Conservation International Foundation
Arlington, VA · EIN 52-1497470. Reported 184 grants totalling $51.6M to 83 organizations across tax years 2020-2023, on Form 990 Schedule I.
Does this grantmaker accept applications?
Its tax return does not say, and we will not guess. Private foundations file Form 990-PF, which asks outright whether they fund only organizations they select themselves -- 78% say yes, and that one answer is what lets the rest of this site tell you which foundations are worth approaching. Grantmaking charities like this one file a regular Form 990 instead, and the IRS never puts the question to them. Anyone claiming to know the answer from the filing is inventing it.
Three things in the filing do bear on it:
- What kind of organization it is. For Conservation International Foundation, the IRS classifies it under environment rather than as a grantmaker (NTEE C30Z) -- it is an operating charity that also makes grants.
- How spread out its giving is. 83 distinct organizations, with 38% of the dollars going to the largest single recipient. That is genuinely spread out -- the mark of a funder making many independent decisions rather than underwriting one institution.
- How much its list changes. 71% of one year's grantees are funded again the next, across 3 year-to-year transitions. That is about the 57% median for grantmaking charities -- noticeably lower than the 67% private foundations manage. Organizations like this one rotate more of their list each year, which is where an opening for a newcomer tends to be.
How big are its grants?
The median reported grant is $74,474. Half of what it reported fell between $31,977 and $212,366; the smallest was $5,194 and the largest $8,359,516. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong organization.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by the EIN the filer reported, not by name, so an organization that was typed differently in two years appears once rather than twice.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Resources Institute | Washington, DC | $19.4M | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Wildlife Conservation Society | Bronx, NY | $3,286,332 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition | Washington, DC | $2,664,663 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| World Wildlife Fund Inc | Washington, DC | $2,616,869 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Island Conservation | Santa Cruz, CA | $1,984,943 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Inc | New York, NY | $1,876,120 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Lightsmith Group LLC | New York, NY | $1,776,264 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Inter Union for Conservation of Nature & Natural Resources Utd St | Washington, DC | $1,775,755 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Arizona State University Foundation for a New American University | Tempe, AZ | $1,388,941 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Nature Conservancy | Arlington, VA | $1,212,638 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| University of California Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA | $703,131 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Ocean Foundation | Washington, DC | $660,567 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Heifer Project International | Little Rock, AR | $618,563 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| US Department of the Treasury | Washington, DC | $580,560 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Resources Legacy Fund | Sacramento, CA | $552,482 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Nia Tero Foundation | Seattle, WA | $498,824 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Save the Waves Coalition | Santa Cruz, CA | $488,733 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Komaza Group Inc | Palo Alto, CA | $485,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Trustees of Boston University | Boston, MA | $455,923 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Oceana Inc | Washington, DC | $451,273 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Institute of International Finance Inc | Washington, DC | $400,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Green Forests Work Inc | Lexington, KY | $363,270 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Rare Inc | Arlington, VA | $352,875 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Hatch Accelerator Fund Management LLC | Kailua Kona, HI | $342,500 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Arizona State University | Tempe, AZ | $316,435 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Missouri Botanical Garden Board of Trustees | Saint Louis, MO | $296,102 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Earth Island Institute Inc | Berkeley, CA | $284,362 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Migramar | Bodega Bay, CA | $270,189 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Nature and Culture International | Del Mar, CA | $263,954 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Fishbio | Oakdale, CA | $263,234 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Turtle Survival Alliance | Charleston, SC | $240,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Rewild | Austin, TX | $237,362 | 5 | 4 | 2023 |
| Saola Foundation | Milwaukee, WI | $236,998 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| International Fund for Animal Welfare Inc | Yarmouth Port, MA | $224,969 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Climate Conservation | Bozeman, MT | $206,796 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance Inc | Washington, DC | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| International Rivers Network | Oakland, CA | $181,222 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Givepower Foundation | Austin, TX | $166,380 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Polynesian Voyaging Society | Honolulu, HI | $161,435 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Wildlife Alliance Inc | New York, NY | $160,001 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Duke University | Durham, NC | $153,436 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Amazon Conservation Association | Washington, DC | $153,047 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Panthera Corporation | New York, NY | $150,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Rangelands Restoration Trust | Pleasanton, CA | $150,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| The Regents of the University of California Davis | Davis, CA | $145,365 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Madagascar Fauna and Flora Group | Naples, FL | $142,583 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Colorado State University | Fort Collins, CO | $122,405 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System | Madison, WI | $121,855 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Regents of the University of Colorado | Denver, CO | $119,796 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Bahamas National Trust Fund Inc | Princeton, NJ | $117,431 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| University of Arkansas Fayetteville Campus | Fayetteville, AR | $115,862 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Reil | Carversville, PA | $113,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Peregrine Fund Inc | Boise, ID | $112,208 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Sdsn Association Inc | New York, NY | $100,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Oxfam-America Inc | Boston, MA | $90,630 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Foundation | Mcallen, TX | $89,142 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| People Resources and Conservation Foundation | Los Angeles, CA | $85,170 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Mongabayorg Corporation | Menlo Park, CA | $80,387 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Sea Education Association Inc | Falmouth, MA | $76,242 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Yale University | New Haven, CT | $74,537 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Foundation | Honolulu, HI | $67,314 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Smithsonian Institute | Washington, DC | $63,840 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Pathfinder International | Washington, DC | $58,230 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute Inc | Piney Flats, TN | $50,544 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Giving Back Fund Inc | Boston, MA | $45,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Rainforest Alliance Inc | New York, NY | $44,712 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Conservation Council of Nations | Washington, DC | $40,175 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network Inc | Bainbridge Is, WA | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| International Crane Foundation Inc | Baraboo, WI | $33,597 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Roger Williams University | Bristol, RI | $33,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| University of Rochester | Rochester, NY | $29,052 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Sustainable Fishery Advocates | Glendale, CA | $28,750 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Environmental Defense Fund Incorporated | New York, NY | $26,573 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Kanu Hawaii | Honolulu, HI | $22,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Root Capital Inc | Cambridge, MA | $18,261 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Boise State University | Boise, ID | $17,387 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Liberia Conservation Fund Inc | Arlington, VA | $17,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Florida International University Board of Trustees | Miami, FL | $8,781 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Association for Marine Exploration | Honolulu, HI | $7,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Marine Conservation Biology Institute | Glen Ellen, CA | $6,994 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Kalanihale | Captain Cook, HI | $6,800 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Surfrider Foundation | San Clemente, CA | $6,517 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| World Coffee Research | Portland, OR | $5,724 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
54 of 83 (65%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold. Remember the $5,000 floor: an organization funded every year at $3,000 shows up here as never funded at all.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose column of its filings, largest first. This is the closest thing to a statement of what it funds, in its own words.
- World Resources Institute
PRICELESS PLANET COALITION - TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION AND PROGRAM MANAGEMENT FOR RESTORATION PROJECT (GUATEMALA, MALAWI, KINSHASA); SYSTEMS CHANGE LAB - World Wildlife Fund Inc
INNOVATIVE USE OF A VOLUNTARY PAYMENT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES INCENTIVE PROGRAM TO AVOID AND REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND ENHANCE CARBON STOCKS IN THE HIGHLY THREATENED DRY CHACO FOREST COMPLEX IN WESTERN PARAGUAY; IMPLEMENTING MANGROVE RESTORATION AT SCALE; REGIONAL SCHOOL FOR MPA MANAGERS OF THE SOUTHERN CONE; HECO TRANSITION FUND; LOVEJOY PRIZE FOUNDING PARTNER - Island Conservation
ISLAND CONSERVATION IMPLEMENTATION GRANT - Arizona State University Foundation for a New American University
GUYANA: RESILIENT AND ONE - Wildlife Conservation Society
REGENERATIVE & WILDLIFE FRIENDLY FIBERS THAT IMPROVE LIVELIHOODS, CONSERVE WILDLIFE & BUILD RESILIENCE TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE IN PATAGONIA; STRENGTHENING MARINE PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT IN THE SOUTHERN GULF OF GUINEA; THE DEPLOYMENT OF EARTH RANGER, A DATA VISUALIZATION & ANALYSIS SOFTWARE TO STRENGTHEN PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT EFFECTIVENESS IN AFRICA'S NAT'L PARKS; REDUCING THE IMPACTS OF GOLD MINING ON LOCAL COMMUNITIES PEOPLE & BIOLOGICAL VARIETY IN BOLIVIA; PRIVATE SECTOR & COMMUNITY CONSERVATION CO-MANAGEMENT IN BALJUVAN KEY BIOLOGICAL VARIETY AREA, TAJIKISTAN; UPSCALING USE OF THE SPATIAL MONITORING & REPORTING TOOL IN KYRGYZSTAN; ENABLING PUBLIC POLICY FOR CHILE'S MARINE PROTECTED AREA NETWORK; GUARDIAN VILLAGES: EMPOWERED COMMUNITIES TO MANAGE WETLANDS IN LAO PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC; ESTABLISHING NEW MARINE PROTECTED AREAS & EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT IN URUGUAY; PLANNING GRANT FOR HIGH SEAS MARINE PROTECTED AREAS IN ARGENTINA; CONSERVING PARAGUAYAN CHACO FOR JAGUARS & PEOPLE - The Nature Conservancy
PALAU'S BLUE PROSPERITY PLAN
What kind of organizations it funds
By each recipient's own IRS classification, for the 63 of 83 recipients we could match to a registered organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses -- Schedule I reports the recipient's EIN, so this is a lookup rather than a name match.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants reported | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 36 | $7,281,955 | $65,577 |
| 2021 | 45 | $9,381,338 | $70,167 |
| 2022 | 50 | $18.0M | $92,678 |
| 2023 | 53 | $16.9M | $82,532 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- Form 990 arrives about a year after the year it covers, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a grantmaker winding down.
Where its money goes
56% of its giving went to organizations in District of Columbia. Community foundations and federated funds are usually the most geographically bounded funders there are -- being outside the footprint is normally disqualifying in a way that a weak programme fit is not.
Down to the city
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Funders that support the same organizations
These grantmakers and private foundations gave to organizations this one also funded. Shared grantees are the strongest signal available that two funders have overlapping priorities -- and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.
How to approach this grantmaker
- Look for a published programme first. Unlike most private foundations, organizations of this kind often do run open, deadlined grant cycles with written guidelines. Its own website is the authority on that; this page is the authority on who it has actually paid.
- Check you are its size. The median reported grant is $74,474 -- and because grants under $5,000 need not be reported, it very likely writes smaller cheques than this page can see.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving concentrates in District of Columbia.
- Read the recipient list for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer and a cheap one to get.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Conservation International Foundation's own Form 990 Schedule I filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2020-2023). Nothing here is scraped, inferred or estimated.
On its most recent return it told the IRS it made grants to 51 section 501(c)(3) organizations and 2 other organizations. That is the filer's own count for one year; the totals above cover every year we hold.
Address of record on the latest return: 2011 Crystal Drive 600, Arlington, VA, 22202.
EIN 52-1497470 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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