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The Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman Foundation at a glance

· Public charity

The Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman Foundation

The sole activity of the charity is the making of charitable contributions to organizations that have been recognized by the internal revenue service as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code (the "code"), but are not "private foundations" within the meaning of section 509(a) of the code.

$716k
Granted FY2025still arriving
11
Grants FY2025still arriving
4
States reached
$170k
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, FY2020 to 2025.

Crime & Legal$1.3MEducation$575kCivil Rights$245kFood & Nutrition$215kCommunity Improvement$125kPhilanthropy$55kHousing & Shelter$50kSocial Science$50kOther$0
02FY2025 · 11 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 11 grants below total $649,600, the rows itemized in this filing. The $715,850 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $66,250 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 · FY2025

  • $10k–50k8 grants · $181k
  • $50k–250k3 grants · $469k
$25,000
Median grant
4
States reached
$496k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
THE KANSAS UNIVERSITY ENDOWMENT ASSOCIATION$170,000
THRIVE SCHOLARS$150,000
EQUAL JUSTICE WORKS$149,000
LAWYERS COMMITTEE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS OF SF BAY AREA$48,100
JUSTICE AND DIVERSITY CENTER OF THE BAR ASSOCIATIO$42,500
AMERICAN RED CROSS$25,000
MID-ATLANTIC INNOCENCE PROJECT$25,000
CITY HARVEST$10,000
THE MIDNIGHT MISSION$10,000
WESTERN CENTER ON LAW & POVERTY$10,000
SAN FRANCISCO FOOD BANK$10,000
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 (FY20–25, $75k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%THE MIDNIGHT MISSION: $10k → 14%THE MIDNIGHT MISSION: $10k → 14%THE MIDNIGHT MISSION: $10k → 14%THE MIDNIGHT MISSION: $10k → 14%THE MIDNIGHT MISSION: $10k → 14%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $25k → 14%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

WA
NY
MA
CA
VA
KS
TN
DC
AL
TX
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.
$2.2M · 15 repeat orgs$435k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +10% since the first grant, against +2% for those funded once.

15 repeat relationships: 9 still active in FY2025, 6 since wound down; 2 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

15
6

Total granted

$2.2M
$240k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+10%
+2%

Still filing today

100%
100%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 70% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $195k went to new ones.

50%100%’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’20’21’22’23’24’25
EducationCrime & LegalFood & NutritionHuman ServicesPublic Safety & DisasterSocial ScienceOther
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

  • TS
    THRIVE SCHOLARS
    3× · 2022–2025 · $395k · revenue +55%
  • TJ
    THE JUSTICE AND DIVERSITY CENTER OF THE BAR ASSOCIATION OF SAN FRANCISCO
    5× · 2020–2025 · $257k · revenue +47%
  • LC
    Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area
    4× · 2022–2025 · $195k · revenue +27%

Funded once

  • BG
    BLACK GIRL VENTURES FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2022 · $75k · revenue +2%
  • MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC
    one grant, 2022 · $50k · revenue +13%
  • HO
    HANDS ON NASHVILLE INC
    one grant, 2020 · $50k · revenue -14%
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
The District of Columbia Bar Foundation

The district of columbia bar foundation was established to raise funds for organizations in the district that provide hands-on legal services to residents who are unable to afford legal assistance.

Crime & Legal
2
Public Counsel

Public counsel is a nonprofit public interest law firm dedicated to advancing civil rights and racial and economic justice, as well as to amplifying the power of our clients through comprehensive legal advocacy. (see sch o for…

Crime & Legal
3
Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service Inc

The mission of the maryland volunteer lawyers service (mvls) is to remove barriers to justice through free civil legal help, community engagement, and advocacy for equitable laws. (see schedule o for the complete mission statement.)

Crime & Legal
4
Food Forward Inc

Food forward fights hunger and prevents food waste by rescuing fresh surplus produce, connecting this abundance with people experiencing food insecurity, and inspiring others to do the same.

Food & Nutrition
5
Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services

Dedicated to assisting those in need by alleviating their immediate pain and problems and moving them toward self-sufficiency and financial independence.

—
6
Minnesota Justice Foundation

The minnesota justice foundation creates opportunities for law students to engage in public interest and pro bono legal service and increases the capacity of legal organizations that serve the public interest.

—
7
Dc Affordable Law Firm

DC Affordable Law Firm delivers accessible justice to modest-income DC residents who do not qualify for traditional sources of free civil legal services and cannot afford standard representation. Our innovative programming expands access…

Human Services
8
International Bridges to Justice

In recognition of the fundamental principles of the universal declaration of human rights, international bridges to justice (ibj) is dedicated to protecting the basic legal rights of ordinary citizens in developing countries. specifically,…

Crime & Legal
9
Asian Law Caucus

The Asian Law Caucus's mission is to promote, advance, and represent the legal and civil rights of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities, recognizing that social, economic, political and racial inequalities continue to exist…

Crime & Legal
10
California Changelawyers

To build a better justice system for all californians.

Social Science
11
Justice Innovation Inc

The center for justice innovation is a non-profit organization that works to create a fair, effective, and humane justice system and build strong, thriving communities.

Crime & Legal
12
Dc Bar Pro Bono Center

The D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center provides free legal services through pro bono lawyers to low-income individuals, nonprofit organizations and small businesses primarily in the District of Columbia. The Pro Bono Center also recruits and trains…

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Equal Justice Works; the most unlike its peers is Central Texas Food Bank Foundation. 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

25 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.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
25/25
Grantees still filing
15/25
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

EQUAL JUSTICE WORKS: $800,000 · Crime & LegalEQUAL JUSTICE WORKSMID-ATLANTIC INNOCENCE PROJECT: $95,295 · Crime & LegalMID-ATLANTIC INNOCENCE PROJECTWestern Center on Law & Poverty Inc: $50,000 · Crime & LegalTHRIVE SCHOLARS: $395,000 · EducationTHRIVE SCHOLARSThe Kansas University Endowment Association: $170,000 · EducationThe Kansas University Endo…CALIFORNIA WESTERN SCHOOL OF LAW: $70,630 · EducationCALIFORNIA WESTERN SCHOOL …+1 more: $10,000 · EducationLawyers Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area: $195,440 · OtherLawyers Committee for C…SAN FRANCISCO FOOD BANK: $50,000 · OtherSAN FRANCISCO FOOD BANKHANDS ON NASHVILLE INC: $50,000 · OtherHANDS ON NASHVILLE INCThe Houston Food Bank: $30,000 · OtherCENTRAL TEXAS FOOD BANK FOUNDATION: $25,000 · OtherBLACK GIRL VENTURES FOUNDATION: $75,000 · OtherBLACK GIRL VENTURES FOU…THE MIDNIGHT MISSION: $50,000 · OtherTHE MIDNIGHT MISSIONAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $25,000 · OtherMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $50,000 · OtherMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERE…+1 more: $14,972 · OtherTHE JUSTICE AND DIVERSITY CENTER OF THE BAR ASSOCIATION OF SAN FRANCISCO: $256,500 · Public Safety & DisasterTHE JUSTIC…CITY HARVEST INC: $60,000 · Food & NutritionCAPITAL AREA FOOD BANK INC: $30,000 · Food & NutritionBREAD FOR THE CITY INC: $20,000 · Food & NutritionEl Dorado Community Foundation: $50,000 · PhilanthropyWASHINGTON LAWYERS' COMMITTEE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS AND URBAN AFFAIRS INC: $45,000 · PhilanthropyTIDES FOUNDATION: $5,207 · PhilanthropyASSOCIATION OF THE BAR OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK FUND INC: $100,000 · Social Science
Crime & Legal$945,295Education$645,630Other$565,412Public Safety & Disaster$256,500Food & Nutrition$110,000Philanthropy$100,207Social Science$100,000

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 budgetEQUAL JUSTICE WORKS: $800,000 over 6y, 0.7% of budgetTHRIVE SCHOLARS: $395,000 over 3y, 1.3% of budgetTHE JUSTICE AND DIVERSITY CENTER OF THE BAR ASSOCIATION OF SAN FRANCISCO: $256,500 over 5y, 1.0% of budgetLawyers Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area: $195,440 over 4y, 1.2% of budgetThe Kansas University Endowment Association: $170,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetASSOCIATION OF THE BAR OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK FUND INC: $100,000 over 2y, 0.8% of budgetMID-ATLANTIC INNOCENCE PROJECT: $95,295 over 4y, 2.2% of budgetBLACK GIRL VENTURES FOUNDATION: $75,000 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetCALIFORNIA WESTERN SCHOOL OF LAW: $70,630 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetCITY HARVEST INC: $60,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetEl Dorado Community Foundation: $50,000 over 1y, 3.1% of budgetSAN FRANCISCO FOOD BANK: $50,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $50,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWestern Center on Law & Poverty Inc: $50,000 over 4y, 0.3% of budgetHANDS ON NASHVILLE INC: $50,000 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetTHE MIDNIGHT MISSION: $50,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetWASHINGTON LAWYERS' COMMITTEE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS AND URBAN AFFAIRS INC: $45,000 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetThe Houston Food Bank: $30,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCAPITAL AREA FOOD BANK INC: $30,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCENTRAL TEXAS FOOD BANK FOUNDATION: $25,000 over 1y, 18% of budgetBREAD FOR THE CITY INC: $20,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetEQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE: $14,972 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetPRESIDENT-BOARD OF TRUSTEES SANTA CLARA COLLEGE: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTIDES FOUNDATION: $5,207 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.

The Morrison & Foerst…Venable Foundation IncThe Sidley Austin Fou…Silicon Valley Commun…Mc Dermott Will and E…American Endowment Fo…The Pfizer Foundation…Vanguard Charitable E…American Online Givin…Morgan Stanley Global…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…Network for Good
The Morrison & Foerster FoundationCA17.8× affinity6 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Morrison & Foerster Foundation · Venable Foundation Inc · The Sidley Austin Foundation · Silicon Valley Community Foundation · Mc Dermott Will and Emery Charitable Foundation · American Endowment Foundation · The Pfizer Foundation Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · Network for Good

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 Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%1%5%11%20%funder's share of their income ↑0%8%15%22%30%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    10report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–30%
    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 Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to The Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman 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 25 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 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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    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