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The Wonderful Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Wonderful Foundation

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.

$4.7M
Granted FY2024still arriving
8
Grants FY2024still arriving
3
States reached
$87k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0194% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2019 to 2024.

Philanthropy$5.1MArts & Culture$21kEducation$20kHealth$10kHuman Services$7kFood & Nutrition$4kYouth Development$3kPublic Benefit$2kOther$0
02FY2024 · 8 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 8 grants below total $319,528, the rows itemized in this filing. The $4,694,209 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $4,374,681 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k4 grants · $478
  • $50k–250k4 grants · $319k
$72,138
Median grant
3
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
PAYPAL GIVING FUND$87,387
PAYPAL GIVING FUND$87,387
FIDELITY CHARITABLE FUND$72,138
FIDELITY CHARITABLE FUND$72,138
AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATIONAL HISTORY$179
AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATIONAL HISTORY$179
WNET CHANNEL 13$60
WNET CHANNEL 13$60
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 (FY24–24) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 12%. 100% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 12%WNET CHANNEL 13: $60 → 17%PAYPAL GIVING FUND: $87k → 14%AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATIONAL HISTORY: $179 → 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.
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.

6%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$25k · 11 repeat orgs$368k to everyone else

11 repeat relationships: 0 still active in FY2024, 11 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

11
57

Total granted

$25k
$223k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+17%
+38%

Still filing today

91%
61%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 0% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $145k went to new ones.

50%100%’20’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’20’22’23’24
Arts & CultureEducationHuman ServicesEnvironmentFood & NutritionInternationalOther
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

  • MS
    MANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC
    3× · 2020–2023 · $8k · revenue +44%
  • NY
    NEW YORK PUBLIC RADIO
    3× · 2020–2023 · $7k · revenue +4%
  • MS
    MOUNT SINAI HEALTH SYSTEM INC
    2× · 2022–2023 · $4k · revenue +17%

Funded once

  • PG
    Paypal Giving's Fund
    one grant, 2022 · $178k
  • UA
    University at Buffalo Foundation Incgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $7k · revenue +176%
  • TN
    The New York Public Library Astor Lenox and Tilden Foundationsgraduated
    one grant, 2023 · $6k · revenue +76%
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
Manhattanville University

To educate students to be ethical and socially responsible leaders in a global community.

Education
3
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
4
The Architectural League of New York

The architectural league of new york supports critically transformative work in the allied fields that shape the built environment. as a vital, independent forum, the league stimulates thinking, debate, and action on today's (continued on…

—
5
New York School of Interior Design

New york school of interior design provides the most innovative, immersive, and transformative interior design education in the world, demonstrating the impact of professionally designed interiors on the health, happiness, and well-being…

Education
6
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
7
Museum of the City of New York

The museum of the city of new york fosters understanding of the distinctive nature of urban life in the world's most influential metropolis. it engages visitors by celebrating, documenting, and interpreting the city's past, present, and…

Arts & Culture
8
Metropolitan Museum of Art

The metropolitan museum of art collects, studies, conserves, and presents significant works of art across all times and cultures in order to connect people to creativity, knowledge, and ideas.

Arts & Culture
9
New Museum of Contemporary Art

A center for exhibitions, information, and documentation about living artists since 1977, which continues to be a place of experimentation and a hub of new art and new ideas.

Arts & Culture
10
New York Studio School

The new york studio school is committed to giving a significant education to the aspiring artist, a preamble to a lifetime's engagement in drawing, painting, and sculpture. (see schedule o for continuation)

—
11
Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute

Munson-williams-proctor arts institute (mwpai) is a fine arts center dedicated to serving diverse audiences by advancing the appreciation, understanding, and enjoyment of the arts. the art institute aims to promote interest and…

Arts & Culture
12
New York City Center Inc

The mission of new york city center is to be new york city's leading center for dance and musical theater. dedicated to making the arts accessible to the broadest possible audience, city center seeks to create a welcoming environment and…

Arts & Culture
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The New York Public Library Astor Lenox and Tilden Foundations; the most unlike its peers is Moose Pond Association. 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

48 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. 48 of the 72 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)
10
Early backer (in before they grew)
47/48
Grantees still filing
37/48
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

PAYPAL CHARITABLE GIVING FUND: $430,327 · PhilanthropyPAYPAL CHARITABLE GIVING FUNDPaypal Giving's Fund: $177,568 · OtherPaypal Giving's FundFIDELITY CHARITABLE FUND: $144,276 · OtherFIDELITY CHARITABLE FUND+35 more: $18,605 · Other+35 moreMANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC: $8,334 · Arts & CultureNEW YORK PUBLIC RADIO: $7,004 · Arts & CultureTHEATRE DEVELOPMENT FUND INC: $1,009 · Arts & Culture+15 more: $3,442 · Arts & CultureUniversity at Buffalo Foundation Inc: $7,420 · EducationThe New York Public Library Astor Lenox and Tilden Foundations: $5,523 · EducationRiverside Language Program Inc: $1,797 · EducationStuyvesant High School Alumni Association Inc: $1,004 · EducationOberlin College: $1,000 · Education+4 more: $1,542 · EducationMOUNT SINAI HEALTH SYSTEM INC: $4,445 · Human ServicesCOMMUNITY IMPACT INC: $2,542 · Human ServicesCHARLOTTE FOOD SHELF INC: $1,018 · Human ServicesBRIDGTON COMMUNITY CENTER: $4,227 · Community ImprovementNEW YORK COMMON PANTRY: $1,000 · Food & NutritionMaine Federation of Farmers Markets: $750 · Food & NutritionFOOD FOR SOUL INC: $200 · Food & Nutrition
Philanthropy$430,327Other$340,449Arts & Culture$19,789Education$18,286Human Services$8,005Community Improvement$4,227Food & Nutrition$1,950

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 budgetPAYPAL CHARITABLE GIVING FUND: $430,327 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetMANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC: $8,334 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetUniversity at Buffalo Foundation Inc: $7,420 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNEW YORK PUBLIC RADIO: $7,004 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetThe New York Public Library Astor Lenox and Tilden Foundations: $5,523 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMOUNT SINAI HEALTH SYSTEM INC: $4,445 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetBRIDGTON COMMUNITY CENTER: $4,227 over 1y, 2.9% of budgetCOMMUNITY IMPACT INC: $2,542 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetRiverside Language Program Inc: $1,797 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetWHEN WE ALL VOTE: $1,297 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCHARLOTTE FOOD SHELF INC: $1,018 over 1y, 2.3% of budgetTHEATRE DEVELOPMENT FUND INC: $1,009 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetStuyvesant High School Alumni Association Inc: $1,004 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetNEW YORK COMMON PANTRY: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetOberlin College: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMaine Federation of Farmers Markets: $750 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetJUILLIARD SCHOOL: $542 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNEW YORK RESTORATION PROJECT: $542 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUNITED NATIONS FOUNDATION INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMOUNTAIN TOP MUSIC CENTER: $500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetWEST SIDE CENTER FOR COMMUNITY LIFE: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPROJECT MUSIC HEALS US INC: $500 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetWELLNESS IN THE SCHOOLS INC: $425 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCITY YEAR INC: $422 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNew York Historical Society: $375 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetNEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN: $370 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetAmerican Museum of Natural History: $329 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetFILM AT LINCOLN CENTER INC: $310 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetTHE JEWISH MUSEUM: $270 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSIGNATURE THEATRE INC: $258 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE ASIA SOCIETY: $250 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetWINTERKIDS EDUCATION FOUNDATION: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetRUMSEY HALL SCHOOL INC: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSHATTERPROOF A NONPROFIT CORPORATION: $242 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE LEGAL AID SOCIETY: $200 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNEW YORK SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL: $180 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPEN AMERICAN CENTER INC: $173 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCLEVELAND CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY: $142 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetWNET: $120 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetATLANTIC THEATER COMPANY: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMuseum of Modern Art: $75 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM: $60 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWildlife Conservation Society: $57 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMunicipal Art Society of New York: $50 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.

The Goldman Sachs Cha…Jewish Communal FundThe Pfizer Foundation…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…National Philanthropi…Charities Aid Foundat…Paypal Charitable Giv…The Bank of America C…Fidelity Investments …Network for GoodVanguard Charitable E…Donor Advised Charita…
The Goldman Sachs Charitable Gift FundNY12.2× affinity4 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Goldman Sachs Charitable Gift Fund · Jewish Communal Fund · The Pfizer Foundation Inc · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · National Philanthropic Trust · Charities Aid Foundation America · Paypal Charitable Giving Fund · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Network for Good · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Donor Advised Charitable Giving 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 Wonderful Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Wonderful Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%1%3%4%5%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–5%
    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 Wonderful Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to The Wonderful 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 72 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 Wonderful’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