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New York · Private foundation

The Vanderbilt Family Foundation

Its FY2026 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$358k
Granted FY2026(still arriving)
22
Grants FY2026
26
Organizations funded FY2025
19%
First-time grantees FY2025
Read the full brief
Median grant, FY2026
$10,000
Largest grant, FY2026
$70,000
Organizations funded a year
23 to 32
FY2017 to FY2025
States reached, FY2026
9
Total assets, FY2026
$4.3M
Applications
Preselected organizations only
Per its most recent filing; check its own site

How open it is to new grantees

In FY2025, 19% of the organizations The Vanderbilt Family Foundation funded were first-time grantees, receiving 30% of its grant dollars.

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 70% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $102k went to new ones.

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

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

’20’21’22’23’24’25
EnvironmentHuman ServicesInternationalCivil RightsEducationFood & 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
FY2026still arriving22$358k32%
FY202526$344k19%
FY202425$303k28%
FY202327$376k19%
FY202223$334k13%
FY202129$295k21%
FY202024$279k38%
FY201732$357kn/a
94% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2026.

Education$694kEnvironment$430kPublic Benefit$265kInternational$229kHuman Services$207kFood & Nutrition$120kCivil Rights$97kAnimals$90kOther$0

Where its grants go

Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.

Which US states its grants reach

ME
VT
WA
ID
IL
NY
MA
IN
NJ
CT
CA
VA
TN
NC
DC
FL

Top grantees

Largest recipients by total granted, FY2017 to FY2026, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.

Show all 52 grantees
All grantees of The Vanderbilt Family Foundation by total granted
GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Wade Institute for Science Education Inc$338,00068%
The Childrens Storefront$329,000610%
Connecticut Farmland Trust Inc$84,33882%
Common Power Future$72,00021%
Democracy Forward Foundation$70,0001n/a
American Civil Liberties Union Foundation Inc$70,00030%
Appalachian Mountain Club$68,33280%
Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc$67,00080%
Neighbors Link Corp$65,58360%
Ding Darling Wildlife Society Inc$65,50071%
The Lambi Fund of Haiti$65,00029%
Fuse Washington$60,00027%
Northeast Community Center Inc$58,43882%
Idaho Conservation League Inc$58,00061%
Shelburne Farms$58,00010%
Wood River Land Trust Co$57,00070%
Root Cause Farm Inc$43,64457%
Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation$38,50060%
Fuse Innovation Fund$35,00012%
South Bay Families Connected$33,332411%
Seed Programs Inc$32,00026%
Apprentice Learning Inc$28,00051%
The American Himalayan Foundation$23,50080%
Kickstart International Inc$20,00030%
Protect Democracy Project$20,0001n/a
Village Health Works$20,00010%
The Digdeep Right to Water Project$17,00010%
World Assistance for Cambodia Inc$16,83031%
The Segue Foundation Inc$16,00066%
Sunflower of Peace Foundation Inc$15,00011%
First Literacy Inc$15,00021%
Wood River Community Young Men's Christian Association Inc$15,00030%
The Gryd Foundation$15,0001n/a
Committee to Protect Journalists Inc$12,5001n/a
Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors$12,5001n/a
Public Citizen Foundation Inc$12,5001n/a
One Simple Wish Inc$12,50010%
Prism Fl Inc$12,5001n/a
Mentoring Academy$12,0003n/a
Himalayan Cataract Project Inc$12,00040%
Strive International Inc$11,0001n/a
Natural Resources Defense Council Inc$10,00020%
Christodora Inc$9,06120%
Blaine County Hunger Coalition Inc$9,00040%
Insideout Writers Inc$9,00011%
Feeding America$9,00010%
Bonefish & Tarpon Trust Inc$5,0001n/a
The Community Music School Inc$4,1001n/a
Grades of Green Inc$2,00010%
Avian Haven$2,00011%
Learning Rights Law Center$2,00010%
Cobscook Community Learning Center$1,00010%

What it could do for these grantees

Plus 22 recipients with no EIN on record ($496k), not named here.

Where it is load-bearing

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

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetWade Institute for Science Education Inc: $338,000 over 6y, 8.4% of budgetThe Childrens Storefront: $329,000 over 6y, 10% of budgetConnecticut Farmland Trust Inc: $84,338 over 8y, 2.2% of budgetCommon Power Future: $72,000 over 2y, 0.8% of budgetAmerican Civil Liberties Union Foundation Inc: $70,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetAppalachian Mountain Club: $68,332 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetPlanned Parenthood Federation of America Inc: $67,000 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetNeighbors Link Corp: $65,583 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetDing Darling Wildlife Society Inc: $65,500 over 7y, 0.8% of budgetThe Lambi Fund of Haiti: $65,000 over 2y, 8.7% of budgetFuse Washington: $60,000 over 2y, 6.7% of budgetNortheast Community Center Inc: $58,438 over 8y, 1.7% of budgetIdaho Conservation League Inc: $58,000 over 6y, 0.6% of budgetShelburne Farms: $58,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetWood River Land Trust Co: $57,000 over 7y, 0.4% of budgetRoot Cause Farm Inc: $43,644 over 5y, 6.6% of budgetSanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation: $38,500 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetFuse Innovation Fund: $35,000 over 1y, 1.6% of budgetSouth Bay Families Connected: $33,332 over 4y, 11% of budgetSeed Programs Inc: $32,000 over 2y, 5.7% of budgetApprentice Learning Inc: $28,000 over 5y, 1.4% of budgetThe American Himalayan Foundation: $23,500 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetKickstart International Inc: $20,000 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetVillage Health Works: $20,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetThe Digdeep Right to Water Project: $17,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetWorld Assistance for Cambodia Inc: $16,830 over 3y, 1.0% of budgetThe Segue Foundation Inc: $16,000 over 6y, 6.4% of budgetSunflower of Peace Foundation Inc: $15,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetFirst Literacy Inc: $15,000 over 2y, 1.1% of budgetWood River Community Young Men's Christian Association Inc: $15,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetOne Simple Wish Inc: $12,500 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetHimalayan Cataract Project Inc: $12,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetNatural Resources Defense Council Inc: $10,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetChristodora Inc: $9,061 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetBlaine County Hunger Coalition Inc: $9,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetInsideout Writers Inc: $9,000 over 1y, 1.1% of budgetFeeding America: $9,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGrades of Green Inc: $2,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetAvian Haven: $2,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetLearning Rights Law Center: $2,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCobscook Community Learning Center: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% 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 41.

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.

ImpactassetsincMD15.2× affinity7 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Impactassetsinc · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · The Annenberg Foundation · Seattle Foundation · Boston Foundation Inc · California Community Foundation · Jewish Communal Fund · Tides Foundation · Silicon Valley Community Foundation · American Endowment Foundation · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · The Pfizer 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.

Compare The Vanderbilt Family Foundation with peer funders

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to The Vanderbilt Family Foundation?

Find your warmest path to The Vanderbilt Family 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 Vanderbilt Family Foundation

How much does The Vanderbilt Family Foundation give?
The Vanderbilt Family Foundation reported 22 grants totaling $358,000 in its FY2026 IRS filing. It funded between 23 and 32 organizations a year over FY2017 to FY2025.
What does The Vanderbilt Family Foundation fund?
By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2026, its largest causes are Education (26%), Environment (16%), Public Benefit (10%).
Who are The Vanderbilt Family Foundation's largest grantees?
By total granted over FY2017 to FY2026: Wade Institute for Science Education Inc ($338k), The Childrens Storefront ($329k), Connecticut Farmland Trust Inc ($84k).
Does The Vanderbilt Family Foundation fund new organizations?
In FY2025, 19% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
Does The Vanderbilt Family 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 Vanderbilt Family Foundation?
Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include Impactassetsinc, Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc, The Annenberg Foundation.
Where is The Vanderbilt Family Foundation based?
The Vanderbilt Family Foundation is based in NY.

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 75 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 2026, released 2026. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

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