Grantmakers › District of Columbia
Rails to Trails Conservancy
Washington, DC · EIN 52-1437006. Reported 106 grants totalling $1,774,556 to 88 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 Rails to Trails Conservancy, the IRS classifies it under environment rather than as a grantmaker (NTEE C500) -- it is an operating charity that also makes grants.
- How spread out its giving is. 88 distinct organizations, with 11% 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. 21% of one year's grantees are funded again the next, across 3 year-to-year transitions. That is below the 57% median for grantmaking charities, and well below the 67% private foundations manage. A list that turns over this much is one a newcomer can realistically join.
How big are its grants?
The median reported grant is $10,375. Half of what it reported fell between $10,000 and $15,000; the smallest was $6,250 and the largest $180,000. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey Bicycle Coalition | Montclair, NJ | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| 30TH Street Industrial Corridor Corporation Inc | Milwaukee, WI | $186,750 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Cross New Hampshire Adventure Trail | Glen, NH | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Delaware River Waterfront Corporation | Philadelphia, PA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Community Initiatives | Oakland, CA | $44,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Hbcus Outside Incorporated | Elizabeth City, NC | $42,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| City of Baltimore | Baltimore, MD | $41,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| H a C E | Philadelphia, PA | $40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Pennsylvania Railroad Harsimus STEM Embankment Coalition Inc | Jersey City, NJ | $40,000 | 2 | 1 | 2020 |
| Manhattan Trail System Inc | Manhattan, MT | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Urban Oasis Inc | Baltimore, MD | $28,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Northwest Side Community Development Corporation | Milwaukee, WI | $27,250 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| American Volkssport Association Inc | Chadron, NE | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| City of Trotwood | Trotwood, OH | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Friends of the Northern Rail Trail | New London, NH | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Missouri Coalition for the Environment Foundation | Saint Louis, MO | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Plusurbia Pr LLC | Guaynabo, PR | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| City of Solon | Solon, OH | $24,556 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Brookville Trail Hub | Brookville, PA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Camden Greenways Inc | Lawnside, NJ | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation | Des Moines, IA | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| New Kensington Community Development Corp | Philadelphia, PA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Paso Del Norte Community Foundation | El Paso, TX | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Schuylkill River Greenway Assn | Pottstown, PA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston-Brownsville | Brownsville, TX | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Miami River Fund Inc | Miami, FL | $18,000 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Action Greensboro | Greensboro, NC | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Anchorage Park Foundation | Anchorage, AK | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Arizona Trail Association | Tucson, AZ | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Black People Ride Bikes | Baltimore, MD | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Bronzeville Trail Task Force Inc | Chicago, IL | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Brooke-Hancock-Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission | Steubenville, OH | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Capital Area Greenbelt Association | Harrisburg, PA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| City of Greeley Natural Areas & Trails Division | Greeley, CO | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Clinton County Foundation | Wilmington, OH | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Elizabeth River Trail Foundation | Norfolk, VA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Friends of Northeast Georgia Inc | Clarkesville, GA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Friends of River Park | West Lebanon, NH | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Gearin Up Bicycles | Washington, DC | $15,000 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Georgia Bikes Inc | Athens, GA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Play Marin | Sausalito, CA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Shelby Farms Park Conservancy | Memphis, TN | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Town of Cowen | Cowen, WV | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Havenwoods Economic Developement Corp | Milwaukee, WI | $14,250 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| East Bay Bicycle Coalition | Oakland, CA | $14,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| City of Fairmont Wv | Fairmont, WV | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Trumbull County Metroparks | Warren, OH | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina Inc | Morganton, NC | $12,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Unplug Collaborative | Sherman Oaks, CA | $12,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Bike Walk Nebraska | Omaha, NE | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Black Women in Nature | Columbus, OH | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Cardinal Greenway Inc | Muncie, IN | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Cedar Valley Trails Partnership | Cedar Falls, IA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| City of Weirton Board of Park Commissioners | Weirton, WV | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Communities Unlimited Inc | Fayetteville, AR | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Friends of Madison County Parks and Trails | London, OH | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Headwaters Trail System | Three Forks, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Hike Heal Wellness | Philadelphia, PA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| In Color Birding Club | Royersford, PA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Kellogg Project Uplift | Wallace, ID | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Knox County Park District | Mount Vernon, OH | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Montana Trails Coalition | Clancy, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Nickel Plate Trail Inc | Peru, IN | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Palouse to Cascades Trail Coalition | Winthrop, WA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Peninsula Trails Coalition | Port Angeles, WA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Powell County Montana | Deer Lodge, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Rails to Trails of Wayne County | Wooster, OH | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Remember US Urban Legends | Columbus, OH | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Riverworks Development Corporation | Milwaukee, WI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Erie Area Council of Governments | Erie, PA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Town of Pittsfield | Pittsfield, ME | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Town of Salem Nh | Salem, NH | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Water Valley Main Streetassociation Inc | Water Valley, MS | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Yellowstone Historic Center Inc | W Yellowstone, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Urban Tilth | Richmond, CA | $9,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| University of Miami | Coral Gables, FL | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Washington County Parks | West Bend, WI | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Active Transportation Alliance | Chicago, IL | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Bay Area Ridge Trail Council | Berkeley, CA | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Bentonville Bella Vista Blazer Association | Bentonville, AR | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Friends of Herring Run Parks Inc | Baltimore, MD | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Pinnacle Prevention Corp | Chandler, AZ | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Prairie Trails Club Inc | North Judson, IN | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Near West Side Partners Inc | Milwaukee, WI | $7,250 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| City of Hot Springs | Hot Springs, AR | $7,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Freshwater Land Trust | Birmingham, AL | $7,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Union Grove Rails to Trails Inc | Franksville, WI | $7,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Wenatchee Valley Tread | Wenatchee, WA | $7,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
12 of 88 (14%) 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.
- Arizona Trail Association
TRAIL PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT
What kind of organizations it funds
By each recipient's own IRS classification, for the 63 of 88 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 | 30 | $357,500 | $10,000 |
| 2021 | 19 | $367,556 | $10,500 |
| 2022 | 23 | $393,000 | $12,000 |
| 2023 | 34 | $656,500 | $15,000 |
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
15% of its giving went to organizations in Wisconsin. 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 $10,375 -- 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 Wisconsin.
- 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.
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Rails to Trails Conservancy'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 33 section 501(c)(3) organizations and 1 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: 2445 M St Nw 650, Washington, DC, 20037.
EIN 52-1437006 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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