Funders › District of Columbia
Good Words Foundation
Washington, DC · EIN 82-5368680. Reported 89 grants totalling $4,324,387 to 54 recipients across tax years 2021-2024. This foundation told the IRS it does not accept unsolicited requests: it contributes only to organizations it selects itself.
Does this foundation accept applications?
No -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation to check a box if it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds". Good Words Foundation checked it on its most recent filing, as 78% of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered did. An unsolicited request is unlikely to go anywhere.
Organizations it funds that make grants of their own
3 of the organizations Good Words Foundation funded make grants themselves, and it reported 4 grants totalling $145,000 to them. That is 4% of the $3,314,328 of its giving we could match to a registered organization. Each is classified by the IRS as a philanthropy or grantmaking organization, reported grants to at least 25 organizations of its own, and has at least 10 funders behind it.
All of them file Form 990, which never asks whether an organization funds only groups it picks, so there is no answer on record either way.
What that does not mean. It does not mean an application to any of them reaches this foundation's money. A private foundation's grant to a community foundation or a federated campaign is often a donor-advised fund or a gift designated for a purpose the foundation chose, and has nothing to do with any open programme the receiving organization runs. Its return's purpose text sometimes names a family fund or a designated purpose, which is the plainest case of money no applicant can reach; where it names none, neither return says which. The list is who this foundation paid that also makes grants. Whether any of them would fund you is a question for its own page.
| Grantmaker | Kind | State | Received | Grants | Years | Last | Only funds organizations it picks? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska Community Foundation | community foundation | Nebraska | $75,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 | Its form does not ask |
| Henry J Kaiser Family Foundation | grantmaking organization | California | $60,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 | Its form does not ask |
| United Jewish Appeal-Federation of | federated giving programme | New York | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 | Its form does not ask |
A floor, not a full list. A grantmaker appears here only where this foundation's return named it clearly enough for us to match the name to an EIN, which we manage for about two thirds of 990-PF grant rows, and only where that grantmaker has a page on this site. There may be more. Dollars here are summed by EIN across every spelling on its returns, so a figure can differ from the matching row in the full list below, which groups names as written. And the IRS classification cannot tell a grantmaker from a funders' association or a donor-advised fund sponsor, so a payment to one of these may be dues or an account rather than support for a grants programme.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $25,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $10,000 and $100,000; the smallest was $500 and the largest $200,000.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by name and state as they were written on the returns, so an organization entered under two different names appears twice. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which that name received money.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pro Publica | New York, NY | $600,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Capital B News Inc | New York, NY | $425,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The 19TH News | Austin, TX | $425,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Center for Public Integrity | Washington, DC | $300,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Nebraska Journalism Trust | Omaha, NE | $300,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| University of Virginia | Charlottesville, VA | $250,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Chalkbeat | Brooklyn, NY | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Civic News Company | New York, NY | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Club of Madrid Foundation | Norwood, MA | $150,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church | New York, NY | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Lenfest Institute | Philadelphia, PA | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Resolve Philly | Philadelphia, PA | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Spotlight Pa | Harrisburg, PA | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Spotlight Pa General Account | Harrisburg, PA | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Trevor Project Inc | West Hollywood, CA | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Georgetown Presbyterian Church | Washington, DC | $85,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Amalgamated Foundation | Washington, DC | $75,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Madrid Educational Endowment Foundation | Madrid, IA | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Nebraska Community Foundation | Lincoln, NE | $75,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Vet Voice Foundation | Portland, OR | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Henry J Kaiser Family Foundation | San Francisco, CA | $60,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| American Journalism Project Inc | Washington, DC | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Honorable Tina Brozman Foundation | New York, NY | $42,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Smithsonian Institute | Washington, DC | $35,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Edmund Burke School | Washington, DC | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Christ House | Washington, DC | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Wnyc Wqxr Gothamist New York Public Radio | New York, NY | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| American Civil Liberties Union Inc | New York City, NY | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Dream Charter School East Harlem Formerly Harlem Rbi | New York, NY | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| High Fives Foundation | Truckee, CA | $15,250 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Camp Harbor View Foundation Inc | Boston, MA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Wamu American University Public Radio | Washington, DC | $10,024 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Actblue Civics Inc | Boston, MA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Bridging Virginia | Richmond, VA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Friends of the American University of Afghanistan | Washington, DC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Georgetown Ministry Center | Washington, DC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Light of the World Charities | Stuart, FL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Network for Good | Washington, DC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Planned Parenthood | New York, NY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Trustees of Columbia University | New York, NY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Uja Federation of New York | New York, NY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts | Vienna, VA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| American University | Washington, DC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| DC Diaper Bank | Washington, DC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Sacred Heart Church El Paso | El Paso, TX | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| University of Pennsylvania Wxpn Public Radio | Philadelphia, PA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Washington National Cathedral | Washington, DC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Wildlife Conservation Society | Bronx, NY | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| PTA of Ps 32 | Brooklyn, NY | $2,557 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Media Impact Funders | Philadelphia, PA | $2,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Ps 39 Parent Association | Brooklyn, NY | $1,035 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| John Eaton Home and School Association | Washington, DC | $1,021 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals | New York, NY | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
22 of 54 (41%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 56%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is about typical. This measures how often it paid the same organizations again. It says nothing about whether it would consider a new one, and this foundation told the IRS it does not.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- Nebraska Journalism Trust
SUPPORT FLATWATER FREE PRESS - Capital B News Inc
SUPPORT REPORTING FOR BLACK COMMUNITIES - The 19TH News
SUPPORT EMPOWERMENT OF UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES - Civic News Company
HELP PEOPLE UNDERSTAND HOW AMERICA WORKS - Spotlight Pa
SUPPORT INDEPENDENT NONPARTISAN REPORTING - Madrid Educational Endowment Foundation
SUPPORT MADRID COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 58 grants where we could match the recipient to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's. The match, made from the name and address on the return, is ours.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 23 | $1,166,592 | $50,000 |
| 2022 | 29 | $1,057,533 | $15,000 |
| 2023 | 18 | $1,155,262 | $62,500 |
| 2024 | 19 | $945,000 | $25,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Where its money goes
39% of its giving went to organizations in New York.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more. Unlike this foundation, none of them is on record as funding only organizations it picks, and each page says what its filings show.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Good Words Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Grant figures are from its returns. Matching recipients to registered organizations, their IRS classifications, the retention rate and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations, described in how we build this.
Address of record on the latest return: 2201 Wisconsin Avenue Nw 200, Washington, DC, 20007. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS.
EIN 82-5368680 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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