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Stern Leichter Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Stern Leichter 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.

$203k
Granted FY2024still arriving
13
Grants FY2024still arriving
2
States reached
$50k
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 2024.

Religion$716kFood & Nutrition$301kPhilanthropy$270kArts & Culture$200kYouth Development$154kRecreation & Sports$146kHuman Services$126kHealth$63kOther$0
02FY2024 · 13 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k5 grants · $23k
  • $10k–50k6 grants · $80k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $100k
$10,000
Median grant
2
States reached
$3.6M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
COASTAL ROOTS FARM$50,000
HILLEL OF SAN DIEGO$50,000
LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE$25,000
TEMPLE SOLEL$15,000
NORTH COAST REP THEATER$10,000
Individual grant recipient$10,000
KPBS$10,000
PRO KIDS FIRST TEE$10,000
FOUNDATION FOR THE CHILDREN OF THE CALIFORNIAS$5,000
FOUNDATION FOR CAMP BOB WALDORF$5,000
Individual grant recipient$5,000
NEW HAVEN YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES$5,000
MAGDALENA ECKE FAMILY YMCA$3,000
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 (FY18–24, $238k) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 97% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%ESSENTIAL PARTNERS: $5k → 8%RIP MEDICAL DEBT: $3k → 9%HELPING HANDS SENIOR FOUNDATION: $25k → 11%IMPACT CUBED: $60k → 11%IMPACT CUBED: $50k → 11%COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER: $20k → 11%IMPACT CUBED: $15k → 11%COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER: $15k → 11%COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER: $10k → 11%IMPACT CUBED: $10k → 11%COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER: $10k → 11%IMPACT CUBED: $10k → 11%MAGDALENA ECKE FAMILY YMCA: $3k → 11%MAGDALENA ECKE FAMILY YMCA: $3k → 11%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
MA
OR
PA
CA
MD
DC
HI
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.

86%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.8M · 28 repeat orgs$296k to everyone else

28 repeat relationships: 8 still active in FY2024, 20 since wound down; 5 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

28
26

Total granted

$1.8M
$261k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+34%
+48%

Still filing today

71%
42%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 83% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $35k 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
Human ServicesRecreation & SportsInternationalEnvironmentYouth DevelopmentPhilanthropyOther
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

  • HO
    HILLEL OF SAN DIEGO
    5× · 2017–2024 · $162k · revenue +57%
  • CR
    COASTAL ROOTS FARM
    5× · 2020–2024 · $145k · revenue +112%
  • PK
    PRO KIDS GOLF ACADEMY INC
    4× · 2018–2021 · $60k · revenue +74%

Funded once

  • JF
    JEWISH FEDERATION OF SAN DIEGO
    one grant, 2023 · $100k
  • WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC
    one grant, 2020 · $25k · revenue +21%
  • HH
    HELPING HANDS SENIOR FOUNDATIONgraduated
    one grant, 2018 · $25k · revenue +359%
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 San Diego Foundation

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

Philanthropy
2
Jewish Federation of San Diego County

Jewish federation of san diego county is dedicated to building a vibrant, caring, connected, and enduring jewish community.

—
3
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
4
Feeding San Diego

On a mission to connect every person facing hunger with nutritious meals by maximizing food rescue. through direct service and community partnerships, feeding san diego provides more than 26 million meals each year to children, families,…

Food & Nutrition
5
University of Southern California Hillel Foundation

To create an informed, celebratory and satisfying jewish community for students at the university of southern california, to deepen jewish identity through social, intellectual and spiritual participation, to offer diversified…

—
6
Jewish Family Service of San Diego

Jewish family service is a client-centered, impact-driven organization working to build a stronger, healthier, more resilient san diego.

Human Services
7
Policy & Innovation Center

The policy & innovation center's (pic) mission is to unlock the region's potential by cultivating and building partnerships. our niche is to address intractable issues that can only be solved with cross-sector, multi-jurisdictional…

Philanthropy
8
Sf Partnership

SF Partnership is an organization comprised of SF's leading employers dedicated to supporting an equitable, resilient, and vibrant economy shared by all people working and living in San Francisco. Through education, advocacy, and research,…

—
9
Sandler Foundation

The foundation operates exclusively for charitable, educational or religious purposes by conducting or supporting activities for the benefit of, or to carry out the purposes of the jewish community federation of san francisco, the…

Philanthropy
10
Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles

We steward $1.5 billion in charitable assets through donor-advised funds, endowments, and other giving vehicles. partnering with 1,400 individuals, families, and organizations, we build enduring legacies and multigenerational impact. in…

Philanthropy
11
Jewish Federation Council of Greater La

Based on jewish values, the jewish federation of greater los angeles convenes and leads the community and leverages its resources to assure the continuity of the jewish people, support a secure state of israel, care for jews in need here…

Philanthropy
12
San Diego Hunger Coalition

San diego hunger coalition works collaboratively with community partners to create equitable access to food assistance through research, education, and advocacy.

Food & Nutrition
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank; the most unlike its peers is Rails to Trails Conservancy. 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

33 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. 33 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)
10
Early backer (in before they grew)
33/33
Grantees still filing
25/33
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

TEMPLE SOLEL OF NORTHERN SAN DIEGO COUNTY INC: $541,667 · OtherTEMPLE SOLEL OF NORTHERN SAN DIEGO COUNTY INCHILLEL OF SAN DIEGO: $161,800 · OtherHILLEL OF SAN DIEGOCOASTAL ROOTS FARM: $145,000 · OtherCOASTAL ROOTS FARMJEWISH FEDERATION OF SAN DIEGO: $100,000 · OtherJEWISH FEDERATION OF SAN DIEGOKPBS: $75,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $50,000 · Other+36 more: $408,000 · Other+36 moreIMPACT CUBED: $145,000 · Human ServicesIMPACT CUBEDCOMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER: $55,000 · Human ServicesCOMMUNITY RE…HELPING HANDS SENIOR FOUNDATION: $25,000 · Human ServicesHELPING HAND…+3 more: $13,000 · Human Services+3 moreSunbird Initiative: $122,500 · Youth DevelopmentB'NAI BRITH MEN'S CAMP ASSOCIATION: $33,500 · Youth DevelopmentTHEATER & ARTS FOUNDATION OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY DBA LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE: $80,000 · Arts & CultureLeap to Success: $10,000 · Arts & CulturePRO KIDS GOLF ACADEMY INC: $60,000 · Recreation & SportsTHE FOUNDATION FOR CAMP BOB WALDORF: $5,000 · Recreation & SportsNorthwestern University: $2,500 · Recreation & SportsCENTURY CLUB OF SAN DIEGO: $45,000 · PhilanthropySEACREST FOUNDATION: $10,000 · PhilanthropyJACOBS & CUSHMAN SAN DIEGO FOOD BANK: $50,000 · Food & Nutrition+1 more: $1,000 · Food & Nutrition
Other$1,481,467Human Services$238,000Youth Development$156,000Arts & Culture$90,000Recreation & Sports$67,500Philanthropy$55,000Food & Nutrition$51,000

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 budgetHILLEL OF SAN DIEGO: $161,800 over 5y, 1.9% of budgetIMPACT CUBED: $145,000 over 3y, 6.8% of budgetCOASTAL ROOTS FARM: $145,000 over 5y, 2.0% of budgetSunbird Initiative: $122,500 over 7y, 4.6% of budgetTHEATER & ARTS FOUNDATION OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY DBA LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE: $80,000 over 5y, 0.2% of budgetPRO KIDS GOLF ACADEMY INC: $60,000 over 4y, 0.9% of budgetCOMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER: $55,000 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetJACOBS & CUSHMAN SAN DIEGO FOOD BANK: $50,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetCENTURY CLUB OF SAN DIEGO: $45,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetKITCHENS FOR GOOD: $40,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetB'NAI BRITH MEN'S CAMP ASSOCIATION: $33,500 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetMAZON A Jewish Response to Hunger: $30,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHELPING HANDS SENIOR FOUNDATION: $25,000 over 1y, 4.0% of budgetHEBREW FREE LOAN OF SAN DIEGO: $20,000 over 2y, 2.1% of budgetQUAIL BOTANICAL GARDENS FOUNDATION: $20,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetPLANNED PARENTHOOD OF THE PACIFIC SOUTHWEST: $20,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetRAILS TO TRAILS CONSERVANCY: $15,500 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetNew Haven Youth and Family Services Inc: $15,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetSEACREST FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetLeap to Success: $10,000 over 1y, 2.3% of budgetSAN DIEGUITO RIVER VALLEY LAND CONSERVANCY: $10,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetTHE FOUNDATION FIGHTING BLINDNESS INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSurvivor Mitzvah Project: $7,200 over 2y, 0.8% of budgetYMCA OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY: $5,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetThe Butterfly Project: $5,000 over 1y, 2.6% of budgetESSENTIAL PARTNERS INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetFOUNDATION FOR THE CHILDREN OF THE CALIFORNIAS: $5,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetTHE FOUNDATION FOR CAMP BOB WALDORF: $5,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetMEDICAL DEBT RESOLUTION INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetNorthwestern University: $2,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPhilabundance: $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.

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 Community Foun…The San Diego Foundat…Leichtag FoundationMelvin Garb FoundationRancho Santa Fe Found…Sempra FoundationAllison and Robert Pr…David C Copley Founda…Isakow FoundationJewish Federation of …Spielman Family Found…The Cushman Foundation
Jewish Community Foundation of San DiegoCA32.6× affinity14 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego · The San Diego Foundation · Leichtag Foundation · Melvin Garb Foundation · Rancho Santa Fe Foundation · Sempra Foundation · Allison and Robert Price Family Foundation · David C Copley Foundation · Isakow Foundation · Jewish Federation of San Diego County · Spielman Family Foundation · The Cushman 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 Stern Leichter Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Stern Leichter Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 20%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%8%15%22%30%share of the org’s income from government →median 7%
  • B'nai Brith Men's Camp Association: 7% of 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 · 0–30%
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 Stern Leichter Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Stern Leichter 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 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 Stern Leichter’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