176 private foundations reported environment & conservation grants in California on their IRS Form 990-PF filings for tax years 2023–2025. Historical giving records — not an open application portal.
Themes are derived from the free-text purpose each foundation wrote on its own Part XV filing, so a grant is classified by what the funder said it was for. Grants paid directly to named individuals are excluded from recipient counts and tables.
Across tax years 2023–2025, 176 private foundations reported 473 grants for environment & conservation totaling $56,754,156 to 345 organizations in California. The most-funded California communities were San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles. Freedom Together Foundation reported the most environment & conservation giving — $11,975,000 across 11 grants. The median grant was $20,000.
Foundation filings are a record of past giving. The UseGrants eligibility check matches you to federal and state opportunities accepting applications today.
| Foundation | Grants | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Freedom Together Foundation | 11 | $11,975,000 |
| Waverley Street Foundation | 5 | $7,470,000 |
| Clif Family Foundation | 46 | $2,875,000 |
| Wal-mart Foundation | 2 | $2,550,000 |
| Margaret a Cargill Foundation | 2 | $2,427,000 |
| John S and James L Knight Foundation | 4 | $2,233,671 |
| The Elizabeth R & William J Patterson Foundation | 7 | $2,100,000 |
| Patagoniaorg | 107 | $1,979,000 |
| Laural Foundation | 9 | $1,860,000 |
| The Patrick J Mcgovern Foundation Inc | 5 | $1,750,000 |
| Helen and Will Webster Foundation | 5 | $1,595,000 |
| The Great Island Foundation | 1 | $1,500,000 |
| Recipient | Grants | Total |
|---|---|---|
| California Volunteers Fund | 2 | $5,250,000 |
| Trust for Public Land | 5 | $4,875,000 |
| Solutions Project Inc | 3 | $2,850,000 |
| Blue Forest Finance Inc | 2 | $2,000,000 |
| Climateworks Foundation | 1 | $1,927,000 |
| Institute for Nonprofit News | 2 | $1,736,380 |
| Tides Center | 9 | $1,700,000 |
| Earthjustice | 12 | $1,558,500 |
| Sustainable Fishery Advocates | 1 | $1,550,000 |
| Elkhorn Slough Foundation | 1 | $1,505,000 |
| Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs | 5 | $1,415,000 |
| Climate Breakthrough Inc | 1 | $1,100,000 |
| Earth Innovation Institute | 1 | $1,000,000 |
| Spirit Rock Meditation Center | 1 | $1,000,000 |
| Fibershed | 2 | $790,000 |
176 private foundations reported environment & conservation grants in California on their IRS Form 990-PF filings, totaling $56,754,156. The largest by reported dollars were Freedom Together Foundation, Waverley Street Foundation, Clif Family Foundation. These are historical filings, not open application portals — check each foundation's own guidelines before approaching them.
345 distinct organizations appear as recipients in California, led by California Volunteers Fund, Trust for Public Land, Solutions Project Inc. Grants paid directly to named individuals are excluded from these figures.
The median reported environment & conservation grant in California was $20,000, and the largest single reported grant was $5,000,000. Amounts are as reported by the filing foundation for a historical tax year.
The UseGrants feed tracks federal and state opportunities that are open today, each with the eligibility explained in plain English.
Source: public IRS Form 990-PF Part XV filings (tax years 2023–2025). Theme classification is derived from the funder’s own purpose text and is a summary, not a legal categorization. UseGrants is an independent aggregator, not affiliated with any foundation listed.
