RMI is transforming the global energy system to secure a clean, prosperous, zero-carbon future for all.
Rocky Mountain Institute’s recent grantmaking shows a strong pattern of support for related and affiliated organizations, including a $3,937,867 grant to Canary Media in 2025 and a $2,203,750 grant to Mission Possible Partnership in 2025. Those larger awards sit alongside program support for work tied to buildings, transportation, electricity, climate finance, and energy access, reflecting a portfolio built around clean energy transition projects rather than individual aid or program-related investments. The foundation also backs organizations working on the infrastructure of decarbonization. In 2024 and 2025, it supported groups such as Preservation of Affordable Housing Inc, the Buildings Decarbonization Coalition, and the Association for Energy Affordability Inc. Its recent grants include public-interest, research, and technical partners as well, suggesting a mix of advocacy, implementation, and capacity support. Rocky Mountain Institute funded 69 grants in the United States, with Colorado recipients accounting for 9% of grants and New York appearing most often among recipient states.
Carbon-free buildings is a recurring theme. Rocky Mountain Institute gave $500,000 in 2024 to the Buildings Decarbonization Coalition for support programs, and it also awarded $295,375 in 2023 to New Buildings Institute for support program work. Affordable housing and building performance appear together in the portfolio. The foundation granted $750,000 in 2025 to Preservation of Affordable Housing Inc for support program work, and it made a $108,333 grant in 2024 to National Housing Trust for support program work. The transportation and emissions-monitoring side of the portfolio is also visible. In 2024, it gave $199,895 to Carbon Mapper Inc for support program work, while climate and policy coordination is reflected in grants to World Resources Institute and the International Council on Clean Transportation. These awards sit within a broader set of clean energy and climate-focused priorities, including climate finance and US program and state-level policy.
Typical awards cluster around a median of $100,000, with a lower quartile of $44,228 and an upper quartile of $215,283. The recent grant list shows both large related-entity support and many mid-sized program grants, pointing to a mixed pattern of bridge funding, operating support, and program-restricted support. The grant history also includes repeat awards to the same organizations across multiple years, such as Mission Possible Partnership, Association for Energy Affordability Inc, and Columbia University, which suggests ongoing support rather than one-off gifts. Rocky Mountain Institute is a foundation, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. The active Acceleration Fund is described as supporting RMI-led or partner projects, and it does not accept unsolicited requests.
$2.9M
$150.1M
$174.9M
$159M
Most grants fall between $44K and $215K, with a median of $100K.
25th Percentile
$44K
Median
$100K
75th Percentile
$215K
About 9% of grants go to recipients in CA.
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Rocky Mountain Institute gives nationally, and every grant in the recipient-country distribution goes to U.S. organizations. New York is the top state by grant count, while Colorado receives 9% of grants. Recipient cities appearing in the recent list include Washington, DC; New York, NY; Boston, MA; San Francisco, CA; and Bronx, NY. The pattern is urban and multi-state, with a concentration in policy, research, and implementation hubs rather than a single local market.
The recent grants point to related entities, affiliated nonprofits, research organizations, and implementation partners. Examples include Canary Media, Mission Possible Partnership, World Resources Institute, Columbia University, and the American Lung Association. The listed philosophy tags also indicate support for former or related affiliates, organizational sustainability, and program continuity.
The median recent grant size is $100,000, with a lower quartile of $44,228 and an upper quartile of $215,283. The list also includes several larger awards above $1 million, showing that the foundation combines mid-sized program support with occasional major grants.
The recipient-country distribution shows 69 grants, all to U.S. recipients. The geographic scope of giving is national, and the recent grants list includes organizations in cities such as Washington, DC; New York, NY; Boston, MA; San Francisco, CA; and Seattle, WA.
Yes. Mission Possible Partnership appears in both 2024 and 2025, Association for Energy Affordability Inc appears in both 2024 and 2025, Columbia University appears in both 2024 and 2025, and David Baker Architects appears in both 2024 and 2025. That pattern points to recurring support.
For the active Acceleration Fund, unsolicited requests are not accepted. The fund is described as supporting rapid scaling of proven work and refinement of emerging projects, with philanthropic funding directed to RMI-led or partner projects.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADL Ventures LLC | San Francisco, CA | $603,004 | 2026 | Support program |
| Association for Energy Affordability Inc | Bronx, NY | $331,437 | 2026 | Support program |
| GridLab Inc | Berkeley, CA | $300,000 | 2026 | Support program |
| Battelle Memorial Institute | Richland, WA | $160,000 | 2026 | Support program |
| Potential Energy Coalition Inc | New York, NY | $152,500 | 2026 | Support program |
| Signetron Inc | Berkeley, CA | $132,482 | 2026 | Support program |
| Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory | Berkeley, CA | $112,114 | 2026 | Support program |
| David Baker Architects | San Francisco, CA | $110,068 | 2026 | Support program |
| American Lung Association | Chicago, IL | $100,000 | 2026 | Support program |
| Third Way Institute | Washington, DC | $100,000 | 2026 | Support program |
| US Public Interest Research Group Education Fund (PIRG) | Boston, MA | $100,000 | 2026 | Support program |
| The Regents of the University of California | Davis, CA | $95,092 | 2026 | Support program |
| Hour Car | Saint Paul, MN | $86,326 | 2026 | Support program |
| Power-to-X Analytics LLC | Hancock, MN | $65,000 | 2026 | Support program |
| Climate Strategies Lab LLC dba Industrious Labs | Cincinnati, OH | $50,000 | 2026 | Support program |
| Farmers Union Foundation | Saint Paul, MN | $40,000 | 2026 | Support program |
| Integral Group Inc | Oakland, CA | $36,742 | 2026 | Support program |
| Vermont Energy Investment Corporation | Winooski, VT | $34,658 | 2026 | Support program |
| Passive House Institute US | Chicago, IL | $34,500 | 2026 | Support program |
| RDH Building Science Inc | Seattle, WA | $31,500 | 2026 | Support program |
| Sustaera Inc | Durham, NC | $26,250 | 2026 | Support program |
| Open Market ESCO LLC | Boston, MA | $23,091 | 2026 | Support program |
| Washington State University | Pullman, WA | $20,273 | 2026 | Support program |
| Environmental Defense Fund Inc | New York, NY | $20,000 | 2026 | Support program |
| Fresh Energy | Saint Paul, MN | $20,000 | 2026 | Support program |
| Twelve Benefit Corporation | Berkeley, CA | $17,115 | 2026 | Support program |
| TK Fabricate LLC | Manlius, NY | $15,978 | 2026 | Support program |
| Mobility Development Partners LLC | Chicago, IL | $13,206 | 2026 | support program |
| Forth Mobility Fund | Portland, OR | $11,827 | 2026 | Support program |
| East Metro Strong | Saint Paul, MN | $8,600 | 2026 | Support program |
| National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners | Washington, DC | $7,000 | 2026 | Support program |
| CANARY MEDIA | ASHEVILLE, NC | $3,937,867 | 2025 | RELATED ENTITY GRANT |
| Mission Possible Partnership | WASHINGTON, DC | $2,203,750 | 2025 | SUPPORT FORMER RELATED ENTITY |
| Preservation of Affordable Housing Inc | BOSTON, MA | $750,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT PROGRAM |
| ADL Ventures LLC | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $602,207 | 2025 | SUPPORT PROGRAM |
| Spark Northwest | SEATTLE, WA | $400,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT PROGRAM |
| Action for Boston Community Development Inc | BOSTON, MA | $400,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT PROGRAM |
| Association for Energy Affordability Inc | BRONX, NY | $168,563 | 2025 | SUPPORT PROGRAM |
| Columbia University | NEW YORK, NY | $150,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT PROGRAM |
| David Baker Architects | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $119,275 | 2025 | SUPPORT PROGRAM |
| We Mean Business Coalition | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT PROGRAM |
| American Lung Association | CHICAGO, IL | $100,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT PROGRAM |
| United Nations Foundation Inc | WASHINGTON, DC | $100,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT PROGRAM |
| US Public Interest Research Group Education Fund (PIRG) | Denver, CO | $100,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT PROGRAM |
| TK Fabricate LLC | Manlius, NY | $93,512 | 2025 | SUPPORT PROGRAM |
| Move Minnesota | SAINT PAUL, MN | $75,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT PROGRAM |
| Community Initiatives | OAKLAND, CA | $75,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT PROGRAM |
| NAACP CO MT WY State Conference | AURORA, CO | $70,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT PROGRAM |
| Georgetown University | WASHINGTON, DC | $50,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT PROGRAM |
| Brookings Institution | WASHINGTON, DC | $50,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT PROGRAM |
ADL Ventures LLC
$603,004Support program
Signetron Inc
Support program
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
$112,114Support program
David Baker Architects
$110,068Support program
The Regents of the University of California
$95,092Support program
Hour Car
$86,326Support program
Power-to-X Analytics LLC
$65,000Support program
Climate Strategies Lab LLC dba Industrious Labs
$50,000Support program
Integral Group Inc
$36,742Support program
Vermont Energy Investment Corporation
$34,658Support program
Passive House Institute US
$34,500Support program
RDH Building Science Inc
$31,500Support program
Sustaera Inc
$26,250Support program
Open Market ESCO LLC
$23,091Support program
Washington State University
$20,273Support program
Twelve Benefit Corporation
$17,115Support program
TK Fabricate LLC
$15,978Support program
Mobility Development Partners LLC
$13,206support program
East Metro Strong
$8,600Support program
ADL Ventures LLC
$602,207SUPPORT PROGRAM
David Baker Architects
$119,275SUPPORT PROGRAM
TK Fabricate LLC
$93,512SUPPORT PROGRAM
NAACP CO MT WY State Conference
$70,000SUPPORT PROGRAM