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The Swanson Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Swanson 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.

$632k
Granted FY2024still arriving
8
Grants FY2024still arriving
2
States reached
$235k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0187% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2019 to 2025.

Education$1.7MHealth$640kRecreation & Sports$125kYouth Development$65kArts & Culture$50kMembership Benefit$50kOther$0
02FY2024 · 8 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k2 grants · $5k
  • $10k–50k3 grants · $67k
  • $50k–250k3 grants · $560k
$25,000
Median grant
2
States reached
$2.1M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Cal Poly Foundation$234,600
Massachusetts General Hospital Nurses Alumnae Asso$200,000
Friends of Laguna Seca$125,000
Pebble Beach Company Foundation$25,000
Naval Postgraduate School Foundation$21,800
John F Kennedy Library Foundation$20,000
The House Institute Foundation$5,000
Old Mission School$200
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:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY22–24) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 98% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%John F Kennedy Library Foundation: $20k → 16%California Highway Patrol 11-99 Foundation: $50k → 10%Cal Poly Foundation: $784k → 12%Friends of Laguna Seca: $125k → 12%The House Institute Foundation: $5k → 14%The Colorado Grand: $5k → 12%Boston Public Library Fund Inc: $10k → 16%Cal Poly Foundation: $602k → 12%Naval Postgraduate School Foundation: $23k → 12%Petersen Automotive Museum: $25k → 14%The Colorado Grand: $5k → 12%Massachusetts General Hospital Nurses Alumnae Asso: $210k → 16%Cal Poly Foundation: $235k → 12%Naval Postgraduate School Foundation: $22k → 12%Massachusetts General Hospital Nurses Alumnae Asso: $200k → 16%French Hospital Foundation: $25k → 12%Naval Postgraduate School Foundation: $22k → 12%Massachusetts General Hospital Nurses Alumnae Asso: $200k → 16%Old Mission School: $300 → 12%Pebble Beach Company Foundation: $25k → 12%Boston Children's Museum: $15k → 16%Old Mission School: $200 → 12%Pebble Beach Company Foundation: $20k → 12%Templeton High School Engineering: $30k → 12%Pebble Beach Company Foundation: $20k → 12%Templeton High School Engineering: $1k → 12%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.
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.

90%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$2.4M · 7 repeat orgs$275k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +56% since the first grant, against +3% for those funded once.

7 repeat relationships: 5 still active in FY2024, 2 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

7
5

Total granted

$2.4M
$125k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+56%
+3%

Still filing today

57%
80%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 76% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $150k went to new ones.

50%100%’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’22’23’24
EducationArts & CulturePhilanthropyHealthMembership BenefitOther
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

  • CP
    CALIFORNIA POLYTECHNIC STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION
    3× · 2022–2024 · $1.6M · revenue +6%
  • NP
    NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL FOUNDATION INC
    3× · 2022–2024 · $66k · revenue +327%
  • PB
    Pebble Beach Company Foundation
    3× · 2022–2024 · $65k · revenue +22%

Funded once

  • C1
    CHP 11-99 FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2023 · $50k · revenue -33%
  • PA
    PETERSEN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2022 · $25k · revenue +3%
  • FH
    French Hospital Foundation
    one grant, 2022 · $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
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.

—
2
Uc Santa Barbara Foundation

The uc santa barbara foundation actively works to further the goals of the university of california, santa barbara. the foundation seeks to maintain and nurture the university's quality and distinction. on behalf of the campus, the…

Education
3
Foundation of California State University Monterey Bay

To further the scientific, literary, educational and charitable purposes of california state university, monterey bay, including fundraising, development, endowment management, financial assistance, public relations and other support.

Education
4
Califonia State University East Bay Foundation Inc

Csu east bay foundation is an auxiliary organization of california state university east bay and the california state university system. the organization's mission is to provide services that aid, supplement, and advance the educational…

Education
5
The Uc Davis Foundation

The mission of the uc davis foundation is to secure, steward and manage private gifts for uc davis.

Education
6
Ucla Foundation

The ucla foundation is the giving, receiving, and investing arm of the ucla campus. the foundation enables private donors to help build, sustain and advance one of the world's finest academic and research institutions. private philanthropy…

Education
7
Cal State East Bay Educational Foundation

To accept and manage restricted and unrestricted gifts benefiting california state university east bay. additionally, the trustees support the university through advocacy, development, personal contributions and counsel to the university's…

Education
8
Cal State Fullerton Philanthropic Foundation

To actively promote, pursue and steward private support for the advancement of california state university, fullerton.

Philanthropy
9
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…

—
10
California State University Long Beach Research Foundation

Serves the mission of the university by supporting and engaging in research, entrepreneurship, community service, sponsored programs and the acquisition of private resources.

Education
11
California State University Foundation

Established in 1962, the foundation is the central foundation for the california state university (csu) system and serves the office of the chancellor. the foundation exists to support excellence in teaching and learning, and to serve the…

Philanthropy
12
California State University Los Angeles Foundation

To advance the educational, cultural, scholarly, and creative activities and the role of community service of csula by increasing private funding, responsibly managing donated resources and supporting the university and its diverse and…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Naval Postgraduate School Foundation Inc; the most unlike its peers is John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library Foundation Incorporated. 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

11 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. 11 of the 15 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)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
11/11
Grantees still filing
6/11
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

CALIFORNIA POLYTECHNIC STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $1,620,775 · EducationCALIFORNIA POLYTECHNIC STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATIONNAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL FOUNDATION INC: $66,400 · Education+2 more: $30,000 · EducationMassachusetts General Hospital Nurses Alumnae Asso: $610,000 · OtherMassachusetts General Hospital Nu…FRIENDS OF LAGUNA SECA: $125,000 · OtherFRIENDS OF LAGUNA SECATempleton High School Engineering: $31,000 · Other+3 more: $35,500 · OtherPebble Beach Company Foundation: $65,000 · PhilanthropyCHP 11-99 FOUNDATION: $50,000 · Membership BenefitPETERSEN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM FOUNDATION: $25,300 · Arts & CultureTHE CHILDRENS MUSEUM: $15,000 · Arts & CultureTHE HOUSE INSTITUTE FOUNDATION: $5,000 · Health
Education$1,717,175Other$801,500Philanthropy$65,000Membership Benefit$50,000Arts & Culture$40,300Health$5,000

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$10Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetCALIFORNIA POLYTECHNIC STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $1,620,775 over 3y, 1.7% of budgetFRIENDS OF LAGUNA SECA: $125,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetNAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL FOUNDATION INC: $66,400 over 3y, 0.6% of budgetPebble Beach Company Foundation: $65,000 over 3y, 0.6% of budgetCHP 11-99 FOUNDATION: $50,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetPETERSEN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM FOUNDATION: $25,300 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetJOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY LIBRARY FOUNDATION INCORPORATED: $20,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetTHE CHILDRENS MUSEUM: $15,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY FUND INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCOLORADO GRAND INC: $10,000 over 2y, 0.5% 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 Ayco Charitable F…Silicon Valley Commun…Gs Donor Advised Phil…National Philanthropi…American Endowment Fo…Morgan Stanley Global…Vanguard Charitable E…Donor Advised Charita…The Bank of America C…American Online Givin…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
The Ayco Charitable FoundationNY12.3× affinity4 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Ayco Charitable Foundation · Silicon Valley Community Foundation · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · American Endowment Foundation · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · American Online Giving Foundation 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 Swanson Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Swanson Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%4%8%11%15%share of the org’s income from government →median 1%
  • The Childrens Museum: 1% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
1get no government money at all
2report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–15%
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 15 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.

Possibly out of date. A more recent filing (FY2025) is on record and reports $743k of grant expense with no grantee named in the published copy. A private foundation itemizes every grant it makes, so a return carrying none has filed its list as an attachment that the public copy does not include. The figures above are therefore from FY2024, the most recent year this funder’s grantee list reached the public record.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Swanson’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