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Sutton Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Sutton Family 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.

$124k
Granted FY2024still arriving
31
Grants FY2024still arriving
5
States reached
$10k
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, FY2018 to 2024.

Education$357kEnvironment$106kHealth$93kReligion$81kArts & Culture$63kHousing & Shelter$54kHuman Services$28kYouth Development$14kOther$0
02FY2024 · 31 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k27 grants · $84k
  • $10k–50k4 grants · $40k
$3,500
Median grant
5
States reached
$1.5M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
SERVING SENIORS$10,000
SOLUTIONS FOR CHANGE$10,000
LEAGUE TO SAVE LAKE TAHOE$10,000
OKIZU FOUNDATION$10,000
OVATION THEATER$7,000
THE PARISH OF ST MATTHEWS$6,500
ILLUMINATE THE ARTS$5,000
CASA OF SAN MATEO$5,000
HILLSBOROUGH GARDEN CLUB$5,000
ST HILARY SCHOOL$5,000
LOYOLA HIGH SCHOOL$5,000
CHARLES ARMSTRONG SCHOOL$5,000
MARIN CATHOLIC$5,000
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF THE PENINSUL$4,000
TADS$3,500
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, $76k) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 9%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 9%SOLUTIONS FOR CHANGE: $10k → 11%SOLUTIONS FOR CHANGE: $10k → 11%SOLUTIONS FOR CHANGE: $8k → 11%Solutions For Change: $8k → 11%Solutions For Change: $5k → 11%SOLUTIONS FOR CHANGE: $5k → 11%Solutions For Change: $5k → 11%SERVING SENIORS: $10k → 11%SERVING SENIOR: $5k → 11%SERVING SENIOR: $4k → 11%Serving Senior: $3k → 11%Serving Seniors: $2k → 11%SERVING SENIOR: $1k → 11%THE MIDNIGHT MISSION: $100 → 14%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

ME
WA
MN
IL
PA
CA
MO
VA
DC
HI
OK
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.

86%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$721k · 43 repeat orgs$117k to everyone else

43 repeat relationships: 21 still active in FY2024, 22 since wound down; 9 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

43
29

Total granted

$721k
$73k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+32%
+48%

Still filing today

53%
34%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 64% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $44k went to new ones.

50%100%’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
EnvironmentEducationHealthHuman ServicesArts & CultureYouth DevelopmentOther
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

  • OF
    OKIZU FOUNDATION
    7× · 2018–2024 · $71k · revenue +58%
  • IT
    ILLUMINATE THE ARTS
    7× · 2018–2024 · $30k · revenue +422%
  • TS
    THE SURFRIDER FOUNDATION
    7× · 2018–2024 · $28k · revenue +68%

Funded once

  • SH
    Sierra High School
    one grant, 2020 · $25k
  • BB
    BURBANK BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB - LIZ S
    one grant, 2021 · $10k
  • HC
    HAWAII COMMUNITY FOUNDATION-MAUI ST
    one grant, 2023 · $6k
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
California State Parks Foundation

California state parks foundation is an independent, member-supported nonprofit dedicated to protecting and preserving the california state park system for the benefit of all.

Recreation & Sports
2
The Union of Concerned Scientists Inc

The union of concerned scientists puts rigorous, independent science into action, developing solutions and advocating for a healthy, safe, and just future.

International
3
The Sierra Fund

The Sierra Fund (TSF) is a non-profit organization with a mission to restore ecosystem and community resiliency in the Sierra Nevada.

Environment
4
Nature Collective

Nature collective's mission is to drive a passion for nature for all. we think inclusively and diversely when serving those devoid of nature those who remember nature and want to connect back to it and those who have an affinity with…

Environment
5
Sustainable Conservation

Sustainable Conservation advances the collaborative stewardship of Californias land, air, and water for the benefit of nature and people. For over three decades, Sustainable Conservation has built coalitions of people with different…

Environment
6
Parks California

As california state parks' statutory non-profit partner, we have a clear mission - to help strengthen parks and inspire all people to experience these extraordinary places.

Environment
7
The Trust for Public Land

The trust for public land creates parks and protects land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. in the past year, we helped communities to plan for parks and conservation, fund parks and conservation,…

Environment
8
President-Board of Trustees Santa Clara College

Scu is a catholic and jesuit institution that makes student learning its central focus, promotes faculty and staff learning in its various forms, and exhibits organizational learning.

Education
9
California Trout Inc

Caltrout's mission is ensuring healthy water and resilient wild fish for a better california. we share a common vision of a california where healthy waters flow from headwaters to sea. where the diversity and resilience of our waters and…

Animals
10
The Uc Davis Foundation

The mission of the uc davis foundation is to secure, steward and manage private gifts for uc davis.

Education
11
California Wildlife Foundation

The foundation works with diverse groups representing many interests to acquire and restore critical wildlife habitat and protecting species

Animals
12
Chile-California Council

The Chile-California Council is a San Francisco-based nonprofit dedicated to developing and promoting joint endeavors and cooperative relations between Chile and California, as well as individuals, legal entities and other institutions in…

International
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Tahoe Fund; the most unlike its peers is American Diabetes Association. 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

41 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

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 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 41 of the 82 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)
8
Early backer (in before they grew)
40/41
Grantees still filing
29/41
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

OKIZU FOUNDATION: $70,500 · OtherOKIZU FOUNDATIONSt Hilary School: $68,750 · OtherSt Hilary SchoolJUNIPERO SERRA HIGH SCHOOL: $60,000 · OtherJUNIPERO SERRA HIGH SCHOOLSt Matthews Parish Church: $51,850 · OtherSt Matthews Parish ChurchIndividual grant recipient: $44,500 · OtherIndividual grant recipientCATHEDRAL CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL: $32,500 · OtherCATHEDRAL CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOLIndividual grant recipient: $31,900 · OtherIndividual grant recipientJUNIPERO SERRA HIGH SCHOOL A CORP: $27,000 · OtherCatherdral Catholic High School: $25,500 · OtherSierra High School: $25,000 · Other+53 more: $154,925 · Other+53 moreSOLUTIONS FOR CHANGE INC: $50,650 · Human ServicesSOLUTIONS …SERVING SENIORS: $25,000 · Human ServicesSERVING SE…+1 more: $100 · Human ServicesTHE SURFRIDER FOUNDATION: $27,500 · EnvironmentTAHOE FUND: $19,500 · EnvironmentTruckee Trails Foundation Inc: $6,575 · EnvironmentHILLSBOROUGH GARDEN CLUB: $5,000 · Environment+2 more: $500 · EnvironmentILLUMINATE THE ARTS: $30,000 · Arts & CultureOvation Theatre: $19,750 · Arts & CultureSouthern Methodist University: $11,000 · EducationThe Sandy Christman Foundation: $10,100 · EducationTEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY: $10,000 · EducationPUNAHOU SCHOOL: $7,500 · EducationUCLA FOUNDATION: $1,900 · Education+1 more: $200 · EducationCASA of San Mateo County: $12,500 · Crime & LegalLEAGUE TO SAVE LAKE TAHOE: $10,000 · Religion
Other$592,425Human Services$75,750Environment$59,075Arts & Culture$49,750Education$40,700Crime & Legal$12,500Religion$10,000

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 budgetOKIZU FOUNDATION: $70,500 over 7y, 0.5% of budgetSOLUTIONS FOR CHANGE INC: $50,650 over 7y, 0.3% of budgetILLUMINATE THE ARTS: $30,000 over 7y, 0.7% of budgetTHE SURFRIDER FOUNDATION: $27,500 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetSERVING SENIORS: $25,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetOvation Theatre: $19,750 over 5y, 4.3% of budgetTAHOE FUND: $19,500 over 4y, 0.3% of budgetCASA of San Mateo County: $12,500 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetSouthern Methodist University: $11,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetThe Sandy Christman Foundation: $10,100 over 4y, 4.7% of budgetLEAGUE TO SAVE LAKE TAHOE: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetTEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY: $10,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetPUNAHOU SCHOOL: $7,500 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetTruckee Trails Foundation Inc: $6,575 over 3y, 0.5% of budgetTHE CHARLES ARMSTRONG SCHOOL: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHILLSBOROUGH GARDEN CLUB: $5,000 over 1y, 5.5% of budgetBOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF THE PENINSULA: $4,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMENLO COLLEGE: $4,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetTHE MONO LAKE FOUNDATION: $3,500 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetRIDE TO FLY: $2,700 over 1y, 1.6% of budgetHumble Design Inc: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetRHINO CONSERVATION PARTNERS: $2,500 over 2y, 3.2% of budgetPROMISES2KIDS FOUNDATION: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCANCER FOR COLLEGE: $2,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetST BALDRICK'S FOUNDATION INC: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMARINE RECONNAISSANCE FOUNDATION: $2,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetUCLA FOUNDATION: $1,900 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetPACIFIC CREST TRAIL ASSOCIATION: $1,100 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCITIZENS AGAINST GOVERNMENT WASTE: $1,100 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetKAMUKAMA FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetCHILDREN'S HEALTH COUNCIL INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetYOSEMITE FOUNDATION: $800 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetHoward Jarvis Taxpayer Association: $700 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetCALL PRIMROSE: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSIERRA CLUB: $400 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSAVE THE REDWOODS LEAGUE: $300 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSEMPERVIRENS FUND: $200 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetLAKE FOREST ACADEMY: $200 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAmerican Diabetes Association: $200 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE MIDNIGHT MISSION: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHOMEBOY INDUSTRIES: $100 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 OKIZU FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds SOLUTIONS FOR CHANGE INC ↗
  • Who funds ILLUMINATE THE ARTS ↗
  • Who funds THE SURFRIDER FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds SERVING SENIORS ↗
  • Who funds Ovation Theatre ↗
  • Who funds TAHOE FUND ↗
  • Who funds CASA of San Mateo County ↗
  • Who funds Southern Methodist University ↗
  • Who funds The Sandy Christman Foundation ↗
  • Who funds LEAGUE TO SAVE LAKE TAHOE ↗
  • Who funds TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds PUNAHOU SCHOOL ↗
  • Who funds Truckee Trails Foundation Inc ↗
  • Who funds THE CHARLES ARMSTRONG SCHOOL ↗
  • Who funds HILLSBOROUGH GARDEN CLUB ↗
  • Who funds BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF THE PENINSULA ↗
  • Who funds MENLO COLLEGE ↗

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.

Marin Community Found…Silicon Valley Commun…AbbVie FoundationThe Intuit FoundationMorgan Stanley Global…Shell USA Company Fou…Bright Funds Foundati…Gs Donor Advised Phil…The San Francisco Fou…The Blackbaud Giving …National Philanthropi…The US Charitable Gif…
Marin Community FoundationCA15.7× affinity6 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Marin Community Foundation · Silicon Valley Community Foundation · AbbVie Foundation · The Intuit Foundation · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Shell USA Company Foundation · Bright Funds Foundation · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · The San Francisco Foundation · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · National Philanthropic Trust · The US Charitable Gift Trust

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 Sutton Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Sutton Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%23%45%68%90%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    15report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–90%
    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 Sutton Family Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Sutton Family 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 82 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 Sutton 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