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Sketch Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Sketch 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.

$270k
Granted FY2024still arriving
9
Grants FY2024still arriving
5
States reached
$200k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0192% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Science & Tech$200kEducation$191kHuman Services$170kHealth$165kYouth Development$150kArts & Culture$81kFood & Nutrition$60kHousing & Shelter$53kOther$0
02FY2024 · 9 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k4 grants · $20k
  • $10k–50k4 grants · $50k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $200k
$10,000
Median grant
5
States reached
$4.1M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM$200,000
TREEHOUSE$20,000
LIBERTY CHRISTIAN SCHOOL$10,000
TUNNEL TO TOWERS$10,000
COOK CHILDRENS HEALTH FOUNDATIO$10,000
DALLAS CASA$5,000
METROPORT MEALS ON WHEELS$5,000
JEWISH FREE LOAN$5,000
Individual grant recipient$5,000
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 (FY17–23, $84k) land where the poverty rate runs at 12%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 91% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%DOGGIE DOES GOOD: $15k → 12%UNION RESCUE MISSION: $127 → 14%VENTURA COUNTY RESCUE MISSION: $8k → 10%DOGGIE DOES GOOD: $15k → 12%CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT: $15k → 14%ILLUMINATION FOUNDATION: $15k → 10%CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT: $10k → 14%CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT: $5k → 14%RED CROSS: $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

WA
NY
OR
PA
NJ
CA
VA
DC
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.

47%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$589k · 21 repeat orgs$660k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +56% since the first grant, against +50% for those funded once.

21 repeat relationships: 8 still active in FY2024, 13 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

21
37

Total granted

$589k
$460k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+56%
+50%

Still filing today

67%
59%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 26% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $200k 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
EducationHuman ServicesHealthYouth DevelopmentRecreation & SportsFood & NutritionOther
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

  • T
    TREEHOUSE
    4× · 2021–2024 · $75k · revenue +116%
  • SO
    SCHOOL'S OUT WASHINGTON
    3× · 2019–2021 · $60k · revenue +84%
  • SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
    2× · 2017–2018 · $50k · revenue +31%

Funded once

  • EA
    EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY INCgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $50k · revenue +76%
  • AB
    ACCESS BOOKS
    one grant, 2021 · $35k · revenue 0%
  • FOODCORPS INC
    one grant, 2019 · $30k · revenue +23%
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
Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Promotion and advancement of children's health through patient care, research, and education.

Health
2
South Shore Charter School

The mission of south shore charter school is to cultivate students the tenacity, integrity, and curiosity needed to become innovative and socially responsible leaders, ready to face and solve the ever-changing challenges facing our…

Education
3
The Waverly School

The waverly school is a nonsectarian, coeducational, college preparatory progressive day school that spans preschool through high school. it is fully accredited by the western association of school and colleges and the california…

Education
4
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
5
Sonoma Charter School

Sonoma charter school seeks to achieve academic excellence through engaged learning in a setting that involves students, teachers, and parents.

Education
6
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.

—
7
Alternative Schools Inc

To help each child reach his/her full potential by cultivating an active village of parents, community members, and stakeholders involved in providing an individual, personal, and conceptual learning environment for each student.

Education
8
Aim High for High School

To increase educational equity by providing joyful, enriching learning experiences for middle school students, aspiring teachers, and experienced educators.

Education
9
Westside Neighborhood School

Wns is committed to creating a deeply caring community of lifelong learners that nurtures students from diverse backgrounds to reach their full potential, develop cultural competency, and inspire the world with their curiosity, innovation,…

Education
10
The Language Academy of Sacramento

The las mission is to create a learning community where students: utilize bilingualism and biliteracy (spanish and english) to achieve academic excellence and apply skills in real-world situations and diverse settings; develop and exhibit…

Education
11
The Seven Hills School

The institution provides educational instruction and activities to students ranging from preschool through 8th grade.

—
12
University Cooperative School

We take a joyful, community-oriented approach to raising engaged citizens, deep learners, and brave adventurers with the skills, creativity, and heart needed to better the world.

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Families Forward; the most unlike its peers is Hungarian-American Coalition. 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

36 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. 36 of the 59 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)
36/36
Grantees still filing
27/36
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM: $200,000 · OtherNATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUMHEALTHY SMILES FOR KIDS OF ORANGE COUNTY: $45,000 · OtherHEALTHY SMILES FOR KIDS OF ORANGE COUNTYMY FRIEND'S PLACE: $35,000 · OtherMY FRIEND'S PLACEBOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF CENT ORANGE COAST: $30,000 · OtherTREEHOUSE FOR KIDS: $30,000 · OtherCOOK CHILDRENS HEALTH FOUNDATIO: $30,000 · OtherFAMILIES FORWARD: $30,000 · OtherFOODCORPS INC: $30,000 · Other+26 more: $213,725 · Other+26 moreEMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY INC: $50,000 · EducationEMBRY-RIDDLE AERO…STEPHEN SILLER TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION: $40,000 · EducationSTEPHEN SILLER TU…ACCESS BOOKS: $35,000 · EducationACCESS BOOKSINSTITUTE OF ARTS MUSIC & SCIENCE: $20,000 · EducationINSTITUTE OF ARTS…LIBERTY CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS INC: $20,000 · EducationLIBERTY CHRISTIAN…Harmony Project: $20,000 · EducationHarmony Project+3 more: $4,260 · EducationTREEHOUSE: $75,000 · Youth DevelopmentTREEHOUSESCHOOL'S OUT WASHINGTON: $60,000 · Youth DevelopmentSCHOOL'S OUT…Children of the Night: $30,000 · Human ServicesDoggie Does Good Inc: $30,000 · Human ServicesIllumination Health Home formerly The Illumination Foundation: $15,000 · Human ServicesASSISTANCE LEAGUE OF CONEJO VALLEY: $10,000 · Human ServicesRESCUE MISSION ALLIANCE: $7,500 · Human Services+2 more: $1,127 · Human ServicesThe Whole Child - Mental Health & Housing Services: $30,000 · HealthYouth Eastside Services: $25,000 · HealthVISION TO LEARN: $20,000 · HealthCHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF ORANGE COUNTY: $15,000 · HealthSMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION: $50,000 · Arts & CultureFIELD HOCKEY FEDERATION INC: $30,000 · Recreation & SportsCAMP DEL CORAZON INC: $17,500 · Recreation & Sports
Other$643,725Education$189,260Youth Development$135,000Human Services$93,627Health$90,000Arts & Culture$50,000Recreation & Sports$47,500

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 budgetTREEHOUSE: $75,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetSCHOOL'S OUT WASHINGTON: $60,000 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetEMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY INC: $50,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION: $50,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetHEALTHY SMILES FOR KIDS OF ORANGE COUNTY: $45,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetSTEPHEN SILLER TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION: $40,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetACCESS BOOKS: $35,000 over 1y, 3.5% of budgetFOODCORPS INC: $30,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetChildren of the Night: $30,000 over 3y, 0.9% of budgetFIELD HOCKEY FEDERATION INC: $30,000 over 2y, 14% of budgetThe Whole Child - Mental Health & Housing Services: $30,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetDoggie Does Good Inc: $30,000 over 2y, 16% of budgetFAMILIES FORWARD: $30,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetYouth Eastside Services: $25,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetINSTITUTE OF ARTS MUSIC & SCIENCE: $20,000 over 1y, 17% of budgetVISION TO LEARN: $20,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetLIBERTY CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS INC: $20,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetFAMILYWORKS: $20,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetHarmony Project: $20,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetCAMP DEL CORAZON INC: $17,500 over 1y, 2.0% of budgetCHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF ORANGE COUNTY: $15,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF GREATER OXNARD & PORT HUENEME: $15,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetIllumination Health Home formerly The Illumination Foundation: $15,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDALLAS CASA: $12,500 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetTHE WETLANDS INSTITUTE: $10,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetMETROPORT MEALS ON WHEELS INC: $10,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetASSISTANCE LEAGUE OF CONEJO VALLEY: $10,000 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetJEWISH FREE LOAN ASSOCIATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetRESCUE MISSION ALLIANCE: $7,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHARVARD-WESTLAKE SCHOOL: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWOODBURY UNIVERSITY: $1,260 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMARINE TOYS FOR TOTS FOUNDATION: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUNION RESCUE MISSION: $127 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.

Charities Aid Foundat…Natl Christian Charit…American Endowment Fo…American Online Givin…Morgan Stanley Global…Paypal Charitable Giv…The Bank of America C…Network for GoodNational Philanthropi…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Charities Aid Foundation AmericaVA7.7× affinity4 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Charities Aid Foundation America · Natl Christian Charitable Fdn Inc · American Endowment Foundation · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Paypal Charitable Giving Fund · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Network for Good · National Philanthropic Trust · Donor Advised Charitable Giving 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 Sketch Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Sketch Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%10%20%30%40%share of the org’s income from government →median 3%
  • Foodcorps Inc: 21% of income from government
  • Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Inc: 3% of income from government
  • The Wetlands Institute: 2% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
7report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–40%
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 59 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 Sketch’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