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The Harvey & Ruth Gelfenbein Charitable Foundation Inc at a glance

· Private foundation

The Harvey & Ruth Gelfenbein Charitable Foundation Inc

Its FY2023 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$1.7M
Granted FY2023
15
Grants FY2023
6
States reached
$705k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0189% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2023.

Philanthropy$1.7MHealth$41kReligion$27kEnvironment$24kArts & Culture$20kHuman Services$14kYouth Development$13kFood & Nutrition$11kOther$0
02FY2023 · 15 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2023

  • Under $10k12 grants · $14k
  • $250k+3 grants · $1.7M
$1,766
Median grant
6
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
THE MECKLER GELFENBEIN FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION INC$704,982
THE GELFENBEIN-KAPLAN CHARITABLE FOUNDATION INC$704,982
THE GELFENBEIN FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION INC$300,000
COALITION FOR RAINFOREST NATIONS$1,766
BARD PRISON INITIATIVE$1,766
STUDENTS RISING ABOVE$1,766
SIERRA CLUB FOUNDATION$1,766
OCEAN CONSERVANCY$1,766
Individual grant recipient$1,766
Individual grant recipient$1,400
COCHRAN'S$1,000
SISKIYOU SCHOOL$500
HAND IN HAND PARENTING$500
JANET S MUNT FAMILY ROOM$150
PANCREATIC CANCER ACTION NETWORK$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:

Its human-services grants (FY20–23, $7k) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 30% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR THE BLIND: $25 → 7%JAWONIO: $1k → 14%UNITING PARTNERS FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN: $1k → 15%HOME OF THE INNOCENTS: $100 → 15%KING STREET YOUTH CENTER: $2k → 10%KING STREET YOUTH CENTER: $1k → 10%HOWARD CENTER: $1k → 10%HOWARD CENTER: $500 → 10%KING STREET YOUTH CENTER: $250 → 10%JANET S MUNT FAMILY ROOM: $150 → 10%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
IL
NY
MA
OR
IA
IN
NJ
CT
CA
CO
KY
VA
MD
AZ
TN
DC
GA
TX
FL
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.

9%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$168k · 60 repeat orgs$1.8M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +30% since the first grant, against +19% for those funded once.

60 repeat relationships: 7 still active in FY2023, 53 since wound down; 8 grantees were first funded in FY2023 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

60
58

Total granted

$168k
$49k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+30%
+19%

Still filing today

55%
57%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2023, 1% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $1.7M went to new ones.

50%100%’20’21’22’23
RenewedFirst-time

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

’20’21’22’23
HealthHuman ServicesArts & CultureEnvironmentEducationAnimalsOther
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

  • FC
    FLYNN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS LTD
    3× · 2020–2022 · $8k · revenue +73%
  • BA
    BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF BURLINGTON INC
    3× · 2020–2022 · $6k · revenue +68%
  • BARD COLLEGE
    3× · 2020–2023 · $5k · revenue +151%

Funded once

  • N
    NYUFACES
    one grant, 2022 · $10k
  • GH
    GOOD HEALTH IDEAS INC DBA COLON CANCER PREVENTION PROJECT
    one grant, 2022 · $5k · revenue -18%
  • N
    NAMI
    one grant, 2022 · $2k
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
The Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Fdn Group

Susan g. komen 's mission is to save lives by meeting the most critical needs in our communities & investing in breakthrough research to prevent & cure breast cancer.

—
2
World Wildlife Fund Inc

Wwf's mission is to conserve nature and reduce the most pressing threats to the diversity of life on earth. (continued on schedule o)

Environment
3
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
4
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
5
The Population Council Inc

We generate ideas, produce evidence, and design solutions to improve the lives of underserved populations around the world. we take a multidisciplinary, intergenerational, life-cycle approach that contributes to (see schedule o)four global…

International
6
Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Foundation

To engage and catalyze global seafood supply chains in rebuilding depleted fish stocks and reducing the environmental impacts of fishing and fish farming.

Animals
7
International Vaccine Institute

To discover, develop and deliver safe, effective and affordable vaccines for global public health. its vision is developing countries free of suffering from infectious disease.

International
8
Brightfocus Foundation

Brightfocus foundation funds exceptional research worldwide to defeat alzheimer's disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma and provides expert information on these heartbreaking diseases. please refer to schedule o for a complete…

Health
9
Third Way

To research and develop centrist policy ideas.

Civil Rights
10
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Leadership in the prevention, treatment, and cure of cancer through excellence, vision and cost effectiveness in patient care, outreach programs, research, and education.

Health
11
New York University

Nyu is a private university with approximately 60,000 matriculating students in 20 schools and institutes. nyu's primary missions are education, research and scholarship, and patient care.

Education
12
Conservation International Foundation

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

Environment
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Inc; the most unlike its peers is Gelfenbein-Kaplan Charitable 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.
04the grantee network

72 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

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 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 72 of the 127 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)
10
Early backer (in before they grew)
71/72
Grantees still filing
52/72
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

THE MECKLER GELFENBEIN FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION INC: $704,982 · OtherTHE MECKLER GELFENBEIN FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION INCTHE GELFENBEIN FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION INC: $300,000 · OtherTHE GELFENBEIN FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION INC+78 more: $142,671 · Other+78 moreGELFENBEIN-KAPLAN CHARITABLE FOUNDATION INC: $704,982 · PhilanthropyGELFENBEIN-KAPLAN CHARITABLE FOUNDATION IN…JEWISH COMMUNITY OF LOUISVILLE INC: $30,000 · Philanthropy+2 more: $2,266 · PhilanthropySIERRA CLUB FOUNDATION: $6,066 · EnvironmentCOALITION FOR RAINFOREST NATIONS SECRETARIAT: $5,266 · EnvironmentPROTECT OUR WINTERS: $4,500 · EnvironmentOCEAN CONSERVANCY: $3,566 · EnvironmentSHELBURNE FARMS: $3,250 · EnvironmentNATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL INC: $1,500 · EnvironmentVERMONT NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL INC: $1,500 · EnvironmentFLYNN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS LTD: $7,500 · Arts & CultureThe United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: $3,500 · Arts & CultureSHELBURNE MUSEUM INC: $3,250 · Arts & CultureBURLINGTON CITY ARTS FOUNDATION INC: $1,000 · Arts & CultureKENTUCKY CENTER FOR THE ARTS FOUNDATION INC: $750 · Arts & Culture+2 more: $300 · Arts & CultureALZHEIMER'S DISEASE & RELATED DISORDERS ASSOCIATION INC: $2,900 · HealthPlanned Parenthood of Northern New England Inc: $2,250 · HealthBoca Raton Regional Hospital Inc: $2,000 · HealthAUTISM SPEAKS INC: $1,600 · HealthThe Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Inc: $1,500 · HealthMULTIPLE SCLEROSIS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA INC: $550 · HealthDana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc: $500 · HealthCANCER PATIENT SUPPORT PROGRAM: $500 · HealthTHE GLAUCOMA FOUNDATION INC: $500 · Health+3 more: $500 · HealthBARD COLLEGE: $5,266 · EducationSISKIYOU INITIATIVE: $2,150 · EducationFAIR FIGHT ACTION INC: $1,800 · EducationHAND IN HAND PARENTING: $1,150 · EducationUNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE FOUNDATION INC: $500 · Education+1 more: $50 · EducationKING STREET CENTER INC: $3,250 · Human ServicesTHE CENTER FOR WOMEN AND FAMILIES INC: $2,500 · Human ServicesHowardCenter Inc: $1,500 · Human ServicesJAWONIO INC: $1,000 · Human ServicesUniting Partners for Women and Children: $1,000 · Human Services+6 more: $415 · Human Services
Other$1,147,653Philanthropy$737,248Environment$25,648Arts & Culture$16,300Health$12,800Education$10,916Human Services$9,665

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetJEWISH COMMUNITY OF LOUISVILLE INC: $30,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetFLYNN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS LTD: $7,500 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetBOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF BURLINGTON INC: $6,250 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetSIERRA CLUB FOUNDATION: $6,066 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetBARD COLLEGE: $5,266 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetCOALITION FOR RAINFOREST NATIONS SECRETARIAT: $5,266 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetGOOD HEALTH IDEAS INC DBA COLON CANCER PREVENTION PROJECT: $5,000 over 1y, 1.8% of budgetPROTECT OUR WINTERS: $4,500 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetOCEAN CONSERVANCY: $3,566 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetThe United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: $3,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetSHELBURNE FARMS: $3,250 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetKING STREET CENTER INC: $3,250 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetSHELBURNE MUSEUM INC: $3,250 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetALZHEIMER'S DISEASE & RELATED DISORDERS ASSOCIATION INC: $2,900 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetDARE TO CARE INC: $2,600 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetTHE CENTER FOR WOMEN AND FAMILIES INC: $2,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetPUNTA SANTIAGO DOGS INC: $2,500 over 2y, 1.7% of budgetPlanned Parenthood of Northern New England Inc: $2,250 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSISKIYOU INITIATIVE: $2,150 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetTHE HEALING PLACE INC: $2,100 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetBoca Raton Regional Hospital Inc: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFAIR FIGHT ACTION INC: $1,800 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFOUNDATION FOR STUDENTS RISING ABOVE: $1,766 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBIRTHRIGHT ISRAEL FOUNDATION: $1,750 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetCOMMITTEE ON TEMPORARY SHELTER INC: $1,750 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN INC MASS NOW: $1,700 over 1y, 6.6% of budgetAUTISM SPEAKS INC: $1,600 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetThe Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Inc: $1,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetHowardCenter Inc: $1,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCommon Roots Inc: $1,500 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetGREENPEACE INC: $1,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetVermont International Film Foundation: $1,500 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetVermont Public Radio: $1,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL INC: $1,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetVERMONT NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL INC: $1,500 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetHAND IN HAND PARENTING: $1,150 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetTHE BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS INC: $1,050 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetJAWONIO INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUniting Partners for Women and Children: $1,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetBURLINGTON CITY ARTS FOUNDATION INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetKENTUCKY CENTER FOR THE ARTS FOUNDATION INC: $750 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNO KILL LOUISVILLE: $600 over 2y, 1.1% of budgetMULTIPLE SCLEROSIS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA INC: $550 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetUSA CARES INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL COUNCIL OF JEWISH WOMEN LOUISVILLE SECTION: $500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetDana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPROSTATE CANCER FOUNDATION: $500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCANCER PATIENT SUPPORT PROGRAM: $500 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 GELFENBEIN-KAPLAN CHARITABLE FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds JEWISH COMMUNITY OF LOUISVILLE INC ↗
  • Who funds FLYNN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS LTD ↗
  • Who funds BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF BURLINGTON INC ↗
  • Who funds SIERRA CLUB FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds BARD COLLEGE ↗
  • Who funds COALITION FOR RAINFOREST NATIONS SECRETARIAT ↗
  • Who funds GOOD HEALTH IDEAS INC DBA COLON CANCER PREVENTION PROJECT ↗
  • Who funds PROTECT OUR WINTERS ↗
  • Who funds OCEAN CONSERVANCY ↗
  • Who funds The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum ↗
  • Who funds SHELBURNE FARMS ↗
  • Who funds KING STREET CENTER INC ↗
  • Who funds SHELBURNE MUSEUM INC ↗
  • Who funds ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE & RELATED DISORDERS ASSOCIATION INC ↗
  • Who funds DARE TO CARE INC ↗
  • Who funds THE CENTER FOR WOMEN AND FAMILIES INC ↗
  • Who funds PUNTA SANTIAGO DOGS INC ↗
  • Who funds Planned Parenthood of Northern New England Inc ↗
  • Who funds SISKIYOU INITIATIVE ↗
  • Who funds THE HEALING PLACE INC ↗
  • Who funds Boca Raton Regional Hospital 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 Vermont Community…The Community Foundat…National Life Group C…Ben & Jerry's Foundat…The Morris & Bessie A…Antonio B and Rita M …Charles L Weisberg Fa…George W Mergens Foun…Republic Bank Foundat…The Community Foundat…The Community Foundat…Fanny Allen Corporati…
The Vermont Community FoundationVT25.9× affinity11 shared granteesties to 10 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Vermont Community Foundation · The Community Foundation of Louisville Inc · National Life Group Charitable Foundation Inc · Ben & Jerry's Foundation Inc · The Morris & Bessie Altman Foundation · Antonio B and Rita M Pomerleau Foundation Inc · Charles L Weisberg Family Foundation · George W Mergens Foundation · Republic Bank Foundation Inc · The Community Foundation of Louisville Corporate Depository Inc · The Community Foundation of Louisville Depository Inc · Fanny Allen Corporation

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 Harvey & Ruth Gelfenbein Charitable Foundation Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Harvey & Ruth Gelfenbein Charitable Foundation Inc. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 70%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 9%
  • Vermont Kidney Association: 100% of income from government
  • Committee On Temporary Shelter Inc: 52% of income from government
  • Janet Munt Family Room: 44% of income from government
  • King Street Center Inc: 43% of income from government
  • Vermont Natural Resources Council Inc: 30% of income from government
  • Save the Children Federation Inc: 30% of income from government
  • Boys and Girls Club of Burlington Inc: 16% of income from government
  • Shelburne Museum Inc: 9% of income from government
  • HowardCenter Inc: 8% of income from government
  • Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc: 7% of income from government
  • Burlington City Arts Foundation Inc: 6% of income from government
  • Shelburne Farms: 3% of income from government
  • Planned Parenthood of Northern New England Inc: 2% of income from government
  • Flynn Center for the Performing Arts Ltd: 0% of income from government
  • Common Roots Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
7get no government money at all
8report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
2rely 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.
05Through Plinth

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to The Harvey & Ruth Gelfenbein Charitable Foundation Inc?

Find your warmest path to The Harvey & Ruth Gelfenbein Charitable 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 127 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 2023, released 2023. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Harvey & Ruth Gelfenbein’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