Skip to content
William S Kaiser Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

William S Kaiser Family 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.

$435k
Granted FY2024still arriving
12
Grants FY2024still arriving
6
States reached
$300k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
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.

Arts & Culture$1.8MHealth$80kEnvironment$58kCivil Rights$41kInternational$24kPublic Safety & Disaster$15kReligion$15kCrime & Legal$13kOther$0
02FY2024 · 12 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k7 grants · $49k
  • $10k–50k3 grants · $36k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $50k
  • $250k+1 grant · $300k
$9,000
Median grant
6
States reached
$8.4M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
MASSACHUSETTS MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART FOUNDATION INC$300,000
JACOB'S PILLOW DANCE FESTIVAL INC$50,000
PALESTINE CHILDREN'S RELIEF FUND$16,000
BOSTON YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAS INC$10,000
DANSPACE PROJECT INC$10,000
COLLECTIVE POWER FOR REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE$9,000
A JEWISH VOICE FOR PEACE INC$8,333
BAGLY INC$8,333
SAFE PASSAGEINC$8,333
WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC$5,000
PORTLAND COMMUNITY SQUASH$5,000
FARESTART$5,000
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 (FY22–22, $8k) land where the poverty rate runs at 16%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%TRANSGENDER EMERGENCY FUND OF MA INC: $8k → 16%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
WA
IL
NY
MA
NJ
CA
CO
TN
DC
HI
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.

38%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$791k · 5 repeat orgs$1.3M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +34% since the first grant, against +2% for those funded once.

5 repeat relationships: 4 still active in FY2024, 1 since wound down; 8 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

5
14

Total granted

$791k
$1.2M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+34%
+2%

Still filing today

100%
64%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 74% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $112k went to new ones.

50%100%’19’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’19’22’23’24
Arts & CultureInternationalEducationEnvironmentHealthHuman 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

  • MASSACHUSETTS MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART FOUNDATION INC
    3× · 2022–2024 · $675k · revenue +22%
  • NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL INC
    2× · 2022–2023 · $58k · revenue +34%
  • AJ
    A JEWISH VOICE FOR PEACE
    2× · 2023–2024 · $27k · revenue +221%

Funded once

  • BC
    BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC INCgraduated
    one grant, 2019 · $1.0M · revenue +31%
  • CF
    CHARLEY'S FUND INC
    one grant, 2022 · $50k · revenue -4%
  • B
    BYSO
    one grant, 2022 · $25k
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
Boston Architectural College

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

—
2
Aclu Foundation of Massachusetts Inc

Aclu foundation of ma was established to defend freedoms guaranteed in the constitution and bill of rights through public education and litigation.

Civil Rights
3
Volunteer Lawyers Project of the Boston Bar Association Inc

The mission of the volunteer lawyers project of the boston bar association is to increase access to justice by delivering high quality pro bono civil legal services to eligible clients in the greater boston area.

Crime & Legal
4
Ceres Inc

Ceres is a nonprofit advocacy organization working to accelerate the transition to a cleaner, more just, and resilient world. through education and research, we make the business case for action on the most pressing sustainability…

Environment
5
Massachusetts Higher Education Assistance Corporation

The organization's primary exempt purpose is to provide access to and conduct activities in furtherance of higher education.

—
6
Boston Harbor Now Inc

Our mission is to ensure that the people of greater boston benefit from a vibrant, resilient, and inclusive waterfront, harbor, and islands; these spaces are equitable, accessible, and adapted to climate change; and to ensure our public,…

Environment
7
Mit Free Speech Alliance

To promote free expression, academic freedom, viewpoint diversity, and open scientific inquiry in the MIT community

Civil Rights
8
Boston Public Library Fund Inc

The boston public library fund provides financial support to the boston public library (bpl), ensuring that it remains viable, engaging, accessible, and free to all. the library fund fulfills this mission by working in partnership with…

Education
9
New England Legal Foundation

New england legal foundation (nelf) is the leading non-profit public interest law firm in the region addressing policy and constitutional concerns related to free enterprise. its mission is promoting public discourse on the proper role of…

Civil Rights
10
Women Donors Network

Women donors network advances a just, equitable, and sustainable world through the power of philanthropy, women's leadership, and collective and individual action.

Philanthropy
11
Environmental League of Massachusetts Inc

The organization's mission is to advocate for policy that meets the scale and urgency of our environmental challenges. as a massachusetts-based organization that engages in advocacy across a full spectrum of climate, environmental, and…

Environment
12
Native Plant Trust Inc

The organization's mission is to conserve and promote new england's native plants to ensure healthy, biologically diverse landscapes.

Environment
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Third Sector New England Inc; the most unlike its peers is Railroad Workers Education & Legal Defense 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

22 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. 22 of the 28 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)
1
Early backer (in before they grew)
21/22
Grantees still filing
10/22
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC INC: $1,000,000 · EducationBERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC INCMASSACHUSETTS MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART FOUNDATION INC: $675,000 · EducationMASSACHUSETTS MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART FOUNDATION INC+1 more: $5,000 · EducationJACOB'S PILLOW DANCE FESTIVAL INC: $50,000 · Arts & CultureBOSTON YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAS INC: $15,000 · Arts & CultureDANSPACE PROJECT INC: $10,000 · Arts & CultureALLIES IN ARTS: $8,333 · Arts & CultureBYSO: $25,000 · OtherBAGLY INC DBA MTPC: $15,000 · OtherCOLLECTIVE POWER FOR REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE: $9,000 · OtherBAGLY INC: $8,333 · OtherSAFE PASSAGEINC: $8,333 · OtherIndividual grant recipient: $5,000 · OtherRIP MEDICAL DEBT: $5,000 · OtherTRANSGENDER EMERGENCY FUND OF MA INC: $8,333 · OtherTHIRD SECTOR NEW ENGLAND INC: $8,000 · OtherPortland Community Squash: $5,000 · OtherLAST PRISONER PROJECT: $5,000 · OtherFARESTART: $5,000 · OtherCHARLEY'S FUND INC: $50,000 · HealthALZHEIMER'S DISEASE RESEARCH FOUNDATION: $25,000 · HealthA JEWISH VOICE FOR PEACE: $27,333 · InternationalPALESTINE CHILDREN'S RELIEF FUND: $16,000 · InternationalWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $15,000 · InternationalAMERICAN NEAR EAST REFUGEE AID: $8,000 · InternationalNATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL INC: $58,333 · EnvironmentHIGHLANDER RESEARCH & EDUCATION CENTER INC: $5,000 · EnvironmentHAWAII COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $10,000 · Philanthropy
Education$1,680,000Arts & Culture$83,333Other$106,999Health$75,000International$66,333Environment$63,333Philanthropy$10,000

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 budgetBERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC INC: $1,000,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetMASSACHUSETTS MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART FOUNDATION INC: $675,000 over 3y, 1.6% of budgetNATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL INC: $58,333 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetJACOB'S PILLOW DANCE FESTIVAL INC: $50,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetCHARLEY'S FUND INC: $50,000 over 1y, 7.7% of budgetA JEWISH VOICE FOR PEACE: $27,333 over 2y, 0.6% of budgetALZHEIMER'S DISEASE RESEARCH FOUNDATION: $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetPALESTINE CHILDREN'S RELIEF FUND: $16,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBOSTON YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAS INC: $15,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $15,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetHAWAII COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDANSPACE PROJECT INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetBAGLY INC: $8,333 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetALLIES IN ARTS: $8,333 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetTHIRD SECTOR NEW ENGLAND INC: $8,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAMERICAN NEAR EAST REFUGEE AID: $8,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPortland Community Squash: $5,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetLAST PRISONER PROJECT: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetHIGHLANDER RESEARCH & EDUCATION CENTER INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFARESTART: $5,000 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.

Boston Foundation IncTides FoundationThe Pfizer Foundation…The Bank of America C…Vanguard Charitable E…American Online Givin…National Philanthropi…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Boston Foundation IncMA12.7× affinity4 shared granteesties to 9 of 9Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Boston Foundation Inc · Tides Foundation · The Pfizer Foundation Inc · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile 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 William S Kaiser Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from William S Kaiser Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 20%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%15%30%45%60%share of the org’s income from government →median 1%
  • Bagly Inc: 39% of income from government
  • Third Sector New England Inc: 3% of income from government
  • Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras Inc: 1% of income from government
  • Berklee College of Music Inc: 1% of income from government
  • Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival Inc: 1% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
2get no government money at all
3report 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 28 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 William S Kaiser 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