About Christensen Fund
The Christensen Fund shows a strong, targeted commitment to Indigenous-led conservation, demonstrated by a single large grant providing core support to Native-led biodiversity work. Their giving prioritizes strengthening tribal capacity to steward biodiversity and centers Indigenous governance and knowledge in environmental philanthropy. This grant indicates a strategic, mission-driven approach focused on systems-level partnerships with Indigenous organizations.
Focus Areas
Indigenous-led biodiversity and conservation (Tribal Nations Biodiversity Fund)Capacity-building and core support for Native organizationsIndigenous governance and stewardship of natural resources
Who They Fund
Tribal nations and Indigenous communitiesBoarding school survivors and Indigenous youth/descendantsPastoralist/rangeland communities in KenyaIndigenous women-led networks and advocatesAlaskan Native communitiesIndigenous-led organizations and fiscally sponsored projects
About Christensen Fund
The Christensen Fund’s recent grantmaking is anchored by a $1,000,000 core-support grant to Native Americans in Philanthropy for the Tribal Nations Biodiversity Fund, a clear signal that Indigenous-led biodiversity work sits at the center of its priorities. The foundation backs tribal capacity, Native-led environmental stewardship, and Indigenous governance through large, flexible grants rather than small program-specific awards. In 2024, it repeated that same core support grant at $500,000, showing continuity behind the biodiversity fund. Other large awards reinforce the same pattern: $370,000 to Amah Mutsun Land Trust for general operating support and $300,000 to Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation for general operating support. The grant list also includes support for Indigenous rights, land and territorial defense, and community-led conservation through organizations such as Land Is Life Inc, Indigenous Peoples Rights Inc, and Forest Peoples Programme. Across the portfolio, the foundation appears to fund organizations that combine legal advocacy, policy work, and stewardship practice in service of Indigenous communities.
What Christensen Fund Funds
A major thread is Indigenous rights and territorial defense. The foundation gave $500,000 to Native American Rights Fund for work on boarding school history, trauma, truth and reconciliation, and self-determination, and $300,000 to Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation for general operating support. It also supported Land Is Life Inc with two grants of $300,000 in 2023 and 2024. Another area is Indigenous women’s leadership and advocacy: Somos Viento Ac received $250,000 to support a national network of Indigenous women using research and advocacy to promote recognition of Indigenous women’s rights in academia and decision-making spaces. Environmental and land-tenure work also appears through $400,000 to Rainforest Foundation Inc for the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities and $250,000 to International Land and Forest Tenure Facility for general support.
How Christensen Fund Gives
Typical award sizes sit at $15,450 at the 25th percentile, $50,000 at the median, and $130,000 at the 75th percentile, with a long tail of much larger grants. The recent list shows repeat support for several recipients across multiple years, including Native Americans in Philanthropy, Indigenous Peoples Rights Inc, Snowchange Cooperative, Forest Peoples Programme, Native American Rights Fund, and Land Is Life Inc. That pattern points to sustained relationships rather than one-time awards. The Christensen Fund is a regular funder, and it also makes program-related investments. Its grants are often structured as core support, general support, or general operating support, which suggests a preference for flexible funding.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$13.7M
Total Assets
$327.1M
Total Revenue
$25.6M
Total Expenses
$26.1M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $15K and $130K, with a median of $50K.
25th Percentile
$15K
Median
$50K
75th Percentile
$130K
Geographic Reach
National27 states funded
About 27% of grants go to recipients in DC.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Where Christensen Fund Funds
Top 10 recipient countries by grant volume for Christensen Fund.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 254 | $21M | 55.6% |
| 2 | Kenya | 59 | $6.7M |
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