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The Shug Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Shug 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.

$8k
Granted FY2025still arriving
9
Grants FY2025still arriving
6
States reached
$2k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2023 to 2025.

Education$10kAnimals$4kFood & Nutrition$4kHealth$4kArts & Culture$2kRecreation & Sports$2kHuman Services$2kHousing & Shelter$1kOther$0
02FY2025 · 9 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$517
Median grant
6
States reached
$490k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
DOUBLE T FOUNDATION$2,400
NUTRITIONFACTSORG$1,500
COLLEGE GOLF FELLOWSHIP$1,090
UNITED WAY$600
GIG HARBOR JUNIOR SAILING$517
FIRST TEE - WESTERN NY$500
CASCADIA RESEARCH COLLECTIVE$500
NATIONAL MS SOCIETY$500
SCANDINAVIAN CULTURAL CENTER$48
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 (FY24–24, $1k) land where the poverty rate runs at 9%, against an area that typically sits at 9%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 9%SOUND OUTREACH: $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

WA
IL
MI
NY
OH
CA
CO
MD
DE
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.

48%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$14k · 5 repeat orgs$15k to everyone else

5 repeat relationships: 1 still active in FY2025, 4 since wound down; 8 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

5
14

Total granted

$14k
$9k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+16%
+47%

Still filing today

80%
43%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 20% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $6k went to new ones.

50%100%’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’23’24’25
AnimalsHuman ServicesEducationFood & NutritionHousing & ShelterYouth DevelopmentOther
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

  • DELTA GAMMA FOUNDATION
    2× · 2023–2024 · $4k · revenue +26%
  • HS
    HUMANE SOCIETY FOR TACOMA PIERCE COUNTY SOCIETY PREVENTION CRUELTY ANIMALS
    2× · 2023–2024 · $3k · revenue +16%
  • MP
    Maris Place
    2× · 2023–2024 · $627 · revenue +15%

Funded once

  • HF
    HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
    one grant, 2024 · $1k
  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2024 · $1k
  • SS
    SOUTH SOUND OUTREACH SERVICES
    one grant, 2024 · $1k · revenue -18%
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
American Physiological Society

Empowering scientists to understand life and improve health by advancing and communicating discoveries in physiology and medicine.

Health
2
Paws of Grays Harbor

PAWS cares for lost, abandoned and abused animals and finds them new homes with responsible owners. PAWS also provides low cost spay and neuter services, a pet food pantry, and community education. During 2024 PAWS adopted out 577 pets.…

Animals
3
Humane Society of South Mississippi

The mission of the humane society is to save and enhance the lives of pets through cooperative and innovative approaches to adoption, spay/neuter, sheltering and community engagement.

Animals
4
Pacific Marine Research

The organization's mission is to promote respect and appreciation for Puget Sound by teaching principles of environmental stewardship and inspire observation of and involvement with Puget Sound. Through its Marine Science Afloat program,…

—
5
Marin Humane Society

Marin humane transforms lives through exceptional animal care, humane education, and advocacy. every day, marin humane inspires compassion and positive relationships between people and animals.

Animals
6
Hampden-Sydney College

Since 1775, the mission of Hampden-Sydney College has been to form good men and good citizens in an atmosphere of sound learning.

Education
7
The Oceanography Society

The Oceanography Societys mission is to build the capacity of its diverse global membership; catalyze interdisciplinary ocean research, technology, policy, and education; and promote equitable access to opportunities for all.

—
8
Humane Society of Southern Arizona

To compassionately serve pets and the people who love them.

Animals
9
Church of Pug

Our mission is the rescue, rehabilitation and permanent placement of in need pugs, pug-mixes and other small (under 25 lbs) brachycephalic breeds into loving homes. We commit to rescue any pug, regardless of age or medical condition and…

Animals
10
Puget Sound Goat Rescue and Adoption

Puget Sound Goat Rescue is a charity that rescues goats from a variety of situations where they are unwanted, mistreated, neglected or abused. The goats are cared for at the rescue until they are ready to be adopted to permanent, loving…

Animals
11
President and Fellows of Harvard College

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

Education
12
University of Portland

The university of portland, an independently governed catholic university guided by the congregation of holy cross, addresses significant questions of human concern through interdisciplinary studies of the arts, sciences, and humanities…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Guide Dogs for the Blind Inc; the most unlike its peers is Maris Place. 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

15 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. 15 of the 28 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)
3
Early backer (in before they grew)
15/15
Grantees still filing
9/15
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

ALZHEIZMER'S ASSOCIATION: $3,000 · OtherALZHEIZMER'S ASSOCIATIONDOUBLE T FOUNDATION: $2,400 · OtherDOUBLE T FOUNDATIONHABITAT FOR HUMANITY: $1,000 · OtherHABITAT FOR HUMANITYIndividual grant recipient: $1,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipientPNW DANCE FOUNDATION: $1,000 · OtherPNW DANCE FOUNDATIONTURNING POINT: $1,000 · OtherTURNING POINTBOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF SOUTH PUGET SOUND: $750 · OtherUNITED WAY: $600 · OtherMD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER: $500 · OtherFIRST TEE - WESTERN NY: $500 · OtherPENINSULA WILD CARE: $500 · OtherFSU FOUNDATION MAAURA'S VOICE: $500 · OtherCASCADIA RESEARCH COLLECTIVE: $500 · OtherGIG HARBOR JUNIOR SAILING: $517 · OtherNATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY: $500 · Other+2 more: $248 · OtherDELTA GAMMA FOUNDATION: $3,500 · EducationDELTA GAMMA FOUND…HILLSDALE COLLEGE: $1,000 · EducationHILLSDALE COLLEGE+1 more: $40 · EducationNutritionfactsorg Inc: $4,083 · Food & NutritionNutritionfactso…HUMANE SOCIETY FOR TACOMA PIERCE COUNTY SOCIETY PREVENTION CRUELTY ANIMALS: $2,750 · AnimalsHUMANE SOCIET…OLD DOG HAVEN: $515 · AnimalsOLD DOG HAVENOAKBROOK CAT RESCUE: $400 · AnimalsOAKBROOK CAT …SOUTH SOUND OUTREACH SERVICES: $1,000 · Human ServicesGUIDE DOGS FOR THE BLIND INC: $500 · Human ServicesCollege Golf Fellowship: $1,090 · ReligionMaris Place: $627 · Youth Development
Other$14,515Education$4,540Food & Nutrition$4,083Animals$3,665Human Services$1,500Religion$1,090Youth Development$627

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 budgetNutritionfactsorg Inc: $4,083 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetDELTA GAMMA FOUNDATION: $3,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetHUMANE SOCIETY FOR TACOMA PIERCE COUNTY SOCIETY PREVENTION CRUELTY ANIMALS: $2,750 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCollege Golf Fellowship: $1,090 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSOUTH SOUND OUTREACH SERVICES: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetHILLSDALE COLLEGE: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMaris Place: $627 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetOLD DOG HAVEN: $515 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGUIDE DOGS FOR THE BLIND INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE RESCUE MISSION: $200 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPacific Lutheran University: $40 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.

Arthur J Gallagher Fo…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…The Blackbaud Giving …Morgan Stanley Global…The Bank of America C…Paypal Charitable Giv…Network for GoodVanguard Charitable E…American Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Arthur J Gallagher FoundationIL12.4× affinity4 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Arthur J Gallagher Foundation · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Paypal Charitable Giving Fund · Network for Good · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · 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 Shug Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Shug 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%19%38%56%75%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 · 0–75%
    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 28 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

    Play a game based on Shug’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