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Plinth

· Private foundation

William & Dorothy Meyers Foundation

Its FY2020 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$283k
Granted FY2020
47
Grants FY2020
6
States reached
$125k
Largest
01What you fund
0196% classified

What you funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year — across FY20172020.

Arts & Culture$201kEducation$75kCrime & Legal$10kHousing & Shelter$9kCivil Rights$7kHealth$6kEmployment$5kYouth Development$5kOther$0
02FY2020 · 47 grants

Where the money goes

Your grants by size, and where they go.

By grant size · FY2020

  • Under $10k44 grants · $98k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $10k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $175k
$2,500
Median grant
6
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
THE MY HERO PROJECT$125,000
FRANCIS W PARKER SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIP FUND$50,000
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY$10,000
LOS ANGELES ROOM & BOARD$5,000
LEGAL AID AT WORK$5,000
THE MODEL SCHOOL$5,000
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO MASTER OF ARTS PROGRAM IN SOCIAL SCIENCES$5,000
LAGUNA ART MUSEUM$5,000
CENTER FOR WORKERS RIGHTS$5,000
EAST BAY COMMUNITY LAW CENTER$5,000
MAS CONTEXT NFP$4,000
CHICAGO ARCHITECTURE CENTER$3,000
ANTI DEFMATION LEAGUE EXTREMISM TERRORISM AND BIGOTRY$2,500
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF LAGUNA BEACH$2,500
AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE$2,500
02The need
03

Do your dollars go where the need is?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, then read against the area’s typical level.

show:

Your human-services grants (FY20–20, $3k) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 17% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Your grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%CHILDREN'S GLOBAL HEALTH FUND INC: $3k → 9%COVENANT HOUSE: $500 → 17%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount

Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty linein the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP; grantee ZIP can differ from where services are delivered.

US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are actually delivered. Need from public data — U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA — shown as context about the area, never attributed to your giving.

03Your field

The map has a center of gravity: the average direction from the rest of the sector toward the organizations the foundation funds — the shape of its giving. Scoring every nonprofit along that direction surfaces the ones that look most like the portfolio. These are the closest matchesthat aren’t grantees — a resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Los Angeles Conservancy

The los angeles conservancy is a nonprofit membership organization that works through education and advocacy to recognize, preserve, and revitalize the historic architectural and cultural resources of los angeles county.

Arts & Culture
2
The American Institute of Architects California

The AIA California, in collaboration with local components, is the voice of the architectural profession.

3
Ucla Foundation

The ucla foundation is the giving, receiving, and investing arm of the ucla campus. the foundation enables private donors to help build, sustain and advance one of the world's finest academic and research institutions. private philanthropy…

Education
4
California College of the Arts

California college of the arts educates students to shape culture and society through the practice and critical study of art, architecture, design, and writing. benefitting from its san francisco bay area location, the college prepares…

Education
5
Los Angeles County Bar Association (Lacba)

Meeting the professional needs of los angeles lawyers, and improving the administration of justice.

6
Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce

Chamber's mission: design and advance opportunities and solutions for a thriving regional economy that are inclusive and globally competitive. 1) advocacy - be a bold advocate for business as a driver of a strong economy that enables…

7
Boston Architectural College

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

8
Museum of Arts and Design

To collect, display and interpret objects in craft art and design.

Arts & Culture
9
Academy of Television Arts and Sciences

The Television Academy is dedicated to celebrating excellence, innovation and the advancement of the telecommunications arts and sciences through recognition, education and leadership, while fostering a diverse, inclusive and accessible…

10
University of La Verne

The university of la verne offers a distinctive and relevant educational experience to a diverse population of traditional-age, adult, and graduate learners, preparing them for successful careers and a commitment to lifelong learning…

Education
11
Columbia College Chicago

The organization's mission is to educate students for creative occupations in diverse fields of arts and media.

Education
12
Laguna College of Art & Design

Laguna college of art & design prepares individuals for careers as creative artists and designers in a culturally and ethnically diverse world through a curriculum that emphasizes acquiring skills based on observation, representation, and…

Education

For reference, the grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The Laguna Playhouse and the most unlike its peers is Covenant House. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.

Your grantees are a median of 31 years old; the field is 14. You back the established end — and your money leans older still.

THE FIELDby orgYOUR GRANTEESby number23%0%<5yr15%7%5–10yr20%7%10–20yr18%48%20–35yr12%14%35–55yr13%24%55yr+
THE FIELDby orgYOUR MONEYby value23%0%<5yr15%3%5–10yr20%4%10–20yr18%80%20–35yr12%4%35–55yr13%9%55yr+

The field is 23% startups (under 5 years old) — 0% of your grantees by number, and just 0% of your money.

Closures · last 5 years

The orgs you fund almost never close 0.0% lost their exemption, against 15% of the field you don’t fund.

orgs you fund
0.0%0/30
the rest of the field
15%
18,441/127,033

Age = years since IRS exemption (a founding proxy). “Closed” = auto-revocation for 3 years of non-filing — a floor on closure, not proof, and bigger established orgs lapse least. Association, not causation.

04the grantee network

29 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each one resolved to its own IRS returns and tracked year by year — your grant beside their revenue from every source. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

Counted here: distinct organizations you funded across 20172025, not grant rows in a single year — so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 29 of the 47 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile; the rest are funded organizations whose filings we could not track year by year.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
7
Early backer (in before they grew)
29/29
Grantees still filing
23/29
Grew since you first funded

Where your money sits — by cause, then by grantee

THE MY HERO PROJECT INC — $175,000 · EducationTHE MY HERO PROJECT INCWASHINGTON UNIVERSITY — $10,000 · Education+3 more — $7,000 · EducationFRANCIS W PARKER SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIP FUND — $50,000 · OtherFRANCIS W PARKER SCHOOL SCHOLAR…THE MODEL SCHOOL — $5,000 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO MASTER OF ARTS PROGRAM IN SOCIAL SCIENCES — $5,000 · OtherMAS CONTEXT NFP — $4,000 · Other+22 more — $30,000 · Other+22 moreLAGUNA ART MUSEUM — $5,000 · Arts & CultureChicago Architecture Foundation — $3,000 · Arts & CultureCREATIVE VISIONS FOUNDATION — $2,500 · Arts & CultureGRANT PARK ORCHESTRAL ASSOCIATION — $2,500 · Arts & CultureTHE AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE — $2,500 · Arts & CultureDEMOCRACY NOW PRODUCTIONS INC — $2,000 · Arts & CultureMUSEUM ASSOCIATES — $1,500 · Arts & CultureTHE LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE — $1,000 · Arts & CultureSOCIETY OF ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIANS — $1,000 · Arts & CultureEAST BAY COMMUNITY LAW CENTER — $5,000 · Crime & LegalLegal Aid at Work — $5,000 · Crime & LegalLos Angeles Room & Board — $5,000 · Housing & ShelterLOS ANGELES MISSION INC — $1,000 · Housing & ShelterCENTER FOR WORKERS' RIGHTS — $5,000 · EmploymentBOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF LAGUNA BEACH — $2,500 · Youth DevelopmentHOMEBOY INDUSTRIES — $2,500 · Youth Development
Education$192,000Other$94,000Arts & Culture$21,000Crime & Legal$10,000Housing & Shelter$6,000Employment$5,000Youth Development$5,000

Each org by its size and your share of it — top-left is where you’re load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ your share of their budgetTHE MY HERO PROJECT INC — $175,000 over 4y, 18% of budgetWASHINGTON UNIVERSITY — $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetEAST BAY COMMUNITY LAW CENTER — $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetLos Angeles Room & Board — $5,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetCENTER FOR WORKERS' RIGHTS — $5,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetLAGUNA ART MUSEUM — $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetLegal Aid at Work — $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetChicago Architecture Foundation — $3,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF LAGUNA BEACH — $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO — $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCREATIVE VISIONS FOUNDATION — $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGRANT PARK ORCHESTRAL ASSOCIATION — $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCoalition for Engaged Education — $2,500 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetTHE AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE — $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCHILDRENS GLOBAL HEALTH FUND INC — $2,500 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetHOMEBOY INDUSTRIES — $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLAGUNA FOOD PANTRY — $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetESCUELA BILINGUE INTERNACIONAL — $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDEMOCRACY NOW PRODUCTIONS INC — $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE — $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSOCIETY OF ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIANS — $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBARNSDALL ART PARK FOUNDATION — $1,000 over 1y, 2.3% of budgetPLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC — $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLINCOLN PARK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY — $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCOVENANT HOUSE — $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLOS ANGELES REGIONAL FOOD BANK — $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAQUARIUM OF THE PACIFIC CORPORATION — $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budget
Go grantee by grantee — a decade per org, and how each moved after you funded them

A decade per grantee — revenue shaded, your grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

The grantmakers whose grantees overlap with yours far more than size alone predicts. Each orbits closer the stronger the alignment; the arcs between them show where they also fund each other. Here it reads as a tightly interlocked camp — most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

Macgillivray Family FoundationCA15.7× affinity5 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Macgillivray Family Foundation · Orange County Community Foundation · The Hanauer Family Foundation · Roberta Freeman Cox Charitable Foundation · The William Gillespie Foundation · Laguna Beach Community Foundation · O L Halsell Foundation · The California Endowment · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · American Endowment Foundation · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · National Philanthropic Trust

Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. A research starting point: overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

Government reliance of your grantees

Every dot is one organization William & Dorothy Meyers Foundation funds. Left–right is the share of its income from government; up–down is the share from you. Bigger dots raise more. Filter to federal or a single department — and drag the year to watch it move.

2024
202122232425
no gov · 00%1%5%11%20%your share of their income ↑0%5%10%15%20%share of the org’s income from government
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    10report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–20%
    typical government reliance, FY2025

    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 your grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first — a floor, not 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 12–24 months.

    On method. Every financial figure here is read directly from IRS e-file XML — your own 990/990-PF and the multi-year returns of the 47 grantees we resolved across every year we hold, several hundred filings in all (a different count from the grant rows on the cover, which are one fiscal year)— each linked to its source. Grantee achievements and outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III); we read these as association with sustained funding — the foundation is one of several forces — suppress low-confidence name matches rather than guess, and say so where a figure rests on a single grant or filing. Not everything on this page is a filed figure, and the difference matters. Filed is what you reported on your 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. How we build these →

    Generated from your IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2020, released 2020. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    More from the funding graph