The Caldwell Fisher Family Foundation concentrates its philanthropy on higher‑education-led climate and environmental work alongside public education and civic‑repair efforts. A very large commitment to Harvard (general education plus a dedicated Climate Action Accelerator) anchors the portfolio, while recurring mid‑sized grants support conservation, environmental advocacy, public science institutions and civic reform (notably redistricting). The foundation favors institutional, programmatic partners that combine research, policy influence, and public engagement.
A $12.35 million grant to President and Fellows of Harvard in 2023 anchors the Caldwell Fisher Family Foundation’s recent giving and shows how central higher education is to its strategy. The foundation pairs that scale with targeted support for climate work, including a $3.5 million gift in 2025 to Harvard's Climate Action Accelerator Fund, while also backing environmental advocacy, public science institutions, and civic reform groups. Across the recent grants list, Harvard-related support is the largest line of giving, but the portfolio is not limited to one institution or one issue. It also includes repeat grants to conservation and policy organizations such as Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, Environmental Defense Fund, and the National Resources Defense Council. The pattern suggests a funder that uses university-based research and policy capacity alongside established nonprofits to advance climate, natural resource, and public-interest goals. Civic repair appears as another recurring thread, with multiple grants to the National Redistricting Foundation, and the foundation also supports public-facing education and media institutions such as Common Sense Media and WETA.
Climate and environmental work sits at the center of the Caldwell Fisher Family Foundation’s portfolio. In 2025, it gave $3.5 million to Harvard's Climate Action Accelerator Fund for education-related climate work, and it also supported Project Drawdown with a $125,000 grant in 2023 and the National Resources Defense Council with $50,000 grants in both 2023 and 2024. Conservation groups appear repeatedly as well, including Monterey Bay Aquarium with $100,000 in 2024 and Conservation International with $100,000 in both 2023 and 2024. The foundation also funds civic-repair and public-interest work: it gave the National Redistricting Foundation $100,000 in 2025 and another $100,000 in 2024, then $50,000 in 2023. Beyond that, it supported media and youth-facing education through WETA at $100,000 in 2023 and Common Sense Media at $100,000 in 2023.
Typical grants cluster in the middle range: p25 is $10,000, median is $25,000, and p75 is $100,000. The recent grant list also shows a clear split between a few very large university commitments and many smaller program grants at $50,000 to $100,000. Several recipients appear across multiple years, including Harvard, Conservation International, the National Resources Defense Council, Environmental Defense Fund, and the National Redistricting Foundation. The foundation is classified as a regular funder and also makes program-related investments. The data does not indicate an unsolicited application process.
$3.7M
$24M
$1M
$90K
Most grants fall between $10K and $100K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$100K
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Concentrated approach: a few very large multi‑grant commitments (notably to Harvard) combined with a set of repeat mid‑sized grants to environmental, science‑education and civic organizations; funding prioritizes institutional partners over many small community grants.
Notable grantees: President and Fellows of Harvard (Harvard University), Harvard's Climate Action Accelerator Fund, Environmental Defense Fund, Project Drawdown, National Redistricting Foundation
Grants are national, with all listed recipients in the US. California appears frequently, including recipients in San Francisco, Monterey, San Rafael, and Studio City, alongside major gifts to Cambridge and Boston in Massachusetts and Washington, DC. The top state by grant count is DC, even though 44% of grants go to recipients in California. The recipient map also reaches Virginia, New York, Maryland, Utah, and Pennsylvania.
The foundation’s grant-size distribution is centered in the middle of the range: p25 is $10,000, median grant size is $25,000, and p75 is $100,000. In the recent grants list, many awards sit at $50,000 or $100,000, with a smaller number of multi-million-dollar commitments.
Yes. Several recipients appear in more than one year, including Conservation International in 2023 and 2024, the National Resources Defense Council in 2023 and 2024, Environmental Defense Fund in 2023 and 2024, the National Redistricting Foundation in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and Harvard across 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Its recent grants emphasize university-led climate and environmental work, conservation and environmental policy, civic reform, and public-facing education. Named examples include Harvard's Climate Action Accelerator Fund, Project Drawdown, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Conservation International, the National Redistricting Foundation, Common Sense Media, and WETA.
The top state by grant count is DC. California also receives a large share of grants: 44% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state of California, while the recipient list also includes organizations in Massachusetts, Virginia, New York, Maryland, Utah, and Pennsylvania.
Yes. The foundation is identified as making program-related investments, and it is classified as a regular funder. Its recent grants also show a strong programmatic pattern, including repeated support for the same organizations across multiple years.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HARVARD'S CLIMATE ACTION ACCELERATOR FUND | BOSTON, MA | $3,500,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| NATIONAL REDISTRICTING FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $100,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION/WELLFARE |
| SFMOMA | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $85,000 | 2025 | ART |
| EXPLORATORIUM | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $25,000 | 2025 | SCIENCE/EDUCATION |
| MENTAL HEALTH COALITION INC | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | MENTAL HEALTH |
| LANDPATHS | SANTA ROSA, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | ENVIORNMENT |
| JANE GOODALL INSTITUTE | WASHINGTON, DC | $5,000 | 2025 | ENVIORNMENT |
| PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $4,500,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| LISTEN FIRST PROJECT | STUDIO CITY, CA | $100,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION/WELFARE |
| CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL | ARLINGTON, VA | $100,000 | 2024 | ENVIRONMENT |
| NATIONAL REDISTRICTIUNG FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $100,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION/WELLFARE |
| TIPPING POINT COMM | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $100,000 | 2024 | HEALTH/WELFARE |
| MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM | MONTEREY, CA | $100,000 | 2024 | ENVIRONMENT |
| ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2024 | ENVIRONMENT |
| FILMMAKERS COLLABORATIVE | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $50,000 | 2024 | ARTS |
| NATIONAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL | HAGERSTOWN, MD | $50,000 | 2024 | ENVIRONMENT |
| ANTICORRUPTION FDN USA | BOSTON, MA | $50,000 | 2024 | ENVIRONMENT |
| NAVIGATOR HOMES | EDGARTOWN, MA | $25,000 | 2024 | NAVIGATOR HOMES |
| TOGETHER SF | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $25,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION/HEALTH & WELLNESS |
| NEIGHBORS FOR A BETTER SAN FRANCISCO | SAN RAFAEL, CA | $25,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION/WELFARE |
| UNIVERSITY OF OREGON JORDAN SCHMITZER MUSEUM OF ART | MENLO PARK, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| SAN FRANCISCO FREE CLINIC | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | HEALTH/WELFARE |
| BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF SF | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| EVERY MOTHER COUNTS | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2024 | HEALTH/WELFARE |
| THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $5,000 | 2024 | ENVIRONMENT |
| YOU GOTTA BELIEVE | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2024 | HEALTH/WELFARE |
| UTAH FILM CTR | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $5,000 | 2024 | ARTS |
| MR YOUTH | MADISON, MS | $1,900 | 2024 | EDUCATION/HEALTH & WELLNESS |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD | NEW YORK, NY | $1,500 | 2024 | HEALTH/WELFARE |
| AMERICAN RED CROSS | SACRAMENTO, CA | $1,000 | 2024 | HEALTH/WELFARE |
| PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $12,350,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION |
| CAPE ELEUTHERA FOUNDATION INC | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $130,000 | 2023 | ENVIRONMENT/EDUCATION |
| PROJECT DRAWNDOWN | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $125,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION/ENVIRONMENT |
| COMMON SENSE MEDIA | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $100,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION |
| WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOC | WASHINGTON, DC | $100,000 | 2023 | ENVIRONMENT/EDUCATION |
| THE NATURE CONSERVANCY | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $100,000 | 2023 | ENVIRONMENT |
| WETA | ARLINGTON, VA | $100,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION |
| CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL | ARLINGTON, VA | $100,000 | 2023 | ENVIRONMENT |
| TEN STRANDS | SAN RAFAEL, CA | $50,000 | 2023 | ENVIRONMENT |
| CPMC | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $50,000 | 2023 | HEALTH/WELFARE |
| NATIONAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL | HAGERSTOWN, MD | $50,000 | 2023 | ENVIRONMENT |
| SAN FRANCISCO PARKS ALLIANCE | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $50,000 | 2023 | ENVIRONMENTAL |
| UTAH FILM CTR | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $50,000 | 2023 | ARTS |
| NATIONAL REDISTRICTIUNG FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $50,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION/WELLFARE |
| BOSTON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA | BOSTON, MA | $50,000 | 2023 | ARTS |
| ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2023 | ENVIRONMENT |
| MR YOUTH | MADISON, MS | $25,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION/HEALTH & WELLNESS |
| EXPLORATORIUM | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $25,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION |
| USTA MIDWEST TENNIS & EDUCATION FOUNDATION | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $25,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION/HEALTH & WELFARE |
| SF MOMA | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $20,000 | 2023 | ARTS |
HARVARD'S CLIMATE ACTION ACCELERATOR FUND
$3,500,000EDUCATION
SFMOMA
$85,000ART
EXPLORATORIUM
$25,000SCIENCE/EDUCATION
ENVIORNMENT
LISTEN FIRST PROJECT
$100,000EDUCATION/WELFARE
MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM
$100,000ENVIRONMENT
NATIONAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL
$50,000ENVIRONMENT
ANTICORRUPTION FDN USA
$50,000ENVIRONMENT
NAVIGATOR HOMES
$25,000NAVIGATOR HOMES
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON JORDAN SCHMITZER MUSEUM OF ART
$10,000EDUCATION
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF SF
$10,000EDUCATION
MR YOUTH
$1,900EDUCATION/HEALTH & WELLNESS
PLANNED PARENTHOOD
$1,500HEALTH/WELFARE
AMERICAN RED CROSS
$1,000HEALTH/WELFARE
PROJECT DRAWNDOWN
$125,000EDUCATION/ENVIRONMENT
WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOC
$100,000ENVIRONMENT/EDUCATION
CPMC
$50,000HEALTH/WELFARE
NATIONAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL
$50,000ENVIRONMENT
BOSTON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
$50,000ARTS
MR YOUTH
$25,000EDUCATION/HEALTH & WELLNESS
EXPLORATORIUM
$25,000EDUCATION
USTA MIDWEST TENNIS & EDUCATION FOUNDATION
$25,000EDUCATION/HEALTH & WELFARE