Jonathan & Kathleen Altman Fndtn C/O Avalon Trust
ActivePhilanthropy & VoluntarismFunds Individuals
About Jonathan & Kathleen Altman Fndtn C/O Avalon Trust
The Altman Foundation makes a small number of large, targeted grants to university foundations to support applied research on soil and pollinator health. Their giving is focused on West Coast land‑grant and research universities, funding science-driven projects (honeybee health, healthy soils) that bridge agriculture and environmental resilience. The foundation prefers institutional partners (university foundations) rather than grassroots groups or service providers.
Focus Areas
University-based pollinator health research (honeybee projects)Healthy soils and regenerative agriculture researchApplied environmental/agricultural science at public research universities
Who They Fund
Indigenous communities (Laguna Pueblo, Pueblo resurgence)Afghan refugees / resettlement beneficiarieslocal coastal and watershed communities (Rio Grande, Bristol Bay, Maui)artists engaged in regenerative artspollinators and wildlife species (honeybees, otters)
About Jonathan & Kathleen Altman Fndtn C/O Avalon Trust
Jonathan & Kathleen Altman Fndtn C/o Avalon Trust has made a distinctive pattern of large, project-specific grants to university foundations for applied environmental research. The largest recent award in the data is $1,000,000 to Ucsd Foundation for the Healthy Soils Project, paired with repeated support for Washington State University Foundation for honeybee work and a Bee Program. That combination points to a funder that backs science tied to agriculture, pollination, and land stewardship rather than broad institutional support. The foundation’s recent giving also shows a preference for research universities and science-centered partners. University foundations appear alongside conservation and policy organizations, but the university grants stand out for their scale and for the way they cluster around soil health and pollinator health. Across the record, the foundation gives nationally and the grants are concentrated in the United States, with recipients appearing in places such as La Jolla, Pullman, and San Francisco. The donor-advised-fund classification is Regular Funder, and the grant record suggests a deliberate, targeted approach to a relatively small number of recipients.
What Jonathan & Kathleen Altman Fndtn C/O Avalon Trust Funds
Two themes appear repeatedly in the grant list: land restoration and pollinator research. In soil work, the foundation gave $1,000,000 to Ucsd Foundation for the Healthy Soils Project and $500,000 to Ucsf Foundation for the Healthy Soils Project, both tied to applied research rather than general operating support. Pollinator health is another clear line of giving. Washington State University Foundation received $850,000 for a Honeybee Grant, $625,000 for a Bee Program, and $520,000 in a separate donation, showing repeated support for bee-related science. The foundation also funds conservation and ecological restoration outside the university setting. Examples include $250,000 to Archangel Ancient Tree Archive for the EC Champion Tree Project and $100,000 to The Cultural Conservancy for Heron Shadow, indicating interest in place-based land and cultural stewardship.
How Jonathan & Kathleen Altman Fndtn C/O Avalon Trust Gives
Typical grants are mid-sized to large, with p25 at $10,000, a median of $25,000, and p75 at $50,000. The recent record also includes several much larger targeted awards, so the distribution is uneven and project-driven. The same recipients appear across multiple years, including Washington State University Foundation, International Rescue Committee, Natural Resources Defense Council, Doctors Without Borders, Occidental Arts & Ecology Center, The Merwin Conservancy, Buddhist Global Relief, Archangel Ancient Tree Archive, and The Cultural Conservancy. The foundation is a Regular Funder, funds individuals, and does not make program-related investments. General grantmaking is listed as competitive and unsolicited applications are not accepted.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$4.1M
Total Assets
$26.4M
Total Revenue
$4.9M
Total Expenses
$5M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $50K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$50K
Geographic Reach
National13 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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