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The Gordon Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Gordon Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$11k
Granted FY2024still arriving
10
Grants FY2024still arriving
5
States reached
$3k
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.

Environment$27kAnimals$23kHealth$8kReligion$3kEducation$2kInternational$1kPhilanthropy$1kHuman Services$1kOther$0
02FY2024 · 10 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$1,000
Median grant
5
States reached
$89k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Defenders of Wildlife$3,000
HawkQuest$1,500
The Nature Conservancy$1,000
World Wildlife Fund$1,000
Castle Rock Adventist Hospital Foundation$1,000
National Parks Foundation$1,000
Family & Intercultural Resource Center$1,000
National Parks Conservation Association$1,000
National Audubon Society$250
American Cancer Society$100
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 14%, against an area that typically sits at 9%. 94% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 9%West Point AOG: $500 → 14%National Audubon Society: $1k → 17%NORTH TEXAS FOOD BANK: $250 → 5%Audobon: $250 → 14%WORLD WILDLIFE FUND: $2k → 14%Castle Rock Adventist Hospital Foundation: $1k → 3%Family & Intercultural Resource Center: $1k → 9%National Audubon Society: $250 → 17%Audobon Society: $250 → 14%World Wildlife Fund: $2k → 14%HawkQuest: $2k → 3%Dallas Parks Foundation: $500 → 14%WORLD WILDLIFE FUND: $2k → 14%World Wildlife Fund: $1k → 14%World Wildlife Fund: $1k → 14%The Nature Conservancy: $3k → 14%RAILS TO TRAILS CONSERVANCY: $750 → 14%Nature Conservancy: $2k → 14%RAILS TO TRAILS CONSERVANCY: $500 → 14%Smile Train: $2k → 17%Nature Conservancy: $2k → 14%World Wildlife Fund: $500 → 14%SMILE TRAIN: $2k → 17%THE NATURE CONSERVANCY: $2k → 14%National Parks Foundation: $1k → 14%Smile Train: $2k → 17%THE NATURE CONSERVANCY: $2k → 14%NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION: $500 → 14%SMILE TRAIN: $2k → 17%THE NATURE CONSERVANCY: $2k → 14%NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION: $500 → 14%Smile Train: $1k → 17%The Nature Conservancy: $1k → 14%NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION: $500 → 14%National Parks Conservation Association: $1k → 14%WESTMINISTER PRESBY CHURCH: $3k → 14%National Parks Conserv Assoc: $1k → 14%World Affairs Council: $1k → 14%National Parks Conserv Assoc: $500 → 14%Defenders of Wildlife: $7k → 14%Defenders of Wildlife: $3k → 14%Defenders of Wildlife: $3k → 14%The Dallas Foundation: $1k → 14%Defenders of Wildlife: $2k → 14%DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE: $2k → 14%DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE: $2k → 14%DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE: $2k → 14%Defenders of Wildlife: $1k → 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.
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.

83%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$56k · 11 repeat orgs$12k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +60% since the first grant, against +22% for those funded once.

11 repeat relationships: 6 still active in FY2024, 5 since wound down; 4 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

11
14

Total granted

$56k
$7k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+60%
+22%

Still filing today

73%
21%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 59% 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
EnvironmentAnimalsArts & CultureEducationHealthHuman 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

  • DO
    Defenders of Wildlife
    8× · 2017–2024 · $20k · revenue +43%
  • WORLD WILDLIFE FUND INC
    6× · 2017–2024 · $7k · revenue +62%
  • SMILE TRAIN INC
    5× · 2017–2021 · $7k · revenue +19%

Funded once

  • WP
    WESTMINISTER PRESBY CHURCH
    one grant, 2020 · $3k
  • WA
    World Affairs Council
    one grant, 2018 · $1k
  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2018 · $500
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
Conservation International Foundation

Ci works to spotlight and secure the critical benefits that nature provides to humanity.

Environment
2
Denver Zoological Foundation

Inspiring communities to save wildlife for future generations.

Animals
3
Rainforest Trust

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

International
4
Ocean Conservancy

Ocean conservancy unites science, people, and policy to protect our ocean, today and for generations to come.

Environment
5
National Recreation and Park Association

The national recreation and park association (nrpa) is the leading not-for-profit organization dedicated to building strong, vibrant and resilient communities through the power of parks and recreation. nrpa advances this vision by…

Environment
6
Property and Environment Research Center

Perc is dedicated to advancing conservation through markets, incentives, property rights, and partnerships.

Public Benefit
7
Project Drawdown

Project drawdown's mission is to drive meaningful climate action by advancing science-based solutions and strategies. project drawdown's work is focused on three pillars: science - advancing science-based climate solutions and strategies;…

Education
8
The Nature Conservancy

The mission of the nature conservancy is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.

—
9
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
10
Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program Inc

Coastal bend bays & estuaries program is dedicated to protecting and restoring bays and estuaries of the texas coastal bend. coastal bend bays and estuaries remain a vital part of the environmental and economic landscape by preserving and…

Environment
11
Northern Jaguar Project

The mission of the northern jaguar project is to preserve and recover the world's northermost population of the jaguar, its unique natural habitat, and native wildlife under its protection as a flagship, keystone, and umbrella species.

Animals
12
Natural Resources Defense Council Inc

We safeguard the earth: its people, its plants and animals, and (see schedule o) the natural systems on which all life depends. we work to restore the integrity of the elements that sustain life - air, land, and water - to defend…

Environment
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is National Park Foundation; the most unlike its peers is The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. 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

15 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. 15 of the 30 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)
14/15
Grantees still filing
11/15
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

The Nature Conservancy: $13,500 · OtherThe Nature ConservancySMILE TRAIN INC: $7,000 · OtherSMILE TRAIN INCWESTMINISTER PRESBY CHURCH: $3,394 · OtherWESTMINISTER PRESBY CHURCHNATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION: $2,500 · OtherNATIONAL PARK FOUNDATIONNational Parks Conserv Assoc: $1,500 · OtherNational Audubon Society: $1,450 · Other+15 more: $5,750 · Other+15 moreDefenders of Wildlife: $20,000 · AnimalsDefenders of WildlifeTHE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS: $750 · AnimalsWORLD WILDLIFE FUND INC: $7,000 · EnvironmentWORLD WILDLIFE …RAILS TO TRAILS CONSERVANCY: $1,250 · EnvironmentRAILS TO TRAILS…NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION: $1,000 · EnvironmentNATIONAL PARKS …HAWKQUEST: $1,500 · EducationTHE DALLAS FOUNDATION: $1,000 · PhilanthropyNORTH TEXAS PUBLIC BROADCASTING INC: $400 · Arts & CultureAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $250 · Human Services
Other$35,094Animals$20,750Environment$9,250Education$1,500Philanthropy$1,000Arts & Culture$400Human 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 budgetDefenders of Wildlife: $20,000 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetWORLD WILDLIFE FUND INC: $7,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetSMILE TRAIN INC: $7,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION: $2,500 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetHAWKQUEST: $1,500 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetRAILS TO TRAILS CONSERVANCY: $1,250 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE DALLAS FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS: $750 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetNORTH TEXAS PUBLIC BROADCASTING INC: $400 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetNORTH TEXAS FOOD BANK: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY INC: $150 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetASSOCIATION OF THE GRADUATES OF THE UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY: $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.

  • Who funds Defenders of Wildlife ↗
  • Who funds WORLD WILDLIFE FUND INC ↗
  • Who funds SMILE TRAIN INC ↗
  • Who funds NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds HAWKQUEST ↗
  • Who funds RAILS TO TRAILS CONSERVANCY ↗
  • Who funds NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION ↗
  • Who funds THE DALLAS FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS ↗
  • Who funds DALLAS PARKS FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds NORTH TEXAS PUBLIC BROADCASTING INC ↗
  • Who funds NORTH TEXAS FOOD BANK ↗
  • Who funds American National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches ↗
  • Who funds AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY INC ↗
  • Who funds ASSOCIATION OF THE GRADUATES OF THE UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY ↗

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization The Gordon Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Gordon 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%3%5%8%10%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    5report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–10%
    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 30 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