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Sheep Meadow Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Sheep Meadow 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.

$580k
Granted FY2023
7
Grants FY2023
5
States reached
$250k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02Its granteesRead
03Its fieldRead
04Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0186% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Education$750kHuman Services$309kEnvironment$182kArts & Culture$148kHousing & Shelter$47kYouth Development$24kFood & Nutrition$18kCrime & Legal$10kOther$0
02FY2023 · 7 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 7 grants below total $455,000, the rows itemized in this filing. The $580,000 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $125,000 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2023

  • $10k–50k4 grants · $90k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $115k
  • $250k+1 grant · $250k
$25,000
Median grant
5
States reached
$4.1M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Andover$250,000
Waterman's Community Center$60,000
Portland Art Museum$55,000
Miss Porter's School$25,000
North Haven Library$25,000
Ecotrust$20,000
The Island Institute$20,000
02Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

84%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.6M · 23 repeat orgs$297k to everyone else

23 repeat relationships: 6 still active in FY2023, 17 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2023 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

23
7

Total granted

$1.6M
$272k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+36%
+53%

Still filing today

70%
57%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2023, 95% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $25k went to new ones.

50%100%’20’21’22’23
RenewedFirst-time

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

’20’21’22’23
EducationArts & CultureHuman ServicesEnvironmentCrime & LegalHealthOther
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

  • MP
    MISS PORTER'S SCHOOL INC
    4× · 2020–2023 · $376k · revenue +24%
  • PORTLAND ART MUSEUM
    4× · 2020–2023 · $125k · revenue +14%
  • ECOTRUST
    4× · 2020–2023 · $85k · revenue +20%

Funded once

  • TRUSTEES OF PHILLIPS ACADEMY
    one grant, 2021 · $250k · revenue +9%
  • CI
    CICLAVIA INCgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $10k · revenue +242%
  • FO
    Friends of Micheltorena School
    one grant, 2022 · $5k
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.

03Its 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
Phillips Exeter Academy

Unite goodness and knowledge and inspire youth from every quarter to lead purposeful lives. [text in quotations is taken from the academy's deed of gift, drafted in 1781] knowledge and goodness "above all, it is expected that the attention…

Education
2
The Northwest School of the Arts Humanities and Environment

We offer an outstanding international college preparatory program for grades 6-12.

Education
3
Trinity Academy of Portland

The mission of trinity academy of portland is to educate middle and high school students within a joyful christian school culture marked by the discovery of truth, the practice of goodness, the creation of beauty, and the development of…

Education
4
Dickinson College

Dickinson college provides a useful, innovative and interdisciplinary education in the liberal arts and sciences to prepare students to lead rich and fulfilling lives of engaged global citizenship

Education
5
The Island School

The Island School provides a flexible learning environment where each child is known and celebrated.

Education
6
Rhode Island School of Design

The mission of rhode island school of design, through its college and museum,is to educate its students and the public in the creation and (see schedule o)appreciation of works of art and design, to discover and transmit knowledge and to…

Education
7
Northfield Mount Hermon School

Northfield mount hermon educates the head, heart and hands of our students. we engage their intellect, compassion, and talents, empowering them to act with humanity and purpose.

Education
8
The Cambridge School of Weston Inc

The cambridge school of weston's mission is to provide a progressive education that emphasizes deep learning and meaningful relationships. our dynamic program inspires students to discover who they are and what their contribution is to…

Education
9
Governors Island Corporation

The governors island corporation, doing business as the trust for governors island, is the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization created by the city of new york and charged with the planning, redevelopment and ongoing operations of 150…

Animals
10
The Trustees of Grinnell College

To educate students in the liberal arts through free inquiry and the open exchange of ideas.when grinnell college framed its charter in the iowa territory of the united states in 1846, it set forth a mission to educate its students "for…

Education
11
New York Studio School

The new york studio school is committed to giving a significant education to the aspiring artist, a preamble to a lifetime's engagement in drawing, painting, and sculpture. (see schedule o for continuation)

—
12
Lewis & Clark College

Lewis & clark is a premier private higher education institution offering an exceptional education in an inclusive environment. by fostering critical thinking, innovation, creativity, civic engagement, and leadership, both inside and…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Metropolitan Family Service; the most unlike its peers is Vashon Community Care Foundation. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
03the grantee network

22 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. 22 of the 31 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)
7
Early backer (in before they grew)
21/22
Grantees still filing
18/22
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Andover: $366,652 · OtherAndoverWaterman's Community Center: $304,000 · OtherWaterman's Community CenterECOTRUST: $85,000 · OtherECOTRUSTNorth Haven Sustainable Housing: $34,000 · Other+12 more: $129,500 · Other+12 moreMISS PORTER'S SCHOOL INC: $376,000 · EducationMISS PORTER'S SCHOOL INCTRUSTEES OF PHILLIPS ACADEMY: $250,000 · EducationTRUSTEES OF PHILLIPS ACADEMYIsland Institute: $75,000 · EducationIsland Institute+2 more: $35,000 · EducationPORTLAND ART MUSEUM: $125,000 · Arts & CultureTHE COLBURN SCHOOL: $10,000 · Arts & CulturePlaywrights Project: $7,500 · Arts & CultureVASHON ALLIED ARTS: $5,000 · Arts & CultureNORTH HAVEN CONSERVATION PARTNERS: $16,000 · EnvironmentVASHON INTERFAITH COUNCIL TO PREVENT HOMELESSNESS: $12,500 · Human ServicesMetropolitan Family Service: $2,500 · Human ServicesTHE DOVE PROJECT: $10,000 · Crime & LegalCICLAVIA INC: $10,000 · Recreation & SportsVASHON YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES: $9,000 · Health
Other$919,152Education$736,000Arts & Culture$147,500Environment$16,000Human Services$15,000Crime & Legal$10,000Recreation & Sports$10,000Health$9,000

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 budgetMISS PORTER'S SCHOOL INC: $376,000 over 4y, 0.6% of budgetTRUSTEES OF PHILLIPS ACADEMY: $250,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetPORTLAND ART MUSEUM: $125,000 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetECOTRUST: $85,000 over 4y, 0.3% of budgetIsland Institute: $75,000 over 4y, 0.3% of budgetNORTH HAVEN LIBRARY: $25,000 over 1y, 4.1% of budgetWESTRIDGE SCHOOL FOR GIRLS INC: $25,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetFRIENDS OF PILGRIM SCHOOL: $20,000 over 2y, 9.0% of budgetNORTH HAVEN CONSERVATION PARTNERS: $16,000 over 3y, 7.2% of budgetMAYHEW: $15,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetWESLEYAN UNIVERSITY: $15,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetVASHON INTERFAITH COUNCIL TO PREVENT HOMELESSNESS: $12,500 over 3y, 1.9% of budgetNORTH HAVEN FOUNDATION: $11,500 over 3y, 2.2% of budgetTHE COLBURN SCHOOL: $10,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE DOVE PROJECT: $10,000 over 3y, 0.9% of budgetCICLAVIA INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetVASHON YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES: $9,000 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetPlaywrights Project: $7,500 over 2y, 1.2% of budgetVASHON ALLIED ARTS: $5,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetVASHON COMMUNITY CARE FOUNDATION: $2,500 over 2y, 1.3% of budgetMetropolitan Family Service: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetOREGON FOOD BANK: $2,500 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.

Seattle FoundationPuget Sound Energy Fo…Bny Mellon Charitable…Morgan Stanley Global…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…The Bank of America C…Vanguard Charitable E…American Online Givin…American Endowment Fo…Donor Advised Charita…National Philanthropi…Fidelity Investments …
Seattle FoundationWA14.2× affinity5 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Seattle Foundation · Puget Sound Energy Foundation · Bny Mellon Charitable Gift Fund · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · American Endowment Foundation · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund

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.
04Through Plinth

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to Sheep Meadow Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Sheep Meadow 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 31 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 2023, released 2023. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Possibly out of date. A more recent filing (FY2025) is on record and reports $180k of grant expense with no grantee named in the published copy. A private foundation itemizes every grant it makes, so a return carrying none has filed its list as an attachment that the public copy does not include. The figures above are therefore from FY2023, the most recent year this funder’s grantee list reached the public record.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Sheep Meadow’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