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The Sam & Charles Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Sam & Charles Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$60k
Granted FY2024still arriving
12
Grants FY2024still arriving
6
States reached
$10k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0197% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2019 to 2024.

Arts & Culture$56kInternational$13kHealth$13kEducation$11kPublic Safety & Disaster$9kCivil Rights$7kPublic Benefit$3kEnvironment$3kOther$0
02FY2024 · 12 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k10 grants · $40k
  • $10k–50k2 grants · $20k
$5,000
Median grant
6
States reached
$247k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
THE WILMA THEATER$10,000
BEARDED LADIES CABARET$10,000
PLANNED PARENTHOOD$5,300
DRUGS FOR NEGLECTED DISEASES INITIATIVE NORTH AMERICA INC$5,000
UC SANTA BARBARA FOUNDATION$5,000
WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC$5,000
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION INC$5,000
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS USA INC$5,000
BALLETX$5,000
SIERRA CLUB$2,000
AFRICAN HOPEFUL HORIZONS$2,000
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOUNDATION$1,000
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 (FY23–23, $500) land where the poverty rate runs at 16%, 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%EMPLOYMENT SOURCE INC - STACEY BUCKNER: $500 → 16%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

MN
MI
NY
PA
CA
AZ
NC
DC
GA
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.

72%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$86k · 7 repeat orgs$33k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +33% since the first grant, against +12% for those funded once.

7 repeat relationships: 7 still active in FY2024, 0 since wound down; 5 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

7
17

Total granted

$86k
$18k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+33%
+12%

Still filing today

71%
71%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 75% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $15k went to new ones.

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

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

’19’20’21’23’24
Arts & CultureInternationalEducationHuman ServicesHealthAnimalsOther
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

  • TW
    THE WILMA THEATER
    4× · 2019–2024 · $36k · revenue +47%
  • BL
    BEARDED LADIES CABARET
    2× · 2023–2024 · $12k · revenue +25%
  • MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC
    2× · 2023–2024 · $9k · revenue +1%

Funded once

  • IH
    INTERNATIONAL HOUSE PHILADELPHIA INC
    one grant, 2019 · $5k · revenue -88%
  • TA
    THE ARK
    one grant, 2019 · $3k
  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2019 · $2k
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
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
2
The Union of Concerned Scientists Inc

The union of concerned scientists puts rigorous, independent science into action, developing solutions and advocating for a healthy, safe, and just future.

International
3
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
4
Conservation International Foundation

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

Environment
5
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
6
United States Telecom Association

See schedule oustelecom exists to ensure members can compete, grow and thrive to build a world where families, enterprises and communities are connected through the power of broadband.our member companies have committed a considerable…

—
7
The Trustees of Princeton University

Research, education and general - princeton university is a private not-for-profit, non-sectarian institution of higher learning with approximately 5,700 undergraduate and 3,300 graduate students. 2,500 students graduated in the 2024-2025…

Education
8
Public Health Institute

Public health institute generates and promotes research, leadership and partnerships to build capacity for strong public health policy, programs, systems and practices.

Health
9
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

See schedule ouniversity corporation for atmospheric research (ucar), on behalf of, and in cooperation with its member university members, is engaged in the management of long-term atmospheric and related research and educational…

Science & Tech
10
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
11
Central Indiana Corporate Partnership Inc

Central indiana corporate partnership (cicp) is an alliance of indiana's business and research university leaders coming together to foster long-term prosperity for the region. cicp's mission is to transform the economy of indiana in order…

Community Improvement
12
University of Southern California

The central mission of the university of southern california is the development of human beings and society as a whole through the cultivation and enrichment of the human mind and spirit. the principal means by which our mission is…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is University of Minnesota Foundation; the most unlike its peers is African Hopeful Horizons Inc. 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 29 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)
0
Early backer (in before they grew)
22/22
Grantees still filing
15/22
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

THE WILMA THEATER: $36,000 · Arts & CultureTHE WILMA THEATERBEARDED LADIES CABARET: $12,000 · Arts & CultureBEARDED LADIES CABARETBALLETX: $6,000 · Arts & CultureBALLETX+3 more: $2,100 · Arts & CultureAMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION INC: $7,000 · OtherAMERICAN CIVIL LIBERT…PLANNED PARENTHOOD: $6,575 · OtherPLANNED PARENTHOODTHE ARK: $3,000 · OtherTHE ARKSIERRA CLUB: $2,000 · OtherSIERRA CLUBIndividual grant recipient: $1,500 · OtherIndividual grant reci…SHARE OUR STRENGTH: $1,000 · Other+4 more: $1,435 · Other+4 moreMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $9,000 · InternationalMEDECINS SANS FRONTI…WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $9,000 · InternationalWORLD CENTRAL KITCHE…AFRICAN HOPEFUL HORIZONS INC: $2,000 · InternationalAFRICAN HOPEFUL HORI…THE CARTER CENTER INC: $1,000 · InternationalUNITED STATES FUND FOR UNICEF: $740 · InternationalUC SANTA BARBARA FOUNDATION: $5,000 · EducationUNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOUNDATION: $1,000 · EducationUNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO FOUNDATION: $1,000 · EducationDRUGS FOR NEGLECTED DISEASES INITIATIVE NORTH AMERICA INC: $5,000 · HealthBILL HILLARY & CHELSEA CLINTON FOUNDATION: $500 · HealthINTERNATIONAL HOUSE PHILADELPHIA INC: $5,000 · Human ServicesEmployment Source Inc: $500 · Human ServicesCENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY INC: $500 · Animals
Arts & Culture$56,100Other$22,510International$21,740Education$7,000Health$5,500Human Services$5,500Animals$500

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 WILMA THEATER: $36,000 over 4y, 0.5% of budgetBEARDED LADIES CABARET: $12,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $9,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $9,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetBALLETX: $6,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetUC SANTA BARBARA FOUNDATION: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDRUGS FOR NEGLECTED DISEASES INITIATIVE NORTH AMERICA INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetINTERNATIONAL HOUSE PHILADELPHIA INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSIERRA CLUB: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWHYY INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSHARE OUR STRENGTH: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPAINTED BRIDE ART CENTER INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetTHE CARTER CENTER INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUNITED STATES FUND FOR UNICEF: $740 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBILL HILLARY & CHELSEA CLINTON FOUNDATION: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetEmployment Source Inc: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATION: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSOCIETY HILL CIVIC ASSOCIATION: $50 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 Lida FoundationWyncote FoundationIndependence Foundati…The Barra Foundation …The Philadelphia Cult…The Pew Charitable Tr…The William Penn Foun…The Philadelphia Foun…National Philanthropi…Vanguard Charitable E…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …
The Lida FoundationPA13.6× affinity4 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Lida Foundation · Wyncote Foundation · Independence Foundation · The Barra Foundation Inc · The Philadelphia Cultural Fund Inc · The Pew Charitable Trusts · The William Penn Foundation · The Philadelphia Foundation · National Philanthropic Trust · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund

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

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%23%45%68%90%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get 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 · 0–90%
    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 29 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 Sam & Charles’ 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