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Washington · Private foundation

The Sanford Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$48k
Granted FY2025(still arriving)
22
Grants FY2025
42
Organizations funded FY2024
31%
First-time grantees FY2024
Read the full brief
Median grant, FY2025
$1,000
Largest grant, FY2025
$20,000
Organizations funded a year
35 to 47
FY2020 to FY2024
States reached, FY2025
6
Total assets, FY2025
$25k
Applications
Preselected organizations only
Per its most recent filing; check its own site

How open it is to new grantees

In FY2024, 31% of the organizations The Sanford Foundation funded were first-time grantees, receiving 46% of its grant dollars.

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 54% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $44k went to new ones.

50%100%’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’21’22’23’24
InternationalHuman ServicesArts & CultureEnvironmentPhilanthropyFood & NutritionOther
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.
The numbers by year
Fiscal yearOrganizations fundedTo those organizationsFirst-time grantees
FY2025still arriving21$48k29%
FY202442$95k31%
FY202335$59k14%
FY202247$83k34%
FY202138$54k37%
FY202043$90kn/a
94% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2025.

Arts & Culture$101kHuman Services$70kInternational$37kCrime & Legal$37kHousing & Shelter$33kEducation$30kHealth$24kEnvironment$23kOther$0

Where its grants go

Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.

Which US states its grants reach

WA
ID
MT
MN
IL
NY
MA
OR
PA
CA
CO
VA
MD
TN
DC
AL

Top grantees

Largest recipients by total granted, FY2020 to FY2025, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.

GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Stoveteam International$51,000612%
Promusica Foundation$50,0002n/a
Squareone Villages$21,00060%
World Central Kitchen Inc$19,50060%
Oregon Contemporary Theatre$17,00061%
Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide$15,50060%
Eugene Southtowne Rotary Foundation$14,65056%
Medecins Sans Frontieres USA Inc$10,50040%
Orchestra Next$10,00023%
Alliance of Idaho Inc$9,00051%
Show all 58 grantees
All grantees of The Sanford Foundation by total granted
GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Stoveteam International$51,000612%
Promusica Foundation$50,0002n/a
Squareone Villages$21,00060%
World Central Kitchen Inc$19,50060%
Oregon Contemporary Theatre$17,00061%
Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide$15,50060%
Eugene Southtowne Rotary Foundation$14,65056%
Medecins Sans Frontieres USA Inc$10,50040%
Orchestra Next$10,00023%
Alliance of Idaho Inc$9,00051%
St Vincent de Paul$8,5006n/a
The Voices Project USA Inc$8,50040%
Casita Copan Inc$8,50061%
Oregon Public Broadcasting$7,50030%
Eugene Mission Inc$7,00060%
The Surfrider Foundation$6,14060%
White Bird Clinic$6,00020%
Food for Lane County$6,00040%
Dental Care for Children$5,50035%
Jpr Foundation Inc$5,50060%
El Porvenir$5,50040%
Equal Justice Initiative$5,00010%
Ugandan Water Project$5,00030%
Mission Vida Nueva$5,0001n/a
Al Otro Lado$5,00030%
McKenzie River Trust$4,10050%
Sun Valley Summer Symphony Inc$3,75040%
Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation$2,50020%
Nightingale Hosted Shelters$2,50041%
Nextstep Recycling$2,50040%
Blaine County Hunger Coalition Inc$2,20030%
The Union of Concerned Scientists Inc$2,00010%
Sponsors Inc$2,00040%
Kind Inc$2,00030%
Outfitters 4 Hope Inc$1,80013%
Aid Africa$1,70031%
International Womens Forum of Idaho Incorporated$1,3202n/a
In a Landscape$1,00010%
International Rescue Committee INC$1,00010%
Environmental Resource Center$1,00010%
Sbcs Corporation$1,00010%
Salem for Refugees$1,00010%
Idaho Conservation League Inc$1,00010%
Our Children's Trust$1,00010%
Protect Our Winters$1,00010%
Public Citizen Inc$1,00010%
Eugene Ballet Company$1,00020%
Eugene Symphony Association Inc$50020%
No One Left Behind$50010%
Globalgiving Foundation Inc$50010%
Empowers Africa Inc$50010%
Higher Ground USA Inc$19010%
Idaho Rivers United$15010%
Harvest Against Hunger$15010%
Mercer Island Schools Foundation$10010%
The Young Men's Christian Association of Greater Seattle (6871)$10010%
Ripple Effect Images$10010%
Wikimedia Foundation Inc$8030%

What it could do for these grantees

Plus 39 recipients with no EIN on record ($75k), not named here.

Where it is load-bearing

Each grantee by its size and the share of its budget The Sanford Foundation supplied at peak.

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetStoveteam International: $51,000 over 6y, 12% of budgetSquareone Villages: $21,000 over 6y, 0.3% of budgetWorld Central Kitchen Inc: $19,500 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetOregon Contemporary Theatre: $17,000 over 6y, 0.7% of budgetEnvironmental Law Alliance Worldwide: $15,500 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetEugene Southtowne Rotary Foundation: $14,650 over 5y, 5.9% of budgetMedecins Sans Frontieres USA Inc: $10,500 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetOrchestra Next: $10,000 over 2y, 3.3% of budgetAlliance of Idaho Inc: $9,000 over 5y, 0.8% of budgetThe Voices Project USA Inc: $8,500 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetCasita Copan Inc: $8,500 over 6y, 0.9% of budgetOregon Public Broadcasting: $7,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetEugene Mission Inc: $7,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetThe Surfrider Foundation: $6,140 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetWhite Bird Clinic: $6,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetFood for Lane County: $6,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetDental Care for Children: $5,500 over 3y, 4.6% of budgetJpr Foundation Inc: $5,500 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetEl Porvenir: $5,500 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetEqual Justice Initiative: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUgandan Water Project: $5,000 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetAl Otro Lado: $5,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetMcKenzie River Trust: $4,100 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetSun Valley Summer Symphony Inc: $3,750 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetYemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation: $2,500 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetNightingale Hosted Shelters: $2,500 over 4y, 1.0% of budgetNextstep Recycling: $2,500 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetBlaine County Hunger Coalition Inc: $2,200 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetThe Union of Concerned Scientists Inc: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSponsors Inc: $2,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetKind Inc: $2,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetOutfitters 4 Hope Inc: $1,800 over 1y, 2.7% of budgetAid Africa: $1,700 over 3y, 0.8% of budgetIn a Landscape: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetInternational Rescue Committee INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetEnvironmental Resource Center: $1,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetSbcs Corporation: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSalem for Refugees: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetIdaho Conservation League Inc: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetOur Children's Trust: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetProtect Our Winters: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPublic Citizen Inc: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetEugene Ballet Company: $1,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetEugene Symphony Association Inc: $500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNo One Left Behind: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGlobalgiving Foundation Inc: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetEmpowers Africa Inc: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHigher Ground USA Inc: $190 over 1y, 0.0% of budget

Tap a dot to name the grantee.

How this is measured
Share of budget is the funder’s grant in a year over the grantee’s total revenue that year, at its highest across the years we hold; revenue is from all sources. Only grantees confirmed against their own filings, whose grants do not exceed their revenue, are plotted: the largest 54.

Nonprofits that may fit its grantmaking

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 Oregon Community FoundationOR26.7× affinity14 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Oregon Community Foundation · United Way of Lane County · First Fruits Foundation · Chambers Family Foundation · The Autzen Foundation · Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation Trust · Crow Farm Foundation · Larson Family Foundation · The Suwinski Family Foundation Inc · McKay Family Foundation · The Woodard Family Foundation · M J Murdock Charitable Trust

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.

Compare The Sanford Foundation with peer funders

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to The Sanford Foundation?

Find your warmest path to The Sanford 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.

About The Sanford Foundation

How much does The Sanford Foundation give?
The Sanford Foundation reported 22 grants totaling $47,900 in its FY2025 IRS filing. It funded between 35 and 47 organizations a year over FY2020 to FY2024.
What does The Sanford Foundation fund?
By grant dollars over FY2020 to FY2025, its largest causes are Arts & Culture (24%), Human Services (16%), International (9%).
Who are The Sanford Foundation's largest grantees?
By total granted over FY2020 to FY2025: Stoveteam International ($51k), Promusica Foundation ($50k), Squareone Villages ($21k).
Does The Sanford Foundation fund new organizations?
In FY2024, 31% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
Does The Sanford Foundation accept unsolicited applications?
Its most recent filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and does not take unsolicited requests. Check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.
Which funders back the same organizations as The Sanford Foundation?
Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include The Oregon Community Foundation, United Way of Lane County, First Fruits Foundation.
Where is The Sanford Foundation based?
The Sanford Foundation is based in WA.

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 98 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 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

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