Skip to content
Simon-Strauss Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Simon-Strauss 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.

$419k
Granted FY2025still arriving
70
Grants FY2025still arriving
6
States reached
$30k
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, FY2018 to 2025.

Health$1.2MHuman Services$464kEducation$445kArts & Culture$217kAnimals$169kYouth Development$136kFood & Nutrition$100kRecreation & Sports$61kOther$0
02FY2025 · 70 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k61 grants · $250k
  • $10k–50k9 grants · $169k
$5,000
Median grant
6
States reached
$6.0M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
KECK SCHOOL OF MEDICINE OF USC$30,000
THE UCLA FOUNDATION$28,000
UCLA HEALTH SCIENCES DEVELOPMENT$20,000
MICHAEL J FOX FOUNDATION FOR PARKINSON'S RESEARCH$20,000
CITY OF HOPE$20,000
HUMANE SOCIETY OF SILICON VALLEY$16,000
ALS NETWORK$15,000
TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION$10,000
LOS ANGELES REGIONAL FOOD BANK$10,000
THE NANCY AND STEPHEN GRAND FAMILY HOUSE$8,000
HARMONY PROJECT$8,000
PROMISES2KIDS$7,000
FRESH START SURGICAL GIFTS$7,000
UCSF FOUNDATION$6,000
BAY AREA CANCER CONNECTIONS$6,000
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 (FY18–25, $135k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%ALLIES FOR EVERY CHILD: $5k → 14%ALLIES FOR EVERY CHILD: $5k → 14%ALLIES FOR EVERY CHILD: $5k → 14%ALLIES FOR EVERY CHILD: $5k → 14%ABILITY FIRST: $5k → 14%ABILITY FIRST: $5k → 14%ABILITY FIRST: $5k → 14%ABILITY FIRST: $5k → 14%FAMILY SERVICE AGENCY OF BURBANK: $5k → 14%INTERNET ARCHIVE: $5k → 14%THE INTERNET ARCHIVE: $5k → 14%ALLIES FOR EVERY CHILD: $5k → 14%THE INTERNET ARCHIVE: $5k → 14%ABILITY FIRST: $5k → 14%ALLIES FOR EVERY CHILD: $5k → 14%ABILITY FIRST: $5k → 14%WESTSIDE CHILDREN'S CENTER: $5k → 14%THE INTERNET ARCHIVE: $5k → 14%INTERNET ARCHIVE: $5k → 14%ABILITY FIRST: $5k → 14%THE INTERNET ARCHIVE: $5k → 14%ALLIES FOR EVERY CHILD: $5k → 14%ABILITY FIRST: $5k → 14%CATHERINE'S CHILDREN'S HOME: $3k → 14%MIRACLE LEAGUE OF SAN DIEGO: $2k → 14%CATHERINE'S CHILDREN'S HOME: $2k → 14%CATHERINE'S CHILDREN'S HOME: $2k → 14%MIRACLE LEAGUE OF SAN DIEGO: $2k → 14%MIRACLE LEAGUE OF SAN DIEGO: $2k → 14%MIRACLE LEAGUE OF SAN DIEGO: $2k → 14%MIRACLE LEAGUE OF SAN DIEGO: $2k → 14%MIRACLE LEAGUE OF SAN DIEGO: $1k → 14%MIRACLE LEAGUE OF SAN DIEGO: $1k → 14%MIRACLE LEAGUE OF SAN DIEGO: $1k → 14%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

IL
NY
IA
NJ
CA
CO
AZ
TX
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.
$2.8M · 86 repeat orgs$119k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +50% since the first grant, against +22% for those funded once.

86 repeat relationships: 58 still active in FY2025, 28 since wound down; 10 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

86
17

Total granted

$2.8M
$92k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+50%
+22%

Still filing today

60%
35%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 93% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $28k went to new ones.

50%100%’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
EducationHealthHuman ServicesYouth DevelopmentArts & CultureRecreation & SportsOther
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

  • HS
    HUMANE SOCIETY SILICON VALLEY
    8× · 2018–2025 · $129k · revenue +64%
  • THE MICHAEL J FOX FOUNDATION FOR PARKINSON'S RESEARCH
    4× · 2022–2025 · $80k · revenue +95%
  • AN
    ALS Network
    5× · 2018–2025 · $75k · revenue +125%

Funded once

  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2022 · $20k
  • DO
    DEPARTMENT OF NEUROLOGY FINANCE OFFICE
    one grant, 2018 · $10k
  • UH
    USC HEALTH SCIENCES CAMPUS
    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
Association of California School Administrators

The association serves its members by creating resources that enable california school administrators to develop and apply creative leadership and management skills and in turn, improve the educational process for all students.

—
2
Silicon Schools Fund Inc

The mission of the silicon schools fund is to improve education through supporting the launch of excellent new schools, improving academic instruction in existing schools, and by funding some of the boldest innovations in education…

Education
3
California Dental Association

The california dental association is committed to the success of our members in service to their patients and the public.

Community Improvement
4
California Dental Association Foundation

The foundation's mission is to improve the oral health of all californians by supporting the dental profession and its efforts to meet community needs.

Science & Tech
5
The San Diego Foundation

The san diego foundation inspires enduring philanthropy and enables community solutions to improve the quality of life in our region.

Philanthropy
6
The International School of San Francisco

Guided by the principles of academic rigor and diversity, the international school of san francisco offers programs of study in french and english to prepare its graduates for a world in which the ability to think critically and to…

Education
7
Uc Santa Barbara Foundation

The uc santa barbara foundation actively works to further the goals of the university of california, santa barbara. the foundation seeks to maintain and nurture the university's quality and distinction. on behalf of the campus, the…

Education
8
The Scripps Research Institute

The scripps research institute ("tsri") performs high impact basic biomedical research, improves the human condition by fostering translation of its discoveries into useful products and engages in the highest quality graduate scientific…

Health
9
Santa Barbara Education Foundation

Santa Barbara Education Foundation (SBEF) provides and supports programs that enrich the academic, artistic, and personal development of all students in the Santa Barbara Unified School District.

Education
10
San Diego Jewish Academy

San Diego Jewish Academy empowers each student to learn for life, guided by Jewish values and rooted in strength of community.

Education
11
The California Channel

To distribute public affairs and other educational information in order to create an electronic bridge between californians and their public officials, and, in the process educate a new generation of voting citizens and civic leaders who…

—
12
California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy

To harness the power of the human immune system and advanced computing technologies to create and translate scientific discoveries into next generation vaccines and therapies for prevention, control and cure of chronic diseases, enabling…

Health
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Camino Nuevo Charter Academy; the most unlike its peers is Internet Archive. 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

68 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. 68 of the 116 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)
16
Early backer (in before they grew)
67/68
Grantees still filing
50/68
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

UCLA HEALTH SCIENCES DEVELOPMENT: $200,000 · OtherUCLA HEALTH SCIENCES DEVELOPMENTCITY OF HOPE: $160,000 · OtherCITY OF HOPEKECK SCHOOL OF MEDICINE OF USC: $120,000 · OtherKECK SCHOOL OF MEDICINE OF USCTHE NANCY AND STEPHEN GRAND FAMILY HOUSE: $60,000 · OtherTUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION: $60,000 · OtherLOS ANGELES REGIONAL FOOD BANK: $60,000 · OtherRADY CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION SAN DIEGO: $60,000 · Other+62 more: $1,011,500 · Other+62 moreUCLA FOUNDATION: $114,000 · EducationUCLA FOUNDATIONHarmony Project: $64,000 · EducationHarmony ProjectUNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: $50,000 · EducationUNIVERSITY OF SOUT…WILDWOOD SCHOOL INC: $48,000 · EducationWILDWOOD SCHOOL IN…UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO FOUNDATION: $46,000 · EducationUNIVERSITY OF CALI…The Edible Schoolyard Project dba The Alice Waters Institute: $40,000 · EducationThe Edible Schooly…SECULAR STUDENT ALLIANCE: $40,000 · EducationSECULAR STUDENT AL…NATIVITY PREP ACADEMY OF SAN DIEGO INC: $40,000 · EducationNATIVITY PREP ACAD…THE BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF BURBANK AND GREATER EAST VALLEY INC: $24,000 · Education+7 more: $53,500 · Education+7 moreTHE MICHAEL J FOX FOUNDATION FOR PARKINSON'S RESEARCH: $80,000 · HealthTHE MICHAEL J…ALS Network: $75,000 · HealthALS NetworkBAY AREA CANCER CONNECTIONS: $46,000 · HealthBAY AREA CANC…Children's Hospital Los Angeles: $40,000 · HealthChildren's Ho…ARTHRITIS NATIONAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION: $40,000 · HealthARTHRITIS NAT…CHRISTOPHER REEVE FOUNDATION: $20,000 · HealthCHRISTOPHER R…OPEN MEDICINE FOUNDATION: $18,000 · HealthPANCREATIC CANCER ACTION NETWORK INC: $16,000 · HealthVISION TO LEARN: $15,000 · Health+4 more: $15,500 · HealthHUMANE SOCIETY SILICON VALLEY: $129,000 · AnimalsLOS ANGELES SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS: $40,000 · AnimalsABILITYFIRST: $40,000 · Human ServicesAllies for Every Child Inc: $40,000 · Human ServicesInternet Archive: $30,000 · Human ServicesMIRACLE LEAGUE OF SAN DIEGO: $13,000 · Human ServicesCATHERINES CHILDRENS HOME: $7,000 · Human ServicesFAMILY SERVICE AGENCY OF BURBANK: $5,000 · Human ServicesYOUNG LIFE: $30,000 · Youth DevelopmentGIRL SCOUTS OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA: $28,000 · Youth DevelopmentBoys & Girls Clubs of South County: $16,000 · Youth DevelopmentSTUDENTS RUN AMERICA: $16,000 · Youth DevelopmentANY BODY CAN YOUTH FOUNDATION: $15,000 · Youth DevelopmentVENICE ARTS: $30,000 · Arts & CultureOPERA SAN JOSE INCORPORATED: $23,000 · Arts & CultureShotgun Players: $23,000 · Arts & CultureLOS ANGELES CONSERVANCY: $16,000 · Arts & Culture+1 more: $2,000 · Arts & Culture
Other$1,731,500Education$519,500Health$365,500Animals$169,000Human Services$135,000Youth Development$105,000Arts & Culture$94,000

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 budgetHUMANE SOCIETY SILICON VALLEY: $129,000 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetUCLA FOUNDATION: $114,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetTHE MICHAEL J FOX FOUNDATION FOR PARKINSON'S RESEARCH: $80,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetALS Network: $75,000 over 5y, 0.3% of budgetHarmony Project: $64,000 over 8y, 0.2% of budgetRADY CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION SAN DIEGO: $60,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetLOS ANGELES REGIONAL FOOD BANK: $60,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetFRESH START SURGICAL GIFTS: $51,000 over 8y, 0.3% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: $50,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetPROMISES2KIDS FOUNDATION: $50,000 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetWILDWOOD SCHOOL INC: $48,000 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetBAY AREA CANCER CONNECTIONS: $46,000 over 8y, 0.6% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO FOUNDATION: $46,000 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetChildren's Hospital Los Angeles: $40,000 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetARTHRITIS NATIONAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION: $40,000 over 8y, 0.3% of budgetABILITYFIRST: $40,000 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetThe Edible Schoolyard Project dba The Alice Waters Institute: $40,000 over 8y, 0.3% of budgetSPECIAL OLYMPICS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA INC: $40,000 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetSECULAR STUDENT ALLIANCE: $40,000 over 8y, 0.9% of budgetSUPPORT THE ENLISTED PROJECT INC: $40,000 over 8y, 0.3% of budgetAllies for Every Child Inc: $40,000 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetNATIVITY PREP ACADEMY OF SAN DIEGO INC: $40,000 over 8y, 0.3% of budgetClaremont McKenna College: $40,000 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetLOS ANGELES SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS: $40,000 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetTERI Inc: $36,000 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetThe Vision of Children: $36,000 over 8y, 1.8% of budgetVENICE ARTS: $30,000 over 7y, 0.5% of budgetInternet Archive: $30,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetYOUNG LIFE: $30,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetGIRL SCOUTS OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA: $28,000 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetSURGICAL EYE EXPEDITIONS INTERNATIONAL INC: $25,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetTHE BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF BURBANK AND GREATER EAST VALLEY INC: $24,000 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetOPERA SAN JOSE INCORPORATED: $23,000 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetShotgun Players: $23,000 over 8y, 0.2% of budgetCHRISTOPHER REEVE FOUNDATION: $20,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetOPEN MEDICINE FOUNDATION: $18,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetLOS ANGELES CONSERVANCY: $16,000 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetPANCREATIC CANCER ACTION NETWORK INC: $16,000 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetBoys & Girls Clubs of South County: $16,000 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetSTUDENTS RUN AMERICA: $16,000 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetANY BODY CAN YOUTH FOUNDATION: $15,000 over 4y, 1.0% of budgetVISION TO LEARN: $15,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetElectronic Frontier Foundation Inc: $15,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetMIRACLE LEAGUE OF SAN DIEGO: $13,000 over 8y, 1.7% of budgetROOM TO READ: $10,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetBURBANK ARTS AND EDUCATION FOUNDATION: $9,000 over 3y, 1.5% of budgetPUEBLO NUEVO EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT G: $8,500 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetCATHERINES CHILDRENS HOME: $7,000 over 3y, 1.9% 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 HUMANE SOCIETY SILICON VALLEY ↗
  • Who funds UCLA FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds THE MICHAEL J FOX FOUNDATION FOR PARKINSON'S RESEARCH ↗
  • Who funds ALS Network ↗
  • Who funds Harmony Project ↗
  • Who funds RADY CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION SAN DIEGO ↗
  • Who funds LOS ANGELES REGIONAL FOOD BANK ↗
  • Who funds FRESH START SURGICAL GIFTS ↗
  • Who funds UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ↗
  • Who funds PROMISES2KIDS FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds WILDWOOD SCHOOL INC ↗
  • Who funds BAY AREA CANCER CONNECTIONS ↗
  • Who funds UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds Children's Hospital Los Angeles ↗
  • Who funds ARTHRITIS NATIONAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds ABILITYFIRST ↗
  • Who funds The Edible Schoolyard Project dba The Alice Waters Institute ↗
  • Who funds SPECIAL OLYMPICS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA INC ↗
  • Who funds SECULAR STUDENT ALLIANCE ↗
  • Who funds SUPPORT THE ENLISTED PROJECT INC ↗
  • Who funds Allies for Every Child Inc ↗
  • Who funds NATIVITY PREP ACADEMY OF SAN DIEGO INC ↗
  • Who funds Claremont McKenna College ↗
  • Who funds LOS ANGELES SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS ↗
  • Who funds TERI Inc ↗
  • Who funds The Vision of Children ↗
  • Who funds VENICE ARTS ↗
  • Who funds Internet Archive ↗
  • Who funds YOUNG LIFE ↗

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.

Sempra FoundationThe San Diego Foundat…Rancho Santa Fe Found…California Community …The Ahmanson Foundati…Jewish Community Foun…Jewish Community Foun…The Ralph M Parsons F…The Annenberg Foundat…Walter J & Betty C Za…The Conrad Prebys Fou…The San Francisco Fou…
Sempra FoundationCA24.6× affinity13 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Sempra Foundation · The San Diego Foundation · Rancho Santa Fe Foundation · California Community Foundation · The Ahmanson Foundation · Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego · Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles · The Ralph M Parsons Foundation · The Annenberg Foundation · Walter J & Betty C Zable Foundation · The Conrad Prebys Foundation · The San Francisco 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 Simon-Strauss Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Simon-Strauss Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%23%45%68%90%share of the org’s income from government →median 49%
  • Christopher Reeve Foundation: 49% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
17report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–90%
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 116 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 Simon-Strauss’ 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