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The Ferrara Foundation Inc at a glance

· Private foundation

The Ferrara Foundation Inc

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.

$15k
Granted FY2024still arriving
1
Grants FY2024still arriving
1
States reached
$15k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its fieldRead
04Through 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, FY2023 to 2024.

Human Services$55kEducation$40kHealth$40kPhilanthropy$30kCivil Rights$25kYouth Development$20kHousing & Shelter$15kRecreation & Sports$15kOther$0
02FY2024 · 1 grant

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$15,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$5.2M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
STERLING PROMISE FOUNDATION$15,000
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 (FY23–23, $15k) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 33% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%MASSACHUSETTS COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS INC: $10k → 10%SHOES THAT FIT: $5k → 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

VT
MA
OH
CA
CO
MD
TN
DC
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.
04

Where the work is directed

The same grants placed two ways: where each recipient sits, and where its stated purpose sends the money.

About 11% of The Ferrara Foundation Inc’s grant dollars are earmarked for a different county than the recipient’s own address. By recipient address, 76% of the giving stays in MA; by stated purpose, 57%.

The Ferrara Foundation Inclessmore of its giving
Placed by recipient address · 20% directed abroad (not shown)
How this is measured
Recipient view: each grant at its grantee’s ZIP, mapped to a county. Directed view: each grant at the county its stated purpose names, falling back to the recipient’s county when the purpose names no place; US grants only. A county shows only if it carries the top 95% of that view’s dollars. Purposes are read from the funder’s own 990 grant descriptions.
03Its 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
Boston Foundation
Philanthropy
2
Trustees of Boston College

Mission strengthened by more than a century and a half of dedication to academic excellence, boston college commits itself to the highest standards of teaching and research in undergraduate, graduate and professional programs and to the…

Education
3
Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester Inc

Our mission is to always welcome and connect young people and families to opportunities that embrace diversity, nurture growth, and inspire success.

Youth Development
4
The Baseball Inc

The base ball, inc. d/b/a the base is a not-for-profit organization working to shift the national mindset and re-imagine pathways to success for urban youth. founded in roxbury, ma, the base operates in boston and on the westside of…

Recreation & Sports
5
Brookline Teen Center

Btc's vision is for all brookline students to engage in their community and emerge ready for college, career, and beyond. our mission is to provide a platform where all teens can explore, create, and discover who they are. through…

Youth Development
6
Children's Hospital Corporation

Provider of pediatric healthcare, education, research & community service

Health
7
Mass General Brigham Incorporated

Patient care, teaching, research and serving the community.

Health
8
Young Men's Christian Association of Greater Boston Inc

The ymca of greater boston is dedicated to improving the health of mind, body, and spirit of individuals and families in our communities. we promote welcoming, belonging, and opportunity for all.

Human Services
9
Bentley University

Organization's mission bentley university believes good business can impact more than the bottom line - it can change the world. bentley is a community of future business leaders who will deliver value in the marketplace and lasting…

Education
10
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
11
United Way of Massachusetts Bay Inc

To advance an economically just region where prosperity is shared across race and ethnicity.

Philanthropy
12
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
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Vietnam Veterans Workshop Inc Dba New England Center and Home for Veterans; the most unlike its peers is Sterling Promise Foundation Inc. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
05the grantee network

20 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. 20 of the 21 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)
0
Early backer (in before they grew)
20/20
Grantees still filing
14/20
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

UNITED NEGRO COLLEGE FUND INC: $25,000 · EducationUNITED NEGRO COLLEGE F…THE SEAL FOUNDATION INC: $15,000 · EducationTHE SEAL FOUNDATION IN…PELOTONIA: $10,000 · EducationPELOTONIADana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc: $25,000 · HealthDana-Farber Cancer I…Sterling Promise Foundation Inc: $15,000 · HealthSterling Promise Fou…ST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC: $5,000 · HealthST JUDE CHILDREN'S R…CATHOLIC CHARITABLE BUREAU OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF BOSTON INC: $25,000 · OtherCATHOLIC CHARITABLE BUREAU O…GREATER BOSTON FOOD BANK INC: $5,000 · OtherGREATER BOSTON FOOD BANK INCMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC - DOCTORS WITHOUT: $5,000 · OtherMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA…C5 Youth Foundation of Texas Inc: $5,000 · OtherC5 Youth Foundation of Texas…DJ HENRY DREAM FUND INC: $5,000 · OtherDJ HENRY DREAM FUND INCBOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF BOSTON INC: $5,000 · OtherBOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF BOSTON…VIETNAM VETERANS WORKSHOP INC DBA NEW ENGLAND CENTER AND HOME FOR VETERANS: $5,000 · OtherVIETNAM VETERANS WORKSHOP IN…HEART AND HAND CENTER: $5,000 · OtherHEART AND HAND CENTERBROOKLINE FOOD PANTRY INC: $3,000 · OtherPLAY BALL FOUNDATION INC: $15,000 · PhilanthropyPLAY BALL FOU…THE VERMONT COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $15,000 · PhilanthropyTHE VERMONT C…PROJECT CITIZENSHIP INC: $25,000 · Civil RightsPROJECT CIT…FRIENDSHIPWORKS INC: $25,000 · ReligionFRIENDSHIPW…MASSACHUSETTS COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS INC: $10,000 · Human ServicesSHOES THAT FIT: $5,000 · Human Services
Education$50,000Health$45,000Other$63,000Philanthropy$30,000Civil Rights$25,000Religion$25,000Human Services$15,000

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 budgetPROJECT CITIZENSHIP INC: $25,000 over 1y, 2.1% of budgetUNITED NEGRO COLLEGE FUND INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCATHOLIC CHARITABLE BUREAU OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF BOSTON INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetFRIENDSHIPWORKS INC: $25,000 over 1y, 1.9% of budgetDana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE SEAL FOUNDATION INC: $15,000 over 1y, 2.5% of budgetPLAY BALL FOUNDATION INC: $15,000 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetTHE VERMONT COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $15,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMASSACHUSETTS COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetPELOTONIA: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSHOES THAT FIT: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetVIETNAM VETERANS WORKSHOP INC DBA NEW ENGLAND CENTER AND HOME FOR VETERANS: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetC5 Youth Foundation of Texas Inc: $5,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetDJ HENRY DREAM FUND INC: $5,000 over 1y, 2.1% of budgetGREATER BOSTON FOOD BANK INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF BOSTON INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHEART AND HAND CENTER: $5,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetBROOKLINE FOOD PANTRY INC: $3,000 over 1y, 0.1% 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.

Boston Foundation IncBushrod H Campbell & …Cummings Foundation G…Eastern Bank Foundati…American Online Givin…The Blackbaud Giving …The Bank of America C…Network for GoodVanguard Charitable E…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Boston Foundation IncMA14.6× affinity5 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Boston Foundation Inc · Bushrod H Campbell & Adah F Hall Charity Fund · Cummings Foundation Grants Inc (Fka Oneworld Boston Inc) · Eastern Bank Foundation · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Network for Good · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile 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 The Ferrara Foundation Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Ferrara Foundation Inc. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 50%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 10%
  • Vietnam Veterans Workshop Inc Dba New England Center and Home for Veterans: 66% of income from government
  • Greater Boston Food Bank Inc: 22% of income from government
  • Project Citizenship Inc: 10% of income from government
  • Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc: 7% of income from government
  • Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston Inc: 2% of income from government
  • The Vermont Community Foundation: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
5get no government money at all
3report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
1rely 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.
04Through Plinth

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to The Ferrara Foundation Inc?

Find your warmest path to The Ferrara Foundation Inc 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 21 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 Ferrara’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