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The Mental Insight Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Mental Insight Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$5.0M
Granted FY2024still arriving
76
Grants FY2024still arriving
14
States reached
$856k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead

Read this first · the figures below need context

100% of The Mental Insight Foundation’s FY2025 grant dollars went to The San Francisco Foundation, not to grantees.

Its money now reaches organizations through that sponsor, which does not report who recommended each grant. FY2025 names 0 organizations directly, so a portfolio cannot be read from it. Everything below is therefore FY2024, the last year The Mental Insight Foundation named its own grantees at scale: 67 organizations, $5M. It is dated, not current.

Organizations named directly on the return

48
’19
67
’20
77
’21
86
’22
71
’23
67
’24
0
’25

Amber years are those where most dollars went to a sponsor.

01What it funds
0198% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Environment$5.9MArts & Culture$2.7MHealth$1.6MPhilanthropy$1.4MAnimals$1.4MHousing & Shelter$1.3MEducation$1.0MHuman Services$810kOther$0
02FY2024 · 76 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k13 grants · $41k
  • $10k–50k21 grants · $579k
  • $50k–250k41 grants · $3.6M
  • $250k+1 grant · $856k
$50,000
Median grant
14
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
San Francisco Foundation$856,283
Regents of the Univ of CA San Franc$240,000
Earth Island Institute$230,000
Riverkeeper$150,000
StandEarth$150,000
Spirit Rock Meditation Center$150,000
Ketamine Research Foundation$125,000
Nova Institute for Health Inc$120,000
Massachusetts Coalition for the Hom$120,000
Bridge Fund of New York City Inc$100,000
Inquiring Systems Inc$100,000
My Stuff Bags Foundation$100,000
Hoffman Institute$100,000
Friends of Children Inc$100,000
Ocean Voyages Institute$100,000
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 (FY19–24, $1.5M) land where the poverty rate runs at 10%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 41% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants spread fairly evenly across need levels.

area typical 10%Massachusetts Coalition for the Hom: $120k → 10%Art of Yoga Project: $50k → 7%Sky's the Limit Fund: $45k → 8%Marin Link Inc: $30k → 8%Massachusetts Coalition for the Hom: $100k → 10%Art of Yoga Project: $30k → 7%Sky's the Limit Fund: $30k → 8%Massachusetts Coalition for the Hom: $100k → 10%Art of Yoga Project: $30k → 7%Sky's the Limit Fund: $30k → 8%Massachusetts Coalition for Homeles: $100k → 10%Art of Yoga Project: $30k → 7%Sky's the Limit Fund: $30k → 8%Massachusetts Coalition for the Hom: $100k → 10%Art of Yoga Project: $30k → 7%A Home Within: $60k → 10%Massachusetts Coalition for Homeles: $30k → 10%A Home Within: $25k → 10%A Home Within: $25k → 10%A Home Within: $25k → 10%At the Crossroads: $50k → 10%At the Crossroads: $50k → 10%At the Crossroads: $50k → 10%At the Crossroads: $50k → 10%Safe Place for Youth Inc: $30k → 14%Safe Place for Youth Inc: $15k → 14%One Voice: $50k → 14%Safe Place for Youth Inc: $15k → 14%One Voice: $50k → 14%Safe Place for Youth Inc: $15k → 14%Far Away Projects: $25k → 10%Good Shepherd Services: $30k → 17%Far Away Projects: $15k → 10%Good Shepherd Services: $15k → 17%Good Shepherd Services: $15k → 17%Good Shepherd Services: $15k → 17%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

ME
WA
MN
IL
MI
NY
MA
OR
NV
NJ
CT
CA
CO
KY
VA
MD
NC
DC
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.

95%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$18M · 111 repeat orgs$883k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +36% since the first grant, against +8% for those funded once.

111 repeat relationships: 69 still active in FY2024, 42 since wound down; 6 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call). Read against FY2024, the last year this funder named its own grantees directly; its giving has since run through a sponsor, which reports no donor behind each grant.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

111
33

Total granted

$18M
$640k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+36%
+8%

Still filing today

80%
61%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 94% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $243k went to new ones.

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

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

’19’20’21’22’23’24
Arts & CultureEnvironmentAnimalsHuman ServicesEducationHealthOther
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

  • Earth Island Institute Inc
    6× · 2019–2024 · $1.2M · revenue +171%
  • IS
    INQUIRING SYSTEMS INC
    5× · 2020–2024 · $650k · revenue +74%
  • RI
    RIVERKEEPER INC
    6× · 2019–2024 · $550k · revenue +34%

Funded once

  • TC
    The Climate Centergraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $50k · revenue +53%
  • CF
    Centers for Climate Energy Sol
    one grant, 2022 · $50k
  • OA
    OUTDOOR AFRO
    one grant, 2022 · $40k · revenue -64%
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
En Garde Arts Inc

To produce bold theatre experiences that reach across artistic, physical and social boundries. We aim to increase empathy and open-mindedness by illuminating nuanced perspectives and unspoken truths behind the salient issues of our time.…

Arts & Culture
2
On the Boards

On the Boards' mission is to invest in leading contemporary performing artists near and far and connect them to a diverse range of communities interested in forward-thinking art and ideas.

—
3
San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company

Sfbatco unites artists and audiences through live theatre that is reflective of the authentic perspectives and history of the san francisco bay area.

Arts & Culture
4
Waxfactory Inc

Founded in 1998, WaxFactory (WF) is an interdisciplinary group of artists dedicated to exploring a multiplicity of theatrical visions, ensemble process, arts education and international exchange. Its founding members have developed a…

—
5
Artist Trust

Artist Trust supports the livelihoods of artists working in all disciplines to create a more vibrant and equitable Washington State.

Arts & Culture
6
Marin Open Studios

Marin open studios is a non-profit visual arts organization dedicated to engaging and supporting marin county artists and their audiences through events, programs and services. marin open studios champions a diverse and inclusive community…

Arts & Culture
7
The Studio Theatre Inc

Studio Theatre produces exceptional contemporary theatre in deliberately intimate spaces, fostering a more thoughtful, more empathetic, and more connected community, in Washington DC and beyond.

Arts & Culture
8
Los Angeles Performance Practice

As creative producers, we are devoted to the production and presentation of groundbreaking experiences in contemporary performance that use innovative approaches to collaboration, technology, and social engagement. As a service…

Arts & Culture
9
The Living Earth Show

The Living Earth Show's mission is to commission, collaborate, and amplify vital musical creators from a truly diverse range of communities - including crucial artists from those that are often marginalized and overlooked by traditional…

Arts & Culture
10
The Z Space Studio

Operating out of an old can factory in the Mission District of San Francisco, Z Space now activates two performance spaces, an 85-seat black box and a 244-seat main stage, with a warehouse aesthetic and an adventurous edge.

Arts & Culture
11
Arts Gowanus Inc

Arts Gowanus is a not-for-profit organization working to support, promote, and advocate for local artists and a sustainable arts community in Brooklyn

Arts & Culture
12
Work on Climate

Supporting industry transformation towards climate-positive and make green careers transitions and driving the adoption of green workforce development practices broadly.

Environment
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The San Francisco Foundation; the most unlike its peers is The 5 Gyres Institute. 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

116 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. 116 of the 151 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.

4
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
40
Early backer (in before they grew)
115/116
Grantees still filing
77/116
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

SPIRIT ROCK MEDITATION CENTER: $625,000 · OtherSPIRIT ROCK MEDITATION CENTERRegents of the Univ of CA San Franc: $585,000 · OtherRegents of the Univ of CA San FrancStand: $500,000 · OtherStandBridge Fund of New York City Inc: $380,000 · OtherHome for Contemp Theatre Art: $313,000 · OtherHOFFMAN INSTITUTE FOUNDATION: $350,000 · OtherMY STUFF BAGS FOUNDATION: $330,000 · OtherINQUIRING SYSTEMS INC: $650,000 · OtherINQUIRING SYSTEMS INCFARMER VETERAN COALITION: $325,000 · Other+57 more: $5,293,500 · Other+57 moreEarth Island Institute Inc: $1,185,000 · EnvironmentEarth Island Institute…RIVERKEEPER INC: $550,000 · EnvironmentRIVERKEEPER INCCLEAN OCEAN ACTION INC: $330,000 · EnvironmentCLEAN OCEAN ACTION INCUpstream Policy Institute Inc: $270,000 · EnvironmentUpstream Policy Instit…Amazon Watch Inc: $270,000 · EnvironmentAmazon Watch IncPROTECT OUR WINTERS: $240,000 · EnvironmentPROTECT OUR WINTERSMIGHTY EARTH INC: $205,000 · EnvironmentOCEAN CONSERVATION RESEARCH: $180,000 · EnvironmentREDFORD CENTER INC: $180,000 · EnvironmentSTAND: $150,000 · Environment+7 more: $415,000 · Environment+7 moreTHEATER ET AL INC DBA THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY THEATER: $315,000 · Arts & CultureTHEATER ET …Clubbed Thumb Inc: $200,000 · Arts & CultureClubbed Thu…The Brick Theater Inc: $185,000 · Arts & CultureThe Brick T…THE TANK LTD: $128,000 · Arts & CultureTHE TANK LT…START SOCO: $115,000 · Arts & CultureSTART SOCOFRACTURED ATLAS INC: $92,000 · Arts & Culturedi Rosa Preserve: $90,000 · Arts & CultureSIGNAL RETURN INC: $90,000 · Arts & CultureSOHO THINK TANK INC: $87,500 · Arts & CultureDANCE TO BE FREE: $80,000 · Arts & CulturePIONEER WORKS ART FOUNDATION: $75,000 · Arts & CultureKnights of Indulgence Theatre United Sta: $70,000 · Arts & Culture+27 more: $491,000 · Arts & Culture+27 moreMASSACHUSETTS COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS INC: $550,000 · Human ServicesAT THE CROSSROADS: $200,000 · Human ServicesTHE ART OF YOGA PROJECT: $170,000 · Human ServicesSKY'S THE LIMIT FUND: $135,000 · Human ServicesA HOME WITHIN INC: $135,000 · Human ServicesOne Voice: $100,000 · Human ServicesGOOD SHEPHERD SERVICES: $75,000 · Human ServicesSAFE PLACE FOR YOUTH INC: $75,000 · Human Services+2 more: $70,000 · Human ServicesANIMAL LEGAL DEFENSE FUND INC: $250,000 · AnimalsMARIN HUMANE SOCIETY: $245,000 · AnimalsFEEDING PETS OF THE HOMELESS AKA PETS OF THE HOMELESS: $185,000 · AnimalsTHE GREY MUZZLE ORGANIZATION: $175,000 · AnimalsTAMERLAINE FARM ANIMAL SANCTUARY: $60,000 · AnimalsSafe Humane: $50,000 · AnimalsFARM SANCTUARY INC: $45,000 · Animals+6 more: $105,000 · AnimalsTHE SAN FRANCISCO FOUNDATION: $946,915 · PhilanthropyFEAST Inc: $120,000 · Philanthropy+1 more: $25,000 · PhilanthropyThe Ketamine Research Foundation: $640,000 · HealthNOVA INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH INC: $360,000 · Health+1 more: $30,000 · Health
Other$9,351,500Environment$3,975,000Arts & Culture$2,018,500Human Services$1,510,000Animals$1,115,000Philanthropy$1,091,915Health$1,030,000

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 budgetEarth Island Institute Inc: $1,185,000 over 6y, 1.1% of budgetTHE SAN FRANCISCO FOUNDATION: $946,915 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetINQUIRING SYSTEMS INC: $650,000 over 5y, 2.0% of budgetThe Ketamine Research Foundation: $640,000 over 6y, 26% of budgetRIVERKEEPER INC: $550,000 over 6y, 3.4% of budgetMASSACHUSETTS COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS INC: $550,000 over 6y, 5.3% of budgetNOVA INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH INC: $360,000 over 4y, 4.4% of budgetHOFFMAN INSTITUTE FOUNDATION: $350,000 over 6y, 0.7% of budgetMY STUFF BAGS FOUNDATION: $330,000 over 6y, 3.1% of budgetCLEAN OCEAN ACTION INC: $330,000 over 6y, 6.1% of budgetFARMER VETERAN COALITION: $325,000 over 6y, 3.1% of budgetTHEATER ET AL INC DBA THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY THEATER: $315,000 over 6y, 7.2% of budgetCARBON CYCLE INSTITUTE: $310,000 over 6y, 7.2% of budgetTHE REGENERATION PROJECT: $300,000 over 6y, 3.6% of budgetUpstream Policy Institute Inc: $270,000 over 6y, 4.5% of budgetAmazon Watch Inc: $270,000 over 5y, 2.2% of budgetThe 5 Gyres Institute: $270,000 over 6y, 7.2% of budgetANIMAL LEGAL DEFENSE FUND INC: $250,000 over 5y, 0.3% of budgetMARIN HUMANE SOCIETY: $245,000 over 6y, 0.6% of budgetOcean Voyages Institute: $245,000 over 5y, 17% of budgetPROTECT OUR WINTERS: $240,000 over 6y, 1.0% of budgetRAW ART WORKS INC: $220,000 over 6y, 1.7% of budgetKISS THE GROUND: $215,000 over 5y, 1.5% of budgetHospitality Homes Inc: $205,000 over 5y, 7.2% of budgetMIGHTY EARTH INC: $205,000 over 5y, 5.7% of budgetAT THE CROSSROADS: $200,000 over 4y, 4.9% of budgetClubbed Thumb Inc: $200,000 over 6y, 4.4% of budgetThe Brick Theater Inc: $185,000 over 5y, 14% of budgetFEEDING PETS OF THE HOMELESS AKA PETS OF THE HOMELESS: $185,000 over 4y, 1.9% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO FOUNDATION: $180,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetOCEAN CONSERVATION RESEARCH: $180,000 over 3y, 74% of budgetREDFORD CENTER INC: $180,000 over 4y, 1.2% of budgetTHE GREY MUZZLE ORGANIZATION: $175,000 over 6y, 2.9% of budgetALGALITA MARINE RESEARCH AND EDUCATION: $170,000 over 6y, 9.0% of budgetTHE ART OF YOGA PROJECT: $170,000 over 5y, 5.9% of budgetTHE PERFORMANCE ZONE INC: $161,500 over 5y, 1.4% of budgetSTAND: $150,000 over 1y, 1.8% of budgetFOREVER FREE HORSE RESCUE: $150,000 over 5y, 14% of budgetFRIENDS OF CHILDREN INC: $150,000 over 2y, 16% of budgetLineage Project Inc: $140,000 over 4y, 18% of budgetSKY'S THE LIMIT FUND: $135,000 over 4y, 5.7% of budgetA HOME WITHIN INC: $135,000 over 4y, 2.8% of budgetHARLEM GROWN INC: $130,000 over 3y, 1.4% of budgetTHE TANK LTD: $128,000 over 5y, 3.5% of budgetFEAST Inc: $120,000 over 4y, 7.4% of budgetSTART SOCO: $115,000 over 4y, 37% of budgetENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATES NY INC: $105,000 over 3y, 1.9% of budgetPrison Dharma Network Inc: $105,000 over 5y, 4.0% 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.

  • Who funds Earth Island Institute Inc ↗
  • Who funds THE SAN FRANCISCO FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds INQUIRING SYSTEMS INC ↗
  • Who funds The Ketamine Research Foundation ↗
  • Who funds RIVERKEEPER INC ↗
  • Who funds MASSACHUSETTS COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS INC ↗
  • Who funds NOVA INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH INC ↗
  • Who funds HOFFMAN INSTITUTE FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds MY STUFF BAGS FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds CLEAN OCEAN ACTION INC ↗
  • Who funds FARMER VETERAN COALITION ↗
  • Who funds THEATER ET AL INC DBA THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY THEATER ↗
  • Who funds CARBON CYCLE INSTITUTE ↗
  • Who funds THE REGENERATION PROJECT ↗
  • Who funds Upstream Policy Institute Inc ↗
  • Who funds Amazon Watch Inc ↗
  • Who funds The 5 Gyres Institute ↗
  • Who funds ANIMAL LEGAL DEFENSE FUND INC ↗
  • Who funds MARIN HUMANE SOCIETY ↗
  • Who funds Ocean Voyages Institute ↗
  • Who funds PROTECT OUR WINTERS ↗
  • Who funds RAW ART WORKS INC ↗
  • Who funds KISS THE GROUND ↗
  • Who funds Hospitality Homes Inc ↗
  • Who funds MIGHTY EARTH INC ↗
  • Who funds AT THE CROSSROADS ↗
  • Who funds Clubbed Thumb Inc ↗
  • Who funds The Brick Theater Inc ↗
  • Who funds FEEDING PETS OF THE HOMELESS AKA PETS OF THE HOMELESS ↗
  • Who funds UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds OCEAN CONSERVATION RESEARCH ↗
  • Who funds REDFORD CENTER INC ↗
  • Who funds THE GREY MUZZLE ORGANIZATION ↗

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…The Howard Gilman Fou…The San Francisco Fou…Silicon Valley Commun…Alliance of Resident …The Scherman Foundati…McNabb FoundationImpactassetsincPatagoniaorgThe Shubert Foundatio…Select Equity Group F…Clif Family Foundation
Marin Community FoundationCA26.2× affinity16 shared granteesties to 10 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Marin Community Foundation · The Howard Gilman Foundation Inc · The San Francisco Foundation · Silicon Valley Community Foundation · Alliance of Resident Theatres New York Inc · The Scherman Foundation Inc · McNabb Foundation · Impactassetsinc · Patagoniaorg · The Shubert Foundation Inc · Select Equity Group Foundation · Clif Family 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 Mental Insight Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Mental Insight Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 90%5%19%42%75%funder's share of their income ↑0%23%45%68%90%share of the org’s income from government →median 54%
  • Friends of Children Inc: 54% of income from government
  • Raw Art Works Inc: 7% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
9get no government money at all
36report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
1rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–90%
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 151 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 Mental Insight’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