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The Robert L & Ellen D Stern Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Robert L & Ellen D Stern Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$56k
Granted FY2024still arriving
1
Grants FY2024still arriving
1
States reached
$56k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0187% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Education$39kHealth$10kHuman Services$6kCivil Rights$6kInternational$6kCrime & Legal$4kFood & Nutrition$4kPublic Safety & Disaster$4kOther$0
02FY2024 · 1 grant

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$56,300
Median grant
1
States reached
$1.3M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Various$56,300
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 (FY20–21, $7k) land where the poverty rate runs at 9%, against an area that typically sits at 9%. 57% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 9%LONG ISLAND CARES: $500 → 7%NEW YORK CENTER FOR CHILDREN: $200 → 17%HOPELINK: $1k → 9%HOPELINK: $1k → 9%HARRISON PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION: $1k → 9%SPRYE: $2k → 9%SPRYE INC: $1k → 9%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

VT
WA
IL
NY
MA
PA
NJ
RI
CA
VA
MD
DC
AL
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.

31%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$45k · 27 repeat orgs$101k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +39% since the first grant, against +16% for those funded once.

27 repeat relationships: 0 still active in FY2024, 27 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

27
47

Total granted

$45k
$44k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+39%
+16%

Still filing today

78%
38%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 0% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $56k went to new ones.

50%100%’20’21’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’20’21’24
EducationArts & CultureHuman ServicesHealthInternationalAnimalsOther
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

  • The Trustees of Princeton University
    2× · 2020–2021 · $8k · revenue +51%
  • WC
    Wellesley College
    2× · 2020–2021 · $7k · revenue +42%
  • MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC
    2× · 2020–2021 · $5k · revenue +39%

Funded once

  • HC
    HARVARD COLLEGE FUND RADCLIFFE
    one grant, 2021 · $6k
  • RI
    RADCLIFFE INSTITUTE
    one grant, 2020 · $5k
  • PP
    PLANNED PARENTHOOD HUDSON
    one grant, 2020 · $4k
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
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The mission of mit is to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century.

Education
2
American Museum of Natural History

The museum's mission statement is: "to discover, interpret, and disseminate - through scientific research and education - knowledge about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe."

Arts & Culture
3
Manhattanville University

To educate students to be ethical and socially responsible leaders in a global community.

Education
4
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
5
Boston Architectural College

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

—
6
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
7
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
8
New York Botanical Garden

The new york botanical garden is a museum of plants and a scientific research center devoted to the study of plants and their uses. it is the garden's mission to improve public understanding of the natural world, horticulture, and the…

Environment
9
President and Fellows of Harvard College

Undergraduate, graduate, and professional education and research across a broad array of academic domains.

Education
10
Trustees of Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College educates the most promising students and prepares them for a lifetime of learning and of responsible leadership, through a faculty dedicated to teaching and the creation of knowledge.

Education
11
The Trustees of the Smith College

Smith college educates women of promise for lives of distinction and purpose. a college of and for the world, smith college links the power of the liberal arts to excellence in research and scholarship, developing leaders for society's…

Education
12
Ie New York College

(see schedule o)

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Partnership to End Addiction; the most unlike its peers is Wgbh Educational 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

42 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. 42 of the 77 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)
41/42
Grantees still filing
32/42
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Various: $56,300 · OtherVariousHARVARD COLLEGE FUND RADCLIFFE: $5,850 · OtherHARVARD COLLEGE FUND RADCLIFFERADCLIFFE INSTITUTE: $4,650 · OtherPLANNED PARENTHOOD HUDSON: $3,700 · Other+52 more: $37,920 · Other+52 moreThe Trustees of Princeton University: $8,000 · EducationThe Trustees of…Wellesley College: $7,000 · EducationWellesley Colle…EMMANUEL COLLEGE: $2,500 · EducationEMMANUEL COLLEG…BRYN MAWR COLLEGE: $2,000 · EducationBRYN MAWR COLLE…+4 more: $1,000 · EducationSPRYE INC: $2,500 · Human ServicesHOPELINK: $2,400 · Human ServicesTHE HARRISON PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION INC: $1,100 · Human ServicesLong Island Cares Inc: $500 · Human Services+1 more: $200 · Human ServicesMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $5,000 · InternationalUnited States Association for UNHCR: $500 · InternationalBROWN UNIVERSITY: $4,000 · Community ImprovementTHE HUMANE SOCIETY FOR SEATTLEKING COUNTY: $3,000 · AnimalsNEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM CORPORATION: $250 · AnimalsPORT CHESTER-RYE-RYE BROOK EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES INC: $1,000 · HealthPARTNERSHIP TO END ADDICTION: $1,000 · HealthMEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING CANCER CENTER: $100 · Health
Other$108,420Education$20,500Human Services$6,700International$5,500Community Improvement$4,000Animals$3,250Health$2,100

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 budgetThe Trustees of Princeton University: $8,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetWellesley College: $7,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $5,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetBROWN UNIVERSITY: $4,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE HUMANE SOCIETY FOR SEATTLEKING COUNTY: $3,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSPRYE INC: $2,500 over 2y, 0.8% of budgetEMMANUEL COLLEGE: $2,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetHOPELINK: $2,400 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetBRYN MAWR COLLEGE: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER INC: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetRYE VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS INC: $1,800 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetTHE COMMUNITY CHEST OF PORT WASHINGTON NY INC: $1,100 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetCITYMEALS-ON-WHEELS: $1,100 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE HARRISON PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION INC: $1,100 over 1y, 1.6% of budgetPORT CHESTER-RYE-RYE BROOK EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAppalachian Mountain Club: $1,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetPARTNERSHIP TO END ADDICTION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLEGAL MOMENTUM: $1,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetPOLICE ASSOCIATION OF THE CITY OF RYE INC: $800 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetGirls Embracing Mothers Inc: $750 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetFeeding America: $650 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetGLSEN INC: $600 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetThe Osborn Foundation: $600 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE FEMINIST PRESS INC: $600 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetUnited States Association for UNHCR: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCHARTER SCHOOL OF EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLong Island Cares Inc: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE GREEN MOUNTAIN CLUB INC DEBONIS: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE NATURE CONSERVANCY: $385 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetVermont Public Radio: $300 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMANCHESTER MUSIC FESTIVAL INC: $300 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetWGBH Educational Foundation: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM CORPORATION: $250 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMUSEUM OF FINE ARTS: $215 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetISABELLA STEWART GARDNER MUSEUM INC: $210 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF SAN FRANCISCO: $200 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTeachers College Columbia University: $200 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE NEW YORK CENTER FOR CHILDREN: $200 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMETROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART: $150 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMuseum of Modern Art: $150 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING CANCER CENTER: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetETHICAL CULTURE FIELDSTON SCHOOL: $100 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 Joe & Sandy Sambe…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…Morgan Stanley Global…The Bank of America C…National Philanthropi…Fidelity Investments …American Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…Amazonsmile Foundation
The Joe & Sandy Samberg Foundation IncNY13.6× affinity4 shared granteesties to 8 of 8Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Joe & Sandy Samberg Foundation Inc · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · 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.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization The Robert L & Ellen D Stern Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Robert L & Ellen D Stern Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 20%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%10%20%30%40%share of the org’s income from government →median 1%
  • The Green Mountain Club Inc Debonis: 17% of income from government
  • New England Aquarium Corporation: 12% of income from government
  • The Trustees of Princeton University: 11% of income from government
  • Appalachian Mountain Club: 1% of income from government
  • Wellesley College: 1% of income from government
  • Wgbh Educational Foundation: 1% of income from government
  • Emmanuel College: 0% of income from government
  • Museum of Fine Arts: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
2get no government money at all
8report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–40%
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 77 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.

Possibly out of date. A more recent filing (FY2025) is on record and reports $64k 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 FY2024, the most recent year this funder’s grantee list reached the public record.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Robert L & Ellen D Stern’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