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The Ds Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Ds 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.

$10M
Granted FY2020
12
Grants FY2020
7
States reached
$10M
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead

Read this first · the figures below need context

53% of The Ds Foundation’s FY2024 grant dollars went to National Philanthropic Trust, not to grantees.

Its money now reaches organizations through that sponsor, which does not report who recommended each grant. FY2024 names 10 organizations directly, so a portfolio cannot be read from it. Everything below is therefore FY2020, the last year The Ds Foundation named its own grantees at scale: 8 organizations, $10M. It is dated, not current.

Organizations named directly on the return

8
’20
4
’21
4
’22
7
’23
10
’24

Amber years are those where most dollars went to a sponsor.

01What it funds
0198% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2024.

Philanthropy$24MEducation$22MHuman Services$317kCommunity Improvement$100kInternational$82kScience & Tech$24kHealth$18kReligion$16kOther$0
02FY2020 · 12 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2020

  • Under $10k5 grants · $7k
  • $10k–50k3 grants · $47k
  • $50k–250k3 grants · $250k
  • $250k+1 grant · $10M
$12,001
Median grant
7
States reached
$211M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
PRINCETON- GIFT$10,000,000
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI$100,000
TECHTOWN DETROIT$100,000
THE MIAMI FOUNDATION$50,000
INDIASPORA$25,000
Presidents & Fellows OF HARVARD COLLEGE$12,001
PANIIT$10,000
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN$2,500
TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY$2,001
NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE & EDUCATIONAL FUND$1,000
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY$500
CRY AMERICA$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 (FY20–24, $317k) land where the poverty rate runs at 10%, 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%Indiaspora: $100k → 10%INDIASPORA: $42k → 10%INDIASPORA: $25k → 10%INDIASPORA: $25k → 10%INDIASPORA: $25k → 10%INDIASPORA: $25k → 10%INDIASPORA: $25k → 10%INDIASPORA: $25k → 10%INDIASPORA: $25k → 10%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

MI
NY
MA
PA
NJ
CT
CA
UT
AR
DC
GA
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.

55%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$12M · 5 repeat orgs$10M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +66% since the first grant, against +1% for those funded once.

5 repeat relationships: 3 still active in FY2020, 2 since wound down; 27 grantees were first funded in FY2020 (too recent to call). Read against FY2020, the last year this funder named its own grantees directly; its giving has since run through a sponsor, which reports no donor behind each grant.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

5
27

Total granted

$12M
$10M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+66%
+1%

Still filing today

60%
78%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 99% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $34k went to new ones.

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

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

’20’21’22’23’24
EducationHealthInternationalCrime & LegalReligionHuman ServicesOther
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

  • UO
    University of Miami
    5× · 2020–2024 · $12M · revenue +66%
  • I
    INDIASPORA
    5× · 2020–2024 · $317k · revenue +93%
  • FA
    FELLOWSHIPS AT AUSCHWITZ FOR THE STUDY OF PROFESSIONAL ETHICS INC
    2× · 2022–2023 · $11k · revenue +14%

Funded once

  • PG
    PRINCETON- GIFT
    one grant, 2020 · $10M
  • WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY PARK IN THE CITY OF DETROIT
    one grant, 2020 · $100k · revenue -12%
  • IM
    Indiaspora - Miracle Foundation
    one grant, 2021 · $50k
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
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
2
Trustees of Boston University

Organization's mission: boston university is an international, comprehensive, private research university, committed to educating students to be reflective, resourceful individuals ready to live, adapt, and lead in an interconnected world.…

—
3
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
4
Bar Ilan University in Israel Inc

Biu produces students who excel in the sciences, humanities, law, engineering, business & the arts.

—
5
New York Genome Center Inc

Operate a state-of-the-art, world-class genomic research center that creates and uses advanced genomics to understand the genetic basis of disease. for more information, see schedule o.

Health
6
American Association for the Advancement of Science

Advance science, engineering, and innovation throughout the world for the benefit of all. the world's largest multidisciplinary scientific society and a leading publisher of cutting-edge research through its science family of journals,…

Science & Tech
7
Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute

Sanford burnham prebys medical discovery institute's mission is to advance the biomedical sciences by cultivating the next generation of scientific leaders, providing meaningful opportunities for researchers of all backgrounds to learn,…

Health
8
American Academy of Neurology

The Academy's mission is to enhance member career fulfillment and promote brain health for all.

Community Improvement
9
Boston Architectural College

The bac is committed to provide excellence in design education grounded in practice and accessible to diverse communities.

—
10
The Trustees of Princeton University

Research, education and general - princeton university is a private not-for-profit, non-sectarian institution of higher learning with approximately 5,700 undergraduate and 3,300 graduate students. 2,500 students graduated in the 2024-2025…

Education
11
Lehigh University

The university's goal in the coming decade is to advance learning through the integration of teaching, research and service to others. the core of this goal is to prepare graduates to engage with the world and lead lives of meaning. to do…

Education
12
Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

We educate the next generation of leaders to improve the health of our society.

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Naacp Legal Defense & Educ Fund Inc; the most unlike its peers is Paniit 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

27 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. 27 of the 35 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)
5
Early backer (in before they grew)
27/27
Grantees still filing
17/27
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

NATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TRUST: $23,400,000 · PhilanthropyNATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TRUST+2 more: $201,000 · PhilanthropyUniversity of Miami: $12,100,000 · EducationUniversity of Miami+6 more: $106,975 · EducationPRINCETON- GIFT: $10,000,000 · OtherPRINCETON- GIFT+16 more: $120,015 · OtherINDIASPORA: $317,413 · Human ServicesWAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY PARK IN THE CITY OF DETROIT: $100,000 · Community ImprovementIIT Bombay Heritage Foundation: $24,247 · InternationalAFRICA YOGA PROJECT INC: $20,000 · InternationalFELLOWSHIPS AT AUSCHWITZ FOR THE STUDY OF PROFESSIONAL ETHICS INC: $11,000 · International+1 more: $500 · InternationalFederation of Jain Associations in North America: $15,000 · ReligionJAIN SOCIETY OF GREATER DETROIT SHAH: $1,025 · Religion
Philanthropy$23,601,000Education$12,206,975Other$10,120,015Human Services$317,413Community Improvement$100,000International$55,747Religion$16,025

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 budgetNATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TRUST: $23,400,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetUniversity of Miami: $12,100,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetINDIASPORA: $317,413 over 5y, 4.2% of budgetTHE MIAMI FOUNDATION INC: $200,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetWAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY PARK IN THE CITY OF DETROIT: $100,000 over 1y, 1.8% of budgetPresident and Fellows of Harvard College: $50,005 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetACHIEVE MIAMI INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetIIT Bombay Heritage Foundation: $24,247 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetBARROW STREET NURSERY SCHOOL AT GREENWICH HOUSE INC: $20,570 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetAFRICA YOGA PROJECT INC: $20,000 over 1y, 5.4% of budgetFederation of Jain Associations in North America: $15,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetFELLOWSHIPS AT AUSCHWITZ FOR THE STUDY OF PROFESSIONAL ETHICS INC: $11,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetPANIIT INC: $10,000 over 1y, 1.9% of budgetINTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF YOGA THERAPISTS INC: $10,000 over 1y, 1.3% of budgetLAWYERS FOR CHILDREN INC: $2,505 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetOLIGO NATION: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetUniversity of Michigan: $2,500 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetDocumenting Hope Inc: $1,200 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetJAIN SOCIETY OF GREATER DETROIT SHAH: $1,025 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetNAACP LEGAL DEFENSE & EDUC FUND INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGLIOBLASTOMA RESEARCH ORGANIZATION INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetCRY-CHILD RIGHTS AND YOU AMERICA INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE BRONX DEFENDERS: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMARCY LAB INC: $200 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAmerican Heart Association Inc: $155 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBLOOD CANCER UNITED INC: $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.

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 Goldman Sachs Cha…Gs Donor Advised Phil…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…Charities Aid Foundat…National Philanthropi…The Ayco Charitable F…Vanguard Charitable E…The Blackbaud Giving …Verizon FoundationThe Bank of America C…Morgan Stanley Global…Network for Good
The Goldman Sachs Charitable Gift FundNY18× affinity7 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Goldman Sachs Charitable Gift Fund · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · Charities Aid Foundation America · National Philanthropic Trust · The Ayco Charitable Foundation · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · Verizon Foundation · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · 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 The Ds Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Ds Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 50%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 7%
  • President and Fellows of Harvard College: 7% of income from government
  • University of Miami: 5% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
5get no government money at all
6report 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 The Ds Foundation?

Find your warmest path to The Ds 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 35 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 2020, released 2020. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Ds’ 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