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Spruce Street Foundation Inc at a glance

· Private foundation

Spruce Street Foundation Inc

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.

$1.3M
Granted FY2024still arriving
21
Grants FY2024still arriving
9
States reached
$450k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0192% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2021 to 2024.

Education$1.4MArts & Culture$800kPhilanthropy$506kRecreation & Sports$297kCivil Rights$189kHuman Services$163kCrime & Legal$160kPublic Benefit$125kOther$0
02FY2024 · 21 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k2 grants · $6k
  • $10k–50k10 grants · $234k
  • $50k–250k8 grants · $576k
  • $250k+1 grant · $450k
$25,000
Median grant
9
States reached
$14M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Stanford Law School$450,000
Individual grant recipient$100,000
John Hopkins University$100,000
Partners for Justice$100,000
US Olympic and Paralympic Foundatio$75,600
Everybody Votes Campaign$50,000
Notley Impact Freedom2Vote$50,000
CARE Impact Awards 2024$50,000
Working America Fund$50,000
Wellesley College$33,833
Somos Votantes Education Fund$25,000
Civic Nation$25,000
SFMOMA$25,000
NYCLU$25,000
Southern Vision Alliance$25,000
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 (FY21–24, $73k) land where the poverty rate runs at 8%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 17% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%How Women Lead: $25k → 8%The River Fund: $3k → 13%Freedom Reads: $10k → 12%How Women Lead: $25k → 8%How Women Lead: $10k → 8%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

NY
MA
OH
CT
CA
CO
VA
MD
NC
DC
HI
GA
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.

49%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.4M · 13 repeat orgs$1.5M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +14% since the first grant, against -4% for those funded once.

13 repeat relationships: 8 still active in FY2024, 5 since wound down; 12 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

13
35

Total granted

$1.4M
$968k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+14%
-4%

Still filing today

62%
49%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 36% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $521k went to new ones.

50%100%’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’21’22’23’24
Arts & CultureCivil RightsHuman ServicesEducationPhilanthropyHealthOther
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

  • PF
    PARTNERS FOR JUSTICE INC
    2× · 2023–2024 · $150k · revenue +45%
  • SF
    SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART
    3× · 2022–2024 · $75k · revenue +14%
  • AB
    ATLANTA BASEBALL FOUNDATION INC
    2× · 2022–2023 · $50k · revenue +14%

Funded once

  • CU
    CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY
    one grant, 2022 · $100k · revenue +9%
  • NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE & EDUC FUND INCgraduated
    one grant, 2023 · $100k · revenue +132%
  • CI
    CARE Inc
    one grant, 2022 · $100k
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 Conversationalist
—
2
Women Donors Network

Women donors network advances a just, equitable, and sustainable world through the power of philanthropy, women's leadership, and collective and individual action.

Philanthropy
3
American Association of University Women Inc

Aauw advances gender equity for women and girls through research, education, and advocacy.

Education
4
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
5
Womens Funding Network

Our mission as a global alliance is to provide strategies, research, and resources that support the critical agency and influence of women's foundations and gender justice funders in the movement for equality, justice, and power for all.

Education
6
Institute for Americas Future Inc

Iaf's purpose is to conduct research and publicize findings concerning citizen's attitudes about economic options confronting america. iaf is devoted to fostering a robust and democratic debate about ideas that will shape our country's…

Education
7
The Leadership Foundation

The leadership foundation, inc. (the foundation), established in 1990, is the mechanism by which iwf members advance the next generation of women leaders. the foundation accelerates the careers of top-performing women by offering…

—
8
Jobs with Justice San Francisco

A long-term, strategic alliance of labor, community, faith-based, and student organizations working together to build greater economic power for workers and community members through employee rights at work and access to good jobs,…

Employment
9
UltraViolet Education Fund

Ultraviolet education fund (uvef) is a 501c3 organization. ultraviolet is the premier national organization advocating for gender justice issues using creative, strategic campaigning and digital-first organizing. ultraviolet drives…

Civil Rights
10
Boston Architectural College

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

—
11
Actionaid Usa

Actionaid is an international network building a just, equitable, and sustainable world in solidarity with communities on the frontlines of poverty and injustice. actionaid usa is the u.s. branch of actionaid international, which works in…

Social Science
12
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
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The Aspen Institute Inc; the most unlike its peers is Laurel Foundation. 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

32 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. 32 of the 63 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)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
31/32
Grantees still filing
16/32
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

US Olympic and Paralympic Foundatio: $247,100 · OtherUS Olympic and Paralympic FoundatioCARE Inc: $100,000 · OtherCARE IncChapman University: $100,000 · OtherChapman UniversityJohn Hopkins University: $100,000 · OtherJohn Hopkins UniversityIndividual grant recipient: $100,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipientSCHOOL OF LEADERSHIP-AFGHANISTAN INC: $55,000 · Other+36 more: $896,338 · Other+36 moreTHE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY: $1,100,000 · EducationTHE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND…CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY: $100,000 · EducationCHAPMAN UNIVERSITYWellesley College: $43,833 · Education+1 more: $25,000 · EducationPENINSULA ARTS GUILD: $550,000 · Arts & CulturePENINSULA ARTS GUILDSAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART: $75,000 · Arts & CultureSAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM…PIONEER WORKS ART FOUNDATION: $65,000 · Arts & CulturePIONEER WORKS ART FO…SAINT JOSEPHS ARTS FOUNDATION: $25,000 · Arts & Culture+1 more: $10,000 · Arts & CultureHOPEWELL FUND: $100,000 · PhilanthropyLAUREL FOUNDATION: $65,000 · Philanthropy+1 more: $1,250 · PhilanthropyPARTNERS FOR JUSTICE INC: $150,000 · Crime & LegalNAACP LEGAL DEFENSE & EDUC FUND INC: $100,000 · Civil RightsEQUALITY CALIFORNIA: $15,000 · Civil Rights+3 more: $6,000 · Civil RightsBAY AREA WOMEN LEADER NETWORK: $60,000 · Human ServicesFREEDOM READS INC: $10,000 · Human ServicesTHE RIVER FUND NEW YORK INC: $2,500 · Human Services
Other$1,598,438Education$1,268,833Arts & Culture$725,000Philanthropy$166,250Crime & Legal$150,000Civil Rights$121,000Human Services$72,500

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$10k$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetTHE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY: $1,100,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetPENINSULA ARTS GUILD: $550,000 over 2y, 6.8% of budgetPARTNERS FOR JUSTICE INC: $150,000 over 2y, 1.1% of budgetCHAPMAN UNIVERSITY: $100,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNAACP LEGAL DEFENSE & EDUC FUND INC: $100,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetHOPEWELL FUND: $100,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART: $75,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetPIONEER WORKS ART FOUNDATION: $65,000 over 2y, 0.6% of budgetLAUREL FOUNDATION: $65,000 over 3y, 35% of budgetBAY AREA WOMEN LEADER NETWORK: $60,000 over 3y, 1.8% of budgetSCHOOL OF LEADERSHIP-AFGHANISTAN INC: $55,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetATLANTA BASEBALL FOUNDATION INC: $50,000 over 2y, 13% of budgetWellesley College: $43,833 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNEW YORK CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetSOUTHERN VISION ALLIANCE: $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE GEANCO FOUNDATION INC: $25,000 over 1y, 4.0% of budgetCivic Nation: $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSAINT JOSEPHS ARTS FOUNDATION: $25,000 over 1y, 3.3% of budgetProject Kesher: $20,000 over 2y, 0.8% of budgetEQUALITY CALIFORNIA: $15,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetFREEDOM READS INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetThe Hanalei Initiative Inc: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetWACO THEATER CENTER: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetA NEW WAY OF LIFE REENTRY PROJECT: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTREVOR PROJECT INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE LOVELAND FOUNDATION INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCITY HARVEST INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE RIVER FUND NEW YORK INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMarina Counseling Center: $1,250 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSOMA INTERNATIONAL: $1,250 over 1y, 31% of budgetThe Representation Project: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE ASPEN INSTITUTE INC: $1,000 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.

  • Who funds THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds PENINSULA ARTS GUILD ↗
  • Who funds PARTNERS FOR JUSTICE INC ↗
  • Who funds CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE & EDUC FUND INC ↗
  • Who funds HOPEWELL FUND ↗
  • Who funds SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART ↗
  • Who funds PIONEER WORKS ART FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds LAUREL FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds BAY AREA WOMEN LEADER NETWORK ↗
  • Who funds SCHOOL OF LEADERSHIP-AFGHANISTAN INC ↗
  • Who funds ATLANTA BASEBALL FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds Wellesley College ↗
  • Who funds NEW YORK CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION INC ↗
  • Who funds SOUTHERN VISION ALLIANCE ↗
  • Who funds THE GEANCO FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds Civic Nation ↗
  • Who funds SAINT JOSEPHS ARTS FOUNDATION ↗

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.

Silicon Valley Commun…Marin Community Found…American Endowment Fo…Gs Donor Advised Phil…Jewish Communal FundNational Philanthropi…Vanguard Charitable E…Morgan Stanley Global…American Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Silicon Valley Community FoundationCA17× affinity8 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Silicon Valley Community Foundation · Marin Community Foundation · American Endowment Foundation · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · Jewish Communal Fund · National Philanthropic Trust · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · 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 Spruce Street Foundation Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Spruce Street Foundation Inc. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%3%10%23%40%funder's share of their income ↑0%5%10%15%20%share of the org’s income from government →median 12%
  • Freedom Reads Inc: 12% of income from government
  • Wellesley College: 1% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
1get no government money at all
2report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–20%
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 Spruce Street Foundation Inc?

Find your warmest path to Spruce Street Foundation Inc 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 63 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 Spruce Street’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