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Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Sue & Edgar Wachenheim 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.

$28M
Granted FY2025still arriving
29
Grants FY2025still arriving
5
States reached
$12M
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0199% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2025.

Arts & Culture$78MInternational$21MEducation$21MHealth$16MEnvironment$4.6MHuman Services$2.5MSocial Science$1.9MPublic Benefit$510kOther$0
02FY2025 · 29 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k5 grants · $15k
  • $10k–50k3 grants · $60k
  • $50k–250k12 grants · $1.4M
  • $250k+9 grants · $27M
$100,000
Median grant
5
States reached
$593M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART$12,135,000
MEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING$7,500,000
COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS$3,000,000
HOSPITAL FOR SPECIAL SURGERY FOUNDATION$1,000,000
OCEANA INC$1,000,000
AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE$750,000
SKIDMORE COLLEGE$650,000
THE CARVER CENTER$500,000
WNET$250,000
EAGLE HILL SCHOOL$200,000
THE CLARK INSTITUTE$200,000
GREENWICH HOSPITAL$200,000
FRIENDS OF RYE TOWN PARK$200,000
CARAMOOR CENTER FOR MUSIC AND ARTS$100,000
RYE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL$100,000
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 (FY21–25, $2.5M) land where the poverty rate runs at 9%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 0% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%THE CARVER CENTER: $500k → 9%THE CARVER CENTER: $500k → 9%THE CARVER CENTER: $500k → 9%PORT CHESTER CARVER CENTER INC: $500k → 9%THE CARVER CENTER: $500k → 9%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
MA
PA
CT
CA
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.

91%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$133M · 30 repeat orgs$13M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +21% since the first grant, against +11% for those funded once.

30 repeat relationships: 19 still active in FY2025, 11 since wound down; 10 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

30
18

Total granted

$133M
$3.3M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+21%
+11%

Still filing today

80%
78%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 66% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $9.5M went to new ones.

50%100%’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’20’21’22’23’24’25
Arts & CultureEducationHealthInternationalEnvironmentPhilanthropyOther
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

  • MO
    Museum of Modern Art
    6× · 2020–2025 · $55M · revenue +38%
  • SC
    SKIDMORE COLLEGE
    6× · 2020–2025 · $9.1M · revenue +19%
  • Williams College
    5× · 2020–2025 · $8.1M · revenue +51%

Funded once

  • TH
    The Hospital for Special Surgery Fund Incgraduated
    one grant, 2021 · $2.0M · revenue +40%
  • 1F
    1898 FOUNDATION INC
    one grant, 2023 · $500k · revenue -76% · 43% of their budget
  • MO
    MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
    one grant, 2021 · $250k · revenue -2%
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
American Museum of Natural History

The museum's mission statement is: "to discover, interpret, and disseminate - through scientific research and education - knowledge about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe."

Arts & Culture
2
Institute for Advanced Study - Louis Bamberger & Mrs Felix Fuld Foundation

The institute for advanced study (the institute) is one of the world's leading centers for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. see schedule o.

Science & Tech
3
The Pierpont Morgan Library

The Morgan Library & Museum celebrates and shares the history and process of human creativity from antiquity to the present day through the preservation, study, and interpretation of a dynamic and growing collection.

Education
4
Manhattanville University

To educate students to be ethical and socially responsible leaders in a global community.

Education
5
New York University

Nyu is a private university with approximately 60,000 matriculating students in 20 schools and institutes. nyu's primary missions are education, research and scholarship, and patient care.

Education
6
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The mission of mit is to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century.

Education
7
The Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences

The mission of the brooklyn institute of arts and sciences, d/b/a brooklyn museum (the "museum") is to bring people together through art and experiences that inspire celebration, compassion, courage, and the will to act. (see schedule o).

Arts & Culture
8
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Chartered by a unanimous act of congress, the museum is america's national institution for the documentation, study, interpretation, and education of holocaust history and serves as our country's memorial to the victims of the holocaust.…

Arts & Culture
9
Manhattan School of Music

Manhattan school of music is deeply committed to excellence in education, performance, and creative activity; to the humanity of the school's environment; and to the cultural enrichment of the larger community. a premiere international…

Arts & Culture
10
The Frick Collection

The Frick Collection (the "Collection") operates an internationally recognized art museum and library program for the inspiration and enjoyment of the public and for the advancement of the study of fine arts and kindred subjects.

—
11
University of New Haven

The University of New Haven is a student-centered comprehensive university with an emphasis on excellence in liberal arts and professional education. Our mission is to prepare our students to lead purposeful and fulfilling lives in a…

Education
12
Rhode Island School of Design

The mission of rhode island school of design, through its college and museum,is to educate its students and the public in the creation and (see schedule o)appreciation of works of art and design, to discover and transmit knowledge and to…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Children's Museum of Manhattan; the most unlike its peers is Focus for a Future 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

44 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. 44 of the 58 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.

3
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
4
Early backer (in before they grew)
44/44
Grantees still filing
25/44
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Museum of Modern Art: $55,060,000 · Arts & CultureMuseum of Modern ArtWNET: $18,090,000 · Arts & CultureWNET+12 more: $4,637,500 · Arts & Culture+12 moreCOUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS INC: $21,000,000 · InternationalCOUNCIL ON FOREI…+1 more: $10,000 · InternationalSKIDMORE COLLEGE: $9,050,000 · EducationSKIDMORE COLLEG…Williams College: $8,075,000 · EducationWilliams Colleg…RYE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL: $1,610,000 · EducationRYE COUNTRY DAY…+7 more: $1,457,500 · Education+7 moreMEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING: $7,500,000 · OtherMEMORIAL …HOSPITAL FOR SPECIAL SURGERY FOUNDATION: $1,000,000 · OtherHOSPITAL …THE CLARK INSTITUTE: $700,000 · OtherTHE CLARK…HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL: $460,000 · OtherAMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY RESEARCH: $750,000 · OtherAMERICAN …CATO INSTITUTE: $500,000 · Other+17 more: $1,760,250 · Other+17 moreNORTHWELL HEALTH FOUNDATION: $3,500,000 · HealthThe Hospital for Special Surgery Fund Inc: $2,000,000 · HealthGREENWICH HOSPITAL: $1,150,000 · HealthBLYTHEDALE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: $600,000 · Health+2 more: $8,500 · HealthOCEANA INC: $4,575,000 · Environment+1 more: $50,000 · EnvironmentPORT CHESTER CARVER CENTER INC: $2,500,000 · Human Services
Arts & Culture$77,787,500International$21,010,000Education$20,192,500Other$12,670,250Health$7,258,500Environment$4,625,000Human Services$2,500,000

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 budgetMuseum of Modern Art: $55,060,000 over 6y, 4.5% of budgetCOUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS INC: $21,000,000 over 4y, 17% of budgetWNET: $18,090,000 over 6y, 6.7% of budgetSKIDMORE COLLEGE: $9,050,000 over 6y, 2.3% of budgetWilliams College: $8,075,000 over 5y, 1.1% of budgetOCEANA INC: $4,575,000 over 5y, 2.9% of budgetNORTHWELL HEALTH FOUNDATION: $3,500,000 over 2y, 1.6% of budgetPORT CHESTER CARVER CENTER INC: $2,500,000 over 5y, 17% of budgetTHE JAY HERITAGE CENTER: $2,500,000 over 2y, 62% of budgetThe Hospital for Special Surgery Fund Inc: $2,000,000 over 1y, 8.2% of budgetRYE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL: $1,610,000 over 6y, 2.1% of budgetGREENWICH HOSPITAL: $1,150,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetSTERLING AND FRANCINE CLARK ART INSTITUTE: $1,050,000 over 2y, 9.0% of budgetAMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY RESEARCH: $750,000 over 1y, 1.0% of budgetBLYTHEDALE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: $600,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budget1898 FOUNDATION INC: $500,000 over 1y, 43% of budgetCATO INSTITUTE: $500,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetThe New York Public Library Astor Lenox and Tilden Foundations: $475,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetCaramoor Center for Music & the Arts Inc: $375,000 over 2y, 2.8% of budgetREADWORKSINC: $300,000 over 2y, 8.3% of budgetMETROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART: $275,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetTHE FRIENDS OF GREEN CHIMNEYS: $275,000 over 3y, 8.4% of budgetMUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION: $250,000 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetFOCUS FOR A FUTURE INC: $250,000 over 1y, 55% of budgetRYE FREE READING ROOM: $200,000 over 4y, 2.3% of budgetTHE RECTORY SCHOOL INC: $150,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetTHE JEWISH MUSEUM: $50,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetADIRONDACK FORTY-SIXERS INC: $50,000 over 1y, 14% of budgetNEW YORK HALL OF SCIENCE: $40,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetPLAYWRIGHTS HORIZONS INC: $32,500 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetCHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF MANHATTAN: $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetNATIONAL DANCE INSTITUTE: $20,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetCITYMEALS-ON-WHEELS: $20,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetJEWISH CHILDRENS MUSEUM: $15,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetTHE CLAREMONT INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF STATESMANSHIP & POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetThe American-Scandinavian Foundation: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetEND WELL FOUNDATION: $5,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetJustWorld International Inc: $5,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetSCHOOL OF AMERICAN BALLET INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE FORTUNE SOCIETY INC: $3,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE WRITING REVOLUTION INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSTREETSQUASH INC: $2,500 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.

Chess FoundationJewish Communal FundThe New York Communit…The Goldman Sachs Cha…Vanguard Charitable E…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…National Philanthropi…Morgan Stanley Global…Donor Advised Charita…The Bank of America C…American Endowment Fo…Network for Good
Chess FoundationNY15.7× affinity5 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Chess Foundation · Jewish Communal Fund · The New York Community Trust · The Goldman Sachs Charitable Gift Fund · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · National Philanthropic Trust · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · American Endowment Foundation · Network for Good

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 Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%13%25%38%50%share of the org’s income from government →median 0%
  • The Rectory School Inc: 0% of income from government
  • Greenwich Hospital: 0% of income from government
  • Williams College: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
1get 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 · 0–50%
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 Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Sue & Edgar Wachenheim 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 58 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 Sue & Edgar Wachenheim’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