0193% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Education$607kHealth$408kEnvironment$387kCivil Rights$189kHuman Services$182kRecreation & Sports$123kInternational$123kAnimals$119kOther$0
02FY2024 · 57 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k40 grants · $160k
  • $10k–50k16 grants · $170k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $60k
$5,000
Median grant
10
States reached
$2.8M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
EWU FOUNDATION$60,000
SEATTLE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL FDN$15,000
SCHOOL ON WHEELS$12,500
ALEXANDRIA HOUSE$12,500
GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS$10,000
WOOD RIVER COMMUNITY YMCA$10,000
PRICELESS PUPPY RESCUE CORP$10,000
HAPPY TRAILS FOR KIDS$10,000
WASHINGTON JUNIOR GOLF ASSN$10,000
MARY'S PLACE$10,000
BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF PUGET S$10,000
Individual grant recipient$10,000
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS$10,000
FRESHWATER TRUST$10,000
OPAL COMMUNITY LAND TRUST$10,000
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 (FY17–24, $261k) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 62% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%St Lukes in the Desert Inc: $5k → 15%KID WORKS: $10k → 10%HAPPY TRAILS FOR KIDS: $10k → 14%CASCADIA ART MUSEUM: $3k → 9%St Lukes in the Desert Inc: $5k → 15%KID WORKS: $10k → 10%HAPPY TRAILS FOR KIDS: $10k → 14%El Centro de la Raza: $17k → 9%CASCADIA ART MUSEUM: $2k → 9%ST LUKES IN THE DESERT INC: $5k → 15%KID WORKS: $10k → 10%HAPPY TRAILS FOR KIDS: $8k → 14%CASCADIA ART MUSEUM: $2k → 9%St Lukes in the Desert Inc: $5k → 15%KID WORKS: $10k → 10%ALEXANDRIA HOUSE: $13k → 14%EL CENTRO DE LA RAZA: $5k → 9%ST LUKES IN THE DESERT INC: $2k → 15%KID WORKS: $8k → 10%ALEXANDRIA HOUSE: $10k → 14%El Centro de la Raza: $5k → 9%ST LUKES IN THE DESERT INC: $2k → 15%ALEXANDRIA HOUSE: $10k → 14%EL CENTRO DE LA RAZA: $5k → 9%El Centro de la Raza: $5k → 9%EL CENTRO DE LA RAZA: $5k → 9%LANGE FOUNDATION: $10k → 14%EL CENTRO DE LA RAZA: $5k → 9%LANGE FOUNDATION: $10k → 14%EL CENTRO DE LA RAZA: $5k → 9%WELLSPRING FAMILY SERVICES: $2k → 9%LANGE FOUNDATION: $5k → 14%Wellspring Family Services: $2k → 9%Wellspring Family Services: $2k → 9%LANGE FOUNDATION: $5k → 14%Ryther: $2k → 9%Millionair Club Charity: $3k → 9%Millionair Club Charity: $2k → 9%MILLIONAIR CLUB CHARITY: $2k → 9%Soulumination: $3k → 9%UNIVERSITY DISTRICT FOOD BANK: $5k → 9%UNIVERSITY DISTRICT FOOD BANK: $5k → 9%UNIVERSITY DISTRICT FOOD BANK: $3k → 9%UNIVERSITY DISTRICT FOOD BANK: $3k → 9%University District Food Bank: $2k → 9%University District Food Bank: $2k → 9%UNIVERSITY DISTRICT FOOD BANK: $2k → 9%University District Food Bank: $2k → 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

WA
ID
NY
OR
IA
PA
CT
CA
CO
MD
AZ
DC
AL
GA
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.

89%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$2.5M · 87 repeat orgs$310k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +41% since the first grant, against +24% for those funded once.

87 repeat relationships: 48 still active in FY2024, 39 since wound down; 9 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

87
27

Total granted

$2.5M
$260k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+41%
+24%

Still filing today

69%
48%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 87% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $50k 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
Human ServicesEducationHealthEnvironmentRecreation & SportsInternationalOther
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

  • SC
    Seattle Children's Foundation
    8× · 2017–2024 · $150k · revenue +190%
  • EW
    Eastern Washington University Foundation
    3× · 2020–2024 · $130k · revenue +36%
  • SP
    SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER INC
    8× · 2017–2024 · $88k · revenue +10%

Funded once

  • GC
    GREEN CORPS INC
    one grant, 2021 · $100k · revenue -1%
  • JC
    JD CLINE FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2021 · $25k
  • CL
    Casa Latina Foundation
    one grant, 2018 · $20k
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
Fsc I&P

Fsc i&p promotes environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world's forests. this mission aligns with the forest stewardship council (fsc), its network of offices, and other organizations.…

Philanthropy
2
The Humane Society for Seattleking County

Seattle humane promotes the human-animal bond by saving and serving pets in need, regardless of age, ability, circumstance or geography.

Animals
3
Great Peninsula Conservancy

Preserve in perpetuity the natural habitats, rural landscapes, and open spaces of the great peninsula of washington's puget sound.

Environment
4
Siff

Siff is a seattle-based 501(c)(3) arts nonprofit dedicated to the creation of vibrant experiences and spaces that champion film discovery and arts education.

Youth Development
5
Life Science Washington

Life science washington is a non-profit trade and professional association dedicated to promoting innovation and responsible growth in the life sciences and biomedical industries in the state of washington. promotion and education are…

—
6
Aquarium of the Pacific Corporation

The aquarium of the pacific's mission is to instill a sense of wonder, respect, and stewardship for the pacific ocean, its inhabitants, and ecosystems.

Animals
7
Friends of Seattle Waterfront

To bring people, communities, and resources together to ensure waterfront park thrives as a vibrant gathering space - uplifting locals, fostering connections and honoring seattle's natural beauty and stories.

Community Improvement
8
Association of Washington Cities

The association of washington cities builds connections between our state's diverse cities and towns, while providing our members with the support needed to thrive through delivery of data-driven education, nationally recognized pooling…

—
9
Seattle Public Library Foundation

The seattle public library foundation inspires the community's philanthropic support, advocacy for, and pride in the library.

Education
10
Washington State University Foundation

The mission of the Foundation is to promote, accept, and maximize private support for programs, initiatives, and properties of Washington State University and its regional campuses. The Foundation also prudently manages, invests, and…

Education
11
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
12
Seattle International Foundation

Seattle international foundation (sif) champions equity and rule of law in central america through good governance and a robust civil society. sif works with other donors to the region to increase philanthropy and to promote collaboration,…

Philanthropy
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Leadership Tomorrow; the most unlike its peers is Cascadia Art Museum. 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

83 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

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 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 83 of the 126 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)
13
Early backer (in before they grew)
81/83
Grantees still filing
58/83
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Seattle Children's Foundation: $150,000 · OtherSeattle Children's FoundationHERITAGE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $110,000 · OtherHERITAGE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATIONFRED HUTCHINSON CANCER RESEARCH CENTER: $85,000 · OtherFRED HUTCHINSON CANCER RESEARCH CENTERMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $52,500 · OtherWashington Junior Golf Association: $55,000 · Other+73 more: $1,031,500 · Other+73 moreEastern Washington University Foundation: $130,000 · EducationEastern Washingt…EXPLORER WEST AN INDEPENDENT MIDDLE SCHOOL: $65,000 · EducationEXPLORER WEST AN…SCHOOL ON WHEELS INC: $50,000 · EducationSCHOOL ON WHEELS…INDEPENDENT COLLEGES OF WASHINGTON: $44,000 · EducationINDEPENDENT COLL…University of Idaho Foundation Inc: $30,000 · EducationUniversity of Id…COYOTE CENTRAL: $22,000 · EducationCOYOTE CENTRALHERITAGE UNIVERSITY: $20,000 · EducationJOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY: $15,000 · EducationWhittier College: $15,000 · Education+4 more: $20,500 · EducationEL CENTRO DE LA RAZA: $51,500 · Human ServicesEL CENTRO …KIDWORKS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORP: $47,500 · Human ServicesKIDWORKS C…ALEXANDRIA HOUSE: $32,500 · Human ServicesALEXANDRIA…LANGE FOUNDATION: $30,000 · Human ServicesLANGE FOUN…HAPPY TRAILS FOR KIDS: $27,500 · Human ServicesHAPPY TRAI…UNIVERSITY DISTRICT SERVICE LEAGUE: $24,000 · Human ServicesUNIVERSITY…St Lukes in the Desert Inc: $23,500 · Human ServicesSt Lukes i…+6 more: $29,000 · Human Services+6 morePLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC: $71,000 · HealthGLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS: $65,000 · HealthNAMI Seattle: $41,000 · HealthTRANSITIONAL RESOURCES: $20,000 · Health+4 more: $21,000 · HealthGREEN CORPS INC: $100,000 · EnvironmentNATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION: $27,500 · EnvironmentTHE SAN JUAN PRESERVATION TRUST: $26,500 · EnvironmentFORTERRA NW: $20,000 · EnvironmentNORTHWEST ABORTION ACCESS FUND: $15,000 · EnvironmentSIERRA CLUB FOUNDATION: $10,000 · Environment+1 more: $5,000 · EnvironmentSOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER INC: $88,000 · Crime & LegalSANDY HOOK PROMISE FOUNDATION: $45,000 · Crime & LegalTHE FRESHWATER TRUST: $40,000 · AnimalsMUTTVILLE: $30,000 · AnimalsPRICELESS PUPPY RESCUE CORP: $25,000 · AnimalsSEATTLE ANIMAL SHELTER FOUNDATION: $24,000 · AnimalsTHE DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST USA INC: $10,000 · Animals
Other$1,484,000Education$411,500Human Services$265,500Health$218,000Environment$204,000Crime & Legal$133,000Animals$129,000

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 budgetSeattle Children's Foundation: $150,000 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetEastern Washington University Foundation: $130,000 over 3y, 0.7% of budgetGREEN CORPS INC: $100,000 over 1y, 12% of budgetSOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER INC: $88,000 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetFRED HUTCHINSON CANCER RESEARCH CENTER: $85,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetPLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC: $71,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetGLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS: $65,000 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetEXPLORER WEST AN INDEPENDENT MIDDLE SCHOOL: $65,000 over 3y, 1.4% of budgetWashington Junior Golf Association: $55,000 over 8y, 1.7% of budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $52,500 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetEL CENTRO DE LA RAZA: $51,500 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetSCHOOL ON WHEELS INC: $50,000 over 5y, 1.0% of budgetOPAL COMMUNITY LAND TRUST: $49,000 over 8y, 0.3% of budgetKIDWORKS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORP: $47,500 over 5y, 0.3% of budgetSANDY HOOK PROMISE FOUNDATION: $45,000 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetINDEPENDENT COLLEGES OF WASHINGTON: $44,000 over 8y, 0.6% of budgetNAMI Seattle: $41,000 over 8y, 1.5% of budgetLEADERSHIP TOMORROW: $40,000 over 8y, 0.8% of budgetTHE FRESHWATER TRUST: $40,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetEarthcorps: $37,000 over 8y, 0.2% of budgetALEXANDRIA HOUSE: $32,500 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetLANGE FOUNDATION: $30,000 over 4y, 0.4% of budgetMUTTVILLE: $30,000 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetUniversity of Idaho Foundation Inc: $30,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetPIKE PLACE MARKET FOUNDATION: $29,000 over 8y, 0.2% of budgetFeeding America: $29,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION: $27,500 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetHAPPY TRAILS FOR KIDS: $27,500 over 3y, 0.9% of budgetTHE SAN JUAN PRESERVATION TRUST: $26,500 over 4y, 0.5% of budgetPRICELESS PUPPY RESCUE CORP: $25,000 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetUNIVERSITY DISTRICT SERVICE LEAGUE: $24,000 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetSEATTLE ANIMAL SHELTER FOUNDATION: $24,000 over 8y, 1.4% of budgetSt Lukes in the Desert Inc: $23,500 over 6y, 0.4% of budgetFARESTART: $22,500 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetCOYOTE CENTRAL: $22,000 over 8y, 0.4% of budgetGLOBAL FUND FOR WOMEN INC: $21,000 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetBALLARD FOOD BANK: $20,500 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetAMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION INC: $20,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetTRANSITIONAL RESOURCES: $20,000 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetHERITAGE UNIVERSITY: $20,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE NATURE CONSERVANCY: $20,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetFORTERRA NW: $20,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetBike Works Seattle: $17,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetJOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY: $15,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetWhittier College: $15,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNORTHWEST ABORTION ACCESS FUND: $15,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetWASHINGTON TRAILS ASSOCIATION: $14,000 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetTHE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY: $12,000 over 2y, 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.

  • Who funds Seattle Children's Foundation ↗
  • Who funds Eastern Washington University Foundation ↗
  • Who funds GREEN CORPS INC ↗
  • Who funds SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER INC ↗
  • Who funds FRED HUTCHINSON CANCER RESEARCH CENTER ↗
  • Who funds PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC ↗
  • Who funds GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS ↗
  • Who funds EXPLORER WEST AN INDEPENDENT MIDDLE SCHOOL ↗
  • Who funds Washington Junior Golf Association ↗
  • Who funds MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC ↗
  • Who funds EL CENTRO DE LA RAZA ↗
  • Who funds SCHOOL ON WHEELS INC ↗
  • Who funds OPAL COMMUNITY LAND TRUST ↗
  • Who funds KIDWORKS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORP ↗
  • Who funds SANDY HOOK PROMISE FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds INDEPENDENT COLLEGES OF WASHINGTON ↗
  • Who funds NAMI Seattle ↗
  • Who funds LEADERSHIP TOMORROW ↗
  • Who funds THE FRESHWATER TRUST ↗
  • Who funds Earthcorps ↗
  • Who funds ALEXANDRIA HOUSE ↗
  • Who funds LANGE FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds MUTTVILLE ↗
  • Who funds University of Idaho Foundation Inc ↗
  • Who funds PIKE PLACE MARKET FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds Feeding America ↗
  • Who funds NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION ↗
  • Who funds HAPPY TRAILS FOR KIDS ↗
  • Who funds THE SAN JUAN PRESERVATION TRUST ↗
  • Who funds PRICELESS PUPPY RESCUE CORP ↗

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.

Seattle FoundationThe Norcliffe Foundat…Puget Sound Energy Fo…United Way of King Co…Gates FoundationWyman Youth TrustMoccasin Lake Foundat…Grousemont FoundationReal Progress Foundat…Medina FoundationMightycause Charitabl…Lucky Seven Foundation
Seattle FoundationWA49.3× affinity29 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Seattle Foundation · The Norcliffe Foundation · Puget Sound Energy Foundation · United Way of King County · Gates Foundation · Wyman Youth Trust · Moccasin Lake Foundation · Grousemont Foundation · Real Progress Foundation · Medina Foundation · Mightycause Charitable Foundation · Lucky Seven 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.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization Seattle-Sonoran Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Seattle-Sonoran Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%1%4%8%15%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 12%
  • The Freshwater Trust: 17% of income from government
  • Johns Hopkins University: 12% of income from government
  • Sandy Hook Promise Foundation: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
1get no government money at all
27report 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.

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 126 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 Seattle-Sonoran’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