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Sunflower Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Sunflower 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.

$78k
Granted FY2025still arriving
7
Grants FY2025still arriving
6
States reached
$34k
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, FY2019 to 2025.

Health$250kSocial Science$227kInternational$56kArts & Culture$41kEnvironment$38kScience & Tech$11kHousing & Shelter$1k
02FY2025 · 7 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k3 grants · $4k
  • $10k–50k4 grants · $74k
$10,000
Median grant
6
States reached
$1.6M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
KINDRED WORLD$34,000
FRANKLIN LAND TRUST INC$20,000
NEW ENGLAND PUBLIC MEDIA$10,000
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS$10,000
WORLD WILDLIFE FUND$2,000
CHILDRENS HEALTH DEFENSE$1,000
SAFEHOME LTD$1,000
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 (FY21–21, $2k) land where the poverty rate runs at 12%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%GO4THEGOAL FOUNDATION: $2k → 12%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
NJ
CA
WV
VA
DC
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.

75%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$297k · 7 repeat orgs$100k to everyone else

7 repeat relationships: 5 still active in FY2025, 2 since wound down; 2 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

7
7

Total granted

$297k
$98k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

-3%
0%

Still filing today

100%
86%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 97% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $2k went to new ones.

50%100%’19’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’19’21’22’23’24’25
HealthArts & CultureEnvironmentInternationalScience & TechCivil RightsOther
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

  • SA
    SCIENTIFIC ALLIANCE FOR EDUCATION
    2× · 2022–2023 · $120k · revenue -81% · 37% of their budget
  • KW
    KINDRED WORLD
    2× · 2024–2025 · $74k · revenue +14% · 36% of their budget
  • NE
    NEW ENGLAND PUBLIC MEDIA INC
    4× · 2022–2025 · $36k · revenue -3%

Funded once

  • CC
    CONCERNED CITIZENS FOR THE APPROPRIATE PLACEMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS INC
    one grant, 2021 · $50k · 94% of their budget
  • GC
    GLOBAL CHILDRENS HEALTH INC
    one grant, 2019 · $25k · revenue -13% · 57% of their budget
  • AR
    ANNUAL REVIEWS
    one grant, 2024 · $11k · revenue 0%
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
Rainforest Alliance Inc

RA works at the intersection of business, agriculture & forests to improve lives & protect nature by transforming how land is used, production of goods & consumer choices.

—
2
Conservation International Foundation

Ci works to spotlight and secure the critical benefits that nature provides to humanity.

Environment
3
Project Drawdown

Project drawdown's mission is to drive meaningful climate action by advancing science-based solutions and strategies. project drawdown's work is focused on three pillars: science - advancing science-based climate solutions and strategies;…

Education
4
Rainforest Alliance Holding Inc

RA works at the intersection of business, agriculture & forests to improve lives & protect nature by transforming how land is used, production of goods & consumer choices.

Environment
5
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
6
Environment Now
—
7
Rainforest Trust

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

International
8
The Quebec-Labrador Foundation Inc

The program mission of the quebec-labrador foundation u.s. is defined by a regional component (new england and eastern canada), and an international component, which ties our regional model to a global conservation network. qlf's program…

Philanthropy
9
One Earth Philanthropy

One Earth's mission is to empower everyone, everywhere, with the knowledge, inspiration, and opportunity to heal the Earth and reclaim our future.

Environment
10
Climate Institute

The climate institute is organized for the purpose of educating the general public and policy makers as to the gravity of potential climate change, exploring the policy implications of the latest scientific findings on climate modelling…

Environment
11
World Health Foundation
—
12
Observer Research Foundation America

Organization mission the observer research foundation america orf america is an independent, non-partisan, and nonprofit organization in washington dc dedicated to addressing policy challenges facing the united states, india, and their…

International
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Children's Health Defense; the most unlike its peers is Scientific Alliance for Education. 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

16 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. 16 of the 17 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.

4
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
1
Early backer (in before they grew)
15/16
Grantees still filing
6/16
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

SCIENTIFIC ALLIANCE FOR EDUCATION: $120,000 · HealthSCIENTIFIC ALLIANCE FOR EDUCATIONKINDRED WORLD: $74,000 · HealthKINDRED WORLDCONCERNED CITIZENS FOR THE APPROPRIATE PLACEMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS INC: $50,000 · HealthCONCERNED CITIZENS FOR THE APPROPRIATE PLACE…RSF SOCIAL FINANCE INC: $227,000 · Social ScienceRSF SOCIAL FINANCE INCNEW ENGLAND PUBLIC MEDIA INC: $36,000 · Arts & CultureNEW ENGLAN…KARUNA CENTER FOR PEACEBUILDING INC: $15,000 · Arts & CultureKARUNA CEN…THE NOLUMBEKA PROJECT INC: $5,000 · Arts & CultureTHE NOLUMB…GLOBAL CHILDRENS HEALTH INC: $25,000 · InternationalMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $14,000 · InternationalInternational Rescue Committee INC: $2,000 · InternationalFRANKLIN LAND TRUST INC: $35,000 · EnvironmentWORLD WILDLIFE FUND INC: $3,000 · Environment+1 more: $1,000 · EnvironmentANNUAL REVIEWS: $11,000 · Science & TechTREVOR PROJECT INC: $3,000 · Civil RightsGO4THEGOAL FOUNDATION: $2,000 · OtherSAFEHOME LTD: $1,000 · Other
Health$244,000Social Science$227,000Arts & Culture$56,000International$41,000Environment$39,000Science & Tech$11,000Civil Rights$3,000Other$3,000

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

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetRSF SOCIAL FINANCE INC: $227,000 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetSCIENTIFIC ALLIANCE FOR EDUCATION: $120,000 over 2y, 37% of budgetKINDRED WORLD: $74,000 over 2y, 36% of budgetCONCERNED CITIZENS FOR THE APPROPRIATE PLACEMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS INC: $50,000 over 1y, 94% of budgetNEW ENGLAND PUBLIC MEDIA INC: $36,000 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetFRANKLIN LAND TRUST INC: $35,000 over 3y, 1.7% of budgetGLOBAL CHILDRENS HEALTH INC: $25,000 over 1y, 57% of budgetKARUNA CENTER FOR PEACEBUILDING INC: $15,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $14,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetANNUAL REVIEWS: $11,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE NOLUMBEKA PROJECT INC: $5,000 over 1y, 6.0% of budgetTREVOR PROJECT INC: $3,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWORLD WILDLIFE FUND INC: $3,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetGO4THEGOAL FOUNDATION: $2,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetInternational Rescue Committee INC: $2,000 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.

Community Foundation …Boston Foundation IncFidelity Investments …Donor Advised Charita…Amazonsmile Foundation
Community Foundation of Western MassachusettsMA13.4× affinity4 shared granteesties to 4 of 4Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts · Boston 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 Sunflower Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Sunflower Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 40%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%10%20%30%40%share of the org’s income from government →median 5%
  • Franklin Land Trust Inc: 7% of income from government
  • The Nolumbeka Project Inc: 5% of income from government
  • Karuna Center for Peacebuilding Inc: 1% of income from government
  • New England Public Media Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
4get no government money at all
1report 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.
05Through Plinth

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to Sunflower Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Sunflower 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 17 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 Sunflower’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