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The Sweetgrass Foundation Inc at a glanceAlso receives grants: funding profile →

· Private foundation

The Sweetgrass Foundation Inc

Its FY2025 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$150k
Granted FY2025still arriving
4
Grants FY2025still arriving
3
States reached
$50k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0196% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2018 to 2024.

Environment$595kEducation$206kInternational$183kYouth Development$98kAnimals$81kCommunity Improvement$18kArts & Culture$18kCivil Rights$16kOther$0
02FY2025 · 4 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • $10k–50k2 grants · $50k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $100k
$50,000
Median grant
3
States reached
$2.6M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Individual grant recipient$50,000
ESCUDILLA INTERNATIONAL CONSERVATION$50,000
THE MOM FOUNDATION - NEPAL$25,000
OKEFENOKEE SWAMP PARK INC$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.

US giving: 70% of grant dollars ($957k). The need read here covers only this US portion; the 30% that went abroad ($415k) is mapped below.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY22–22, $5k) land where the poverty rate runs at 12%, against an area that typically sits at 8%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 8%GREEN LENTS: $5k → 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.

Which US states its grants reach

AK
WA
MT
IL
NY
MA
OR
SD
IA
PA
NJ
CA
UT
CO
VA
MD
NC
SC
DC
HI
GA
TX
FL

Beyond the US: 30% of all-years giving ($415k)

8 countries, by the recipient’s country on the filing.

grant dollars sentlessmore
Nepal$312k · 10 grants
Brazil$30k · 2 grants
India$22k · 4 grants
Kenya$22k · 4 grants
South Africa$12k · 2 grants
Costa Rica$8k · 1 grant
Ukraine$8k · 1 grant
Cameroon$3k · 1 grant
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. International giving is mapped by the recipient’s country from the same 990 filings; comparable need data isn’t available at that grain.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

75%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.1M · 33 repeat orgs$375k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +103% since the first grant, against +4% for those funded once.

33 repeat relationships: 4 still active in FY2025, 29 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

33
60

Total granted

$1.1M
$375k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+103%
+4%

Still filing today

76%
72%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 went to new ones.

50%100%’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
EnvironmentAnimalsInternationalArts & CultureEducationYouth 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

  • EN
    EAGLE'S NEST FOUNDATION INC
    6× · 2018–2024 · $65k · revenue +20%
  • RC
    RAINCOAST CONSERVATION FOUNDATION
    3× · 2020–2022 · $45k · revenue +107%
  • RR
    ROUND RIVER CONSERVATION STUDIES
    2× · 2021–2023 · $32k · revenue +2%

Funded once

  • ECOTRUST
    one grant, 2018 · $25k · revenue +19%
  • PG
    PORT GAMBLE S'KLALLAM FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2024 · $15k · revenue 0%
  • RC
    RAINFOREST CONNECTION
    one grant, 2020 · $15k · revenue -87%
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
Rainforest Trust

Rainforest trust saves endangered wildlife and protects our planet by creating rainforest reserves through partnerships, community engagement, and donor support.

International
2
Wildcoast

The mission of wildcoast is to conserve coastal and marine ecosystems and address climate change through natural solutions. our staff is dedicated to conserving threatened and endangered coastlines and wildlife in california and mexico.…

Environment
3
Oregon Natural Resources Council Fund

Oregon Wild works to protect and restore Oregon's wildlands, wildlife and waters as an enduring legacy for future generations.

Environment
4
Rainforest Foundation Inc

The purpose of rainforest foundation us is to support indigenous peoples and forest communities in their efforts to secure their lands, protect their environment, and uphold their rights.

Environment
5
CalWild

The California Wilderness Coalition protects the natural landscapes that make California unique, providing clean air and water, a home to wildlife, and a place for recreation and spiritual renewal.

—
6
Nature and Culture International

Nature and culture international conserves biologically diverse landscapes in latin america, in concert with local cultures, for the well-being of the planet.

Environment
7
Western Rivers Conservancy

Western rivers conservancy's mission is to protect outstanding river ecosystems in the western united states. continued on schedule o.we acquire land to conserve critical habitat, provide public access for compatible use and enjoyment, and…

Environment
8
Global Forest Generation

Global Forest Generation restores and protects forest ecosystems in partnership with grassroots leaders and local communities across vast landscapes which play a critical role in preserving water, protecting biodiversity, storing carbon,…

Environment
9
Endangered Species International

Endangered Species International is strongly committed to reversing the trend of human-induced species extinction, saving endangered animals, and preserving wild places.

Animals
10
Wildlife Conservation Network Inc

Connect conservationists and supporters, deploy resources to the field, provide conservationists with tools and support they need to succeed.

Animals
11
Nature for Justice

To empower frontline communities to lead nature-based solutions that advance climate justice, ecosystem restoration, and resilient livelihoods through connecting locally-led initiatives to funding, markets, and technical support.

Environment
12
Amazon Conservation Team

The amazon conservation team (act) partners with indigenous and other local communities to protect tropical forests and strengthen traditional culture.

Science & Tech
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Grand Staircase Escalante Partners Inc; the most unlike its peers is Amextra 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

70 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

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 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 70 of the 93 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)
25
Early backer (in before they grew)
68/70
Grantees still filing
43/70
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

THE MOM FOUNDATION - NEPAL: $203,000 · OtherTHE MOM FOUNDATION - NEPALTHE MOM FOUNDATION - NEPAL (FORMERLY NDSDP): $121,000 · OtherTHE MOM FOUNDATION - NEPAL (FORMERLY NDSDP)Individual grant recipient: $100,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipientOKEFENOKEE SWAMP PARK INC: $50,000 · OtherOKEFENOKEE SWAMP PARK INCABEVILA: $30,000 · Other+39 more: $269,161 · Other+39 moreEscudilla International Conservation: $100,000 · EnvironmentEscudilla International Conserva…EAGLE'S NEST FOUNDATION INC: $65,000 · EnvironmentEAGLE'S NEST FOUNDATION INCECO-LOGIC DEVELOPMENT FUND: $40,000 · EnvironmentECO-LOGIC DEVELOPMENT FUNDEarth Island Institute Inc: $31,000 · EnvironmentEarth Island Institute IncCHATTAHOOCHEE NATURE CENTER INC: $30,000 · EnvironmentCHATTAHOOCHEE NATURE CENTER INCGEORGIA RIVER NETWORK INC dba GEORGIA RIVERS: $20,000 · EnvironmentCASCADIA WILD: $15,300 · EnvironmentRIVER NETWORK: $15,000 · EnvironmentCOLORADO WATER TRUST: $15,000 · Environment+15 more: $106,500 · Environment+15 moreROUND RIVER CONSERVATION STUDIES: $32,000 · AnimalsREWILD: $19,500 · AnimalsALASKA WILDLIFE CONSERVATION CENTER INC: $13,280 · AnimalsAFRICAN PEOPLE & WILDLIFE FUND INC: $9,270 · AnimalsNATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION: $7,500 · AnimalsAfrican Wildlife Conservation Fund Inc: $7,500 · AnimalsBIG LIFE FOUNDATION USA: $6,000 · AnimalsCOEXISTENCE STORY INC: $5,000 · Animals+1 more: $3,000 · AnimalsMEDSHARE INTERNATIONAL INC: $37,000 · InternationalNATUN GUATEMALA: $14,000 · InternationalEL PORVENIR: $10,000 · InternationalWILD TOMORROW FUND: $8,900 · InternationalAMAZON CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND RESEARCH FOUNDATION: $7,500 · InternationalACATE AMAZON CONSERVATION INC: $7,500 · InternationalGroundswell International Inc: $5,000 · International+1 more: $3,000 · InternationalRAINCOAST CONSERVATION FOUNDATION: $45,000 · PhilanthropyChristodora Inc: $10,000 · PhilanthropyPORT GAMBLE S'KLALLAM FOUNDATION: $15,000 · Arts & CultureSONOMA EARTH SCHOOL: $10,000 · Arts & CultureWISHTOYO FOUNDATION DBA WISHTOYO CHUMASH FOUNDATION: $5,000 · Arts & CultureCRAZY HORSE MEMORIAL FOUNDATION: $1,500 · Arts & CultureWilderness Youth Project Inc: $22,800 · Youth DevelopmentHOLISTIC LIFE FOUNDATION INC: $2,500 · Youth Development
Other$773,161Environment$437,800Animals$103,050International$92,900Philanthropy$55,000Arts & Culture$31,500Youth Development$25,300

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 budgetEscudilla International Conservation: $100,000 over 2y, 93% of budgetEAGLE'S NEST FOUNDATION INC: $65,000 over 6y, 0.8% of budgetOKEFENOKEE SWAMP PARK INC: $50,000 over 2y, 0.9% of budgetRAINCOAST CONSERVATION FOUNDATION: $45,000 over 3y, 8.6% of budgetECO-LOGIC DEVELOPMENT FUND: $40,000 over 4y, 2.1% of budgetMEDSHARE INTERNATIONAL INC: $37,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetROUND RIVER CONSERVATION STUDIES: $32,000 over 2y, 1.5% of budgetEarth Island Institute Inc: $31,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetCHATTAHOOCHEE NATURE CENTER INC: $30,000 over 4y, 0.3% of budgetECOTRUST: $25,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetWilderness Youth Project Inc: $22,800 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetGEORGIA RIVER NETWORK INC dba GEORGIA RIVERS: $20,000 over 2y, 2.7% of budgetREWILD: $19,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetNATIVE AMERICAN RIGHTS FUND INC: $16,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetRIVER NETWORK: $15,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetPORT GAMBLE S'KLALLAM FOUNDATION: $15,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetRAINFOREST CONNECTION: $15,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetCOLORADO WATER TRUST: $15,000 over 2y, 0.8% of budgetEARTH LAW CENTER: $15,000 over 2y, 1.3% of budgetNATUN GUATEMALA: $14,000 over 2y, 1.0% of budgetALASKA WILDLIFE CONSERVATION CENTER INC: $13,280 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetGRAND STAIRCASE - ESCALANTE PARTNERS INC: $13,000 over 2y, 1.1% of budgetWALKING MOUNTAINS: $12,500 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetPEOPLE CYCLE INC: $12,000 over 3y, 2.0% of budgetUNITE THE PARKS: $10,000 over 2y, 8.9% of budgetNATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGEORGIA CONSERVANCY INC: $10,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetSONOMA EARTH SCHOOL: $10,000 over 1y, 3.8% of budgetChristodora Inc: $10,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetLYNN CANAL CONSERVATION INC: $10,000 over 1y, 8.4% of budgetTHE ROSE FOUNDATION FOR COMMUNITIES THE ENVIRONMENT: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetEL PORVENIR: $10,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetTHE VITAL GROUND FOUNDATION INC: $10,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetAFRICAN PEOPLE & WILDLIFE FUND INC: $9,270 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetWILD TOMORROW FUND: $8,900 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetAMAZON CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND RESEARCH FOUNDATION: $7,500 over 1y, 3.2% of budgetNATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION: $7,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetACATE AMAZON CONSERVATION INC: $7,500 over 1y, 9.0% of budgetAfrican Wildlife Conservation Fund Inc: $7,500 over 1y, 3.1% of budgetAMEXTRA INC: $7,000 over 1y, 4.9% of budgetGEORGIA ORGANICS INC: $6,500 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetBIG LIFE FOUNDATION USA: $6,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE ATLANTA GIRLS' SCHOOL INC: $6,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetFRIENDS OF CEDAR MESA: $6,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetGroundswell International Inc: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetWISHTOYO FOUNDATION DBA WISHTOYO CHUMASH FOUNDATION: $5,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetINDIAN RIVER LAKES CONSERVANCY: $5,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetGREEN LENTS: $5,000 over 1y, 4.2% 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.

PatagoniaorgNational Fish and Wil…Clif Family FoundationRsf Social Finance IncClimate Conservation …National Geographic S…Marin Community Found…Leonardo Dicaprio Fou…New England Biolabs F…Turner Foundation IncImpactassetsincResources Legacy Fund
PatagoniaorgCA39.5× affinity20 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Patagoniaorg · National Fish and Wildlife Foundation · Clif Family Foundation · Rsf Social Finance Inc · Climate Conservation Dba Center for Large Landscape Conservation · National Geographic Society · Marin Community Foundation · Leonardo Dicaprio Foundation · New England Biolabs Foundation · Turner Foundation Inc · Impactassetsinc · Resources Legacy 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 Sweetgrass Foundation Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Sweetgrass Foundation Inc. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 50%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 32%
  • Green Lents: 38% of income from government
  • African People & Wildlife Fund Inc: 32% of income from government
  • Ecotrust: 14% of income from government
  • Holistic Life Foundation Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
5get 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.
05Through Plinth

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to The Sweetgrass Foundation Inc?

Find your warmest path to The Sweetgrass Foundation Inc 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.

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 93 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 Sweetgrass’ 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