Fernwood Group Fund concentrates its giving on national public-policy advocacy to shape health and climate outcomes, with the largest investments in tobacco control and clean-energy transition campaigns. It funds advocacy organizations and political-action arms that drive policy, data and voter engagement rather than direct service delivery. Grants are few but very large, often to the same organizations over multiple awards, indicating a strategy of concentrated, high-impact support for national advocacy efforts.
Fernwood Group Fund’s largest recent grants all go to advocacy organizations working on public-policy change, led by a $22.5 million award in 2025 to Tobacco-free Kids Action Fund to reduce tobacco use. That pattern is reinforced by a $20.674 million grant in 2023 to the same organization, showing repeated support for the same policy agenda over multiple years. The fund also backs climate-policy advocacy at a similarly large scale, including seven-figure grants to League of Conservation Voters and Energy Action Fund for clean-energy transition work. Across the recent grants list, the foundation’s support is directed toward organizations that influence legislation, voter engagement, and public-health systems rather than direct service delivery. Its portfolio reaches into several policy areas tied to health outcomes, including tobacco control, healthy eating policy, cardiovascular health, the opioid crisis, and health data. The recent record suggests concentrated, high-dollar grantmaking to a small set of national advocacy groups, with Washington, DC-based recipients appearing repeatedly.
In tobacco-control advocacy, Fernwood Group Fund gave $22.5 million to Tobacco-free Kids Action Fund in 2025 to reduce tobacco use, and another $4.13 million in 2024 to support cardiovascular health. The same grantee also received $6.811 million in 2024 to support effective policies on healthy eating, showing that the fund connects policy work across related health issues. Climate and energy policy is another clear area: the fund gave $6.065 million to League of Conservation Voters in 2024 and $3.75 million to Energy Action Fund in 2024, both for accelerating the transition to clean energy. Public-health data and substance-use response also appear in the recent record, with $1.293 million to Tobacco-free Kids Action Fund to combat the opioid crisis in the U.S. and $680,000 to support data for health.
Recent awards are large and concentrated: the median grant is $4,065,000, with the 25th percentile at $3,135,750 and the 75th percentile at $6,251,500. The grant list shows repeated awards to the same organizations across multiple years, especially Tobacco-free Kids Action Fund and League of Conservation Voters, which points to ongoing relationships rather than one-off support. Fernwood Group Fund is a fund, not an operating charity, and it does not make program-related investments. Its recent giving is local in scope, with all listed grants going to U.S. recipients.
$22.5M
$669M
$78.4M
$28.2M
Most grants fall between $3.1M and $6.3M, with a median of $4.1M.
25th Percentile
$3.1M
Median
$4.1M
75th Percentile
$6.3M
About 0% of grants go to recipients in DC.
PATRICIA E HARRIS
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Highly concentrated, high-dollar grants to a small number of national advocacy organizations; multiple repeat grants to core grantees indicating sustained multi-year support for policy and campaign work.
Notable grantees: Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund, League of Conservation Voters, Energy Action Fund
All recent grants in the dataset went to U.S. recipients. Washington, DC is the most common recipient city, appearing in several of the largest awards, including Tobacco-free Kids Action Fund and League of Conservation Voters. San Francisco, CA appears as well through Energy Action Fund. The geographic pattern is narrow and policy-centered, with giving concentrated in a small number of cities rather than spread across many regions.
The recent grants point to tobacco control, healthy eating policy, cardiovascular health, clean-energy transition, opioid-crisis response, and data for health. Those areas appear in specific awards to Tobacco-free Kids Action Fund, League of Conservation Voters, and Energy Action Fund.
Yes. Tobacco-free Kids Action Fund appears multiple times, including awards in 2023, 2024, and 2025. League of Conservation Voters also received more than one grant across 2023 and 2024, which suggests repeated support rather than isolated gifts.
The grant-size distribution is high and concentrated: p25 is $3,135,750, median is $4,065,000, and p75 is $6,251,500. Even the smaller recent grants remain in seven figures.
The top recipient state by grant count is DC. Washington, DC-based organizations appear repeatedly in the recent grants list, including Tobacco-free Kids Action Fund and League of Conservation Voters.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOBACCO-FREE KIDS ACTION FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $22,500,000 | 2025 | TO REDUCE TOBACCO USE |
| TOBACCO-FREE KIDS ACTION FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $6,811,000 | 2024 | TO SUPPORT EFFECTIVE POLICIES ON HEALTHY EATING |
| LEAGUE OF CONSERVATION VOTERS | WASHINGTON, DC | $6,065,000 | 2024 | TO ACCELERATE TRANSITION TO CLEAN ENERGY |
| TOBACCO-FREE KIDS ACTION FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $4,130,000 | 2024 | TO SUPPORT CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH |
| ENERGY ACTION FUND | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $3,750,000 | 2024 | TO ACCELERATE TRANSITION TO CLEAN ENERGY |
| TOBACCO-FREE KIDS ACTION FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,293,000 | 2024 | TO COMBAT THE OPIOID CRISIS IN THE U.S. |
| TOBACCO-FREE KIDS ACTION FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $680,000 | 2024 | TO SUPPORT DATA FOR HEALTH |
| TOBACCO-FREE KIDS ACTION FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $20,674,000 | 2023 | TO REDUCE TOBACCO USE |
| LEAGUE OF CONSERVATION VOTERS | WASHINGTON, DC | $4,000,000 | 2023 | TO ACCELERATE TRANSITION TO CLEAN ENERGY |
TOBACCO-FREE KIDS ACTION FUND
$22,500,000TO REDUCE TOBACCO USE
TOBACCO-FREE KIDS ACTION FUND
$6,811,000TO SUPPORT EFFECTIVE POLICIES ON HEALTHY EATING
TOBACCO-FREE KIDS ACTION FUND
$4,130,000TO SUPPORT CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH
TOBACCO-FREE KIDS ACTION FUND
TO COMBAT THE OPIOID CRISIS IN THE U.S.
TOBACCO-FREE KIDS ACTION FUND
$680,000TO SUPPORT DATA FOR HEALTH
TOBACCO-FREE KIDS ACTION FUND
$20,674,000TO REDUCE TOBACCO USE