Skip to content
The Gordon Charitable Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Gordon Charitable 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.

$45k
Granted FY2024still arriving
5
Grants FY2024still arriving
2
States reached
$15k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0198% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Religion$171kEnvironment$125kSocial Science$120kEducation$80kArts & Culture$14kHealth$11kInternational$7kCivil Rights$4kOther$0
02FY2024 · 5 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k3 grants · $20k
  • $10k–50k2 grants · $25k
$7,500
Median grant
2
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
RAND CORPORATION$15,000
NRDC$10,000
STEP UP TUTORING$7,500
ROHR CHABAD HOUSE AT VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY$7,500
IDYLLWILD ARTS FOUNDATION$5,000
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 (FY18–18, $250) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 12%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 12%JEWISH CENTER FOR JUSTICE: $250 → 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

NY
OR
PA
CA
MO
VA
TN
AL
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.

90%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$443k · 10 repeat orgs$50k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +108% since the first grant, against -1% for those funded once.

10 repeat relationships: 4 still active in FY2024, 6 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

10
17

Total granted

$443k
$45k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+108%
-1%

Still filing today

40%
65%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 89% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $5k 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
Arts & CultureEducationPublic BenefitReligionHuman 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

  • The Rand Corporation
    8× · 2017–2024 · $120k · revenue +34%
  • SU
    STEP UP TUTORING
    3× · 2021–2024 · $25k · revenue +831%
  • AM
    AMAS MUSICAL THEATRE INC
    2× · 2018–2023 · $2k · revenue +108%

Funded once

  • UJ
    UCLA JONSSON CANCER CENTER
    one grant, 2022 · $10k
  • MI
    MERCY INC
    one grant, 2022 · $5k
  • WASHINGTON UNIVERSITYgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $5k · revenue +76%
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
Bar Ilan University in Israel Inc

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

—
2
Yeshiva University

The university is composed of several colleges and schools providing undergraduate, graduate, professional and post-doctoral education and training and research and clinical programs.

Education
3
University of Southern California

The central mission of the university of southern california is the development of human beings and society as a whole through the cultivation and enrichment of the human mind and spirit. the principal means by which our mission is…

Education
4
The Jewish Museum

The mission of the jewish museum is to collect, preserve, exhibit and interpret art and jewish culture. see schedule o for more information.

Arts & Culture
5
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
6
Hillsdale College

Hillsdale college is a private liberal arts college with approximately 1,500 students. founded in 1844, the college remains, in the words of its articles of association, "grateful to god for the inestimable blessings resulting from the…

Education
7
Wesleyan University

Wesleyan university is dedicated to providing an education in liberal arts by building a diverse, energetic community of students, faculty, and staff who value independence of mind and generosity of spirit. see additional description in…

Education
8
Institute for Advanced Study - Louis Bamberger & Mrs Felix Fuld Foundation

The institute for advanced study (the institute) is one of the world's leading centers for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. see schedule o.

Science & Tech
9
University of Miami

See Form 990, Part I, Line 1, Description of Organization Mission.

Education
10
Fordham University

Fordham university, the jesuit university of new york, is committed to the discovery of wisdom and the transmission of learning, through research and through education of the highest quality. for more information, see schedule o.

Education
11
Long Island University

To provide excellence and access in private higher education to those who seek to expand their knowledge and prepare themselves for meaningful, educated lives and for service to their communities and the world.

—
12
Women's Project & Productions Inc

Wp theater is the nation's oldest and largest theater company dedicated to developing, producing, and promoting the work of women+ at every stage of their careers. for over four decades we have served as leaders of a global movement…

Arts & Culture
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Windward School; the most unlike its peers is Faith Crusades Ministries. 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

17 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. 17 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.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
5
Early backer (in before they grew)
17/17
Grantees still filing
11/17
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

NRDC: $125,000 · OtherNRDCWILSHIRE BOULEVARD TEMPLE: $93,600 · OtherWILSHIRE BOULEVARD TEMPLEUNIVERSITY SYNAGOGUE: $61,720 · OtherUNIVERSITY SYNAGOGUEROHR CHABAD HOUSE AT VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY: $11,100 · Other+8 more: $23,850 · Other+8 moreThe Rand Corporation: $120,000 · Public BenefitThe Rand CorporationTRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA: $41,800 · EducationTRUSTEES OF THE UN…STEP UP TUTORING: $25,000 · EducationSTEP UP TUTORINGWASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: $5,000 · EducationWASHINGTON UNIVERS…WEST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE FOUNDATION: $5,000 · EducationWEST LOS ANGELES C…IDYLLWILD ARTS FOUNDATION: $5,000 · EducationIDYLLWILD ARTS FOU…+2 more: $3,500 · EducationFRIENDS OF UNITED HATZALAH INC: $1,800 · Arts & CultureREUT USA: $1,800 · Arts & CultureAMAS MUSICAL THEATRE INC: $1,500 · Arts & CultureF B ALLIANCE: $1,250 · Arts & CultureLOOK WHAT SHE DID: $1,000 · Arts & CultureWRITERS GUILD FOUNDATION: $1,000 · Arts & CultureLOS ANGELES CONTEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS INC: $1,000 · Arts & CultureFAITH CRUSADES MINISTRIES: $5,000 · ReligionJewish Center for Justice: $250 · Human Services
Other$315,270Public Benefit$120,000Education$85,300Arts & Culture$9,350Religion$5,000Human Services$250

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 Rand Corporation: $120,000 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetTRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA: $41,800 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetSTEP UP TUTORING: $25,000 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetWASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWEST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE FOUNDATION: $5,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetIDYLLWILD ARTS FOUNDATION: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFAITH CRUSADES MINISTRIES: $5,000 over 1y, 2.5% of budgetWINDWARD SCHOOL: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFRIENDS OF UNITED HATZALAH INC: $1,800 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetREUT USA: $1,800 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetAMAS MUSICAL THEATRE INC: $1,500 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetF B ALLIANCE: $1,250 over 3y, 0.8% of budgetLOOK WHAT SHE DID: $1,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetWRITERS GUILD FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetLOS ANGELES CONTEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetLOS ANGELES LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetJewish Center for Justice: $250 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.

  • Who funds The Rand Corporation ↗
  • Who funds TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA ↗
  • Who funds STEP UP TUTORING ↗
  • Who funds WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds WEST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds IDYLLWILD ARTS FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds FAITH CRUSADES MINISTRIES ↗
  • Who funds WINDWARD SCHOOL ↗
  • Who funds FRIENDS OF UNITED HATZALAH INC ↗
  • Who funds REUT USA ↗
  • Who funds AMAS MUSICAL THEATRE INC ↗
  • Who funds F B ALLIANCE ↗
  • Who funds LOOK WHAT SHE DID ↗
  • Who funds WRITERS GUILD FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds LOS ANGELES CONTEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS INC ↗
  • Who funds LOS ANGELES LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds Jewish Center for Justice ↗

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.

California Community …Jewish Community Foun…Gs Donor Advised Phil…Jewish Communal FundNational Philanthropi…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Vanguard Charitable E…Amazonsmile Foundation
California Community FoundationCA21.1× affinity9 shared granteesties to 8 of 8Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: California Community Foundation · Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · Jewish Communal Fund · National Philanthropic Trust · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · 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 Gordon Charitable Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Gordon Charitable Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%23%45%68%90%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    1report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–90%
    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.

    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 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Gordon’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