Skip to content
Silver Sun Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Silver Sun 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.

$58k
Granted FY2024still arriving
10
Grants FY2024still arriving
3
States reached
$20k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0184% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Education$264kArts & Culture$131kEnvironment$42kPhilanthropy$38kPublic Benefit$15kHuman Services$10kCivil Rights$5kInternational$1kOther$0
02FY2024 · 10 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k7 grants · $8k
  • $10k–50k3 grants · $50k
$1,200
Median grant
3
States reached
$4.1M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
WFUV$20,000
SKYLIGHT$15,000
UFO$15,000
FORDHAM$4,000
Individual grant recipient$1,200
Individual grant recipient$1,183
FILM AT LINCOLN CENTER$500
QUEERLY$500
ATHENS CULTURAL CENTER$300
WOODSTOCK FILM FESTIVAL$175
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:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY17–24) land where the poverty rate runs at 19%, against an area that typically sits at 12%. 78% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 12%CENTER FOR THIRD WORLD ORGANIZING: $5k → 10%OPEN COLLECTIVE FOUNDATION: $15k → 14%JACOB BURNS FILM CENTER: $25k → 9%FOR THE MANYEDUCATION FUND: $5k → 16%HARLEM SCHOOL OF THE ARTS: $3k → 17%WFUV: $50k → 28%UFO: $15k → 6%CLOSE UP: $20k → 7%UNIV OF VERMONT FOUNDATION: $10k → 10%PORTLAND STAGE: $5k → 7%BERKELEY FOUNDATION: $3k → 10%JACOB BURNS FILM CENTER: $10k → 9%NORTH STAR FUND: $25k → 17%WFUV: $32k → 28%UNIV OF VERMONT FOUNDATION: $10k → 10%JACOB BURNS FILM CENTER: $10k → 9%THE SECRET SOCIETY: $20k → 16%ROUNDABOUT THEATRE: $5k → 17%SKYLIGHT: $15k → 20%WFUV: $30k → 28%UNIV OF VERMONT FOUNDATION: $5k → 10%JACOB BURNS FILM CENTER: $10k → 9%WOODSTOCK LAND CONSERVANCY: $20k → 16%NORTH STAR FUND: $5k → 17%SKYLIGHT: $15k → 20%WFUV: $22k → 28%UNIV OF VERMONT FOUNDATION: $5k → 10%JACOB BURNS FILM CENTER: $5k → 9%WOODSTOCK REFUGEE NETWORK: $16k → 16%ROUNDABOUT THEATRE: $3k → 17%SKYLIGHT: $11k → 20%WFUV: $20k → 28%WOODSTOCK REFUGEE NETWORK: $15k → 16%ROUNDABOUT THEATRE: $3k → 17%WFUV: $20k → 28%THE SECRET SOCIETY: $10k → 16%NORTH STAR FUND: $2k → 17%WFUV: $20k → 28%WOODSTOCK LAND CONSERVANCY: $10k → 16%WFUV: $20k → 28%WOODSTOCK LAND CONSERVANCY: $5k → 16%WOODSTOCK DAY SCHOOL: $10k → 16%JEWISH BOARD FAMILY CHILDREN SERVIC: $10k → 17%PUBLIC THEATRE: $8k → 17%PUBLIC THEATRE: $5k → 17%PUBLIC THEATRE: $3k → 17%FACES NEW YORK: $10k → 17%MANHATTAN THEATRE CLUB: $6k → 17%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.
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.

80%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$477k · 11 repeat orgs$121k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +47% since the first grant, against +23% for those funded once.

11 repeat relationships: 3 still active in FY2024, 8 since wound down; 7 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

11
24

Total granted

$477k
$99k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+47%
+23%

Still filing today

64%
50%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 63% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $22k 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
Arts & CultureEducationEnvironmentInternationalPublic BenefitPhilanthropyOther
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

  • FU
    Fordham University
    8× · 2017–2024 · $214k · revenue +47%
  • JB
    JACOB BURNS FILM CENTER INC
    5× · 2017–2022 · $61k · revenue +15%
  • UO
    UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT AND STATE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC
    4× · 2017–2022 · $30k · revenue +35%

Funded once

  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2023 · $20k
  • OPENCOLLECTIVE FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2023 · $15k · revenue -100%
  • JB
    JEWISH BOARD FAMILY CHILDREN SERVIC
    one grant, 2019 · $10k
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
New York City Center Inc

The mission of new york city center is to be new york city's leading center for dance and musical theater. dedicated to making the arts accessible to the broadest possible audience, city center seeks to create a welcoming environment and…

Arts & Culture
2
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
3
New York Foundation for the Arts Inc

Established in 1971, the mission of the new york foundation for the arts (nyfa) is to empower artists in all disciplines, as well as cultural workers, to achieve success on their own terms by providing critical support, resources, and…

Arts & Culture
4
Rockaway Film Festival

Rockaway film festival presents cinema and other arts at the coastal edge of new york city, joining artists and audiences for unique collective experiences.

Arts & Culture
5
Watertower Theatre Inc

To create innovative, diverse theatre that builds community by fostering empathy and dialogue.

Arts & Culture
6
Theaterworks Inc

Theaterworks' mission is to share intimate stories that engage all audiences. it creates exceptional contemporary theater that entertains, celebrates new voices, and invites meaningful conversations. its vision is to inspire a more…

Arts & Culture
7
American Theatre Wing Inc

American theatre wing invests in brave work, supports creative growth, and celebrates excellence to bring inclusive stories to our national culture through theatre. the american theatre wing has spent a century using theatre to advance…

Arts & Culture
8
Open New York Education Inc

Open new york education, inc. supports public education, awareness, and engagement around housing issues to help build a movement for a more abundant and inclusive new york.

Housing & Shelter
9
Sarah Lawrence College

At sarah lawrence college, our mission is to graduate citizens of the world who are diverse in every definition of the word, who take intellectual and creative risks, and who are able to focus exceptional intellectual discipline (continued…

Education
10
Academy of Television Arts and Sciences

The Television Academy is dedicated to celebrating excellence, innovation and the advancement of the telecommunications arts and sciences through recognition, education and leadership, while fostering a diverse, inclusive and accessible…

—
11
Theatre for a New Audience Inc

The mission of theatre for a new audience is to develop and vitalize the performance and study of shakespeare and classic drama. the theatre is dedicated to the language and ideas of writers - to a dialogue over centuries between…

Arts & Culture
12
New York School of Interior Design

New york school of interior design provides the most innovative, immersive, and transformative interior design education in the world, demonstrating the impact of professionally designed interiors on the health, happiness, and well-being…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Woodstock Film Festival Inc; the most unlike its peers is Roundabout Theatre Company 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

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 43 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)
5
Early backer (in before they grew)
22/22
Grantees still filing
15/22
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Fordham University: $214,000 · EducationFordham UniversityUNIVERSITY OF VERMONT AND STATE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC: $30,000 · EducationUNIVERSITY OF VERMONT AND STATE AGRICULTURAL C…WOODSTOCK DAY SCHOOL: $10,000 · Education+3 more: $4,030 · EducationSKYLIGHT: $41,250 · OtherSKYLIGHTNORTH STAR FUND INC: $35,000 · OtherNORTH STAR FUND INCIndividual grant recipient: $31,943 · OtherIndividual grant recipientTHE SECRET SOCIETY: $30,000 · OtherTHE SECRET SOCIETYIndividual grant recipient: $20,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipientUFO: $15,000 · OtherUFOPUBLIC THEATRE: $15,000 · OtherPUBLIC THEATREJEWISH BOARD FAMILY CHILDREN SERVIC: $10,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $10,000 · Other+15 more: $25,963 · Other+15 moreJACOB BURNS FILM CENTER INC: $60,750 · Arts & CultureJACOB BURNS FI…ROUNDABOUT THEATRE COMPANY INC: $10,554 · Arts & CultureROUNDABOUT THE…MANHATTAN THEATRE CLUB INC: $6,000 · Arts & CultureMANHATTAN THEA…STUTTERING ASSOCIATION FOR THE YOUNG INC: $3,250 · Arts & Culture+4 more: $1,498 · Arts & CultureWoodstock Land Conservancy Inc: $37,000 · EnvironmentOPENCOLLECTIVE FOUNDATION: $15,000 · PhilanthropyCenter for Third World Organizing: $5,000 · InternationalTEATOWN LAKE RESERVATION INC: $800 · Public BenefitWHITE FEATHER FARM INC: $340 · Food & Nutrition
Education$258,030Other$234,156Arts & Culture$82,052Environment$37,000Philanthropy$15,000International$5,000Public Benefit$800Food & Nutrition$340

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 budgetFordham University: $214,000 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetJACOB BURNS FILM CENTER INC: $60,750 over 5y, 0.6% of budgetWoodstock Land Conservancy Inc: $37,000 over 4y, 4.6% of budgetNORTH STAR FUND INC: $35,000 over 5y, 0.5% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF VERMONT AND STATE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC: $30,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetOPENCOLLECTIVE FOUNDATION: $15,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetROUNDABOUT THEATRE COMPANY INC: $10,554 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetWOODSTOCK DAY SCHOOL: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetMANHATTAN THEATRE CLUB INC: $6,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCenter for Third World Organizing: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSTUTTERING ASSOCIATION FOR THE YOUNG INC: $3,250 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetBILLION OYSTER PROJECT INC: $3,030 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetHARLEM SCHOOL OF THE ARTS INC: $3,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetUPSTATE FILMS LTD: $708 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE ACADEMY FOR TEACHERS INC: $500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetFILM AT LINCOLN CENTER INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCHAPPAQUA SUMMER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM: $500 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetFEEDING WESTCHESTER INC: $360 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWHITE FEATHER FARM INC: $340 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWOODSTOCK FILM FESTIVAL INC: $175 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAXIAL THEATRE INC: $115 over 1y, 0.1% 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 Fordham University ↗
  • Who funds JACOB BURNS FILM CENTER INC ↗
  • Who funds Woodstock Land Conservancy Inc ↗
  • Who funds NORTH STAR FUND INC ↗
  • Who funds UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT AND STATE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds OPENCOLLECTIVE FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds ROUNDABOUT THEATRE COMPANY INC ↗
  • Who funds WOODSTOCK DAY SCHOOL ↗
  • Who funds MANHATTAN THEATRE CLUB INC ↗
  • Who funds Center for Third World Organizing ↗
  • Who funds STUTTERING ASSOCIATION FOR THE YOUNG INC ↗
  • Who funds BILLION OYSTER PROJECT INC ↗
  • Who funds HARLEM SCHOOL OF THE ARTS INC ↗
  • Who funds TEATOWN LAKE RESERVATION INC ↗
  • Who funds UPSTATE FILMS LTD ↗
  • Who funds THE ACADEMY FOR TEACHERS INC ↗
  • Who funds FILM AT LINCOLN CENTER INC ↗
  • Who funds CHAPPAQUA SUMMER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM ↗
  • Who funds FEEDING WESTCHESTER INC ↗
  • Who funds WHITE FEATHER FARM 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.

Jewish Communal FundKvistad FoundationThe Thompson Family F…National Philanthropi…Morgan Stanley Global…Vanguard Charitable E…Donor Advised Charita…American Online Givin…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Jewish Communal FundNY17.8× affinity8 shared granteesties to 9 of 9Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Jewish Communal Fund · Kvistad Foundation · The Thompson Family Foundation Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile 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 Silver Sun Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Silver Sun Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 20%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%1%3%4%5%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    2get no government money at all
    10report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–5%
    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 43 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 Silver Sun’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