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Watling Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Watling Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$70k
Granted FY2025still arriving
24
Grants FY2025still arriving
6
States reached
$15k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0196% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2025.

Religion$90kArts & Culture$83kHealth$70kEducation$41kHuman Services$33kEnvironment$31kFood & Nutrition$19kHousing & Shelter$16kOther$0
02FY2025 · 24 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k23 grants · $55k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $15k
$2,500
Median grant
6
States reached
$488k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
CHRIST CHURCH GREENWICH$15,000
GREENWICH HOSPITAL FOUNDATION$5,000
BRUCE MUSEUM$5,000
PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION$4,000
Individual grant recipient$3,750
FOODBANK OF SANTA BARBARA$3,500
LOS ANGELES CONSERVANCY$2,500
NEW BEGINNINGS$2,500
TRANSITION HOUSE$2,500
SARAH LAWRENCE COLLEGE$2,500
Individual grant recipient$2,500
FRIENDS OF GREENWICH LIBRARY$2,500
GANNA WALSKA LOTUSLAND FO$2,500
HURON MOUNTAIN WILDLIFE F$2,500
NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERV$2,000
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 (FY20–23, $8k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 13%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 13%EASY LIFT TRANSPORTATION: $2k → 14%EASY LIFT TRANSPORTATION: $2k → 14%EASY LIFT TRANSPORTATION: $2k → 14%EASY LIFT TRANSPORTATION: $2k → 14%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.

96%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$402k · 26 repeat orgs$19k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +35% since the first grant, against +2% for those funded once.

26 repeat relationships: 22 still active in FY2025, 4 since wound down; 2 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

26
7

Total granted

$402k
$11k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+35%
+2%

Still filing today

65%
71%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 89% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $8k 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
HealthArts & CultureFood & NutritionHousing & ShelterEducationHuman ServicesOther
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

  • GH
    GREENWICH HOSPITAL
    6× · 2020–2025 · $30k · revenue +20%
  • FO
    Foodbank of Santa Barbara County Inc
    6× · 2020–2025 · $19k · revenue +5%
  • TH
    TRANSITION HOUSE
    6× · 2020–2025 · $16k · revenue +127%

Funded once

  • WF
    WOMEN'S FUND OF SANTA BARBARA
    one grant, 2024 · $3k · revenue +2%
  • SB
    SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL INCgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $3k · revenue +85%
  • SB
    SANTA BARBARA LIBRARY FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2021 · $2k
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
Santa Barbara Foundation

The mission of the santa barbara foundation (sbf) is to mobilize collective wisdom and philanthropic capital to build empathetic, inclusive and resilient communities.

Philanthropy
2
Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital Foundation

It is the mission of Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital Foundation to solicit, receive, invest, maintain and distribute funds for the support of charitable, scientific, and educational activities of Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.

Health
3
Santa Barbara Museum of Art

To integrate art into the lives of people, fostering imagination, stimulating thought, and creating personally rewarding experiences.

Arts & Culture
4
Sutter Bay Hospitals

MISSION STATEMENT: MISSION: CARING FOR OUR PATIENTS FIRST AND OUR PEOPLE ALWAYS. VISION: TO BE THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE, INTEGRATED AND CONNECTED HEALTH SYSTEM FOR GETTING AND STAYING WELL. VALUES: EXCELLENCE - We deliver high-quality,…

Health
5
Sonoma Botanical Garden
—
6
Santa Barbara Historical Museum

To inspire meaningful connections to santa barbara history.

Arts & Culture
7
Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation

The santa barbara public library foundation supports the long-term health and sustainability of the santa barbara public library through public-private partnerships.

Public Benefit
8
Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts Inc

To provide a vibrant performing arts center that generates and promotes excellence in the performing arts and enhances the quality of life in the region by offering outstanding and diverse entertainment, including events of cultural and…

Arts & Culture
9
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History

The following three guiding principles are the foundation for all of the santa barbara museum of natural history's activities: inspiring an awe for nature and a thirst for discovery; promoting sustainability; and connecting our…

Arts & Culture
10
Opera Santa Barbara

See schedule 0founded in 1994, opera santa barbara is the signature provider of professional opera on the california central coast. we aspire to be a cultural leader in the santa barbara region, voicing and advancing our community's spirit…

Arts & Culture
11
Sutter Bay Medical Foundation

Mission statement: mission: caring for our patients first and our people always. vision: to be the most comprehensive, integrated and connected health system for getting and staying well. values: excellence - we deliver high-quality,…

Health
12
Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County

To provide high-quality civil legal services to vulnerable santa barbara county residents.

Crime & Legal
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara; the most unlike its peers is Santa Barbara Courthouse Legacy 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

23 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. 23 of the 35 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)
5
Early backer (in before they grew)
23/23
Grantees still filing
19/23
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH: $90,000 · OtherCHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCHLAND TRUST - SANTA BARBAR: $15,500 · OtherLAND TRUST - SANTA BARBARGANNA WALSKA LOTUSLAND: $15,000 · OtherGANNA WALSKA LOTUSLANDFRIENDS OF GREENWICH LIBRARY: $15,000 · OtherFRIENDS OF GREENWICH LIBRARYHURON MOUNTAIN WILDLIFE F: $15,000 · OtherHURON MOUNTAIN WILDLIFE FNEW BEGINNINGS: $15,000 · OtherNEW BEGINNINGSIndividual grant recipient: $15,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipientNATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERV: $12,000 · OtherFAMILY SERVICE AGENCY: $9,500 · Other+10 more: $38,250 · Other+10 moreGREENWICH HOSPITAL: $30,000 · HealthGREENWICH HOSPIT…SANTA BARBARA NEIGHBORHOOD CLINICS: $14,000 · HealthSANTA BARBARA NE…Casa Serena: $10,500 · HealthCasa SerenaPLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC: $4,000 · HealthPLANNED PARENTHO…VNA HEALTH FOUNDATION: $2,250 · Health+1 more: $1,000 · HealthBRUCE MUSEUM INC: $30,000 · Arts & CultureBRUCE MUSEUM INCLOS ANGELES CONSERVANCY: $15,000 · Arts & CultureLOS ANGELES CONS…LOBERO THEATRE FOUNDATION: $12,500 · Arts & CultureLOBERO THEATRE F…SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL INC: $2,500 · Arts & Culture+2 more: $1,000 · Arts & CultureFoodbank of Santa Barbara County Inc: $18,500 · Food & NutritionTRANSITION HOUSE: $15,500 · Housing & ShelterSARAH LAWRENCE COLLEGE: $15,000 · EducationEASY LIFT TRANSPORTATION INC: $8,000 · Human Services
Other$240,250Health$61,750Arts & Culture$61,000Food & Nutrition$18,500Housing & Shelter$15,500Education$15,000Human Services$8,000

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 budgetGREENWICH HOSPITAL: $30,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetBRUCE MUSEUM INC: $30,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetFoodbank of Santa Barbara County Inc: $18,500 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetTRANSITION HOUSE: $15,500 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetGANNA WALSKA LOTUSLAND: $15,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetSARAH LAWRENCE COLLEGE: $15,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetLOS ANGELES CONSERVANCY: $15,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetSANTA BARBARA NEIGHBORHOOD CLINICS: $14,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetLOBERO THEATRE FOUNDATION: $12,500 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetCasa Serena: $10,500 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetCASA DEL HERRERO: $8,000 over 5y, 0.4% of budgetEASY LIFT TRANSPORTATION INC: $8,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetHOSPICE OF SANTA BARBARA INC: $5,500 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetSCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION OF SANTA BARBARA: $5,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetPEOPLE FOR PALMER PARK: $4,250 over 6y, 0.7% of budgetPLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC: $4,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWOMEN'S FUND OF SANTA BARBARA: $2,750 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetSANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetVNA HEALTH FOUNDATION: $2,250 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetWOMEN'S ECONOMIC VENTURES: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetPARTNERS IN HEALTH A NONPROFIT CORPORATION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSANTA BARBARA COURTHOUSE LEGACY FOUNDATION: $500 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetSANTA BARBARA CLUB PRESERVATION FOUNDATION: $500 over 1y, 0.5% 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 GREENWICH HOSPITAL ↗
  • Who funds BRUCE MUSEUM INC ↗
  • Who funds Foodbank of Santa Barbara County Inc ↗
  • Who funds TRANSITION HOUSE ↗
  • Who funds GANNA WALSKA LOTUSLAND ↗
  • Who funds SARAH LAWRENCE COLLEGE ↗
  • Who funds LOS ANGELES CONSERVANCY ↗
  • Who funds SANTA BARBARA NEIGHBORHOOD CLINICS ↗
  • Who funds LOBERO THEATRE FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds Casa Serena ↗
  • Who funds CASA DEL HERRERO ↗
  • Who funds EASY LIFT TRANSPORTATION INC ↗
  • Who funds HOSPICE OF SANTA BARBARA INC ↗
  • Who funds SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION OF SANTA BARBARA ↗
  • Who funds PEOPLE FOR PALMER PARK ↗
  • Who funds PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC ↗
  • Who funds WOMEN'S FUND OF SANTA BARBARA ↗
  • Who funds SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL INC ↗
  • Who funds VNA HEALTH FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds WOMEN'S ECONOMIC VENTURES ↗
  • Who funds PARTNERS IN HEALTH A NONPROFIT CORPORATION ↗
  • Who funds SANTA BARBARA COURTHOUSE LEGACY FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds SANTA BARBARA CLUB PRESERVATION FOUNDATION ↗

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.

Hutton Foundation Dba…Santa Barbara Foundat…Mosher FoundationAlice Tweed Tuohy Fou…Towbes FoundationAnn Jackson Family Fo…Volentine Family Foun…St Francis Foundation…Walter J & Holly O Th…Brittingham Family Fo…Williams-Corbett Foun…The Wood-Claeyssens F…
Hutton Foundation Dba Hutton Parker FoundationCA28.3× affinity11 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Hutton Foundation Dba Hutton Parker Foundation · Santa Barbara Foundation · Mosher Foundation · Alice Tweed Tuohy Foundation · Towbes Foundation · Ann Jackson Family Foundation · Volentine Family Foundation · St Francis Foundation of Santa Barbara · Walter J & Holly O Thomson Charitable · Brittingham Family Foundation · Williams-Corbett Foundation · The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation

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 Watling Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Watling 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%15%30%45%60%share of the org’s income from government →median 0%
  • Bruce Museum Inc: 0% of income from government
  • Greenwich Hospital: 0% of income from government
  • Partners in Health a Nonprofit Corporation: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
6report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–60%
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.

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 35 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 Watling’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