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The Royal Little Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Royal Little Family Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$750k
Granted FY2024still arriving
60
Grants FY2024still arriving
13
States reached
$120k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0199% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Arts & Culture$2.7MEducation$1.0MEnvironment$995kAnimals$398kYouth Development$361kHousing & Shelter$350kPhilanthropy$325kFood & Nutrition$222kOther$0
02FY2024 · 60 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k28 grants · $119k
  • $10k–50k30 grants · $460k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $170k
$10,000
Median grant
13
States reached
$17M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Celebrity Series of Boston$120,000
Pine Street Inn$50,000
EFFINGHAM PRESERVATION SOCIETY$30,000
PACIFIC BONSAI MUSEUM$25,000
BROOKLINE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC$25,000
Lyford Cay Foundation Inc$25,000
Vashon Island Public Schools Foundation$25,000
CASCADE HEAD BIOSPHERE COLLABORATIVE$21,500
DR MARTIN LUTHER KING JR COMMUNITY CNTR$20,000
CREATURE CONSERVE$20,000
Green Mountain Conservation Group$20,000
FABNEWPORT INC$16,500
Ensemble Studio Theater Inc$15,000
Steere House$15,000
BARNSTORMERS INC$15,000
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 (FY17–24, $317k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 79% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%ALL OUR KIDS INC: $3k → 12%DEPELCHIN CHILDRENS CENTER: $10k → 16%Big Cat Rescue Corp: $10k → 13%CHARITY NAVIGATOR: $1k → 7%Big Cat Rescue Corp: $10k → 13%Big Cat Rescue Corp: $10k → 13%Big Cat Rescue Corp: $8k → 13%NEWPORT COUNTY YMCA: $5k → 7%Pine Street Inn: $50k → 16%Big Cat Rescue Corp: $8k → 13%Pine Street Inn: $40k → 16%Big Cat Rescue Corp: $8k → 13%NEWPORT COUNTY YMCA: $5k → 7%Pine Street Inn: $35k → 16%NEWPORT COUNTY YMCA: $5k → 7%Pine Street Inn: $25k → 16%Pine Street Inn: $13k → 16%Pine Street Inn: $10k → 16%Pine Street Inn: $10k → 16%Backbone Campaign: $17k → 9%Backbone Campaign: $8k → 9%Backbone Campaign: $5k → 9%YMCA of Greater Seattle: $8k → 9%YMCA of Greater Seattle: $5k → 9%YMCA of Greater Seattle: $5k → 9%YMCA of Greater Seattle: $4k → 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

ME
VT
NH
WA
ID
MN
IL
WI
NY
MA
OR
IN
NJ
RI
CA
KY
VA
NC
DC
GA
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.

97%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$7.0M · 119 repeat orgs$247k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +41% since the first grant, against +30% for those funded once.

119 repeat relationships: 49 still active in FY2024, 70 since wound down; 10 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

119
37

Total granted

$7.0M
$173k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+41%
+30%

Still filing today

77%
70%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 90% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $74k 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
Arts & CultureEducationEnvironmentAnimalsHealthHuman ServicesOther
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

  • SH
    SHADY HILL SCHOOL
    8× · 2017–2024 · $471k · revenue +51%
  • GM
    GREEN MOUNTAIN CONSERVATION GROUP
    7× · 2017–2024 · $347k · revenue +109% · 28% of their budget
  • WP
    WOMEN'S PROJECT & PRODUCTIONS INC
    5× · 2017–2021 · $238k · revenue +68%

Funded once

  • EF
    EFFINGHAM FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION
    one grant, 2021 · $23k
  • CN
    Central New Hampshire VNA & Hospice
    one grant, 2021 · $10k · revenue 0%
  • DC
    DEPELCHIN CHILDREN'S CENTERgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $10k · revenue +30%
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
Boston Architectural College

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

—
2
Aquarium of the Pacific Corporation

The aquarium of the pacific's mission is to instill a sense of wonder, respect, and stewardship for the pacific ocean, its inhabitants, and ecosystems.

Animals
3
Boston Harbor Now Inc

Our mission is to ensure that the people of greater boston benefit from a vibrant, resilient, and inclusive waterfront, harbor, and islands; these spaces are equitable, accessible, and adapted to climate change; and to ensure our public,…

Environment
4
Native Plant Trust Inc

The organization's mission is to conserve and promote new england's native plants to ensure healthy, biologically diverse landscapes.

Environment
5
Eastern National

Eastern national promotes the public's understanding and support of america's national parks and other public trust partners by providing quality educational experiences, products and services.

Recreation & Sports
6
United States Naval Institute

Provide an independent forum for those who dare to read, think, speak, and write to advance the professional, literary, and scientific understanding of sea power and other issues critical to global security.

—
7
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
8
Association of Washington Cities

The association of washington cities builds connections between our state's diverse cities and towns, while providing our members with the support needed to thrive through delivery of data-driven education, nationally recognized pooling…

—
9
Rhode Island School of Design

The mission of rhode island school of design, through its college and museum,is to educate its students and the public in the creation and (see schedule o)appreciation of works of art and design, to discover and transmit knowledge and to…

Education
10
Natural History Institute

Natural History Institute is organized to provide leadership and resources for a revitalized practice of natural history that integrates art, science, and humanities to promote the health and well-being of humans and the rest of the…

Arts & Culture
11
Bartlett Arboretum Association Inc

To cultivate and develop an expansive collection of trees, gardens, and plants for all to explore, enjoy and study; and to provide through education and stewardship, a greener, healthier, more beautiful environment.

Environment
12
Nantucket Conservation Foundation Inc

The nantucket conservation foundation owns, protects, and stewards over 9,000 acres of land and coastal shoreline, conserves nantucket's rare and significant natural resources, and engages in impactful ecological research to inform…

Environment
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Aquidneck Island Land Trust; the most unlike its peers is Rj's Kids. 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

133 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. 133 of the 170 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.

6
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
28
Early backer (in before they grew)
130/133
Grantees still filing
87/133
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

THE CELEBRITY SERIES OF BOSTON INC: $1,070,500 · OtherTHE CELEBRITY SERIES OF BOSTON INCThe Dove Project - General Ops: $165,000 · OtherHISTORY MATTERS BACK TO THE FUTURE INC: $130,000 · Other+84 more: $2,215,375 · Other+84 moreWOMEN'S PROJECT & PRODUCTIONS INC: $237,658 · Arts & CultureWOMEN'S PROJECT &…MINT THEATER COMPANY INC: $151,000 · Arts & CultureMINT THEATER COMP…CHINATOWN COMMUNITY LAND TRUST INC: $136,500 · Arts & CultureCHINATOWN COMMUNI…ENSEMBLE STUDIO THEATRE INC: $80,500 · Arts & CultureENSEMBLE STUDIO T…BARNSTORMERS INC: $70,000 · Arts & CultureBARNSTORMERS INCGEORGE WEYERHAEUSER PACIFIC RIM BONSAI COLLECTION: $62,000 · Arts & CultureGEORGE WEYERHAEUS…CRAFT CONTEMPORARY: $47,000 · Arts & CultureVASHON ALLIED ARTS: $38,000 · Arts & Culture+22 more: $297,000 · Arts & Culture+22 moreSHADY HILL SCHOOL: $471,000 · EducationSHADY HILL SC…VASHON ISLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOUNDATION: $125,000 · EducationVASHON ISLAND…Lake Forest College: $40,000 · EducationFABNEWPORT INC: $37,500 · EducationTHE SEATTLE ACADEMY OF ARTS & SCIENCES: $33,000 · EducationSawhorse Revolution: $30,000 · Education+12 more: $108,774 · Education+12 moreGREEN MOUNTAIN CONSERVATION GROUP: $347,000 · EnvironmentGREEN MOUNTA…Sound Action: $125,000 · EnvironmentSound ActionVASHON-MAURY ISLAND LAND TRUST: $117,500 · EnvironmentVASHON-MAURY…WESTWIND STEWARDSHIP GROUP: $82,500 · EnvironmentWESTWIND STE…CASCADE HEAD BIOSPHERE COLLABORATIVE: $52,500 · EnvironmentCASCADE HEAD…+7 more: $97,000 · Environment+7 moreCREATURE CONSERVE INC: $120,000 · AnimalsRHODE ISLAND ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY: $95,000 · AnimalsVASHON ISLAND PET PROTECTORS: $44,000 · AnimalsROBERT POTTER LEAGUE FOR ANIMALS INC: $23,800 · AnimalsWOODLAND PARK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY: $22,000 · Animals+6 more: $37,000 · AnimalsLYFORD CAY FOUNDATION INC: $230,000 · PhilanthropyBROOKLINE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC: $85,000 · Philanthropy+2 more: $8,500 · PhilanthropyPINE STREET INN INC: $182,500 · Human ServicesBIG CAT RESCUE CORP: $54,000 · Human ServicesBackbone Campaign: $30,000 · Human ServicesTHE YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF GREATER SEATTLE (6871): $22,000 · Human ServicesNEWPORT COUNTY REGIONAL YMCA: $15,000 · Human Services+3 more: $13,500 · Human Services
Other$3,580,875Arts & Culture$1,119,658Education$845,274Environment$821,500Animals$341,800Philanthropy$323,500Human Services$317,000

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 budgetTHE CELEBRITY SERIES OF BOSTON INC: $1,070,500 over 8y, 3.1% of budgetSHADY HILL SCHOOL: $471,000 over 8y, 0.5% of budgetGREEN MOUNTAIN CONSERVATION GROUP: $347,000 over 7y, 28% of budgetWOMEN'S PROJECT & PRODUCTIONS INC: $237,658 over 5y, 10% of budgetLYFORD CAY FOUNDATION INC: $230,000 over 8y, 1.6% of budgetPINE STREET INN INC: $182,500 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetMINT THEATER COMPANY INC: $151,000 over 8y, 3.5% of budgetCHINATOWN COMMUNITY LAND TRUST INC: $136,500 over 7y, 10% of budgetSound Action: $125,000 over 8y, 15% of budgetVASHON ISLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOUNDATION: $125,000 over 5y, 16% of budgetCREATURE CONSERVE INC: $120,000 over 8y, 28% of budgetVASHON-MAURY ISLAND LAND TRUST: $117,500 over 8y, 2.1% of budgetVASHON-MAURY ISLAND HERITAGE ASSOCIATION: $95,000 over 8y, 12% of budgetEFFINGHAM PRESERVATION SOCIETY: $95,000 over 3y, 60% of budgetRHODE ISLAND ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY: $95,000 over 8y, 0.4% of budgetSTEERE HOUSE NURSING & REHABILITATION CENTER: $94,300 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetBROOKLINE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC: $85,000 over 2y, 2.4% of budgetDiscover Your Northwest: $83,000 over 4y, 1.1% of budgetWESTWIND STEWARDSHIP GROUP: $82,500 over 6y, 2.9% of budgetENSEMBLE STUDIO THEATRE INC: $80,500 over 7y, 1.8% of budgetVASHON MAURY COMMUNITY FOOD BANK: $73,000 over 7y, 1.4% of budgetBARNSTORMERS INC: $70,000 over 4y, 2.7% of budgetPUTNEY SCHOOL INC: $70,000 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetMARTIN LUTHER KING COMMUNITY CENTER INCORPORATED: $70,000 over 5y, 0.5% of budgetWAKEFIELD FOOD PANTRY: $64,000 over 5y, 24% of budgetJOURNEYMEN INSTITUTE: $64,000 over 7y, 3.3% of budgetRj's Kids: $63,000 over 5y, 50% of budgetGEORGE WEYERHAEUSER PACIFIC RIM BONSAI COLLECTION: $62,000 over 6y, 3.1% of budgetCHINESE PROGRESSIVE ASSOCIATION: $58,000 over 6y, 1.0% of budgetBIG CAT RESCUE CORP: $54,000 over 6y, 0.3% of budgetCASCADE HEAD BIOSPHERE COLLABORATIVE: $52,500 over 2y, 52% of budgetVASHON YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES: $49,000 over 6y, 0.4% of budgetChristian Herald Association Inc: $49,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetRHODE ISLAND COMMUNITY FOOD BANK ASSOCIATION: $48,500 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetCRAFT CONTEMPORARY: $47,000 over 6y, 0.9% of budgetBike Works Seattle: $45,000 over 8y, 0.3% of budgetVASHON ISLAND PET PROTECTORS: $44,000 over 7y, 4.0% of budgetBUTTON HOLE: $42,800 over 6y, 0.7% of budgetVASHON PARTNERS IN EDUCATION: $41,500 over 7y, 11% of budgetLake Forest College: $40,000 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetVASHON ALLIED ARTS: $38,000 over 6y, 0.6% of budgetFABNEWPORT INC: $37,500 over 4y, 1.5% of budgetAllied Arts Foundation: $35,000 over 5y, 37% of budgetTHE SEATTLE ACADEMY OF ARTS & SCIENCES: $33,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetNORTHWEST FILM FORUM: $32,750 over 7y, 1.1% of budgetBackbone Campaign: $30,000 over 3y, 2.6% of budgetSawhorse Revolution: $30,000 over 4y, 1.5% of budgetThe Center for Investigative Reporting formrly Foundation for National Progress: $28,000 over 4y, 0.1% 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 THE CELEBRITY SERIES OF BOSTON INC ↗
  • Who funds SHADY HILL SCHOOL ↗
  • Who funds GREEN MOUNTAIN CONSERVATION GROUP ↗
  • Who funds WOMEN'S PROJECT & PRODUCTIONS INC ↗
  • Who funds LYFORD CAY FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds PINE STREET INN INC ↗
  • Who funds MINT THEATER COMPANY INC ↗
  • Who funds CHINATOWN COMMUNITY LAND TRUST INC ↗
  • Who funds Sound Action ↗
  • Who funds VASHON ISLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds CREATURE CONSERVE INC ↗
  • Who funds VASHON-MAURY ISLAND LAND TRUST ↗
  • Who funds VASHON-MAURY ISLAND HERITAGE ASSOCIATION ↗
  • Who funds EFFINGHAM PRESERVATION SOCIETY ↗
  • Who funds RHODE ISLAND ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY ↗
  • Who funds STEERE HOUSE NURSING & REHABILITATION CENTER ↗
  • Who funds BROOKLINE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds Discover Your Northwest ↗
  • Who funds WESTWIND STEWARDSHIP GROUP ↗
  • Who funds ENSEMBLE STUDIO THEATRE INC ↗
  • Who funds VASHON MAURY COMMUNITY FOOD BANK ↗
  • Who funds BARNSTORMERS INC ↗
  • Who funds PUTNEY SCHOOL INC ↗
  • Who funds MARTIN LUTHER KING COMMUNITY CENTER INCORPORATED ↗
  • Who funds WAKEFIELD FOOD PANTRY ↗
  • Who funds JOURNEYMEN INSTITUTE ↗
  • Who funds Rj's Kids ↗
  • Who funds GEORGE WEYERHAEUSER PACIFIC RIM BONSAI COLLECTION ↗
  • Who funds CHINESE PROGRESSIVE ASSOCIATION ↗
  • Who funds BIG CAT RESCUE CORP ↗
  • Who funds CASCADE HEAD BIOSPHERE COLLABORATIVE ↗
  • Who funds VASHON YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES ↗
  • Who funds Christian Herald Association Inc ↗
  • Who funds RHODE ISLAND COMMUNITY FOOD BANK ASSOCIATION ↗

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 Rhode Island Comm…Amica Companies Found…Seattle FoundationPuget Sound Energy Fo…The Champlin Foundati…Beardsley FoundationUnited Way of Rhode I…The Beacon FoundationEjmp Fund for Philant…Frederick Henry Princ…Gruben Charitable Fou…The Howard Gilman Fou…
The Rhode Island Community FoundationRI30.3× affinity16 shared granteesties to 9 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Rhode Island Community Foundation · Amica Companies Foundation · Seattle Foundation · Puget Sound Energy Foundation · The Champlin Foundation · Beardsley Foundation · United Way of Rhode Island Inc · The Beacon Foundation · Ejmp Fund for Philanthropy · Frederick Henry Prince Testamentary Trust · Gruben Charitable Foundation · The Howard Gilman 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 Royal Little Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Royal Little Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 100%5%19%42%75%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 7%
  • High Desert Partnership: 100% of income from government
  • Oregon Coast Aquarium Inc: 24% of income from government
  • The Wetlands Conservancy Inc: 18% of income from government
  • Pine Street Inn Inc: 11% of income from government
  • Cascade Head Biosphere Collaborative: 7% of income from government
  • The Celebrity Series of Boston Inc: 3% of income from government
  • Boys & Girls Club of Chicopee Inc: 2% of income from government
  • Simmons University: 1% of income from government
  • Wgbh Educational Foundation: 1% of income from government
  • Shriners Hospitals for Children: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
10get no government money at all
30report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
1rely on government for over half their income
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 170 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 Royal Little 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