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The Lost and Foundation Inc at a glance

· Private foundation

The Lost and Foundation Inc

Its FY2018 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$766k
Granted FY2018
18
Grants FY2018
3
States reached
$478k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0188% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2018.

Arts & Culture$1.4MEducation$173kHealth$10kInternational$10kCommunity Improvement$3kRecreation & Sports$1kSocial Science$1kEnvironment$1kOther$0
02FY2018 · 18 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2018

  • Under $10k11 grants · $23k
  • $10k–50k3 grants · $69k
  • $50k–250k3 grants · $196k
  • $250k+1 grant · $478k
$5,000
Median grant
3
States reached
$13k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA$478,000
FROM THE TOP$76,000
ISABELLA STEWARD GARDNER MUSEUM$60,000
TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY$60,000
FROM THE TOP$25,000
WGBH$24,347
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA$20,150
BOSTON CONSERVATORY ANNUAL FUND$5,000
Individual grant recipient$5,000
WAMC$5,000
Individual grant recipient$2,500
THE BIDWELL HOUSE MUSEUM$1,000
JUSTINE MEE LIFF FUND FOR THE EMERALD NECKLACE CONSERVANCY$1,000
BOSTON YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA$1,000
COMMITTEE TO LIGHT COMMONWEALTH AVE$1,000
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 (FY17–17, $10k) land where the poverty rate runs at 16%, against an area that typically sits at 12%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 12%JUDGE BAKER CHILDRENS CENTER: $10k → 16%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.

87%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.4M · 7 repeat orgs$213k to everyone else

7 repeat relationships: 7 still active in FY2018, 0 since wound down; 9 grantees were first funded in FY2018 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

7
21

Total granted

$1.4M
$197k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+45%
+50%

Still filing today

71%
48%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2018, 98% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $17k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18
Arts & CultureEducationHuman ServicesPublic BenefitOther
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

  • BS
    BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA INC
    2× · 2017–2018 · $1.0M · revenue +38%
  • ISABELLA STEWART GARDNER MUSEUM INC
    2× · 2017–2018 · $120k · revenue +117%
  • TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY
    2× · 2017–2018 · $62k · revenue +45%

Funded once

  • BU
    BOSTON UNIVERSITY TANGLEWOOD INSTITUTE
    one grant, 2017 · $60k
  • SC
    STONEHILL COLLEGE INCgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $50k · revenue +26%
  • TA
    THE AMERICAN PROSPECT INCgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $15k · revenue +75%
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
Boston Architectural College

The bac is committed to provide excellence in design education grounded in practice and accessible to diverse communities.

—
2
Boston Modern Orchestra Project Inc

To build a structurally sound and musically vital ensemble which seeks to explore and present music of the 20th century. all schools, movements and styles from the turn of the century to the present day will be offered. it is the practical…

Arts & Culture
3
Trustees of Boston College

Mission strengthened by more than a century and a half of dedication to academic excellence, boston college commits itself to the highest standards of teaching and research in undergraduate, graduate and professional programs and to the…

Education
4
Bard College

Bard college seeks to provide a challenging academic program and a supportive environment that fosters a collaborative interchange of ideas in the classroom as well as ambition to achieve excellence.

Education
5
Manhattan School of Music

Manhattan school of music is deeply committed to excellence in education, performance, and creative activity; to the humanity of the school's environment; and to the cultural enrichment of the larger community. a premiere international…

Arts & Culture
6
The Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences

The mission of the brooklyn institute of arts and sciences, d/b/a brooklyn museum (the "museum") is to bring people together through art and experiences that inspire celebration, compassion, courage, and the will to act. (see schedule o).

Arts & Culture
7
Western New England University

Western new england university, a comprehensive private institution with a tradition of excellence in teaching and scholarship and a commitment to service, awards undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degrees in various departments from…

Education
8
Bloomingdale School of Music

To provide access to high-quality music education for anyone who seeks it, regardless of economic status, ability level, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religious affiliation.

Arts & Culture
9
Massachusetts Historical Society

To promote understanding of the history of massachusetts and the nation by collecting and communicating materials and resources that foster historical knowledge.

Arts & Culture
10
Bentley University

Organization's mission bentley university believes good business can impact more than the bottom line - it can change the world. bentley is a community of future business leaders who will deliver value in the marketplace and lasting…

Education
11
Boston Arts Summer Institute Inc
Recreation & Sports
12
Guild of Boston Artists Inc
—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The Boston Landmarks Orchestra Inc; the most unlike its peers is Terezin Music 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

19 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. 19 of the 37 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)
4
Early backer (in before they grew)
19/19
Grantees still filing
14/19
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA INC: $1,001,150 · Arts & CultureBOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA INCFROM THE TOP INC: $129,750 · Arts & CultureFROM THE TOP INCISABELLA STEWART GARDNER MUSEUM INC: $120,000 · Arts & CultureISABELLA STEWART GARDNER MUSEUM INC+9 more: $43,512 · Arts & CultureTRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY: $62,000 · OtherTRUSTEES OF BOST…BOSTON UNIVERSITY TANGLEWOOD INSTITUTE: $60,000 · OtherBOSTON UNIVERSIT…WGBH: $49,347 · OtherWGBHUNICEF: $10,000 · OtherBOSTON CONSERVATORY AT BERKLEE: $10,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $7,700 · Other+16 more: $31,700 · Other+16 moreSTONEHILL COLLEGE INC: $50,000 · EducationJUDGE BAKER CHILDREN'S CENTER: $9,700 · Human ServicesUNITED SPINAL ASSOCIATION INC: $500 · Public Benefit
Arts & Culture$1,294,412Other$230,747Education$50,000Human Services$9,700Public Benefit$500

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 budgetBOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA INC: $1,001,150 over 2y, 0.6% of budgetFROM THE TOP INC: $129,750 over 2y, 3.7% of budgetISABELLA STEWART GARDNER MUSEUM INC: $120,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetTRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY: $62,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSTONEHILL COLLEGE INC: $50,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE AMERICAN PROSPECT INC: $15,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetJUDGE BAKER CHILDREN'S CENTER: $9,700 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE BOSTON LANDMARKS ORCHESTRA INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetWAMC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetNORMAN ROCKWELL MUSEUM AT STOCKBRIDGE INC: $3,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMUSEUM OF FINE ARTS: $2,800 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFENWAY ALLIANCE INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetBOSTON YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAS INC: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetESPLANADE ASSOCIATION INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetUNITED SPINAL ASSOCIATION INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budget18 DEGREES INC: $500 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.

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.

Boston Foundation IncGe Aerospace Foundati…The Klarman Family Fo…Combined Jewish Phila…Richard K Lubin Famil…The Hamilton Company …Yawkey Foundation IIAmelia Peabody Charit…Berkshire Taconic Com…Barr FoundationEastern Bank Foundati…The Ford Foundation
Boston Foundation IncMA18× affinity7 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Boston Foundation Inc · Ge Aerospace Foundation · The Klarman Family Foundation · Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston Inc · Richard K Lubin Family Foundation · The Hamilton Company Charitable Foundation · Yawkey Foundation II · Amelia Peabody Charitable Fund Trust · Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation Inc · Barr Foundation · Eastern Bank Foundation · The Ford 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 Lost and Foundation Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Lost and Foundation Inc. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 30%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%19%38%56%75%share of the org’s income from government →median 6%
  • 18 Degrees Inc: 60% of income from government
  • Judge Baker Children's Center: 29% of income from government
  • Trustees of Boston University: 12% of income from government
  • Fenway Alliance Inc: 11% of income from government
  • The Boston Landmarks Orchestra Inc: 9% of income from government
  • From the Top Inc: 6% of income from government
  • Boston Children's Chorus Inc: 2% of income from government
  • Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras Inc: 1% of income from government
  • Norman Rockwell Museum at Stockbridge Inc: 1% of income from government
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra Inc: 0% of income from government
  • Stonehill College Inc: 0% of income from government
  • Museum of Fine Arts: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
3get no government money at all
2report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
1rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–75%
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 37 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 2018, released 2018. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on The Lost and Foundation Inc’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