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The Smart Family Fund at a glance

· Private foundation

The Smart Family Fund

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.

$1.5M
Granted FY2024still arriving
32
Grants FY2024still arriving
10
States reached
$250k
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, FY2019 to 2024.

Education$3.4MPublic Benefit$1.1MCrime & Legal$1.0MArts & Culture$996kYouth Development$375kEmployment$365kInternational$330kPhilanthropy$300kOther$0
02FY2024 · 32 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • $10k–50k20 grants · $420k
  • $50k–250k11 grants · $840k
  • $250k+1 grant · $250k
$25,000
Median grant
10
States reached
$17M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
RECIDIVIZ INC$250,000
VOTINGWORKS$200,000
THE GLOBAL GOOD FUND$100,000
LETS GET READY INC$100,000
CAREER TECHNICAL EDUCATION SOLUTIONS$70,000
HORIZONS GREATER WASHINGTON INC$60,000
THE BRAVE HOUSE$60,000
BLAIR HOUSE RESTORATION FUND$50,000
NEWS LITERACY PROJECT INC$50,000
KICKSTART INTERNATIONAL INC$50,000
ST JOHNS COLLEGE$50,000
MIGHTY WRITERS$50,000
MARET SCHOOL INC$40,000
PHILADELPHIA CHILDRENS ALLIANCE$35,000
DARIEN ARTS CENTER$25,000
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 (FY19–24, $260k) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 69% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%INSTITUTE ON AGING: $15k → 10%FAIR CHANCE: $25k → 14%REACT DC: $10k → 6%INSTITUTE ON AGING: $15k → 10%FAIR CHANCE: $25k → 14%REACT DC: $10k → 6%INSTITUTE ON AGING: $5k → 10%REACT DC: $15k → 6%KEN'S KREW: $30k → 17%REACT DC: $10k → 6%KEN'S KREW: $25k → 17%FAIR CHANCE: $25k → 14%FAIR CHANCE: $25k → 14%FAIR CHANCE: $25k → 14%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
NY
MA
WY
OH
PA
NJ
CT
CA
VA
MD
DE
DC
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.
$8.2M · 43 repeat orgs$270k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +30% since the first grant, against +24% for those funded once.

43 repeat relationships: 27 still active in FY2024, 16 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

43
10

Total granted

$8.2M
$205k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+30%
+24%

Still filing today

86%
70%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 96% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $65k went to new ones.

50%100%’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’19’20’21’22’23’24
Arts & CultureEducationYouth DevelopmentCrime & LegalHuman ServicesPhilanthropyOther
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

  • RI
    RECIDIVIZ INC
    4× · 2021–2024 · $750k · revenue +153%
  • LG
    LET'S GET READY INC
    6× · 2019–2024 · $480k · revenue +3%
  • SJ
    ST JOHN'S COLLEGE
    6× · 2019–2024 · $450k · revenue +36%

Funded once

  • AO
    APPALACHIAN OHIO MANUFACTURERS COALITIONgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $70k · revenue +455%
  • NATIONAL NETWORK OF ABORTION FUNDS INCgraduated
    one grant, 2019 · $25k · revenue +188%
  • HH
    HOLLER HEALTH JUSTICE INC
    one grant, 2019 · $25k
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
Npr Foundation

The npr foundation ("foundation") is organized and operated exclusively for the benefit of its sole supported organization, national public radio, inc. ("npr inc."). the foundation supports npr inc. through various activities such as…

—
2
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.

—
3
Golden Gate University

Golden gate university prepares individuals to lead and serve by providing high quality, practice-based educational programs in law, taxation, business and related professions - as a nonprofit institution - in an innovative and challenging…

Education
4
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
5
Public Media Nj Inc

To bring quality public television programs and resources to communities throughout new jersey and its tri-state neighbors. its content, both on-air and online, aims to reflect the diverse

Arts & Culture
6
Boston Architectural College

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

—
7
Npr International Operations Inc

Npr international operations, inc. ("nprio") supports the international newsgathering activities of national public radio, inc. through bureaus and offices established locally in foreign countries.

—
8
The George Washington University

The mission of the george washington university (gw) is to educate individuals in liberal arts, languages, sciences, learned professions, and other courses and subjects of study, and to conduct scholarly research and publish the findings…

Education
9
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
10
Great Mn Schools

We believe that great schools are the cornerstone of a just and thriving community. ensuring that every child is able to attend a school that works is our moral and social imperative - our children deserve no less.

Education
11
Furman University

The primary mission of furman as a liberal arts institution is to provide a distinctive education in fine arts, humanities, social sciences, mathematics and the sciences, as well as selected professional disciplines.

Education
12
Point Park University

Provides innovative education in a dynamic urban setting. dedicated to academic excellence and community engagement,we prepare students of diverse backgrounds with the knowledge, skill,and experience to lead meaningful lives as informed…

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Greater Washington Community Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Grand Teton National Park 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

50 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. 50 of the 59 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.

1
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
10
Early backer (in before they grew)
50/50
Grantees still filing
30/50
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

LET'S GET READY INC: $480,000 · EducationLET'S GET READY INCST JOHN'S COLLEGE: $450,000 · EducationST JOHN'S COLLEGETHE NEWS LITERACY PROJECT INC: $275,000 · EducationTHE NEWS LITERACY PROJECT…MIGHTY WRITERS: $220,000 · EducationMIGHTY WRITERSMARET SCHOOL INC: $215,000 · EducationMARET SCHOOL INCMILL VALLEY SCHOOLS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION DBA KIDDO: $120,000 · EducationMILL VALLEY SCHOOLS COMMU…UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE PARK FOUNDATION INC: $120,000 · EducationUNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND CO…+2 more: $60,000 · EducationHORIZONS NATIONAL STUDENT ENRICHMENT PROGRAM INC: $925,000 · Youth DevelopmentHORIZONS NATIONAL ST…HORIZONS GREATER WASHINGTON INC: $430,000 · Youth DevelopmentHORIZONS GREATER WAS…EXPERIENCE CAMPS: $170,000 · Youth DevelopmentEXPERIENCE CAMPS+2 more: $30,000 · Youth DevelopmentVotingWorks: $835,000 · Civil RightsVotingWorksBRAVE HOUSE INC: $210,000 · Civil RightsBRAVE HOUSE I…+1 more: $25,000 · Civil RightsRECIDIVIZ INC: $750,000 · Crime & LegalRECIDIVIZ INCPHILADELPHIA CHILDREN'S ALLIANCE: $225,000 · Crime & LegalPHILADELPHIA …+2 more: $35,000 · Crime & LegalBLAIR HOUSE FOUNDATION: $300,000 · Arts & CultureBLAIR HOUSE …NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO INC: $150,000 · Arts & CultureNATIONAL PUB…FORD'S THEATRE SOCIETY: $120,000 · Arts & CultureFORD'S THEAT…TRUST FOR THE NATIONAL MALL: $105,000 · Arts & CultureTRUST FOR TH…BAY AREA DISCOVERY MUSEUM: $100,000 · Arts & CultureBAY AREA DIS…NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WILDLIFE ART OF THE UNITED STATES: $60,000 · Arts & CultureNATIONAL MUS…NEW YORK PUBLIC RADIO: $56,000 · Arts & CultureNEW YORK PUB…DARIEN ARTS CENTER INC: $55,000 · Arts & CultureDARIEN ARTS …KICKSTART INTERNATIONAL INC: $319,500 · PhilanthropyGREATER WASHINGTON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $110,000 · PhilanthropyGRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION: $110,000 · PhilanthropyFOCUSING PHILANTHROPY INC: $80,000 · PhilanthropyCAREER TECHNICAL EDUCATION SOLUTIONS: $120,000 · OtherCAREER TECHNICAL EDUC…TEACHER'S COLLEGE COLUMBIA UNIVERISTY: $100,000 · OtherTEACHER'S COLLEGE COL…MILL VALLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOLS FOUNDATION (KIDDO): $80,000 · OtherTRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: $70,000 · OtherCENTER FOR EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES INC: $140,000 · OtherCENTER FOR EMPLOYMENT…PER SCHOLAS INC: $100,000 · OtherPER SCHOLAS INCAPPALACHIAN OHIO MANUFACTURERS COALITION: $70,000 · OtherFAIR CHANCE: $125,000 · OtherFAIR CHANCEKEN'S KREW: $55,000 · OtherCAPITAL AREA FOOD BANK INC: $195,000 · OtherCAPITAL AREA FOOD BAN…Global Good Fund: $175,000 · OtherGlobal Good Fund+15 more: $420,000 · Other+15 more
Education$1,940,000Youth Development$1,555,000Civil Rights$1,070,000Crime & Legal$1,010,000Arts & Culture$946,000Philanthropy$619,500Other$1,650,000

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 budgetHORIZONS NATIONAL STUDENT ENRICHMENT PROGRAM INC: $925,000 over 6y, 5.2% of budgetVotingWorks: $835,000 over 5y, 3.7% of budgetRECIDIVIZ INC: $750,000 over 4y, 1.1% of budgetLET'S GET READY INC: $480,000 over 6y, 2.8% of budgetST JOHN'S COLLEGE: $450,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetHORIZONS GREATER WASHINGTON INC: $430,000 over 6y, 7.8% of budgetKICKSTART INTERNATIONAL INC: $319,500 over 6y, 2.3% of budgetBLAIR HOUSE FOUNDATION: $300,000 over 6y, 18% of budgetTHE NEWS LITERACY PROJECT INC: $275,000 over 6y, 2.0% of budgetPHILADELPHIA CHILDREN'S ALLIANCE: $225,000 over 6y, 1.1% of budgetMIGHTY WRITERS: $220,000 over 6y, 1.6% of budgetMARET SCHOOL INC: $215,000 over 6y, 0.2% of budgetBRAVE HOUSE INC: $210,000 over 4y, 29% of budgetCAPITAL AREA FOOD BANK INC: $195,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetGlobal Good Fund: $175,000 over 2y, 6.4% of budgetEXPERIENCE CAMPS: $170,000 over 6y, 1.0% of budgetNATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO INC: $150,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetCENTER FOR EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES INC: $140,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetFAIR CHANCE: $125,000 over 5y, 1.3% of budgetMILL VALLEY SCHOOLS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION DBA KIDDO: $120,000 over 4y, 1.5% of budgetFORD'S THEATRE SOCIETY: $120,000 over 6y, 0.2% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE PARK FOUNDATION INC: $120,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetGREATER WASHINGTON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $110,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetGRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION: $110,000 over 6y, 0.8% of budgetTRUST FOR THE NATIONAL MALL: $105,000 over 6y, 1.0% of budgetPER SCHOLAS INC: $100,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetBAY AREA DISCOVERY MUSEUM: $100,000 over 4y, 0.4% of budgetFOCUSING PHILANTHROPY INC: $80,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetAPPALACHIAN OHIO MANUFACTURERS COALITION: $70,000 over 1y, 21% of budgetNATIONAL MUSEUM OF WILDLIFE ART OF THE UNITED STATES: $60,000 over 2y, 1.0% of budgetNEW YORK PUBLIC RADIO: $56,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetDARIEN ARTS CENTER INC: $55,000 over 3y, 3.1% of budgetKEN'S KREW: $55,000 over 2y, 2.4% of budgetMILL VALLEY LIVEARTS DBA 142 THROCKMORTON THEATRE: $50,000 over 6y, 1.5% of budgetTHE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY: $50,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetREACT DC INC: $45,000 over 4y, 4.3% of budgetGOLDEN GATE NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVANCY: $45,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetMILL VALLEY LIBRARY FOUNDATION: $35,000 over 4y, 5.1% of budgetINSTITUTE ON AGING: $35,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetGLOBAL LYME ALLIANCE INC: $30,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetNATIONAL NETWORK OF ABORTION FUNDS INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetThe Network Group Inc: $25,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetCHELSEA'S FUND: $25,000 over 1y, 3.1% of budgetTRIPS FOR KIDS NATIONAL: $20,000 over 1y, 14% of budgetTRIPS FOR KIDS MARIN: $15,000 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetBIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS INDEPENDENCE REGION: $15,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetNORWALKSTAMFORD GRASSROOTS TENNIS & EDUCATION INC: $15,000 over 1y, 1.9% of budgetBENNINGTON COLLEGE CORPORATION: $10,000 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.

  • Who funds HORIZONS NATIONAL STUDENT ENRICHMENT PROGRAM INC ↗
  • Who funds VotingWorks ↗
  • Who funds RECIDIVIZ INC ↗
  • Who funds LET'S GET READY INC ↗
  • Who funds ST JOHN'S COLLEGE ↗
  • Who funds HORIZONS GREATER WASHINGTON INC ↗
  • Who funds KICKSTART INTERNATIONAL INC ↗
  • Who funds BLAIR HOUSE FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds THE NEWS LITERACY PROJECT INC ↗
  • Who funds PHILADELPHIA CHILDREN'S ALLIANCE ↗
  • Who funds MIGHTY WRITERS ↗
  • Who funds MARET SCHOOL INC ↗
  • Who funds BRAVE HOUSE INC ↗
  • Who funds CAPITAL AREA FOOD BANK INC ↗
  • Who funds Global Good Fund ↗
  • Who funds EXPERIENCE CAMPS ↗
  • Who funds NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO INC ↗
  • Who funds CENTER FOR EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES INC ↗
  • Who funds FAIR CHANCE ↗
  • Who funds MILL VALLEY SCHOOLS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION DBA KIDDO ↗
  • Who funds FORD'S THEATRE SOCIETY ↗
  • Who funds UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE PARK FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds GREATER WASHINGTON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds TRUST FOR THE NATIONAL MALL ↗
  • Who funds PER SCHOLAS INC ↗
  • Who funds BAY AREA DISCOVERY MUSEUM ↗
  • Who funds FOCUSING PHILANTHROPY INC ↗
  • Who funds APPALACHIAN OHIO MANUFACTURERS COALITION ↗
  • Who funds NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WILDLIFE ART OF THE UNITED STATES ↗
  • Who funds NEW YORK PUBLIC RADIO ↗
  • Who funds DARIEN ARTS CENTER INC ↗
  • Who funds KEN'S KREW ↗
  • Who funds MILL VALLEY LIVEARTS DBA 142 THROCKMORTON THEATRE ↗
  • Who funds THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY ↗

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.

Marin Community Found…Gs Donor Advised Phil…Silicon Valley Commun…Morgan Stanley Global…Greater Washington Co…Jewish Community Fede…The Scott and Patrice…Clark-Winchcole Found…The Hearst FoundationImpactassetsincMax & Victoria Dreyfu…Fairfield County's Co…
Marin Community FoundationCA20.7× affinity9 shared granteesties to 10 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Marin Community Foundation · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · Silicon Valley Community Foundation · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Greater Washington Community Foundation · Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco the Peninsula Marin & Sonoma · The Scott and Patrice Brickman Family Foundation · Clark-Winchcole Foundation · The Hearst Foundation · Impactassetsinc · Max & Victoria Dreyfus Foundation Inc · Fairfield County's Community 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 Smart Family Fund funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Smart Family Fund. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 70%2%8%17%30%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 2%
  • St John's College: 2% of income from government
  • Bennington College Corporation: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
7get no government money at all
12report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely 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 59 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 Smart 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