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The Waterfall Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Waterfall Family 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.

$65k
Granted FY2025still arriving
25
Grants FY2025still arriving
7
States reached
$20k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0195% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Arts & Culture$420kYouth Development$71kAnimals$51kHealth$37kReligion$36kEducation$20kEnvironment$16kPhilanthropy$12kOther$0
02FY2025 · 25 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k24 grants · $45k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $20k
$1,250
Median grant
7
States reached
$1.9M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY$20,000
TEMPLE SINAI$5,185
NORTON MUSEUM OF ART$5,000
COX SCIENCE CENTER & AQUARIUM$5,000
BRIDGEHAMPTON CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL$5,000
PALM BEACH CIVIC ASSOCIATION$2,800
THE SOCIETY OF THE FOUR ARTS$2,500
ALZHEIMER'S DRUG DISCOVERY FOUNDATION$2,350
PHILLIPS ACADEMY$2,000
OCEAN CONSERVANCY$2,000
CARBONFUND ORG FOUNDATION$2,000
ATLANTIC SALMON FEDERATION$1,500
THE MICHAEL J FOX FOUNDATION$1,250
NEW ENGLAND WILDLIFE CENTER$1,000
AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION$1,000
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:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY20–25) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 7%. 98% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 7%EAST BAY WARRIORS: $15k → 10%WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART: $15k → 17%THE KRAVIS CENTER: $25k → 11%TEMPLE BETH EL: $5k → 10%TEMPLE SINAI: $9k → 9%THE ATLANTIC SALMON FEDERATION: $7k → 16%HAMPTONS FILM: $4k → 7%RAYMOND F KRAVIS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS: $13k → 11%TEMPLE BETH EL: $5k → 10%TEMPLE SINAI: $6k → 9%THE ATLANTIC SALMON FEDERATION: $5k → 16%BENTLEY SCHOOL: $5k → 10%NORTON MUSEUM OF ART: $8k → 11%TEMPLE SINAI: $5k → 9%NORTON MUSEUM OF ART: $5k → 11%BRIDGEHAMPTON CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL: $5k → 17%NORTON MUSEUM OF ART: $5k → 11%CONNECTICUT AUDUBON SOCIETY: $10k → 9%BRIDGEHAMPTON CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL: $5k → 17%NORTON MUSEUM OF ART: $5k → 11%CT AUDUBON SOCIETY: $8k → 9%BRIDGEHAMPTON CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL: $5k → 17%CT AUDUBON SOCIETY: $8k → 9%UJA FEDERATION: $5k → 17%CONNECTICUT AUDUBON SOCIETY: $8k → 9%BRIDGEHAMPTON CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL: $5k → 17%NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC: $12k → 17%NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC: $8k → 17%THE SOCIETY OF THE FOUR ARTS: $30k → 11%THE SOCIETY OF THE FOUR ARTS: $25k → 11%THE SOCIETY OF THE FOUR ARTS: $25k → 11%THE SOCIETY OF THE FOUR ARTS: $25k → 11%PALM BEACH CIVIC ASSOCIATION: $3k → 11%COX SCIENCE CENTER & AQUARIUM: $5k → 11%WEILL CORNELL MEDICINE: $10k → 17%CITYTRACK INC: $20k → 17%CITYTRACK INC: $20k → 17%CITYTRACK INC: $20k → 17%CITYTRACK INC: $10k → 17%NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY: $34k → 17%NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY: $34k → 17%NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY: $25k → 17%NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY: $23k → 17%NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY: $20k → 17%NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY: $20k → 17%NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY: $11k → 17%NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY: $10k → 17%NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY: $10k → 17%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

ME
NH
WI
NY
MA
PA
NJ
CT
CA
DC
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.

87%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$603k · 28 repeat orgs$93k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +28% since the first grant, against +18% for those funded once.

28 repeat relationships: 17 still active in FY2025, 11 since wound down; 7 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

28
28

Total granted

$603k
$84k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+28%
+18%

Still filing today

79%
64%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 86% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $9k 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
Arts & CultureEnvironmentEducationPhilanthropyHealthAnimalsOther
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

  • NY
    New York Historical Society
    6× · 2020–2025 · $186k · revenue +5%
  • TS
    The Society of the Four Arts Inc
    5× · 2021–2025 · $108k · revenue +381%
  • RF
    RAYMOND F KRAVIS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS INC
    2× · 2023–2024 · $38k · revenue +35%

Funded once

  • TP
    THE PHILHARMONIC SYMPHONY SOCIETY OF NY INC
    one grant, 2020 · $19k · revenue +5%
  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2024 · $15k
  • WM
    WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ARTgraduated
    one grant, 2021 · $15k · revenue +183%
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
The Pierpont Morgan Library

The Morgan Library & Museum celebrates and shares the history and process of human creativity from antiquity to the present day through the preservation, study, and interpretation of a dynamic and growing collection.

Education
2
Boston Architectural College

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

—
3
Institute for Advanced Study - Louis Bamberger & Mrs Felix Fuld Foundation

The institute for advanced study (the institute) is one of the world's leading centers for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. see schedule o.

Science & Tech
4
Bard College

Bard college seeks to provide a challenging academic program and a supportive environment that fosters a collaborative interchange of ideas in the classroom as well as ambition to achieve excellence.

Education
5
New York Botanical Garden

The new york botanical garden is a museum of plants and a scientific research center devoted to the study of plants and their uses. it is the garden's mission to improve public understanding of the natural world, horticulture, and the…

Environment
6
The Jewish Museum

The mission of the jewish museum is to collect, preserve, exhibit and interpret art and jewish culture. see schedule o for more information.

Arts & Culture
7
The Trustees of Princeton University

Research, education and general - princeton university is a private not-for-profit, non-sectarian institution of higher learning with approximately 5,700 undergraduate and 3,300 graduate students. 2,500 students graduated in the 2024-2025…

Education
8
The Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences

The mission of the brooklyn institute of arts and sciences, d/b/a brooklyn museum (the "museum") is to bring people together through art and experiences that inspire celebration, compassion, courage, and the will to act. (see schedule o).

Arts & Culture
9
Marine Biological Laboratory

The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) is a world-renowned center for biological discovery and training that is notably affiliated with more than 60 Nobel Prize winners. Research is conducted by full-time faculty as well as hundreds of the…

Science & Tech
10
Museum of Modern Art

The Museum of Modern Art is a private, non-profit institution chartered by the State of New York Department of Education in 1929 to foster public awareness of modern and contemporary art. (Continued in Schedule O)

Arts & Culture
11
The Frick Collection

The Frick Collection (the "Collection") operates an internationally recognized art museum and library program for the inspiration and enjoyment of the public and for the advancement of the study of fine arts and kindred subjects.

—
12
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Inc

Organization's mission statement true to the ambitious vision of its founder and her spirit of creative risk-taking, the mission of the isabella stewart gardner museum is: - to bring to life and preserve the rich historic collection; - to…

Arts & Culture
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The Philharmonic Symphony Society of Ny Inc; the most unlike its peers is Citytrack 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

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 66 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)
6
Early backer (in before they grew)
50/50
Grantees still filing
34/50
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

New York Historical Society: $186,445 · Arts & CultureNew York Historical SocietyThe Society of the Four Arts Inc: $107,500 · Arts & CultureThe Society of the Four Arts IncRAYMOND F KRAVIS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS INC: $37,500 · Arts & CultureRAYMOND F KRAVIS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS INCNORTON MUSEUM OF ART INC: $23,000 · Arts & CultureNORTON MUSEUM OF ART INCBRIDGEHAMPTON CHAMBER MUSIC ASSOCIATES INC: $20,000 · Arts & CultureTHE PHILHARMONIC SYMPHONY SOCIETY OF NY INC: $19,454 · Arts & CultureWHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART: $15,000 · Arts & Culture+10 more: $16,340 · Arts & CultureTEMPLE SINAI: $21,971 · OtherTEMPLE SINAIIndividual grant recipient: $15,000 · OtherIndividual grant r…WEILL CORNELL MEDICINE: $12,000 · OtherWEILL CORNELL MEDI…TEMPLE BETH EL: $10,390 · OtherTEMPLE BETH ELBENTLEY SCHOOL: $5,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $4,250 · OtherUNITED JEWISH APPEAL-FEDERATION OF JEWISH PHILANTHROPIES OF NEW YORK INC: $5,000 · OtherTHE ATLANTIC GOLF CLUB FOUNDATION: $4,980 · OtherTHE MICHAEL J FOX FOUNDATION FOR PARKINSON'S RESEARCH: $7,600 · OtherTHE MICHAEL J FOX …Palm Beach Civic Association Inc: $5,800 · Other+19 more: $20,115 · Other+19 moreCITYTRACK INCORPORATED: $70,000 · Recreation & SportsCITYTRACK I…CONNECTICUT AUDUBON SOCIETY INC: $32,500 · EnvironmentENVIRONMENT NEXT INC: $5,000 · EnvironmentOCEAN CONSERVANCY: $5,000 · EnvironmentWALTHAM LAND TR INC: $3,000 · Environment+3 more: $2,500 · EnvironmentAtlantic Salmon Federation (US) Inc: $13,174 · AnimalsNEW ENGLAND WILDLIFE CENTER INC: $5,000 · AnimalsTRUSTEES OF PHILLIPS ACADEMY: $5,000 · EducationTHE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK: $3,000 · EducationTHE BREARLEY SCHOOL: $2,500 · EducationMILLDAM NURSERY SCHOOL INC: $1,000 · EducationCONCORD FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY CORPORATION: $750 · EducationEAST BAY SCHOOL FOR BOYS: $500 · EducationHEARING THE OVARIAN CANCER WHISPER INC: $500 · EducationTRUSTEES OF BOSTON COLLEGE: $500 · Education+1 more: $60 · EducationALZHEIMER'S DRUG DISCOVERY FOUNDATION: $12,865 · Social Science
Arts & Culture$425,239Other$112,106Recreation & Sports$70,000Environment$48,000Animals$18,174Education$13,810Social Science$12,865

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

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetNew York Historical Society: $186,445 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetThe Society of the Four Arts Inc: $107,500 over 5y, 0.2% of budgetCITYTRACK INCORPORATED: $70,000 over 4y, 100% of budgetRAYMOND F KRAVIS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS INC: $37,500 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetCONNECTICUT AUDUBON SOCIETY INC: $32,500 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetNORTON MUSEUM OF ART INC: $23,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetBRIDGEHAMPTON CHAMBER MUSIC ASSOCIATES INC: $20,000 over 4y, 0.5% of budgetTHE PHILHARMONIC SYMPHONY SOCIETY OF NY INC: $19,454 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART: $15,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAtlantic Salmon Federation (US) Inc: $13,174 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetALZHEIMER'S DRUG DISCOVERY FOUNDATION: $12,865 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetTHE MICHAEL J FOX FOUNDATION FOR PARKINSON'S RESEARCH: $7,600 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetPalm Beach Civic Association Inc: $5,800 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetUNITED JEWISH APPEAL-FEDERATION OF JEWISH PHILANTHROPIES OF NEW YORK INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNEW ENGLAND WILDLIFE CENTER INC: $5,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetENVIRONMENT NEXT INC: $5,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetTRUSTEES OF PHILLIPS ACADEMY: $5,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetBENTLEY SCHOOL: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetOCEAN CONSERVANCY: $5,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetTHE ATLANTIC GOLF CLUB FOUNDATION: $4,980 over 4y, 3.8% of budgetWALTHAM LAND TR INC: $3,000 over 3y, 1.0% of budgetJAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER INC: $3,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK: $3,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetTHE BREARLEY SCHOOL: $2,500 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetAMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION: $2,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetPALM BEACH OPERA INC: $2,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetAmerican Museum of Natural History: $1,190 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCOMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR PALM BEACH AND MARTIN COUNTIES INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCONCORD LAND CONSERVATION TRUST: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBALLET THEATRE FOUNDATION INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTown of Palm Beach United Way Inc: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE PALM BEACH SYMPHONY SOCIETY INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNEW YORK CITY BALLET INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMILLDAM NURSERY SCHOOL INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetFoundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLARCHE LONG ISLAND INC: $1,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetRIVERSIDE PARK CONSERVANCY INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCONCORD FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY CORPORATION: $750 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFILM AT LINCOLN CENTER INC: $650 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNORTHWELL HEALTH FOUNDATION: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetEAST BAY SCHOOL FOR BOYS: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHINKGIVE INC: $500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetHEARING THE OVARIAN CANCER WHISPER INC: $500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMISSISSIPPI VALLEY CONSERVANCY INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGARY AND VIVIENNE PLAYER FOUNDATION: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWESTHAMPTON BEACH PERFORMING ARTS CENTER: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTRUSTEES OF BOSTON COLLEGE: $500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetELS FOR AUTISM FOUNDATION: $500 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.

Jewish Communal FundNational Philanthropi…Gs Donor Advised Phil…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…The Pfizer Foundation…The Blackbaud Giving …Morgan Stanley Global…Vanguard Charitable E…American Endowment Fo…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …The Bank of America C…
Jewish Communal FundNY11.7× affinity5 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Jewish Communal Fund · National Philanthropic Trust · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · The Pfizer Foundation Inc · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · American Endowment Foundation · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · The Bank of America Charitable 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 Waterfall Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Waterfall Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 100%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%23%45%68%90%share of the org’s income from government →median 1%
  • Cox Science Center and Aquarium Inc: 6% of income from government
  • Trustees of Boston College: 3% of income from government
  • Connecticut Audubon Society Inc: 1% of income from government
  • New England Wildlife Center Inc: 1% of income from government
  • The Palm Beach Symphony Society Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
10get no government money at all
13report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–90%
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 Waterfall Family Foundation?

Find your warmest path to The Waterfall 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.

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 66 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 Waterfall 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