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New York · Private foundation

The John J McDonnell Margaret T O'Brien Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$756k
Granted FY2025(still arriving)
21
Grants FY2025
18
Organizations funded FY2024
22%
First-time grantees FY2024
Read the full brief
Median grant, FY2025
$20,000
Largest grant, FY2025
$145,000
Organizations funded a year
17 to 28
FY2018 to FY2024
States reached, FY2025
8
Total assets, FY2025
$7.6M
Applications
Preselected organizations only
Per its most recent filing; check its own site

How open it is to new grantees

In FY2024, 22% of the organizations The John J McDonnell Margaret T O'Brien Foundation funded were first-time grantees, receiving 4% of its grant dollars.

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 96% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $30k went to new ones.

50%100%’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
Human ServicesEducationHealthHousing & ShelterArts & CultureEmploymentOther
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.
The numbers by year
Fiscal yearOrganizations fundedTo those organizationsFirst-time grantees
FY2025still arriving21$756k33%
FY202418$667k22%
FY202319$545k16%
FY202228$692k25%
FY202125$636k36%
FY202017$607k6%
FY201919$502k11%
FY201821$562k14%
100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Education$1.6MInternational$910kYouth Development$865kHealth$720kReligion$258kEmployment$240kArts & Culture$218kEnvironment$205kOther$0

Where its grants go

Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.

Which US states its grants reach

ME
MT
NY
MA
OR
WY
SD
PA
NJ
RI
CA
KY
VA
MD
AZ
GA
FL

Top grantees

Largest recipients by total granted, FY2017 to FY2025, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.

GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Medicines for Humanity Inc$890,00096%
Madison Square Boys & Girls Club$750,00091%
Notre Dame Cristo Rey High School Inc$743,45092%
University of Miami$495,10880%
Christian Appalachian Project Inc$230,00070%
Grace Institute$225,00094%
St Josephs Indian School$155,0009n/a
Red Cloud Indian School$150,0007n/a
Melrose Alliance Against Violence Inc$125,000915%
Dreams of Hope$110,000513%
Show all 40 grantees
All grantees of The John J McDonnell Margaret T O'Brien Foundation by total granted
GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Medicines for Humanity Inc$890,00096%
Madison Square Boys & Girls Club$750,00091%
Notre Dame Cristo Rey High School Inc$743,45092%
University of Miami$495,10880%
Christian Appalachian Project Inc$230,00070%
Grace Institute$225,00094%
St Josephs Indian School$155,0009n/a
Red Cloud Indian School$150,0007n/a
Melrose Alliance Against Violence Inc$125,000915%
Dreams of Hope$110,000513%
The Parrish Art Museum Inc$105,00070%
Covenant House$95,00080%
American Liver Foundation$55,00030%
Butler Hospital$50,00010%
Jewish Family & Children's Service Inc$45,00060%
Rosie's Place Inc$37,50040%
National Blood Clot Alliance$30,00021%
International Myeloma Foundation$30,00020%
Bread of Life$27,5004n/a
Piegan Institute$25,00013%
Children's Museum of the East End I$25,00012%
Plebeianhelpers Inc$20,00015%
American Indian Youth Running Strong Inc$20,00010%
Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program Inc$17,50030%
Native American Jump Start$15,00025%
Pine Street Inn Inc$15,00020%
Boston Area Rape Crisis Center Inc$12,50020%
National Indian Child Welfare Association$10,00010%
Greater Boston Food Bank Inc$10,00020%
Project Heal Help to Eat Accept & Live$7,50011%
Hopi School Inc$7,00011%
The Digdeep Right to Water Project$5,00010%
Victim Rights Law Center Inc$5,00010%
Follow Your Art Community Studios Inc$5,0001n/a
Boys and Girls Club of Rosebud$5,00010%
Housing Families Inc$5,00020%
The Food Drive Inc$5,0001n/a
Americans for Native Americans$5,00011%
James D Stclair Court Public Education Project Inc$2,50010%
La Colaborativa Inc$2,50010%

What it could do for these grantees

Plus 15 recipients with no EIN on record ($936k), not named here.

Where it is load-bearing

Each grantee by its size and the share of its budget The John J McDonnell Margaret T O'Brien Foundation supplied at peak.

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetMedicines for Humanity Inc: $890,000 over 9y, 6.2% of budgetMadison Square Boys & Girls Club: $750,000 over 9y, 0.9% of budgetNotre Dame Cristo Rey High School Inc: $743,450 over 9y, 1.8% of budgetUniversity of Miami: $495,108 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetChristian Appalachian Project Inc: $230,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetGrace Institute: $225,000 over 9y, 4.4% of budgetMelrose Alliance Against Violence Inc: $125,000 over 9y, 15% of budgetDreams of Hope: $110,000 over 5y, 13% of budgetThe Parrish Art Museum Inc: $105,000 over 7y, 0.4% of budgetCovenant House: $95,000 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetAmerican Liver Foundation: $55,000 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetButler Hospital: $50,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetJewish Family & Children's Service Inc: $45,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetRosie's Place Inc: $37,500 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetNational Blood Clot Alliance: $30,000 over 2y, 1.5% of budgetInternational Myeloma Foundation: $30,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetPiegan Institute: $25,000 over 1y, 2.8% of budgetChildren's Museum of the East End I: $25,000 over 1y, 1.5% of budgetPlebeianhelpers Inc: $20,000 over 1y, 5.1% of budgetAmerican Indian Youth Running Strong Inc: $20,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetBoston Health Care for the Homeless Program Inc: $17,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetNative American Jump Start: $15,000 over 2y, 4.9% of budgetPine Street Inn Inc: $15,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetBoston Area Rape Crisis Center Inc: $12,500 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetNational Indian Child Welfare Association: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetGreater Boston Food Bank Inc: $10,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetProject Heal Help to Eat Accept & Live: $7,500 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetHopi School Inc: $7,000 over 1y, 1.4% of budgetThe Digdeep Right to Water Project: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetVictim Rights Law Center Inc: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBoys and Girls Club of Rosebud: $5,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetHousing Families Inc: $5,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetAmericans for Native Americans: $5,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetJames D Stclair Court Public Education Project Inc: $2,500 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetLa Colaborativa Inc: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budget

Tap a dot to name the grantee.

How this is measured
Share of budget is the funder’s grant in a year over the grantee’s total revenue that year, at its highest across the years we hold; revenue is from all sources. Only grantees confirmed against their own filings, whose grants do not exceed their revenue, are plotted: the largest 35.

Nonprofits that may fit its grantmaking

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.

Eastern Bank FoundationMA19.7× affinity8 shared granteesties to 10 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Eastern Bank Foundation · Cambridge Savings Charitable Foundation Inc · Melrose Cooperative Bank Foundation · Boston Foundation Inc · Cummings Foundation Grants Inc (Fka Oneworld Boston Inc) · First Nations Development Institute · Ge Aerospace Foundation · The Pfizer Foundation Inc · Tides Foundation · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Charities Aid Foundation America

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.

Compare The John J McDonnell Margaret T O'Brien Foundation with peer funders

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to The John J McDonnell Margaret T O'Brien Foundation?

Find your warmest path to The John J McDonnell Margaret T O'Brien Foundation 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.

About The John J McDonnell Margaret T O'Brien Foundation

How much does The John J McDonnell Margaret T O'Brien Foundation give?
The John J McDonnell Margaret T O'Brien Foundation reported 21 grants totaling $756,250 in its FY2025 IRS filing. It funded between 17 and 28 organizations a year over FY2018 to FY2024.
What does The John J McDonnell Margaret T O'Brien Foundation fund?
By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2025, its largest causes are Education (30%), International (17%), Youth Development (16%).
Who are The John J McDonnell Margaret T O'Brien Foundation's largest grantees?
By total granted over FY2017 to FY2025: Medicines for Humanity Inc ($890k), Madison Square Boys & Girls Club ($750k), Notre Dame Cristo Rey High School Inc ($743k).
Does The John J McDonnell Margaret T O'Brien Foundation fund new organizations?
In FY2024, 22% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
Does The John J McDonnell Margaret T O'Brien Foundation accept unsolicited applications?
Its most recent filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and does not take unsolicited requests. Check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.
Which funders back the same organizations as The John J McDonnell Margaret T O'Brien Foundation?
Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include Eastern Bank Foundation, Cambridge Savings Charitable Foundation Inc, Melrose Cooperative Bank Foundation.
Where is The John J McDonnell Margaret T O'Brien Foundation based?
The John J McDonnell Margaret T O'Brien Foundation is based in NY.

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 55 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 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

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