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The Cygnet Foundation Inc Attn Raymond Merritt at a glanceMostly funded, not a grantmaker: see who funds it →

· Private foundation

The Cygnet Foundation Inc Attn Raymond Merritt

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.

$11k
Granted FY2024still arriving
5
Grants FY2024still arriving
2
States reached
$5k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0193% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Animals$73kArts & Culture$52kHousing & Shelter$25kInternational$15kEducation$15kPhilanthropy$14kHealth$10kRecreation & Sports$9kOther$0
02FY2024 · 5 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$2,000
Median grant
2
States reached
$345k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Individual grant recipient$5,000
SAG HARBOR CINEMA ART CENTER$2,500
SAG HARBORS HELPERS INC$2,000
ANIMAL RESCUE FUND OF THE HAMPTONS$500
RETI CENTER$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:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY17–24) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 72% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%CALIFORNIA INCLUSIVE SAILING: $3k → 10%LONGHOUSE RESERVE: $4k → 7%SPORTS AND ARTS IN SCHOOL FOUNDATION: $1k → 13%THE NEW HERITAGE THEATRE GROUP INC: $20k → 17%PEACEFUL VALLEY DONKEY RESCUE: $2k → 13%HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES: $2k → 14%BIG DOG RANCH RESCUE: $10k → 11%WILDLIFE RESCUE CENTER: $1k → 11%TIGER PRESERVATION CENTER: $1k → 18%THE ELEPHANT SANCTUARY: $2k → 14%DELBARTON SCHOOL: $7k → 4%NATURE CONSERVANCY INC: $2k → 7%LION HABITAT RANCH INC: $1k → 13%LOYOLA MENS LACROSSE: $5k → 19%DANCING DREAMS: $3k → 13%BIG DOG RANCH RESCUE: $10k → 11%THE ELEPHANT SANCTUARY: $2k → 14%LOYOLA UNIVERSITY: $5k → 19%CONTRIBUTIONS PAID LESS THAN 1000 TO VARIOUS ORG: $2k → 13%BROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC: $2k → 20%BIG DOG RANCH RESCUE: $10k → 11%THE ELEPHANT SANCTUARY: $2k → 14%SASF: $5k → 7%DANCING DREAMS: $2k → 13%BIDEAWEE: $2k → 17%BIG DOG RANCH RESCUE: $6k → 11%EVELYN ALEXANDER WILDLIFE RESCUE CENTER: $3k → 7%JUSTWORLD INTERNATIONAL: $2k → 11%SASF: $2k → 7%THE BENJAMIN SCHOOL: $2k → 11%EDGE AND CENTER INC: $10k → 7%SAG HARBOR PARTNERSHIP INC: $4k → 7%ACE PROGRAMS FOR THE HOMELESS: $9k → 17%SAG HARBOR CINEMA ART CENTER: $3k → 7%ACE PROGRAMS FOR THE HOMELESS: $9k → 17%SAG HARBORS HELPERS INC: $2k → 7%ACE PROGRAMS FOR THE HOMELESS: $4k → 17%SAG HARBORS HELPERS INC: $2k → 7%ACE PROGRAMS FOR THE HOMELESS: $2k → 17%SAG HARBOR PARTNERSHIP INC: $2k → 7%ACE PROGRAMS FOR THE HOMELESS: $2k → 17%ASPCA: $2k → 17%ASPCA: $2k → 17%FRESH AIR FUND: $3k → 17%CITYMEALS ON WHEELS: $3k → 17%ANIMAL RESCUE FUND OF THE HAMPTONS: $5k → 7%CITYMEALS ON WHEELS: $2k → 17%FRESH AIR FUND: $2k → 17%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
OR
NV
NJ
CA
MO
VA
MD
TN
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.

64%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$149k · 24 repeat orgs$82k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +38% since the first grant, against +16% for those funded once.

24 repeat relationships: 3 still active in FY2024, 21 since wound down; 2 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

24
29

Total granted

$149k
$75k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+38%
+16%

Still filing today

75%
48%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 29% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $8k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21’23’24
AnimalsArts & CultureHealthEducationRecreation & SportsPhilanthropyOther
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

  • BD
    BIG DOG RANCH RESCUE INC
    4× · 2017–2020 · $36k · revenue +229%
  • FRESH AIR FUND
    3× · 2018–2020 · $6k · revenue +34%
  • TE
    THE ELEPHANT SANCTUARY IN TENNESSEE
    3× · 2017–2019 · $6k · revenue +13%

Funded once

  • NH
    NEW HERITAGE THEATRE GROUP
    one grant, 2020 · $20k · revenue +19%
  • AD
    ASSOCIATION DU SENEGAL ET DE ALFRIUE DE L'OEST
    one grant, 2018 · $11k
  • EA
    EDGE AND CENTER INC THE CHURCHgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $10k · revenue +456%
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
World Animal Protection

World animal protection is a global organization working to end factory farming and wildlife exploitation. we expose cruel systems, promote animal-friendly alternatives, and influence policy change. for over 75 years, we've been rewriting…

Animals
2
American Humane Association

Founded in 1877, american humane association, dba american humane society (american humane) is committed to ensuring the safety, welfare and well-being of animals. our leadership programs are first to serve in promoting and nurturing the…

Animals
3
Wildlife Conservation Society

The wildlife conservation society (wcs) saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature.

Animals
4
Animal Wellness Action

To prevent cruelty to animals, we promote enacting and enforcing good public policies. enacting good laws depends upon electing good lawmakers, and we remind voters which candidates care about and support animal issues.

Human Services
5
Animal Care and Control of New York City Inc

Animal care centers of nyc's (acc) mission is to end animal homelessness in nyc.

Animals
6
Rainforest Trust

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

International
7
World Wildlife Fund Inc

Wwf's mission is to conserve nature and reduce the most pressing threats to the diversity of life on earth. (continued on schedule o)

Environment
8
International Animal Rescue Us Inc

The organization's vision is a world where humans and animals coexist in sustainable ecosystems. the organization focuses on conservation; habitat protection; promoting biodiversity and rescue, rehabilitation release and monitoring of…

Animals
9
Wildlife Alliance Inc

Wildlife alliance is the leader in direct protection of forests and wildlife in tropical asia. our mission is to combat deforestation, biodiversity loss, climate change, and poverty by partnering with local communities and governments.…

Animals
10
Ric OBarrys Dolphin Project

For Education, Safety, Protection, Recovery, and Prevention From Cruelty for All Cetaceans Especially Dolphins

Animals
11
Oceana Inc

To advocate for policy changes by governments and corporations in order to preserve ocean life and return the oceans to their former abundance.

Environment
12
Humane World Action Fund

To pass animal protection laws, educate the public, and support humane candidates for office.

Animals
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee; the most unlike its peers is The a Woodner Fund 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

36 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. 36 of the 56 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)
4
Early backer (in before they grew)
34/36
Grantees still filing
27/36
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

ACE PROGRAMS FOR THE HOMELESS: $25,250 · OtherACE PROGRAMS FOR THE HOMELESSNEW HERITAGE THEATRE GROUP: $20,000 · OtherNEW HERITAGE THEATRE GROUPASSOCIATION DU SENEGAL ET DE ALFRIUE DE L'OEST: $11,393 · OtherASSOCIATION DU SENEGAL ET DE ALFRIUE DE L'OESTSASF: $8,000 · OtherSASFDELBARTON SCHOOL: $6,790 · OtherDELBARTON SCHOOLLOYOLA UNIVERSITY: $5,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $5,000 · OtherSAG HARBOR HELPERS INC: $4,000 · Other+23 more: $23,900 · Other+23 moreBIG DOG RANCH RESCUE INC: $36,000 · AnimalsBIG DOG RANCH RESCUE INCTHE ELEPHANT SANCTUARY IN TENNESSEE: $6,000 · AnimalsTHE ELEPHANT SANCTUARY IN TENNESSE…THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS: $5,500 · AnimalsTHE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR THE PREVE…ANIMAL RESCUE FUND OF THE HAMPTONS INC: $5,500 · AnimalsANIMAL RESCUE FUND OF THE HAMPTONS…BIDEAWEE INC: $4,000 · AnimalsBIDEAWEE INCHumane World for Animals Inc: $4,000 · AnimalsHumane World for Animals IncEvelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center Inc: $3,600 · AnimalsPeaceful Valley Donkey Rescue Inc: $3,000 · Animals+2 more: $3,000 · AnimalsEDGE AND CENTER INC THE CHURCH: $10,000 · Arts & CultureEDGE AND CE…SAG HARBOR PARTNERSHIP INC: $6,700 · Arts & CultureSAG HARBOR …DANCING DREAMS: $5,000 · Arts & CultureDANCING DRE…SAG HARBOR CINEMA ARTS CENTER INC CO SUSAN MEAD: $2,500 · Arts & CultureSAG HARBOR …FRESH AIR FUND: $6,200 · Recreation & SportsCalifornia Inclusive Sailing: $2,500 · Recreation & SportsNEW YORK EDGE INC: $1,000 · Recreation & SportsLONGHOUSE RESERVE: $4,500 · EducationTHE BENJAMIN PRIVATE SCHOOL INC: $2,000 · EducationJustWorld International Inc: $2,000 · EducationCITYMEALS-ON-WHEELS: $6,000 · Food & NutritionAmerican Heart Association Inc: $2,000 · HealthUNITED BREAST CANCER FOUNDATION INC: $2,000 · HealthFIGHTING CHANCE INC: $1,000 · HealthTHE SOUTHAMPTON HOSPITAL FOUNDATION INC: $1,000 · Health
Other$109,333Animals$70,600Arts & Culture$24,200Recreation & Sports$9,700Education$8,500Food & Nutrition$6,000Health$6,000

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 budgetBIG DOG RANCH RESCUE INC: $36,000 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetNEW HERITAGE THEATRE GROUP: $20,000 over 1y, 3.2% of budgetEDGE AND CENTER INC THE CHURCH: $10,000 over 1y, 3.4% of budgetSAG HARBOR PARTNERSHIP INC: $6,700 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetFRESH AIR FUND: $6,200 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetTHE ELEPHANT SANCTUARY IN TENNESSEE: $6,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetCITYMEALS-ON-WHEELS: $6,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetTHE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS: $5,500 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetANIMAL RESCUE FUND OF THE HAMPTONS INC: $5,500 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetDANCING DREAMS: $5,000 over 2y, 0.9% of budgetLONGHOUSE RESERVE: $4,500 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetBIDEAWEE INC: $4,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetHumane World for Animals Inc: $4,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetEvelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center Inc: $3,600 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetPeaceful Valley Donkey Rescue Inc: $3,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE NATURE CONSERVANCY: $3,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSAG HARBOR CINEMA ARTS CENTER INC CO SUSAN MEAD: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCalifornia Inclusive Sailing: $2,500 over 1y, 8.8% of budgetAmerican Heart Association Inc: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetUNITED BREAST CANCER FOUNDATION INC: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE BENJAMIN PRIVATE SCHOOL INC: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSMILE TRAIN INC: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetUNITED STATES FUND FOR UNICEF: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetWildlife Rescue Center: $2,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetJustWorld International Inc: $2,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetBROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC INC: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDESIGN TRUST FOR PUBLIC SPACE INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetEVERYTOWN FOR GUN SAFETY SUPPORT FUND INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNEW YORK EDGE INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFIGHTING CHANCE INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetTHE SOUTHAMPTON HOSPITAL FOUNDATION INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTIGER PRESERVATION CENTER INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetLION HABITAT RANCH INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE A WOODNER FUND INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetAmerican Tap Dance Foundation inc: $500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBATONGA FOUNDATION: $500 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.

The New York Communit…Jewish Communal FundThe Pfizer Foundation…The Bank of America C…National Philanthropi…Vanguard Charitable E…Network for GoodMorgan Stanley Global…Donor Advised Charita…Paypal Charitable Giv…Fidelity Investments …American Online Givin…
The New York Community TrustNY12.6× affinity4 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The New York Community Trust · Jewish Communal Fund · The Pfizer Foundation Inc · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Network for Good · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Paypal Charitable Giving Fund · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · American Online Giving Foundation Inc

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 The Cygnet Foundation Inc Attn Raymond Merritt funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Cygnet Foundation Inc Attn Raymond Merritt. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 20%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%6%13%19%25%share of the org’s income from government →median 0%
  • Big Dog Ranch Rescue Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
2get no government money at all
8report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–25%
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 The Cygnet Foundation Inc Attn Raymond Merritt?

Find your warmest path to The Cygnet Foundation Inc Attn Raymond Merritt 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 56 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

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More from the funding graph

The unnamed billions
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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