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Solomon Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Solomon 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.

$5k
Granted FY2025still arriving
5
Grants FY2025still arriving
3
States reached
$2k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Education$113kEnvironment$55kHealth$5kInternational$5kHuman Services$3kArts & Culture$2kHousing & Shelter$2kScience & Tech$1kOther$0
02FY2025 · 5 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$1,000
Median grant
3
States reached
$192k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Misc Public Charities$1,700
NPGAid$1,000
Amnesty International USA$1,000
Child Fund International$492
Defenders of Wildlife$390
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 (FY17–21, $3k) land where the poverty rate runs at 12%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 70% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%Plumas Rural Services: $2k → 13%Read Global: $400 → 10%READ Global: $250 → 10%READ Global: $200 → 10%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.

94%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$178k · 12 repeat orgs$11k to everyone else

12 repeat relationships: 2 still active in FY2025, 10 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

12
10

Total granted

$178k
$9k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+6%
+12%

Still filing today

67%
50%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 48% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $2k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’24’25
InternationalHealthHuman ServicesEnvironmentEducationAnimalsOther
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

  • CI
    CHILDFUND INTERNATIONAL USA
    7× · 2017–2025 · $4k · revenue +3%
  • THE UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS INC
    3× · 2017–2019 · $1k · revenue +12%
  • PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC
    2× · 2021–2022 · $1k · revenue +26%

Funded once

  • Plumas Rural Services Inc
    one grant, 2021 · $2k · revenue +12%
  • IH
    Incline High School
    one grant, 2018 · $1k
  • CF
    CYMBAL FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2017 · $1k
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
The Sierra Fund

The Sierra Fund (TSF) is a non-profit organization with a mission to restore ecosystem and community resiliency in the Sierra Nevada.

Environment
2
Ucsf Foundation Investment Company

The organization provides professional investment management services for endowed gifts and financial assets entrusted to the ucsf foundation.

Education
3
Fsc I&P

Fsc i&p promotes environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world's forests. this mission aligns with the forest stewardship council (fsc), its network of offices, and other organizations.…

Philanthropy
4
Environmental Investigation Agency

To establish and promote programs to protect the global climate, forests, wildlife and the natural environment, through research, advocacy, and investigation.

International
5
Rainforest Trust

Rainforest trust saves endangered wildlife and protects our planet by creating rainforest reserves through partnerships, community engagement, and donor support.

International
6
American Geophysical Union

Agu's mission is to advance and support an inclusive community of earth and space scientists and partners dedicated to discovery and solutions to societal challenges. agu seeks to catalyze discovery and solutions to scientific and societal…

Science & Tech
7
CalWild

The California Wilderness Coalition protects the natural landscapes that make California unique, providing clean air and water, a home to wildlife, and a place for recreation and spiritual renewal.

—
8
CarbonPlan

Improving the transparency and scientific integrity of climate solutions through open data and tools.

Environment
9
Rainforest Foundation Inc

The purpose of rainforest foundation us is to support indigenous peoples and forest communities in their efforts to secure their lands, protect their environment, and uphold their rights.

Environment
10
Asociacion Interamericana Para La Defensa Del Ambiente

To strenghten people's ability to guarantee their individual and collective right to a healthy environment, via the development, implementation, and effective enforcement of national and international law.

Crime & Legal
11
The Water Research Foundation

The purpose of the water research foundation (wrf) is a definitive research organization to advance the science of all things water to better meet the evolving needs of its subscribers and the water sector. to engage exclusively in…

Environment
12
California Ocean Science Trust

California ocean science trust (ost) is a non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating progress towards a healthy and productive ocean future for california. created by state legislation, ost bridges the gap between cutting-edge…

Environment
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The Trust for Public Land; the most unlike its peers is Plumas Rural Services 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

14 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. 14 of the 25 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)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
14/14
Grantees still filing
9/14
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Sierra Nevada College: $111,252 · OtherSierra Nevada CollegeMisc Public Charities: $28,389 · OtherMisc Public CharitiesVarious Charities: $26,029 · OtherVarious Charities+10 more: $11,250 · Other+10 moreCHILDFUND INTERNATIONAL USA: $3,732 · InternationalTHE UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS INC: $1,100 · InternationalPLAN INTERNATIONAL USA INC: $661 · InternationalPlumas Rural Services Inc: $2,000 · Human ServicesRURAL EDUCATION & DEVELOPMENT INC: $850 · Human ServicesPLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC: $1,000 · HealthINCLINE VILLAGE COMMUNITY HOSPITAL FOUNDATION: $500 · HealthSIMMARON RESEARCH INC: $250 · HealthTHE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND: $500 · EnvironmentTRUCKEE DONNER LAND TRUST: $400 · EnvironmentAMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN INC: $855 · EducationDefenders of Wildlife: $390 · Animals
Other$176,920International$5,493Human Services$2,850Health$1,750Environment$900Education$855Animals$390

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 budgetSierra Nevada College: $111,252 over 5y, 0.5% of budgetCHILDFUND INTERNATIONAL USA: $3,732 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetPlumas Rural Services Inc: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS INC: $1,100 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetPLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC: $1,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetAMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN INC: $855 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetRURAL EDUCATION & DEVELOPMENT INC: $850 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetEL SEGUNDO EDUCATION FOUNDATION: $800 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPLAN INTERNATIONAL USA INC: $661 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetINCLINE VILLAGE COMMUNITY HOSPITAL FOUNDATION: $500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND: $500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetDefenders of Wildlife: $390 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSIMMARON RESEARCH INC: $250 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.

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.

Tahoe Community Found…American Endowment Fo…National Philanthropi…The Bank of America C…Vanguard Charitable E…American Online Givin…Fidelity Investments …Donor Advised Charita…Amazonsmile Foundation
Tahoe Community FoundationNV17.8× affinity6 shared granteesties to 8 of 8Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Tahoe Community Foundation · American Endowment Foundation · National Philanthropic Trust · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · 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 Solomon Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Solomon Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%13%25%38%50%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get no government money at all
    4report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–50%
    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 Solomon Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Solomon 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 25 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 Solomon’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