About Cotopaxi Foundation
The Cotopaxi Foundation concentrates its giving almost entirely on international relief and development, prioritizing humanitarian crisis response, refugee assistance, and emergency aid. Its grants go to established global NGOs and intermediaries that deliver rapid-response services and support displaced populations. The foundation favors established operational partners over small local projects, using sizable awards to scale relief work quickly.
Focus Areas
Refugee resettlement and services (supporting displaced people and refugees)Humanitarian emergency response and crisis reliefInternational development and post-crisis recoveryPooled/global grantmaking and donor-advised distribution (via intermediaries like GlobalGiving)
Who They Fund
nonprofit organizations (general)grantees supported by 1% For the Planet / Planet Impact Fund
Giving Approach
Concentrated, high-dollar giving to a small number of established international NGOs; repeat multi-grant support to core partners (notably IRC and Mercy Corps) rather than many small one-off grants.
About Cotopaxi Foundation
Cotopaxi Foundation’s recent grantmaking is defined by emergency and displacement work, with large unrestricted awards flowing to organizations that respond to humanitarian crises and support refugees. Two recurring recipients show that pattern clearly: the International Rescue Committee received $230,000 in 2024 and $210,000 in 2025, while Mercy Corps received $204,714 in 2024 and $70,000 in 2025. Those repeated grants point to an established relationship with operational NGOs that can move quickly across international response needs. The foundation also uses intermediaries when it wants to channel funds broadly, including a $160,000 grant to Globalgiving Foundation Inc in 2024. Beyond direct relief, its grants also reach organizations tied to education and poverty reduction, but the strongest throughline in the recent record is aid for people facing crisis, displacement, and post-crisis recovery. The pattern favors sizable, unrestricted support rather than highly restricted project funding, and the recipients are mostly established nonprofits with national or international reach rather than small local groups.
What Cotopaxi Foundation Funds
Humanitarian response is central to the foundation’s portfolio. In 2023, it gave $84,598 to UN Foundation - Nothing But Nets, and it followed with $75,000 grants in both 2024 and 2025, showing sustained support for a global relief channel. Refugee and displacement services also appear repeatedly through the International Rescue Committee, which received $144,599 in 2023, $230,000 in 2024, and $210,000 in 2025. In education, Cotopaxi Foundation backed Fundacion Escuela Nueva with $92,098 in 2023, $70,000 in 2024, and $70,000 in 2025. It also supported OneGoal with $75,000 in 2025, indicating some grantmaking tied to student opportunity and schooling access. The foundation’s portfolio further includes poverty-focused and community-serving work through organizations like The Chain Collaborative and New Story Inc.
How Cotopaxi Foundation Gives
Typical grant size sits at $12,654 at the 25th percentile, $30,000 at the median, and $70,000 at the 75th percentile. That distribution shows a mix of mid-sized awards with a meaningful upper tier for larger operating grants. Repeated recipients appear across multiple years, including the International Rescue Committee, Mercy Corps, Fundacion Escuela Nueva, and The Chain Collaborative, which suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-off gifts. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does make grants to nonprofit organizations rather than individuals. Unrestricted support is common in the recent record, and the active program description says unsolicited applications are accepted.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$902K
Total Assets
$547K
Total Revenue
$1.5M
Total Expenses
$1.1M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $13K and $70K, with a median of $30K.
25th Percentile
$13K
Median
$30K
75th Percentile
$70K
Geographic Reach
National15 states funded
About 7% of grants go to recipients in CA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Where Cotopaxi Foundation Funds
Top 3 recipient countries by grant volume for Cotopaxi Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 62 | $2.9M | 92.5% |
| 2 | Colombia | 3 |
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