· Private foundation
The Hamister 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.
What it funded, over time
Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.
Where the money goes
Grants by size, and the largest recipients.
By grant size · FY2024
- Under $10k3 grants · $15k
- $10k–50k4 grants · $85k
| Recipient | Amount |
|---|---|
| UCSB FOUNDATION | $25,000 |
| UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN FOUNDATION | $25,000 |
| UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO | $25,000 |
| MUSIC ACADEMY OF THE WEST | $10,000 |
| SANTA BARBARA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY | $5,000 |
| OPERA SANTA BARBARA | $5,000 |
| SB HUMANE SOCIETY | $5,000 |
Does the money reach high-need areas?
Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.
Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY17–24) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 86% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.
How this is measured
How this is measured
Who it funds again
Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.
18 repeat relationships: 6 still active in FY2024, 12 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).
How the two cohorts compare
Organizations
Total granted
Still filing today
New vs renewed · share of each year
In FY2024, 75% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $25k went to new ones.
Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant
How this is measured
Backed again, and grew
University of Chicago5× · 2018–2024 · $105k · revenue +52%- MAMUSIC ACADEMY OF THE WEST8× · 2017–2024 · $56k · revenue +18%
- SBSANTA BARBARA HUMANE SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS6× · 2017–2022 · $30k · revenue +239%
Funded once
- SCSB COTTAGE HOSPITALone grant, 2023 · $5k
- FOFRIENDS OF GOLETA LIBRARYone grant, 2023 · $3k
- SBSANTA BARBARA CITY COLLEGE FOUNDATIONone grant, 2023 · $1k
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.
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.
The uc santa barbara foundation actively works to further the goals of the university of california, santa barbara. the foundation seeks to maintain and nurture the university's quality and distinction. on behalf of the campus, the…
To integrate art into the lives of people, fostering imagination, stimulating thought, and creating personally rewarding experiences.
The mission of the santa barbara foundation (sbf) is to mobilize collective wisdom and philanthropic capital to build empathetic, inclusive and resilient communities.
The scholarship foundation of santa barbara inspires, encourages and supports santa barbara county students to and through college, graduate and vocational school by providing information, advising, and scholarships.
To inspire meaningful connections to santa barbara history.
To provide a vibrant performing arts center that generates and promotes excellence in the performing arts and enhances the quality of life in the region by offering outstanding and diverse entertainment, including events of cultural and…
The sbcc foundation fuels the excellence of santa barbara city college by engaging the community, building relationships, and inviting the generosity of donors. the resources raised and managed by the foundation enrich college programs,…
To bring high quality classical musicians from around the globe to the santa barbara area to perform orchestral, vocal, solo instrumental, and chamber concerts.
Creating excellent exhibits and educational experiences that celebrate the santa barbara channel and illuminate our rich connections with the sea.
The san francisco conservatory of music (sfcm) educates exceptionally talented musicians from around the world to become artists of the highest caliber, as well as musical citizens prepared for the challenges of the twenty-first century.
The santa barbara zoo is dedicated to the preservation, conservation, and enhancement of the natural world and its living treasures through education, research, recreation and conservation.
Mission: the mission of san diego opera is to deliver exceptional performances and exciting, accessible programs to diverse audiences, focusing on community partnerships, and the transformative and expressive power of the human voice. as…
How this is measured
9 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. 9 of the 22 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.
Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee
Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing
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 University of Chicago ↗
- Who funds MUSIC ACADEMY OF THE WEST ↗
- Who funds SANTA BARBARA HUMANE SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS ↗
- Who funds Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital ↗
- Who funds UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN FOUNDATION ↗
- Who funds SANTA BARBARA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATION ↗
- Who funds OPERA SANTA BARBARA ↗
- Who funds SANTA BARBARA RESCUE MISSION ↗
- Who funds SANTA BARBARA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY ↗
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.
Open a dossier: Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund
How this is measured
How much its grantees rely on government
Each dot is one organization The Hamister Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Hamister Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.
How this is measured
Play a game based on Hamister’s filings →