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The Eric and Lulu Roberts Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Eric and Lulu Roberts Family 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.

$737k
Granted FY2025still arriving
12
Grants FY2025still arriving
1
States reached
$200k
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, FY2017 to 2025.

Arts & Culture$2.7MEducation$1.7MInternational$1.6MAnimals$1.2MEmployment$219kYouth Development$156kHealth$96kRecreation & Sports$60kOther$0
02FY2025 · 12 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • $10k–50k8 grants · $191k
  • $50k–250k4 grants · $545k
$49,743
Median grant
1
States reached
$259k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
THE JOY CULTURE FOUNDATION$200,356
SAN FRANCISCO SPCA$194,152
DUNN SCHOOL$100,424
SILICON VALLEY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL$50,556
REDF$49,894
TIPPING POINT$49,743
SACRED HEART SCHOOLS$25,218
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF THE PENINSULA$20,254
10000 DEGREES$15,387
MARINE MAMMAL CENTER$10,173
CONSERVATION EARTH INC DBA WILDLIFE ASSOCIATES$10,173
PENINSULA HUMANE SOCIETY & SPCA$10,173
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 (FY19–21, $60k) land where the poverty rate runs at 17%, against an area that typically sits at 7%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 7%STREET SOCCER USA: $50k → 17%STREET SOCCER USA: $10k → 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.
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.

92%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$7.0M · 16 repeat orgs$626k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +69% since the first grant, against +2% for those funded once.

16 repeat relationships: 11 still active in FY2025, 5 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

16
12

Total granted

$7.0M
$616k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+69%
+2%

Still filing today

81%
58%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 99% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $10k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
AnimalsEducationArts & CulturePhilanthropyHealthYouth 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

  • TJ
    THE JOY CULTURE FOUNDATION
    5× · 2021–2025 · $1.9M · revenue +113% · 85% of their budget
  • TP
    TIPPING POINT COMMUNITY
    9× · 2017–2025 · $1.6M · revenue +18%
  • DS
    DUNN SCHOOL
    9× · 2017–2025 · $1.1M · revenue +29%

Funded once

  • TJ
    THE JOY CULTURE FUND - DAF
    one grant, 2020 · $454k
  • SF
    SAN FRANCISCO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY
    one grant, 2024 · $50k · revenue -9%
  • Teach for America Inc
    one grant, 2021 · $25k · revenue +5%
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
Sacramento Zoological Society

The sacramento zoo inspires appreciation, respect and a connection with wildlife and nature through education, recreation and conservation.

Animals
2
The International School of San Francisco

Guided by the principles of academic rigor and diversity, the international school of san francisco offers programs of study in french and english to prepare its graduates for a world in which the ability to think critically and to…

Education
3
Marin Humane Society

Marin humane transforms lives through exceptional animal care, humane education, and advocacy. every day, marin humane inspires compassion and positive relationships between people and animals.

Animals
4
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for Monterey County

The SPCA Monterey County's Mission is assuring compassionate treatment of all animals through rescue, rehabilitation, protection and education. The SPCA shelters homeless, neglected, and abused pets, including dogs, cats, horses, exotic…

Animals
5
Zoological Society of San Diego

San diego zoo wildlife alliance is committed to saving species worldwide by uniting our expertise in wildlife care and conservation science with our dedication to inspiring passion for nature.

Animals
6
San Francisco Friends School

At san francisco friends school, students learn in a community grounded in the quaker values of reflection, integrity, peaceful problem-solving and stewardship. our teachers challenge students with a dynamic curriculum that inspires…

Education
7
Silicon Schools Fund Inc

The mission of the silicon schools fund is to improve education through supporting the launch of excellent new schools, improving academic instruction in existing schools, and by funding some of the boldest innovations in education…

Education
8
United States Naval Institute

Provide an independent forum for those who dare to read, think, speak, and write to advance the professional, literary, and scientific understanding of sea power and other issues critical to global security.

—
9
The San Francisco School

A private school that cultivates and celebrates the intellectual, imaginative, and humanitarian promise of each student in a community that practices mutual respect, embraces diversity, and inspires passion for learning.

—
10
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
11
Santa Barbara Humane Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

Santa barbara humane operates two campuses located in santa barbara and santa maria providing care for community-owned and homeless animals. both campuses offer affordable high quality veterinary care, compassionate behavior training…

Animals
12
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
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is San Francisco Zoological Society; the most unlike its peers is Grace Science Foundation. 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

23 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. 23 of the 29 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.

2
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
4
Early backer (in before they grew)
21/23
Grantees still filing
16/23
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

THE JOY CULTURE FOUNDATION: $1,911,520 · Arts & CultureTHE JOY CULTURE FOUNDATION+1 more: $24,910 · Arts & CultureTIPPING POINT COMMUNITY: $1,552,314 · PhilanthropyTIPPING POINT COMMUNITYREDF: $219,434 · PhilanthropyREDFTHE JOY CULTURE FUND - DAF: $454,130 · OtherTHE JOY CULTURE FUN…SILICON VALLEY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL: $255,330 · OtherSILICON VALLEY INTE…CARTOON ART MUSEUM: $249,494 · OtherCARTOON ART MUSEUMSACRED HEART SCHOOLS ATHERTON: $229,546 · OtherSACRED HEART SCHOOL…THE SCHOOLBOX PROJECT: $50,378 · Other+7 more: $91,314 · Other+7 moreTHE SAN FRANCISCO SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS: $873,771 · AnimalsTHE SAN FRANCISCO…THE MARINE MAMMAL CENTER: $127,457 · AnimalsTHE MARINE MAMMAL…CONSERVATION EARTH INC: $111,525 · AnimalsCONSERVATION EART…SAN FRANCISCO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY: $50,347 · Animals+3 more: $25,173 · AnimalsDUNN SCHOOL: $1,090,196 · EducationDUNN SCHOOL10000 DEGREES: $60,677 · Education+1 more: $25,492 · EducationBOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF THE PENINSULA: $150,320 · Youth DevelopmentCake4kids: $5,216 · Youth DevelopmentSTREET SOCCER USA INC: $60,135 · Human Services
Arts & Culture$1,936,430Philanthropy$1,771,748Other$1,330,192Animals$1,188,273Education$1,176,365Youth Development$155,536Human Services$60,135

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 budgetTHE JOY CULTURE FOUNDATION: $1,911,520 over 5y, 85% of budgetTIPPING POINT COMMUNITY: $1,552,314 over 9y, 0.7% of budgetDUNN SCHOOL: $1,090,196 over 9y, 1.7% of budgetTHE SAN FRANCISCO SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS: $873,771 over 9y, 0.4% of budgetSILICON VALLEY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL: $255,330 over 7y, 0.2% of budgetREDF: $219,434 over 9y, 0.2% of budgetBOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF THE PENINSULA: $150,320 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetTHE MARINE MAMMAL CENTER: $127,457 over 9y, 0.2% of budgetCONSERVATION EARTH INC: $111,525 over 6y, 9.3% of budget10000 DEGREES: $60,677 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetSTREET SOCCER USA INC: $60,135 over 2y, 2.4% of budgetTHE SCHOOLBOX PROJECT: $50,378 over 2y, 26% of budgetSAN FRANCISCO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY: $50,347 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetGRACE SCIENCE FOUNDATION: $30,084 over 3y, 0.8% of budgetTeach for America Inc: $25,492 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSOCIETY OF ILLUSTRATORS INC: $24,910 over 1y, 1.1% of budgetSAN MATEO COUNTY HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION: $20,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetCHILD MIND INSTITUTE INC: $15,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPENINSULA HUMANE SOCIETY & SPCA: $10,173 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCake4kids: $5,216 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetINTERNATIONAL VETERINARY OUTREACH: $5,000 over 1y, 2.5% of budgetHIMALAYAN CATARACT PROJECT INC: $5,000 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.

  • Who funds THE JOY CULTURE FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds TIPPING POINT COMMUNITY ↗
  • Who funds DUNN SCHOOL ↗
  • Who funds THE SAN FRANCISCO SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS ↗
  • Who funds SILICON VALLEY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ↗
  • Who funds REDF ↗
  • Who funds BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF THE PENINSULA ↗
  • Who funds THE MARINE MAMMAL CENTER ↗
  • Who funds CONSERVATION EARTH INC ↗
  • Who funds 10000 DEGREES ↗
  • Who funds STREET SOCCER USA INC ↗
  • Who funds THE SCHOOLBOX PROJECT ↗
  • Who funds SAN FRANCISCO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY ↗
  • Who funds GRACE SCIENCE FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds Teach for America Inc ↗
  • Who funds SOCIETY OF ILLUSTRATORS INC ↗
  • Who funds SAN MATEO COUNTY HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION ↗
  • Who funds CHILD MIND INSTITUTE INC ↗
  • Who funds PENINSULA HUMANE SOCIETY & SPCA ↗
  • Who funds ADVOCATS INC ↗
  • Who funds Cake4kids ↗
  • Who funds INTERNATIONAL VETERINARY OUTREACH ↗
  • Who funds HIMALAYAN CATARACT PROJECT INC ↗

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 Roberts FoundationThe San Francisco Fou…Silicon Valley Commun…The Courtney Roberts …Salesforce FoundationMorgan Stanley Global…Marin Community Found…Gordon E and Betty I …Gs Donor Advised Phil…Bright Funds Foundati…Jewish Community Fede…The Goldman Sachs Cha…
The Roberts FoundationCA17.9× affinity6 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Roberts Foundation · The San Francisco Foundation · Silicon Valley Community Foundation · The Courtney Roberts and Steve Preston Family Foundation · Salesforce Foundation · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Marin Community Foundation · Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · Bright Funds Foundation · Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco the Peninsula Marin & Sonoma · The Goldman Sachs Charitable Gift Fund

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 Eric and Lulu Roberts Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Eric and Lulu Roberts Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%6%23%51%90%funder's share of their income ↑0%4%8%11%15%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    11report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–15%
    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 Eric and Lulu Roberts Family Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to The Eric and Lulu Roberts 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 29 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 Eric and Lulu Roberts 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