Skip to content
Vital Projects Fund Inc at a glance

· Private foundation

Vital Projects Fund Inc

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.

$16M
Granted FY2025still arriving
94
Grants FY2025still arriving
30
States reached
$3.9M
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0198% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Civil Rights$18MCrime & Legal$15MEducation$8.3MPhilanthropy$7.8MArts & Culture$7.5MHealth$6.8MFood & Nutrition$4.0MPublic Benefit$2.5MOther$0
02FY2025 · 94 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k4 grants · $25k
  • $10k–50k28 grants · $605k
  • $50k–250k55 grants · $5.4M
  • $250k+7 grants · $9.6M
$53,000
Median grant
30
States reached
$384M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
COMMUNITY FUNDS INC$3,850,000
PROTEUS FUND$2,753,000
CHEF ANN FOUNDATION$1,250,000
ASSOCIATION FOR THE PUBLIC DEFENDER OF MARYLAND$500,000
LOUISIANA PAROLE PROJECT INC$470,000
TEXAS DEFENDER SERVICE$400,000
CIVIL RIGHTS CORPS$350,000
MITCHELL HAMLINE SCHOOL OF LAW$230,000
ACLU OF MICHIGAN FOUNDATION$210,000
DUKE UNIVERSITY$206,000
THE POLITICAL REPORT INC$200,000
ARIZONA CAPITAL REPRESENTATION PROJECT$200,000
DEEP SOUTH TODAY$175,000
YALE UNIVERSITY$170,500
SAFE AND JUST MICHIGAN$150,000
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:

Its human-services grants (FY21–25, $1.8M) land where the poverty rate runs at 15%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 92% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%MEL BLOUNT YOUTH HOME OF PA INC: $100k → 12%THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST HUNGER (TCAH): $30k → 20%PROSPECTS OPPORTUNITY AND ENRICHMENT INC: $20k → 9%MEL BLOUNT YOUTH HOME OF PA INC: $65k → 12%THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST HUNGER (TCAH): $30k → 20%THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST HUNGER (TCAH): $15k → 20%MEL BLOUNT YOUTH HOME OF PA INC: $50k → 12%HOUR CHILDREN INC: $30k → 13%HOUR CHILDREN INC: $30k → 13%HOUR CHILDREN INC: $15k → 13%MINISTRY AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY: $75k → 23%FRIENDS OF GEORGICA POND FOUNDATION: $25k → 7%THERE WITH CARE: $15k → 12%MINISTRY AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY: $75k → 23%FRIENDS OF GEORGICA POND FOUNDATION: $25k → 7%THERE WITH CARE: $15k → 12%CONGREGATION OF ST JOSEPH MINISTRY AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY: $75k → 23%FRIENDS OF GEORGICA POND FOUNDATION: $25k → 7%FRIENDS OF GEORGICA POND FOUNDATION: $25k → 7%RIGHTS BEHIND BARS: $200k → 14%FRIENDS OF GEORGICA POND FOUNDATION: $25k → 7%RIGHTS BEHIND BARS: $200k → 14%THE POLITICAL REPORT INC: $200k → 14%THE POLITICAL REPORT INC: $200k → 14%THE POLITICAL REPORT INC: $200k → 14%HENRY STREET SETTLEMENT: $30k → 17%HENRY STREET SETTLEMENT: $30k → 17%HENRY STREET SETTLEMENT: $15k → 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

VT
WA
MT
MN
IL
MI
NY
MA
OR
NV
OH
PA
NJ
CT
CA
UT
CO
MO
KY
VA
MD
AZ
NM
TN
NC
SC
DC
LA
MS
AL
GA
TX
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.

89%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$54M · 154 repeat orgs$6.6M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +20% since the first grant, against 0% for those funded once.

154 repeat relationships: 78 still active in FY2025, 76 since wound down; 12 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

154
81

Total granted

$54M
$5.8M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+20%
0%

Still filing today

75%
72%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 94% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $755k went to new ones.

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

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

’21’22’23’24’25
Crime & LegalEducationArts & CultureCivil RightsHuman ServicesHealthOther
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

  • CA
    CHEF ANN FOUNDATION
    5× · 2021–2025 · $2.0M · revenue ×15
  • LP
    LOUISIANA PAROLE PROJECT INC
    5× · 2021–2025 · $1.9M · revenue +124%
  • TD
    Texas Defender Service
    5× · 2021–2025 · $1.6M · revenue +54%

Funded once

  • PORTLAND INSTITUTE FOR CONTEMPORARY ARTgraduated
    one grant, 2023 · $397k · revenue +52% · 30% of their budget
  • IR
    INVESTIGATIVE REPORTERS & EDITORS INCgraduated
    one grant, 2023 · $282k · revenue +32%
  • WI
    Women in California Leadership Inc
    one grant, 2024 · $165k · revenue 0%
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
Council for Court Excellence

Council for court excellence's (cce's) mission is to bring people together to conduct research, educate, and advocate to make d.c.'s unique legal systems more just, equitable, and accountable to the community.

—
2
The Marshall Project Inc

The marshall project is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization covering criminal justice.

Community Improvement
3
City Report Inc

CITY REPORT, INC. serves the people of New York through independent journalism that answers their information needs and holds the powerful to account.

Arts & Culture
4
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…

—
5
Office of the Appellate Defender

Oad strives to ensure that poor people convicted of felonies receive full and equal access to justice by providing exceptional appellate representation, improving the quality of indigent defense representation through education & training,…

Crime & Legal
6
Open Markets Institute

The open markets institute works to help people relearn how to use competition policy to build stronger democracies, more just and equitable societies, more innovative and sustainable economies, and a more secure and peaceful world.

Education
7
Fines and Fees Justice Center Inc

The fines and fees justice center, inc. ("ffjc") is the only national organization focused exclusively on the unjust and harmful fines and fees imposed in the legal system. through education and advocacy, ffjc works to create a justice…

Crime & Legal
8
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
9
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.

—
10
Public Media Nj Inc

To bring quality public television programs and resources to communities throughout new jersey and its tri-state neighbors. its content, both on-air and online, aims to reflect the diverse

Arts & Culture
11
Pro Publica Inc

Pro publica is an independent, non-profit, pulitzer prize-winning newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. our work focuses exclusively on truly important stories. [see continuation on schedule o] we produce…

Arts & Culture
12
Institute for Americas Future Inc

Iaf's purpose is to conduct research and publicize findings concerning citizen's attitudes about economic options confronting america. iaf is devoted to fostering a robust and democratic debate about ideas that will shape our country's…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (See) Inc; the most unlike its peers is Donnie Shell Scholarship Foundation. 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

195 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. 195 of the 255 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.

13
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
35
Early backer (in before they grew)
193/195
Grantees still filing
118/195
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

PROTEUS FUND INC: $13,209,000 · EducationPROTEUS FUND INCCHEF ANN FOUNDATION: $2,000,000 · EducationCHEF ANN FOUNDATIONDUKE UNIVERSITY: $1,088,000 · EducationMITCHELL HAMLINE SCHOOL OF LAW: $1,046,000 · EducationTHE ADMINISTRATORS OF THE TULANE EDUCATIONAL FUND: $950,000 · Education+22 more: $4,469,050 · Education+22 moreCOMMUNITY FUNDS INC: $4,750,000 · OtherCOMMUNITY FUNDS INCNEW YORK PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL: $1,325,000 · OtherYALE UNIVERSITY: $1,271,500 · OtherINVESTIGATIVE REPORTS & EDITORS INC: $1,150,000 · Other+86 more: $19,742,000 · Other+86 moreLOUISIANA PAROLE PROJECT INC: $1,905,000 · Crime & LegalLOUISIANA P…THE ASSOC FOR THE PUBLIC DEFENDER OF MARYLAND LTD: $735,000 · Crime & LegalTHE ASSOC F…PAROLE PREPARATION PROJECT INC: $530,000 · Crime & LegalPAROLE PREP…SEATTLE CLEMENCY PROJECT: $525,000 · Crime & LegalSEATTLE CLE…SECOND LOOK PROJECT: $445,000 · Crime & LegalSECOND LOOK…Atlantic Center for Capital Representation Inc: $315,000 · Crime & LegalAdvancing Real Change Inc: $305,000 · Crime & LegalVermonters for Criminal Justice Reform: $300,000 · Crime & LegalHealing Advocacy Fund: $300,000 · Crime & LegalABOLITIONIST LAW CENTER: $300,000 · Crime & LegalSOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER INC: $280,000 · Crime & Legal+19 more: $1,936,000 · Crime & Legal+19 moreTexas Defender Service: $1,575,000 · Civil RightsCIVIL RIGHTS CORPS: $1,410,000 · Civil RightsAMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION INC: $500,000 · Civil RightsNATIONAL RELIGIOUS CAMPAIGN AGAINST TORTURE: $450,000 · Civil RightsPREGNANCY JUSTICE INC: $425,000 · Civil RightsFELONY MURDER ELIMINATION PROJECT: $290,000 · Civil RightsSouthern Center for Human Rights: $200,000 · Civil RightsEQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE: $200,000 · Civil Rights+4 more: $470,000 · Civil RightsMETROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART: $938,000 · Arts & CultureMuseum of Modern Art: $600,000 · Arts & CultureINTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FOUNDATION INC: $490,000 · Arts & CulturePORTLAND INSTITUTE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART: $397,000 · Arts & CultureINVESTIGATIVE REPORTERS & EDITORS INC: $282,000 · Arts & CultureNEW YORK CITY BALLET INC: $275,000 · Arts & CultureNATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO INC: $250,000 · Arts & CultureNEW YORK CITY CENTER INC: $240,000 · Arts & CultureNational Gallery of Art: $225,000 · Arts & CultureNORTHWEST FILM FORUM: $220,000 · Arts & CultureTHE CENTER FOR INDEPENDENT DOCUMENTARY INC: $200,000 · Arts & CultureMESTIZO DANCE INC: $185,000 · Arts & Culture+10 more: $1,185,500 · Arts & CultureTIDES CENTER: $676,000 · Human ServicesTHE POLITICAL REPORT INC: $600,000 · Human ServicesRIGHTS BEHIND BARS INC: $400,000 · Human ServicesTHE CERES COMMUNITY PROJECT: $300,000 · Human ServicesMINISTRY AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY: $225,000 · Human ServicesMEL BLOUNT YOUTH HOME OF PA INC: $215,000 · Human ServicesFRIENDS OF GEORGICA POND FOUNDATION INC: $125,000 · Human Services+3 more: $225,000 · Human ServicesTIDES FOUNDATION: $770,000 · PhilanthropyHOPEWELL FUND: $462,000 · PhilanthropyPLAYERS PHILANTHROPY FUND INC: $455,500 · PhilanthropyMILE HIGH UNITED WAY INC: $235,000 · PhilanthropyBALTIMORE CIVIC FUND INC: $140,000 · PhilanthropyGoodnation Foundation Inc: $100,000 · PhilanthropySilicon Valley Community Foundation: $100,000 · PhilanthropyMARIJUANA POLICY PROJECT FOUNDATION: $100,000 · Philanthropy+1 more: $50,000 · Philanthropy
Education$22,762,050Other$28,238,500Crime & Legal$7,876,000Civil Rights$5,520,000Arts & Culture$5,487,500Human Services$2,766,000Philanthropy$2,412,500

Showing the 200 largest grantees by grant value.

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 budgetPROTEUS FUND INC: $13,209,000 over 5y, 8.1% of budgetCHEF ANN FOUNDATION: $2,000,000 over 5y, 11% of budgetLOUISIANA PAROLE PROJECT INC: $1,905,000 over 5y, 16% of budgetTexas Defender Service: $1,575,000 over 5y, 17% of budgetCIVIL RIGHTS CORPS: $1,410,000 over 3y, 9.9% of budgetDUKE UNIVERSITY: $1,088,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetMITCHELL HAMLINE SCHOOL OF LAW: $1,046,000 over 5y, 0.4% of budgetTHE ADMINISTRATORS OF THE TULANE EDUCATIONAL FUND: $950,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetMETROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART: $938,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetCITY HARVEST INC: $900,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetNATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR RESEARCH ON SCHIZOPHRENIA AND DEPRESSION: $825,000 over 5y, 1.2% of budgetTIDES FOUNDATION: $770,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetTHE ASSOC FOR THE PUBLIC DEFENDER OF MARYLAND LTD: $735,000 over 2y, 53% of budgetArizona Capital Representation Project: $725,000 over 5y, 16% of budgetTIDES CENTER: $676,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetSAFE & JUST MICHIGAN: $650,000 over 4y, 24% of budgetNURSE-FAMILY PARTNERSHIP: $625,000 over 5y, 0.4% of budgetTHE POLITICAL REPORT INC: $600,000 over 3y, 48% of budgetMuseum of Modern Art: $600,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetFAMILIES AGAINST MANDATORY MINIMUMS: $565,000 over 4y, 15% of budgetSOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENTREPRENEURS (SEE) INC: $540,000 over 5y, 0.3% of budgetPAROLE PREPARATION PROJECT INC: $530,000 over 5y, 11% of budgetSEATTLE CLEMENCY PROJECT: $525,000 over 3y, 15% of budgetAMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION INC: $500,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetINTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FOUNDATION INC: $490,000 over 2y, 1.8% of budgetLEWIS & CLARK COLLEGE: $472,500 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetHOPEWELL FUND: $462,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetPLAYERS PHILANTHROPY FUND INC: $455,500 over 5y, 0.4% of budgetHABITAT FOR HUMANITY NEW YORK CITY AND WESTCHERSTER COUNTY INC: $450,000 over 4y, 3.4% of budgetTHE MARFAN FOUNDATION INC: $450,000 over 3y, 3.1% of budgetNATIONAL RELIGIOUS CAMPAIGN AGAINST TORTURE: $450,000 over 5y, 4.1% of budgetUniversity of San Francisco: $450,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetSECOND LOOK PROJECT: $445,000 over 4y, 17% of budgetBRITISH SCHOOLS & UNIVERSITIES FOUNDATION INC: $425,000 over 2y, 3.0% of budgetPREGNANCY JUSTICE INC: $425,000 over 2y, 6.2% of budgetFLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC: $420,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetRIGHTS BEHIND BARS INC: $400,000 over 2y, 35% of budgetPORTLAND INSTITUTE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART: $397,000 over 1y, 30% of budgetCENTER FOR COMMUNITY ALTERNATIVES INC: $370,000 over 4y, 0.9% of budgetTHE COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS INC: $365,000 over 5y, 1.8% of budgetLOYOLA UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO: $350,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetMAD AGRICULTURE: $350,000 over 5y, 4.0% of budgetAtlantic Center for Capital Representation Inc: $315,000 over 3y, 18% of budgetAdvancing Real Change Inc: $305,000 over 4y, 6.7% of budgetDRUG POLICY ALLIANCE: $300,000 over 3y, 1.9% of budgetILLINOIS PRISON PROJECT: $300,000 over 3y, 6.6% of budgetVermonters for Criminal Justice Reform: $300,000 over 4y, 32% of budgetHealing Advocacy Fund: $300,000 over 2y, 12% 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.

  • Who funds PROTEUS FUND INC ↗
  • Who funds CHEF ANN FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds LOUISIANA PAROLE PROJECT INC ↗
  • Who funds Texas Defender Service ↗
  • Who funds CIVIL RIGHTS CORPS ↗
  • Who funds DUKE UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds MITCHELL HAMLINE SCHOOL OF LAW ↗
  • Who funds THE ADMINISTRATORS OF THE TULANE EDUCATIONAL FUND ↗
  • Who funds METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART ↗
  • Who funds CITY HARVEST INC ↗
  • Who funds NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR RESEARCH ON SCHIZOPHRENIA AND DEPRESSION ↗
  • Who funds TIDES FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds THE ASSOC FOR THE PUBLIC DEFENDER OF MARYLAND LTD ↗
  • Who funds Arizona Capital Representation Project ↗
  • Who funds TIDES CENTER ↗
  • Who funds SAFE & JUST MICHIGAN ↗
  • Who funds NURSE-FAMILY PARTNERSHIP ↗
  • Who funds THE POLITICAL REPORT INC ↗
  • Who funds Museum of Modern Art ↗
  • Who funds FAMILIES AGAINST MANDATORY MINIMUMS ↗
  • Who funds SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENTREPRENEURS (SEE) INC ↗
  • Who funds PAROLE PREPARATION PROJECT INC ↗
  • Who funds SEATTLE CLEMENCY PROJECT ↗
  • Who funds AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds LEWIS & CLARK COLLEGE ↗
  • Who funds HOPEWELL FUND ↗
  • Who funds PLAYERS PHILANTHROPY FUND INC ↗
  • Who funds HABITAT FOR HUMANITY NEW YORK CITY AND WESTCHERSTER COUNTY INC ↗
  • Who funds THE MARFAN FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds NATIONAL RELIGIOUS CAMPAIGN AGAINST TORTURE ↗
  • Who funds University of San Francisco ↗
  • Who funds SECOND LOOK PROJECT ↗

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.

Proteus Fund IncFoundation to Promote…Public Welfare Founda…The Ford FoundationLaura and John Arnold…Jewish Communal FundThe Just Trust for Ed…The Tow Foundation IncSilicon Valley Commun…ImpactassetsincFund for NonviolenceAmalgamated Charitabl…
Proteus Fund IncMA63.8× affinity33 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Proteus Fund Inc · Foundation to Promote Open Society · Public Welfare Foundation Inc · The Ford Foundation · Laura and John Arnold Foundation · Jewish Communal Fund · The Just Trust for Education · The Tow Foundation Inc · Silicon Valley Community Foundation · Impactassetsinc · Fund for Nonviolence · Amalgamated 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 Vital Projects Fund Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Vital Projects Fund Inc. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 80%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 7%
  • Oregon Justice Resource Center: 26% of income from government
  • Trustees of Boston University: 12% of income from government
  • Advancing Real Change Inc: 12% of income from government
  • Northeastern University: 7% of income from government
  • Planned Parenthood of the Columbia Willamette Inc: 7% of income from government
  • The Center for Independent Documentary Inc: 6% of income from government
  • Portland Institute for Contemporary Art: 5% of income from government
  • Connecticut Public Broadcasting Inc: 3% of income from government
  • Lewis & Clark College: 2% of income from government
  • The Ridgefield Playhouse for Movies and the Performing Arts Inc: 1% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
8get no government money at all
54report 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 Vital Projects Fund Inc?

Find your warmest path to Vital Projects Fund 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 255 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 Vital Projects’ 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