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Steve and Sharron Macdonald Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Steve and Sharron Macdonald Family Foundation

Its FY2020 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$8.0M
Granted FY2020
24
Grants FY2020
7
States reached
$3.1M
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2018 to 2020.

Animals$3.7MHealth$3.2MFood & Nutrition$902kPublic Benefit$805kEducation$450kHuman Services$200kYouth Development$185kPublic Safety & Disaster$150kOther$0
02FY2020 · 24 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2020

  • Under $10k4 grants · $23k
  • $10k–50k4 grants · $65k
  • $50k–250k11 grants · $745k
  • $250k+5 grants · $7.2M
$50,000
Median grant
7
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
SCRIPPS HEALTH FOUNDATION$3,100,000
HELEN WOODWARD ANIMAL SHELTER$2,561,674
JUDICIAL WATCH$700,000
FEEDING SAN DIEGO$402,000
SAN DIEGO FOOD BANK$400,000
AMERICAN RED CROSS$100,000
CHILDREN'S HOPE CHEST$100,000
STANDUP FOR KIDS - OCEANSIDE CHAPTER$100,000
PROMSIES2KIDS$75,000
KATHY'S LEGACY FOUNDATION$70,000
TUNNEL 2 TOWERS$50,000
COP LINE$50,000
SECOND CHANCE DOG RESCUE$50,000
DIOCESE OF SAN DIEGO$50,000
MEALS ON WHEELS$50,000
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 (FY20–20, $150k) land where the poverty rate runs at 9%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 67% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%COP LINE: $50k → 6%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $100k → 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

NY
NJ
CA
CO
TN
DC
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.

54%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$5.3M · 8 repeat orgs$4.5M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +40% since the first grant, against +34% for those funded once.

8 repeat relationships: 7 still active in FY2020, 1 since wound down; 17 grantees were first funded in FY2020 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

8
2

Total granted

$5.3M
$55k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+40%
+34%

Still filing today

63%
100%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2020, 45% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $4.4M went to new ones.

50%100%’18’19’20
RenewedFirst-time

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

’18’19’20
HealthEducationPublic BenefitFood & NutritionHuman ServicesPhilanthropyOther
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

  • JUDICIAL WATCH INC
    2× · 2019–2020 · $720k · revenue +40%
  • CS
    COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES FOUNDATION
    2× · 2018–2019 · $400k · revenue +75%
  • GN
    GENERAL NEEDS LTD
    3× · 2018–2020 · $85k · revenue +100%

Funded once

  • OG
    OLD GLOBE THEATRE
    one grant, 2019 · $30k · revenue -65%
  • SD
    SAN DIEGO COUNTY DENTAL FOUNDATIONgraduated
    one grant, 2018 · $25k · revenue +34%
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 Healthcare of California

The primary exempt purpose of children's healthcare of california includes without limitation the receipt of distributions and grants for the making of distributions and grants to children's hospital of orange county (choc) and to…

Health
2
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
3
City of Hope

City of Hope's mission is to make hope a reality for all touched by cancer and diabetes. PLEASE SEE SCHEDULE O FOR A CONTINUATION OF OUR MISSION

Health
4
Altamed Health Services Corporation

To eliminate disparities in health care access and outcomes by providing superior quality health and human services through an integrated world-class delivery system for latino, multi-ethnic underserved communities in southern california.

Health
5
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

The children's hospital of philadelphia, the oldest hospital in the united states dedicated exclusively to pediatrics, strives to be the world leader in the advancement of health care for children by integrating excellent patient care,…

Health
6
St Martin Hospital Inc

To improve, maintain and restore the health of the people in the communities we serve.

Health
7
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
8
St Charles Hospital Corp

We, at ch, humbly join together to bring christ's healing mission and the mission of mercy of the catholic church expressed in catholic health care to our communities.

Health
9
St Catherine of Siena Medical Center

We, at ch, humbly join together to bring christ's healing mission and the mission of mercy of the catholic church expressed in catholic health care to our communities.

Health
10
Chs Physician Partners Pc

We, at ch, humbly join together to bring christ's healing mission and the mission of mercy of the catholic church expressed in catholic health care to our communities.

Health
11
St Charles Hospital Foundation

We, at ch, humbly join together to bring christ's healing mission and the mission of mercy of the catholic church expressed in catholic health care to our communities.

—
12
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
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Feeding San Diego; the most unlike its peers is The Children's Hope Chest 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

19 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. 19 of the 27 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.

1
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
3
Early backer (in before they grew)
19/19
Grantees still filing
15/19
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

HELEN WOODWARD ANIMAL SHELTER: $3,661,674 · OtherHELEN WOODWARD ANIMAL SHELTER+11 more: $545,000 · Other+11 moreSCRIPPS HEALTH: $3,100,000 · HealthSCRIPPS HEALTH+4 more: $57,000 · HealthJUDICIAL WATCH INC: $720,000 · Public BenefitJUDICIAL …GENERAL NEEDS LTD: $85,000 · Public BenefitGENERAL N…FEEDING SAN DIEGO: $402,000 · Food & NutritionFEEDING S…JACOBS & CUSHMAN SAN DIEGO FOOD BANK: $400,000 · Food & NutritionJACOBS & …COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES FOUNDATION: $400,000 · EducationSTEPHEN SILLER TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION: $50,000 · EducationTHE CHILDREN'S HOPE CHEST INC: $200,000 · Philanthropy+1 more: $5,000 · PhilanthropyAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $100,000 · Human ServicesCOPLINE INC: $50,000 · Human Services
Other$4,206,674Health$3,157,000Public Benefit$805,000Food & Nutrition$802,000Education$450,000Philanthropy$205,000Human Services$150,000

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 budgetSCRIPPS HEALTH: $3,100,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetJUDICIAL WATCH INC: $720,000 over 2y, 0.6% of budgetFEEDING SAN DIEGO: $402,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetJACOBS & CUSHMAN SAN DIEGO FOOD BANK: $400,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetCOLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES FOUNDATION: $400,000 over 2y, 1.0% of budgetTHE CHILDREN'S HOPE CHEST INC: $200,000 over 2y, 53% of budgetAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $100,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGENERAL NEEDS LTD: $85,000 over 3y, 17% of budgetSTEPHEN SILLER TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION: $50,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSCDRINC: $50,000 over 1y, 16% of budgetOLD GLOBE THEATRE: $30,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPasadena Hospital Association Ltd: $27,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetSAN DIEGO COUNTY DENTAL FOUNDATION: $25,000 over 1y, 9.3% of budgetCMT Research Foundation Inc: $15,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetCEREBRAL PALSY OF WESTCHESTER INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetRADY CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION SAN DIEGO: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSPECIAL OLYMPICS INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC: $5,000 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.

Network for GoodThe Bank of America C…American Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Network for GoodDC8.4× affinity4 shared granteesties to 5 of 5Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Network for Good · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation 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 Steve and Sharron Macdonald Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Steve and Sharron Macdonald Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%4%15%34%60%funder's share of their income ↑0%10%20%30%40%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get no government money at all
    3report 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 27 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 2020, released 2020. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Steve and Sharron Macdonald Family’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