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The Litchfield Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Litchfield Foundation

TO ASSIST UNDERSERVED AND/OR DISADVANTAGED PERSONS AND GROUPS THROUGH EDUCATION AND RECREATION PROGRAMS.

$71k
Granted FY2024still arriving
12
Grants FY2024still arriving
1
States reached
$15k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2018 to 2024.

Education$107kArts & Culture$80kRecreation & Sports$70kFood & Nutrition$59kCrime & Legal$40kHousing & Shelter$19kHuman Services$18kReligion$5kOther$0
02FY2024 · 12 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k9 grants · $36k
  • $10k–50k3 grants · $35k
$5,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$2.5M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
FRIENDS OF CHINA CAMP$15,000
EXTRAFOODORG$10,000
SAN RAFAEL PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION$10,000
COLLEGE OF MARIN$5,536
COLLEGE OF MARIN$5,302
SHIFTING GEARS USA$5,000
NEXT GENERATION SCHOLARS$5,000
ST ANSELM CHURCH RESTORATION$5,000
COLLEGE OF MARIN (SCHOLARSHIP REIMBURSEMENT)$4,901
Individual grant recipient$2,500
NEXT GENERATION SCHOLARS$2,500
KID SCOOP NEWS$325
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 (FY19–20, $5k) land where the poverty rate runs at 9%, against an area that typically sits at 8%. 50% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants spread fairly evenly across need levels.

area typical 8%SPARKLE FOUNDATION: $3k → 8%CENTER FOR DOMESTIC PEACE: $3k → 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.
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.

84%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$342k · 13 repeat orgs$65k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +108% since the first grant, against +40% for those funded once.

13 repeat relationships: 6 still active in FY2024, 7 since wound down; 4 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

13
11

Total granted

$342k
$39k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+108%
+40%

Still filing today

69%
36%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 64% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $26k 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 ServicesEducationFood & NutritionPublic BenefitArts & CulturePhilanthropyOther
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

  • FO
    Friends of China Camp Inc
    6× · 2019–2024 · $60k · revenue +170%
  • SR
    SAN RAFAEL PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION
    3× · 2018–2024 · $40k · revenue +40% · 37% of their budget
  • NB
    New Beginnings Law Center
    5× · 2018–2023 · $35k · revenue +108%

Funded once

  • SR
    SAN RAFAEL PUBLIC LIBRARY
    one grant, 2022 · $10k
  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2020 · $8k
  • MC
    MARIN COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATIONgraduated
    one grant, 2021 · $5k · revenue +46%
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
Transportation Alternatives for Marin
Public Benefit
2
Sonoma Botanical Garden
—
3
Marin Literacy Program

The Marin Literacy Program provides free adult, family, ESL (English as Second Language) and inmate literacy services in Marin County. Through our trained volunteer tutors and ESL instructors we liberate the voices and minds of our…

—
4
Bay Area Barns and Trails
Human Services
5
San Francisco City Guides

Since 1978, our mission has been to preserve and perpetuate San Francisco's history and folklore and to celebrate its rich history of cultural diversity.

Human Services
6
San Francisco Family Foundation
—
7
Parents for Public Schools of San Francisco

PPS-SF's mission is to promote the fundamental value of public education and pursue the success of every public school by sharing knowledge, bridging communities, and informing policy.

—
8
San Francisco Filipino Cultural Center
Arts & Culture
9
Sf Partnership

SF Partnership is an organization comprised of SF's leading employers dedicated to supporting an equitable, resilient, and vibrant economy shared by all people working and living in San Francisco. Through education, advocacy, and research,…

—
10
Children's Book Project

Organization mission: the mission of the san francisco-based children's book project (the "project") is to promote literacy by providing (1) free books to children who need them for equity in literacy, learning, and life, and (2) free…

Human Services
11
Sutter Bay Medical Foundation

Mission statement: mission: caring for our patients first and our people always. vision: to be the most comprehensive, integrated and connected health system for getting and staying well. values: excellence - we deliver high-quality,…

Health
12
San Francisco Public Press

The mission of the San Francisco Public Press is to enrich civic life by publishing investigative and solutions journalism that engages diverse audiences and promotes public accountability. The San Francisco Public Press…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Center for Domestic Peace; the most unlike its peers is New Beginnings Law Center. 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

14 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. 14 of the 28 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.

1
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
5
Early backer (in before they grew)
14/14
Grantees still filing
11/14
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Marin History Museum: $77,500 · OtherMarin History MuseumST ANSELMO SCHOOL: $20,750 · OtherST ANSELMO SCHOOLSAN FRANCISCO FOOD BANK: $15,000 · OtherSAN FRANCISCO FOOD BANKCatholic Charities San Bernardino & Riverside Counties: $13,000 · OtherCatholic Charities San Bernardino & Riverside CountiesCOLLEGE OF MARIN: $10,838 · OtherSAN RAFAEL PUBLIC LIBRARY: $10,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $10,000 · OtherADOPT A FAMILY: $10,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $7,500 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $7,500 · Other+9 more: $26,701 · Other+9 moreFriends of China Camp Inc: $60,000 · Public BenefitFriends of China…SAN RAFAEL PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION: $40,000 · PhilanthropySAN RAFAEL …New Beginnings Law Center: $35,000 · Crime & LegalNew Begin…Extrafood: $35,000 · Food & NutritionExtrafoodNext Generation Scholars Inc: $16,000 · EducationSHIFTING GEARS USA: $5,000 · EducationCenter for Domestic Peace: $2,500 · Human ServicesSPARKLE FOUNDATION INCORPORATED: $2,500 · Human ServicesKID SCOOP NEWS: $2,125 · Arts & Culture
Other$208,789Public Benefit$60,000Philanthropy$40,000Crime & Legal$35,000Food & Nutrition$35,000Education$21,000Human Services$5,000Arts & Culture$2,125

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 budgetMarin History Museum: $77,500 over 4y, 11% of budgetFriends of China Camp Inc: $60,000 over 6y, 1.8% of budgetSAN RAFAEL PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION: $40,000 over 3y, 37% of budgetNew Beginnings Law Center: $35,000 over 5y, 12% of budgetExtrafood: $35,000 over 5y, 0.4% of budgetNext Generation Scholars Inc: $16,000 over 5y, 0.5% of budgetSAN FRANCISCO FOOD BANK: $15,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCatholic Charities San Bernardino & Riverside Counties: $13,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetMARIN COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION: $5,000 over 1y, 2.4% of budgetSHIFTING GEARS USA: $5,000 over 1y, 2.2% of budgetTRIPS FOR KIDS NATIONAL: $2,500 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetCenter for Domestic Peace: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSPARKLE FOUNDATION INCORPORATED: $2,500 over 1y, 1.2% of budgetKID SCOOP NEWS: $2,125 over 6y, 0.2% 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 Marin History Museum ↗
  • Who funds Friends of China Camp Inc ↗
  • Who funds SAN RAFAEL PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds New Beginnings Law Center ↗
  • Who funds Extrafood ↗
  • Who funds Next Generation Scholars Inc ↗
  • Who funds SAN FRANCISCO FOOD BANK ↗
  • Who funds Catholic Charities San Bernardino & Riverside Counties ↗
  • Who funds MARIN COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION ↗
  • Who funds SHIFTING GEARS USA ↗
  • Who funds TRIPS FOR KIDS NATIONAL ↗
  • Who funds Center for Domestic Peace ↗
  • Who funds SPARKLE FOUNDATION INCORPORATED ↗
  • Who funds KID SCOOP NEWS ↗

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.

Marin Community Found…Freitas FoundationLeonard & Beryl Buck …American Endowment Fo…National Philanthropi…Vanguard Charitable E…Donor Advised Charita…American Online Givin…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Marin Community FoundationCA14.8× affinity5 shared granteesties to 9 of 9Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Marin Community Foundation · Freitas Foundation · Leonard & Beryl Buck Foundation · American Endowment Foundation · National Philanthropic Trust · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · 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 Litchfield Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Litchfield Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%3%10%23%40%funder's share of their income ↑0%13%25%38%50%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 · 0–50%
    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 Litchfield Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to The Litchfield 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.

    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 28 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 Litchfield’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