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The Mayer Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Mayer Family 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.

$804k
Granted FY2023
26
Grants FY2023
4
States reached
$500k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02Its granteesRead
03Its fieldRead
04Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0186% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2019 to 2025.

Education$811kArts & Culture$73kEnvironment$33kHealth$32kPhilanthropy$22kAnimals$10kReligion$5kYouth Development$4kOther$0
02FY2023 · 26 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 26 grants below total $772,010, the rows itemized in this filing. The $803,520 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $31,510 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2023

  • Under $10k15 grants · $42k
  • $10k–50k8 grants · $80k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $150k
  • $250k+1 grant · $500k
$6,000
Median grant
4
States reached
$3.6M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Union College$500,000
Fordham Preparatory School$100,000
Union College$50,000
Catholic Academy Of Bridgeport Inc$10,200
New York Botanical Garden$10,000
The Metropolitan Opera Guild$10,000
American Museum Of Natural History$10,000
University At Albany Foundation$10,000
The Windward School$10,000
The Greenwich United Way$10,000
The Metropolitan Museum Of Art$10,000
St. Vincent's Hospital Westchester$7,110
Foundations In Education$6,000
Wildlife Conservation Society$5,000
Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation$5,000
02Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

40%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$396k · 17 repeat orgs$597k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +36% since the first grant, against +23% for those funded once.

17 repeat relationships: 17 still active in FY2023, 0 since wound down; 5 grantees were first funded in FY2023 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

17
7

Total granted

$396k
$23k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+36%
+23%

Still filing today

82%
57%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2023, 26% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $574k went to new ones.

50%100%’22’23
RenewedFirst-time

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

’22’23
Arts & CultureEducationPhilanthropyYouth DevelopmentEnvironmentHealthOther
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

  • AM
    American Museum of Natural History
    2× · 2022–2023 · $20k · revenue +8%
  • THE WINDWARD SCHOOL
    2× · 2022–2023 · $20k · revenue +20%
  • UA
    UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY FOUNDATION
    2× · 2022–2023 · $20k · revenue +95%

Funded once

  • TL
    The Lake George Association Inc
    one grant, 2022 · $10k · revenue +22%
  • RH
    ROUND HILL COMMUNITY CHURCH INC
    one grant, 2022 · $5k
  • WC
    WGA Caddie Scholarship Fund
    one grant, 2022 · $3k
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.

03Its 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 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
2
The Pierpont Morgan Library

The Morgan Library & Museum celebrates and shares the history and process of human creativity from antiquity to the present day through the preservation, study, and interpretation of a dynamic and growing collection.

Education
3
Governors Island Corporation

The governors island corporation, doing business as the trust for governors island, is the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization created by the city of new york and charged with the planning, redevelopment and ongoing operations of 150…

Animals
4
University of New Haven

The University of New Haven is a student-centered comprehensive university with an emphasis on excellence in liberal arts and professional education. Our mission is to prepare our students to lead purposeful and fulfilling lives in a…

Education
5
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
6
The Trustees of the New York Society Library

The new york society library was founded in 1754 by the new york society, a civic-minded group formed in the belief that the availability of books would help the city of new york to prosper.

—
7
The Frick Collection

The Frick Collection (the "Collection") operates an internationally recognized art museum and library program for the inspiration and enjoyment of the public and for the advancement of the study of fine arts and kindred subjects.

—
8
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Inc

Organization's mission statement true to the ambitious vision of its founder and her spirit of creative risk-taking, the mission of the isabella stewart gardner museum is: - to bring to life and preserve the rich historic collection; - to…

Arts & Culture
9
Staten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences dba the Staten Island Museum

Founded in 1881 the Staten Island Museum engages visitors with interdisciplinary exhibitions, public programs, and educational activities for all ages. It is the mission of the Staten Island Museum to spark curiosity and generate…

Arts & Culture
10
Boston Architectural College

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

—
11
Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation

Brooklyn bridge park corporation's mission, d/b/a brooklyn bridge park ("bbp") mission is to provide an exceptional public space that connects people, nature, and the waterfront, through inclusive, innovative, and sustainable management…

Recreation & Sports
12
The Jewish Museum

The mission of the jewish museum is to collect, preserve, exhibit and interpret art and jewish culture. see schedule o for more information.

Arts & Culture
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is New York Botanical Garden; the most unlike its peers is Wildlife Conservation Society. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
03the grantee network

21 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. 21 of the 29 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)
0
Early backer (in before they grew)
21/21
Grantees still filing
15/21
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Union College: $550,000 · OtherUnion CollegeFORDHAM PREPARATORY SCHOOL: $200,300 · OtherFORDHAM PREPARATORY SCHOOL+8 more: $64,560 · Other+8 moreAmerican Museum of Natural History: $20,000 · Arts & CultureAmerican …METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART: $20,000 · Arts & CultureMETROPOLI…The Metropolitan Opera Guild Inc: $20,000 · Arts & CultureThe Metro…The Lake George Association Inc: $10,000 · Arts & CultureThe Lake …BRUCE MUSEUM INC: $10,000 · Arts & CultureBRUCE MUS…Museum of Modern Art: $3,000 · Arts & CultureTHE WINDWARD SCHOOL: $20,000 · EducationUNIVERSITY AT ALBANY FOUNDATION: $20,000 · EducationTHE GREENWICH LIBRARY: $2,000 · EducationBucknell University: $2,000 · Education+1 more: $500 · EducationNEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN: $20,000 · EnvironmentTHE GREENWICH LAND TRUST INC: $2,500 · EnvironmentWildlife Conservation Society: $10,000 · AnimalsFoundations in Education Inc: $6,000 · PhilanthropyGREENWICH DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES FUND INC: $1,800 · PhilanthropyBREAST CANCER ALLIANCE INC: $6,000 · HealthBOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF GREENWICH: $2,000 · Youth DevelopmentGREENWICH COUNCIL BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA INCORPORATED: $2,000 · Youth Development
Other$814,860Arts & Culture$83,000Education$44,500Environment$22,500Animals$10,000Philanthropy$7,800Health$6,000Youth Development$4,000

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 budgetAmerican Museum of Natural History: $20,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE WINDWARD SCHOOL: $20,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetUNIVERSITY AT ALBANY FOUNDATION: $20,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetUNITED WAY OF GREENWICH INC: $20,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetNEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN: $20,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMETROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART: $20,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetThe Metropolitan Opera Guild Inc: $20,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetThe Lake George Association Inc: $10,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetWildlife Conservation Society: $10,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetBRUCE MUSEUM INC: $10,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetFoundations in Education Inc: $6,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBREAST CANCER ALLIANCE INC: $6,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetMuseum of Modern Art: $3,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE GREENWICH LAND TRUST INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetST JOSEPH'S HEALTH FUND: $2,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE GREENWICH LIBRARY: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetBOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF GREENWICH: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetBucknell University: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetGREENWICH COUNCIL BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA INCORPORATED: $2,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetGREENWICH DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES FUND INC: $1,800 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetBOLTON FREE LIBRARY: $500 over 1y, 0.4% 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.

Jewish Communal FundMorgan Stanley Global…Vanguard Charitable E…National Philanthropi…American Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Jewish Communal FundNY11.6× affinity4 shared granteesties to 7 of 7Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Jewish Communal Fund · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · National Philanthropic Trust · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving 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.
04Through Plinth

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to The Mayer Family Foundation?

Find your warmest path to The Mayer Family 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 29 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.

Possibly out of date. A more recent filing (FY2025) is on record and reports $368k of grant expense with no grantee named in the published copy. A private foundation itemizes every grant it makes, so a return carrying none has filed its list as an attachment that the public copy does not include. The figures above are therefore from FY2023, the most recent year this funder’s grantee list reached the public record.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Mayer Family’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