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Sherman Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Sherman Family Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$19M
Granted FY2024still arriving
118
Grants FY2024still arriving
14
States reached
$2.9M
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0195% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Education$25MHuman Services$10MArts & Culture$8.4MPhilanthropy$3.1MHealth$3.0MYouth Development$2.9MRecreation & Sports$2.4MHousing & Shelter$1.7MOther$0
02FY2024 · 118 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k16 grants · $72k
  • $10k–50k41 grants · $932k
  • $50k–250k40 grants · $3.6M
  • $250k+21 grants · $14M
$50,000
Median grant
14
States reached
$73M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
UMBCUNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF MARYLAND FOUNDATION INC$2,900,000
CENTER FOR URBAN FAMILIES INC$2,325,000
BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA$1,350,000
THE Y OF CENTRAL MARYLAND INC$1,000,000
FUND FOR EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE$740,000
MPT FOUNDATION INC$525,000
UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL MARYLAND$510,000
POINT SOURCE YOUTH$500,000
ROLAND PARK COMMUNITY FOUNDATION$500,000
UNIVERSITY OF MD BALTIMORE FDN$500,000
TEACH FOR AMERICA BALTIMORE$500,000
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF METRO BALTIMORE$400,000
FAMILY TREE THE$390,000
BALTIMORE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC$365,000
CHERRY HILL STRONG$300,000
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, $7.8M) land where the poverty rate runs at 15%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 58% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%SPRINGBOARD COLLABORATIVE: $150k → 22%CHERRY HILL STRON: $300k → 6%AROOSTOOK AGENCY ON AGING: $5k → 15%CHERRY HILL STRONG: $300k → 6%MARYLAND STATE CHILD CARE ASSOC: $30k → 6%TEENS WITH TRAUMA INC: $5k → 11%THE Y OF CENTRAL MARYLAND INC: $1.0M → 11%THE Y OF CENTRAL MARYLAND INC: $1.0M → 11%WORLD FOOD PROGRAM USA: $35k → 14%THE Y OF CENTRAL MARYLAND INC: $400k → 11%SYLVIA-NUNN ANGELS: $3k → 14%THE Y OF CENTRAL MARYLAND INC: $200k → 11%CENTER FOR URBAN FAMILIES INC: $2.3M → 19%BRIGID ALLIANCE: $15k → 17%WORLD FOOD PROGRAM: $25k → 14%CENTER FOR URBAN FAMILIES INC: $300k → 19%CENTER FOR URBAN FAMILIES INC: $300k → 19%CENTER FOR URBAN FAMILIES INC: $300k → 19%BALTIMORE OUTREACH SERVICES INC: $25k → 19%CENTER FOR URBAN FAMILIES INC: $215k → 19%CENTER FOR URBAN FAMILIES INC: $80k → 19%CENTER FOR URBAN FAMILIES INC: $40k → 19%BALTIMORE HUNGER PROJECT: $5k → 11%ART WITH A HEART INC: $25k → 19%MARYLAND FAMILY NETWORK: $250k → 19%MARYLAND FAMILY NETWORK: $150k → 19%MARYLAND FAMILY NETWORK: $107k → 19%COMMUNITY MEDIATION PROGRAM INC: $25k → 19%LIGHT HEALTH AND WELLNESS: $25k → 19%MARIPOSA EDUCATION: $60k → 19%MARIPOSA EDUCATION: $50k → 19%DOWNTOWN BALTIMORE CHILD CARE: $50k → 19%DOWNTOWN BALTIMORE CHILD CARE: $25k → 19%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

ME
NH
MN
IL
NY
MA
OR
IN
PA
CT
CA
NE
KY
VA
MD
DE
AZ
TN
NC
DC
LA
GA
TX
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.

82%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$54M · 100 repeat orgs$12M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +26% since the first grant, against 0% for those funded once.

100 repeat relationships: 71 still active in FY2024, 29 since wound down; 44 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

100
73

Total granted

$54M
$10M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+26%
0%

Still filing today

66%
55%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 91% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $1.7M went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’20’21’22’23’24
EducationArts & CultureHuman ServicesHealthYouth DevelopmentAnimalsOther
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

  • CF
    CENTER FOR URBAN FAMILIES INC
    7× · 2017–2024 · $3.6M · revenue +70%
  • YM
    Young Men's Christian Association of Central Maryland Inc
    4× · 2021–2024 · $2.6M · revenue +42%
  • BS
    BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA INC
    7× · 2017–2024 · $2.1M · revenue +68%

Funded once

  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2022 · $7.0M
  • UI
    USMF INC
    one grant, 2020 · $1.2M
  • UO
    University of Maryland Medical System Foundation Inc
    one grant, 2022 · $500k · revenue -13%
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
Baltimore Corps Inc

To cultivate career advancement opportunities for local talent, facilitate talent acquisition for local employers, increase access to capital for local entrepreneurs' social ventures, and foster cross-sector collaboration to address city…

Employment
2
Boston Architectural College

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

—
3
University of Maryland Physicians Pa

Under the medical service plan of the university of maryland school of medicine, medical services are rendered by the members of the faculty on behalf of the school of medicine in connection with their duties to provide clinical…

—
4
University of Maryland Pediatric Associates Pa

Under the medical service plan of the university of maryland school of medicine, medical services are rendered by the members of the faculty on behalf of the school of medicine in connection with their duties to provide clinical…

Health
5
Maryland Institute

Degree granting college-maryland institute college of art is a private college dedicated to the education of professional artists and the further advancement of art in the community.

Education
6
University of Maryland Anesthesiology Associates Pa

Under the medical service plan of the university of maryland school of medicine, medical services are rendered by the members of the faculty on behalf of the school of medicine in connection with their duties to provide clinical…

—
7
The Arc Baltimore Inc

The arc baltimore supports people with developmental disabilities to lead fulfilling lives with a sense of belonging, purpose, and meaningful relationships.

Human Services
8
University of Maryland Family Medicine Associates Pa

Under the medical service plan of the university of maryland school of medicine, medical services are rendered by the members of the faculty on behalf of the school of medicine in connection with their duties to provide clinical…

—
9
University of Maryland Oncology Associates Pa

Under the medical service plan of the university of maryland school of medicine, medical services are rendered by the members of the faculty on behalf of the school of medicine in connection with their duties to provide clinical…

Health
10
University of Maryland Surgical Associates Pa

Under the medical service plan of the university of maryland school of medicine, medical services are rendered by the members of the faculty on behalf of the school of medicine in connection with their duties to provide clinical…

Health
11
University of Maryland Neurology Associates Pa

Under the medical service plan of the university of maryland school of medicine, medical services are rendered by the members of the faculty on behalf of the school of medicine in connection with their duties to provide clinical…

—
12
The Waldorf School of Baltimore Inc

The waldorf school of baltimore educates and inspires children to think, act, and feel with depth, imagination, and purpose.

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Thread Inc; the most unlike its peers is The William a Farnsworth Library and Art Museum Inc. 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

155 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. 155 of the 223 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.

2
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
18
Early backer (in before they grew)
150/155
Grantees still filing
94/155
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

UMBCUNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF MARYLAND FOUNDATION INC: $10,118,000 · OtherUMBCUNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF MARYLAND FOUNDATION INCIndividual grant recipient: $7,000,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipientUMBC FOUNDATION: $2,400,000 · OtherUMBC FOUNDATIONTHE FAMILY TREE INC: $1,999,332 · OtherTHE FAMILY TREE INCLONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY: $1,888,361 · OtherUSMF INC: $1,225,000 · Other+89 more: $10,800,953 · Other+89 moreTeach for America Inc: $2,870,000 · EducationTeach for Ameri…FUND FOR EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE INC: $1,630,000 · EducationFUND FOR EDUCAT…UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE FOUNDATION INC: $1,000,000 · EducationUNIVERSITY OF M…GREEN STREET ACADEMY INC: $750,000 · EducationGREEN STREET AC…University of Maryland Medical System Foundation Inc: $500,000 · EducationCITY TEACHING ALLIANCE INC: $500,000 · EducationBALTIMORE CURRICULUM PROJECT INC: $500,000 · Education+29 more: $1,671,172 · Education+29 moreCENTER FOR URBAN FAMILIES INC: $3,560,000 · Human ServicesCENTER FOR UR…Young Men's Christian Association of Central Maryland Inc: $2,614,127 · Human ServicesYoung Men's C…CHERRY HILL STRONG INC: $600,000 · Human ServicesCHERRY HILL S…MARYLAND FAMILY NETWORK INC: $506,700 · Human ServicesMARYLAND FAMI…+13 more: $625,000 · Human Services+13 moreBALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA INC: $2,130,250 · Arts & CultureBALTIMORE …CENTER STAGE ASSOCIATES INC: $1,405,370 · Arts & CultureCENTER STA…MPT FOUNDATION INC: $565,000 · Arts & CultureMPT FOUNDA…THE BALTIMORE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC: $416,666 · Arts & CultureTHE BALTIM…BALTIMORE MUSEUM OF ART: $349,100 · Arts & CultureBALTIMORE …THE VENETOULIS INSTITUTE FOR LOCAL JOURNALISM: $300,000 · Arts & CultureMaine Public Broadcasting Corporation: $295,000 · Arts & CultureTHE TAKI ALSOP CONDUCTING FELLOWSHIP INC: $250,000 · Arts & Culture+20 more: $831,300 · Arts & Culture+20 morePOINT SOURCE YOUTH INC: $1,625,000 · Youth DevelopmentTHREAD INC: $1,100,000 · Youth DevelopmentTHE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF METROPOLITAN BALTIMORE: $800,000 · Youth Development+6 more: $295,000 · Youth DevelopmentTHE UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL MARYLAND INC: $1,585,000 · PhilanthropyUNITED WAY MIAMI INC: $865,000 · PhilanthropyBALTIMORE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC: $605,000 · Philanthropy+3 more: $43,000 · PhilanthropyJACKSON HEALTH FOUNDATION INC: $1,000,000 · HealthHARBOR HOSPITAL INC: $250,000 · HealthABORTION FUND OF MARYLAND INC: $240,000 · Health+6 more: $101,500 · Health
Other$35,431,646Education$9,421,172Human Services$7,905,827Arts & Culture$6,542,686Youth Development$3,820,000Philanthropy$3,098,000Health$1,591,500

Showing the 200 largest grantees by grant value.

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 budgetCENTER FOR URBAN FAMILIES INC: $3,560,000 over 7y, 23% of budgetTeach for America Inc: $2,870,000 over 7y, 0.2% of budgetYoung Men's Christian Association of Central Maryland Inc: $2,614,127 over 4y, 1.0% of budgetBALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA INC: $2,130,250 over 7y, 3.2% of budgetTHE FAMILY TREE INC: $1,999,332 over 7y, 12% of budgetLONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY: $1,888,361 over 4y, 0.4% of budgetFUND FOR EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE INC: $1,630,000 over 5y, 3.5% of budgetPOINT SOURCE YOUTH INC: $1,625,000 over 3y, 15% of budgetTHE UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL MARYLAND INC: $1,585,000 over 7y, 1.6% of budgetCENTER STAGE ASSOCIATES INC: $1,405,370 over 4y, 6.5% of budgetTHREAD INC: $1,100,000 over 5y, 5.7% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE FOUNDATION INC: $1,000,000 over 2y, 1.0% of budgetJACKSON HEALTH FOUNDATION INC: $1,000,000 over 2y, 4.3% of budgetUNITED WAY MIAMI INC: $865,000 over 4y, 0.4% of budgetTHE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF METROPOLITAN BALTIMORE: $800,000 over 2y, 3.4% of budgetGREEN STREET ACADEMY INC: $750,000 over 3y, 3.0% of budgetMaine Coast Heritage Trust: $650,000 over 2y, 1.9% of budgetBALTIMORE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC: $605,000 over 5y, 0.6% of budgetCHERRY HILL STRONG INC: $600,000 over 2y, 76% of budgetMPT FOUNDATION INC: $565,000 over 2y, 9.3% of budgetMARYLAND FAMILY NETWORK INC: $506,700 over 3y, 0.7% of budgetUniversity of Maryland Medical System Foundation Inc: $500,000 over 1y, 2.5% of budgetDREAM BIG FOUNDATION INC: $500,000 over 2y, 60% of budgetCITY TEACHING ALLIANCE INC: $500,000 over 4y, 0.7% of budgetBALTIMORE CURRICULUM PROJECT INC: $500,000 over 2y, 6.5% of budgetTHE BALTIMORE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC: $416,666 over 3y, 3.7% of budgetBALTIMORE MUSEUM OF ART: $349,100 over 7y, 0.7% of budgetPARKS AND PEOPLE INC: $310,000 over 3y, 4.0% of budgetTHE VENETOULIS INSTITUTE FOR LOCAL JOURNALISM: $300,000 over 3y, 0.5% of budgetMaine Public Broadcasting Corporation: $295,000 over 4y, 1.0% of budgetHARBOR HOSPITAL INC: $250,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetTHE TAKI ALSOP CONDUCTING FELLOWSHIP INC: $250,000 over 1y, 22% of budgetABORTION FUND OF MARYLAND INC: $240,000 over 3y, 7.6% of budgetBALTIMORE DESIGN SCHOOL INC: $230,000 over 7y, 5.5% of budgetWE WILL ALL RISE: $220,000 over 2y, 9.8% of budgetIMPROVING EDUCATION INC: $165,000 over 2y, 4.4% of budgetSHAREBABY INC: $157,500 over 4y, 2.5% of budgetTHE JEMICY SCHOOL INC: $151,000 over 4y, 0.4% of budgetSPRINGBOARD COLLABORATIVE: $150,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetBALTIMORE ANIMAL RESCUE AND CARE SHELTER BARCS: $145,000 over 3y, 1.7% of budgetAN END TO IGNORANCE INC: $140,000 over 2y, 2.3% of budgetCOLLEGEBOUND FOUNDATION: $128,000 over 2y, 1.2% of budgetBALTIMORE PUBLIC MEDIA CORPORATION: $125,000 over 5y, 0.5% of budgetSave The Children Federation Inc: $125,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetBRIDGES BALTIMORE INC: $125,000 over 1y, 1.1% of budgetTHE BROOKLYN INSTITUTE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES: $120,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetMARYLAND READS INC: $120,000 over 2y, 23% of budgetREBUILD METRO INC: $119,500 over 1y, 2.5% 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 CENTER FOR URBAN FAMILIES INC ↗
  • Who funds Teach for America Inc ↗
  • Who funds Young Men's Christian Association of Central Maryland Inc ↗
  • Who funds BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA INC ↗
  • Who funds THE FAMILY TREE INC ↗
  • Who funds LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds FUND FOR EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE INC ↗
  • Who funds POINT SOURCE YOUTH INC ↗
  • Who funds THE UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL MARYLAND INC ↗
  • Who funds CENTER STAGE ASSOCIATES INC ↗
  • Who funds THREAD INC ↗
  • Who funds UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds JACKSON HEALTH FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds UNITED WAY MIAMI INC ↗
  • Who funds ROLAND PARK COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF METROPOLITAN BALTIMORE ↗
  • Who funds GREEN STREET ACADEMY INC ↗
  • Who funds Maine Coast Heritage Trust ↗
  • Who funds BALTIMORE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds CHERRY HILL STRONG INC ↗
  • Who funds MPT FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds MARYLAND FAMILY NETWORK INC ↗
  • Who funds University of Maryland Medical System Foundation Inc ↗
  • Who funds DREAM BIG FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds CITY TEACHING ALLIANCE INC ↗
  • Who funds BALTIMORE CURRICULUM PROJECT INC ↗
  • Who funds THE BALTIMORE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC ↗
  • Who funds BALTIMORE MUSEUM OF ART ↗
  • Who funds PARKS AND PEOPLE INC ↗

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.

Baltimore Community F…The Abell Foundation …France-Merrick Founda…Associated Jewish Cha…The Harry and Jeanett…The Morris Goldseker …Annie E Casey Foundat…T Rowe Price Foundati…The United Way of Cen…Richman Family Founda…Fund for Educational …Blanket Fort Foundati…
Baltimore Community Foundation IncMD91.1× affinity50 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Baltimore Community Foundation Inc · The Abell Foundation Inc · France-Merrick Foundation Inc · Associated Jewish Charities of Baltimore · The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation Inc · The Morris Goldseker Foundation of Maryland Inc · Annie E Casey Foundation Inc · T Rowe Price Foundation · The United Way of Central Maryland Inc · Richman Family Foundation Inc · Fund for Educational Excellence Inc · Blanket Fort 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 Sherman Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Sherman Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 320%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 6%
  • Light Health and Wellness Comprehensive Services Inc: 74% of income from government
  • Maryland Family Network Inc: 66% of income from government
  • Parks and People Inc: 43% of income from government
  • Center for Urban Families Inc: 36% of income from government
  • The Baltimore Children's Museum Inc: 33% of income from government
  • Save the Children Federation Inc: 30% of income from government
  • United Way Miami Inc: 23% of income from government
  • Baltimore Squashwise Inc: 23% of income from government
  • Young Men's Christian Association of Central Maryland Inc: 22% of income from government
  • Community Mediation Program Inc: 17% of income from government
  • Johns Hopkins University: 12% of income from government
  • Thread Inc: 12% of income from government
  • The Maryland Food Bank Inc: 11% of income from government
  • Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Inc: 11% of income from government
  • Brandeis University: 9% of income from government
  • The Family Tree Inc: 9% of income from government
  • Baltimore Museum of Industry Inc: 7% of income from government
  • Center Stage Associates Inc: 7% of income from government
  • The Village Learning Place Inc: 6% of income from government
  • Rebuild Metro Inc: 5% of income from government
  • Children's Beach House Inc: 5% of income from government
  • Baltimore Museum of Art: 4% of income from government
  • Art With a Heart Inc: 4% of income from government
  • University of Maryland Baltimore Foundation Inc: 3% of income from government
  • Wide Angle Youth Media Inc: 3% of income from government
  • Camillus House Inc: 2% of income from government
  • The Boys and Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Baltimore: 2% of income from government
  • Digital Harbor Foundation: 2% of income from government
  • The United Way of Central Maryland Inc: 2% of income from government
  • Fund for Educational Excellence Inc: 1% of income from government
  • Arts for Learning Maryland Inc: 1% of income from government
  • Jackson Health Foundation Inc: 1% of income from government
  • Harbor Hospital Inc: 0% of income from government
  • Holistic Life Foundation Inc: 0% of income from government
  • Mcdonogh School Incorporated: 0% of income from government
  • Oxfam-America Inc: 0% of income from government
  • Mt Washington Pediatric Hospital Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
32get no government money at all
34report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
2rely 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.
05Through Plinth

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to Sherman Family Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Sherman Family 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 223 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 Sherman 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