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The Rao Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Rao Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$534k
Granted FY2024still arriving
11
Grants FY2024still arriving
5
States reached
$250k
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, FY2017 to 2024.

Education$1.3MEnvironment$868kHealth$340kYouth Development$105kArts & Culture$103kInternational$58kPublic Safety & Disaster$39kScience & Tech$13kOther$0
02FY2024 · 11 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k2 grants · $5k
  • $10k–50k7 grants · $149k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $130k
  • $250k+1 grant · $250k
$22,650
Median grant
5
States reached
$86k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
ROCKY MOUNTAIN INSTITUTE$250,000
PEDIPLACE$130,000
JOURNEY TO DREAM$36,180
DALLAS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA$25,000
BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF GREATER TARRANT COUNTY$25,000
UKRANIAN ACTION$22,650
MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION OF NORTH TEXAS$20,000
GIVING GRACE$10,000
CORNELL LAB OF ORNITHOLOGY$10,000
CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY ACTION$2,500
HOPEKIDS$2,500
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 (FY18–24, $50k) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 78% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%SHERYL SANDBERG & DAVE GOLDBERG: $1k → 8%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $35k → 14%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $3k → 14%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $1k → 14%GIVING GRACE: $10k → 8%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

NY
NJ
CA
CO
MD
AZ
SC
DC
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.

58%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.6M · 14 repeat orgs$1.2M to everyone else

14 repeat relationships: 5 still active in FY2024, 9 since wound down; 6 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

14
13

Total granted

$1.6M
$1.1M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+19%
+35%

Still filing today

50%
69%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 85% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $83k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
InternationalHuman ServicesEducationArts & CultureYouth DevelopmentScience & TechOther
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

  • Rocky Mountain Institute
    6× · 2019–2024 · $638k · revenue +227%
  • PI
    PEDIPLACE INC
    5× · 2020–2024 · $314k · revenue +6%
  • CC
    CLIMATE CENTRAL INC
    5× · 2018–2023 · $128k · revenue +149%

Funded once

  • UO
    UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AUSTIN
    one grant, 2023 · $1.0M
  • NT
    NORTH TEXAS BROADCASTING INC
    one grant, 2023 · $35k
  • MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC
    one grant, 2022 · $25k · revenue +13%
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
Third Way

To research and develop centrist policy ideas.

Civil Rights
2
Fresh Energy

Shape and drive bold policy solutions to achieve equitable carbon-neutral economies.

Environment
3
Climate Institute

The climate institute is organized for the purpose of educating the general public and policy makers as to the gravity of potential climate change, exploring the policy implications of the latest scientific findings on climate modelling…

Environment
4
Climateworks Foundation

Climateworks foundation's mission is to connect philanthropy, grantees, and strategic partners to build and deliver high-impact climate solutions that benefit all people.

Science & Tech
5
The Climate Group Inc

Climate group advances climate action by mobilizing business and government leadership to drive systemic decarbonization across energy, transport, and industry, while engaging the public through large-scale convenings and global platforms.…

Environment
6
Natural Resource Governance Institute

Nrgi envisions a world where natural resources enable fair, prosperous and sustainable societies, instead of undermining them. nrgi exists because decisions about how natural resources are governed determine the well-being of people in…

International
7
Project Drawdown

Project drawdown's mission is to drive meaningful climate action by advancing science-based solutions and strategies. project drawdown's work is focused on three pillars: science - advancing science-based climate solutions and strategies;…

Education
8
Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition

The mission of the global alliance for improved nutrition (gain) is to improve the consumption of healthier diets for all, especially the most vulnerable, by improving the availability, affordability, desirability, and sustainability of…

Food & Nutrition
9
Conservation International Foundation

Ci works to spotlight and secure the critical benefits that nature provides to humanity.

Environment
10
World Wildlife Fund Inc

Wwf's mission is to conserve nature and reduce the most pressing threats to the diversity of life on earth. (continued on schedule o)

Environment
11
Earth & Space Research

Increase societal understanding of the earth system through scientific research and education.

Science & Tech
12
International Crisis Group

Crisis group works to prevent and resolve deadly conflict around the world by informing and influencing the perceptions and actions of policymakers and other key conflict actors. to this end, we endeavour to talk to all sides and provide…

International
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Make-a-Wish Foundation of North Texas; the most unlike its peers is Sandberg Goldberg Bernthal Family 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

22 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. 22 of the 33 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)
1
Early backer (in before they grew)
21/22
Grantees still filing
16/22
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AUSTIN: $1,000,000 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AUSTINRocky Mountain Institute: $638,460 · OtherRocky Mountain InstitutePEDIPLACE INC: $313,541 · OtherPEDIPLACE INC+19 more: $393,965 · Other+19 moreLewisville Education Foundation Inc: $204,555 · Education+1 more: $2,500 · EducationCLIMATE CENTRAL INC: $127,556 · Science & TechMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $25,000 · InternationalUkrainian Action: $22,650 · InternationalUNITED STATES FUND FOR UNICEF: $10,453 · InternationalAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $38,500 · Human ServicesGIVING GRACE INC: $10,000 · Human Services+1 more: $1,000 · Human ServicesBOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF GREATER TARRANT COUNTY INC: $30,000 · Youth DevelopmentINTERFAITH MINISTRIES OF DENTON INC: $6,200 · Community Improvement
Other$2,345,966Education$207,055Science & Tech$127,556International$58,103Human Services$49,500Youth Development$30,000Community Improvement$6,200

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 budgetRocky Mountain Institute: $638,460 over 6y, 0.3% of budgetPEDIPLACE INC: $313,541 over 5y, 2.8% of budgetLewisville Education Foundation Inc: $204,555 over 3y, 9.6% of budgetCLIMATE CENTRAL INC: $127,556 over 5y, 1.0% of budgetBLUEROOF FOUNDATION: $67,092 over 3y, 100% of budgetAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $38,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetBOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF GREATER TARRANT COUNTY INC: $30,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUkrainian Action: $22,650 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetMAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION OF NORTH TEXAS: $20,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetUNITED STATES FUND FOR UNICEF: $10,453 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGIVING GRACE INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetINTERFAITH MINISTRIES OF DENTON INC: $6,200 over 2y, 1.2% of budgetNORTH TEXAS FOOD BANK: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSankara Nethralaya OM Trust Inc: $2,500 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetCHRISTIAN COMMUNITY ACTION: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHOPEKIDS INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL INC: $1,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetST BALDRICK'S FOUNDATION INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSANDBERG GOLDBERG BERNTHAL FAMILY FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPRO PUBLICA INC: $518 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNATYAVEDA: $250 over 1y, 0.3% 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.

Coserv Charitable Fou…Texas Instruments Fou…McKesson Foundation I…Communities Foundatio…The Blackbaud Giving …Jpmorgan Chase Founda…The Pfizer Foundation…Charities Aid Foundat…The Bank of America C…National Philanthropi…Vanguard Charitable E…American Online Givin…
Coserv Charitable FoundationTX15.7× affinity5 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Coserv Charitable Foundation · Texas Instruments Foundation · McKesson Foundation Inc · Communities Foundation of Texas Inc · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · The Pfizer Foundation Inc · Charities Aid Foundation America · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · American Online Giving Foundation Inc

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

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%15%30%45%60%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get no government money at all
    4report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–60%
    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 Rao Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to The Rao 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 33 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 Rao’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