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Sylvester Meister Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Sylvester Meister 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.

$20k
Granted FY2024still arriving
3
Grants FY2024still arriving
1
States reached
$14k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0196% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Education$83kReligion$5kHuman Services$4kFood & Nutrition$4kHousing & Shelter$3kEnvironment$3kScience & Tech$2kArts & Culture$1kOther$0
02FY2024 · 3 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k2 grants · $6k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $14k
$5,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$6k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
X ACADEMY$14,000
X ACADEMY$5,000
COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR MONTEREY$1,200
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 (FY17–22, $3k) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, 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%WELLSTONE ACTION FUND: $100 → 14%Gathering for Women: $100 → 12%SIENA HOUSE: $2k → 13%HOMELESS GARDEN PROJECT: $308 → 13%SIENA HOUSE: $250 → 13%SANTA CRUZ COMMUNITY VENTURES: $50 → 13%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.
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.

89%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$98k · 17 repeat orgs$12k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +207% since the first grant, against +34% for those funded once.

17 repeat relationships: 1 still active in FY2024, 16 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

17
40

Total granted

$98k
$12k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+207%
+34%

Still filing today

59%
53%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 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 ServicesEducationYouth DevelopmentHealthAnimalsEnvironmentOther
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

  • XA
    X ACADEMY
    7× · 2017–2024 · $77k · revenue +461%
  • SH
    SIENA HOUSE MATERNITY HOME OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
    2× · 2017–2019 · $2k · revenue +171%
  • MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM FOUNDATION
    2× · 2017–2023 · $2k · revenue +105%

Funded once

  • HC
    HOLY CROSS
    one grant, 2019 · $1k
  • M
    MSRI
    one grant, 2019 · $1k
  • SL
    SIMONS LAUFER MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES INSTITUTE
    one grant, 2022 · $1k · revenue -11%
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
Santa Cruz Community Farmers Market

To serve our community by providing direct access to sustainable sources of fresh produce and other unique foods, and provide education about food issues, both local and beyond.

—
2
Santa Cruz Local Inc

Independent nonpartisan newsroom serving Santa Cruz County, California we are all watching and engaged in our local government, our needs are addressed, democracy works better and our community is stronger.

—
3
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
—
4
Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) connects people, ideas and resources to ensure equity and opportunity for all.

Philanthropy
5
Sonoma Mountain Institute
Environment
6
Jobs with Justice San Francisco

A long-term, strategic alliance of labor, community, faith-based, and student organizations working together to build greater economic power for workers and community members through employee rights at work and access to good jobs,…

Employment
7
Community Foundation Santa Cruz County

To promote philanthropy to make santa cruz county a better place to live, now and in the future.we bring together people, ideas, and resources to inspire philanthropy and accomplish great things.

Philanthropy
8
Monterey Bay Economic Partnership Inc

To improve the economic health and quality of life in the monterey bay region.

Community Improvement
9
Ecology Action of Santa Cruz

The primary and specific purpose for which the said corporation is formed is to empower individuals, businesses and communities to take actions today that achieve environmental and economic sustainability. The activities of the corporation…

Environment
10
Sustainable San Mateo County

To stimulate action to make San Mateo County more sustainable on economic, environmental, and social equity issues through empowering information and advocacy.

Environment
11
Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County

Second harvest food bank's mission is to end hunger and malnutrition by educating and involving the community.

Food & Nutrition
12
Foodwise Community

Foodwise grows thriving communities through the power and joy of local food. We envision a world that nourishes all people, local economies, and the living earth.

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Community Foundation for Monterey County; the most unlike its peers is Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. 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

32 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. 32 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.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
11
Early backer (in before they grew)
32/32
Grantees still filing
28/32
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

X ACADEMY: $76,500 · EducationX ACADEMY+3 more: $620 · EducationGEORGIANA BRUCE KIRBY SCHOOL: $5,560 · OtherGEORGIANA BRUCE KIRBY SCHO…CATHOLIC CHARITIES DIOCES OF MONTER: $2,000 · OtherCATHOLIC CHARITIES DIOCES …ASSOCIATION OF FAITH COMMUNITIES: $1,880 · OtherASSOCIATION OF FAITH COMMU…Live Earth Farm Discovery: $1,500 · OtherLive Earth Farm DiscoveryHOLY CROSS: $1,394 · OtherHOLY CROSSSANTA CRUZ BALLET THEATRE: $1,100 · OtherMSRI: $1,000 · OtherCATHOLIC CHARITIES OF THE DIOCESE OF MONTEREY: $1,000 · OtherDIOCESE OF MONTEREY: $1,000 · OtherFRANCISCAN SISTERS RETIREMENT FUND: $1,000 · Other+31 more: $8,435 · Other+31 moreSIENA HOUSE MATERNITY HOME OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY: $2,000 · Human ServicesHOMELESS GARDEN PROJECT: $308 · Human ServicesVENTURES: $300 · Human ServicesGATHERING FOR WOMEN - MONTEREY: $100 · Human ServicesServing People In Need Inc: $100 · Human ServicesREPOWER FUND: $100 · Human ServicesMONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM FOUNDATION: $1,500 · AnimalsMONTEREY BAY FISHERIES TRUST: $250 · AnimalsLIVE LIKE COCO FOUNDATION: $1,000 · Youth DevelopmentTEEN KITCHEN PROJECT: $600 · Youth DevelopmentFoodWhat Incorporated: $100 · Youth DevelopmentCOMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR MONTEREY COUNTY: $1,200 · PhilanthropySIMONS LAUFER MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES INSTITUTE: $1,000 · Science & Tech
Education$77,120Other$25,869Human Services$2,908Animals$1,750Youth Development$1,700Philanthropy$1,200Science & Tech$1,000

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 budgetX ACADEMY: $76,500 over 7y, 21% of budgetSIENA HOUSE MATERNITY HOME OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY: $2,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetMONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM FOUNDATION: $1,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCOMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR MONTEREY COUNTY: $1,200 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSANTA CRUZ BALLET THEATRE: $1,100 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetSIMONS LAUFER MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES INSTITUTE: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLIVE LIKE COCO FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 2y, 1.1% of budgetCENTER FOR RURAL AFFAIRS: $750 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTEEN KITCHEN PROJECT: $600 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetHOUSING MATTERS: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFOOD BANK FOR MONTEREY COUNTY: $500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetHOMELESS GARDEN PROJECT: $308 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetVENTURES: $300 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetLife Lab Science Program: $270 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSANTA CRUZ MONTESSORI SCHOOL: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUNITED FARM WORKERS OF AMERICA: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetROMERO INSTITUTE: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMONTEREY BAY FISHERIES TRUST: $250 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSENDEROS: $250 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetCOMMUNITIES FOR SUSTAINABLE MONTEREY COUNTY: $100 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetGATHERING FOR WOMEN - MONTEREY: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetServing People In Need Inc: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAIM Youth Mental Health: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHOFFMAN INSTITUTE FOUNDATION: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSAVE THE REDWOODS LEAGUE: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCENTER FOR COMMUNITY ADVOCACY: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetREPOWER FUND: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCENTRAL COAST VNA & HOSPICE INC: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFoodWhat Incorporated: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCOMMUNITY HUMAN SERVICES: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCourt Appointed Special Advocates of Monterey County Inc: $50 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 X ACADEMY ↗
  • Who funds SIENA HOUSE MATERNITY HOME OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY ↗
  • Who funds MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR MONTEREY COUNTY ↗
  • Who funds SANTA CRUZ BALLET THEATRE ↗
  • Who funds SIMONS LAUFER MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES INSTITUTE ↗
  • Who funds LIVE LIKE COCO FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds CENTER FOR RURAL AFFAIRS ↗
  • Who funds TEEN KITCHEN PROJECT ↗
  • Who funds HOUSING MATTERS ↗
  • Who funds FOOD BANK FOR MONTEREY COUNTY ↗
  • Who funds HOMELESS GARDEN PROJECT ↗
  • Who funds VENTURES ↗
  • Who funds Life Lab Science Program ↗
  • Who funds SANTA CRUZ MONTESSORI SCHOOL ↗
  • Who funds UNITED FARM WORKERS OF AMERICA ↗
  • Who funds ROMERO INSTITUTE ↗
  • Who funds MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC ↗
  • Who funds MONTEREY BAY FISHERIES TRUST ↗
  • Who funds SENDEROS ↗

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.

Monterey Peninsula Fo…Community Foundation …The David and Lucile …Kaiser Foundation Hos…Newman's Own Foundati…Dignity HealthClif Family FoundationCaroline's Nonprofit …Volunteer Centers of …Community Foundation …Tides FoundationSilicon Valley Commun…
Monterey Peninsula FoundationCA36.4× affinity15 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Monterey Peninsula Foundation · Community Foundation Santa Cruz County · The David and Lucile Packard Foundation · Kaiser Foundation Hospitals · Newman's Own Foundation · Dignity Health · Clif Family Foundation · Caroline's Nonprofit Thrift Shop · Volunteer Centers of Santa Cruz County · Community Foundation for San Benito County · Tides Foundation · Silicon Valley Community 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 Sylvester Meister Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Sylvester Meister Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%2%6%14%25%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get no government money at all
    9report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    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 Sylvester Meister Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Sylvester Meister 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 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Sylvester Meister’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