About Trellis Charitable Fund
Trellis Charitable Fund is a national/international civil liberties and human rights funder that concentrates large, strategic gifts to advocacy, litigation, and investigative journalism organizations advancing rights and accountability. Its portfolio emphasizes reproductive and women’s rights, civil liberties litigation, and independent crisis reporting, while making smaller, occasional gifts to arts and scientific institutions. The foundation favors organizations that combine legal strategy, policy advocacy, and public-facing reporting to shift public debate and protect individual rights.
Focus Areas
International and domestic human rights advocacy organizations (e.g., Human Rights Watch, Fund for Global Human Rights)Reproductive rights and strategic litigation (e.g., Center for Reproductive Rights)Civil liberties and constitutional litigation (e.g., ACLU)Investigative and crisis reporting / public interest journalism (e.g., Pulitzer Center, The Marshall Project)Legal services for vulnerable children and youth (e.g., Children’s Law Center)
Who They Fund
nonprofit organizations (broad/general)
About Trellis Charitable Fund
A $1,000,000 grant to the American Civil Liberties Union in 2025 captures how Trellis Charitable Fund works: large, repeated awards to organizations that use law, advocacy, and reporting to protect rights. The funder’s recent record centers on civil liberties, human rights, reproductive rights, and public-interest journalism, with support also reaching legal services for children and youth. Trellis Charitable Fund gives at a substantial scale, with grants ranging from $100,000 at the 25th percentile to $300,000 at the 75th percentile, and it uses general support and endowment funding to back organizations across multiple years. The pattern is not limited to one type of institution. Human Rights Watch received multiple grants over 2023 to 2025, including awards tied to general support and women’s rights. The Center for Reproductive Rights also appears repeatedly, alongside the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, The Marshall Project, ProPublica, and the Fund for Global Human Rights. That mix shows a funder supporting both litigation and advocacy groups and organizations that document abuses, publish investigations, and sustain long-term institutional capacity.
What Trellis Charitable Fund Funds
Civil liberties and constitutional litigation are a clear priority. Trellis Charitable Fund gave $1,000,000 to the American Civil Liberties Union in 2025 for general support, and it also backed the Center for Reproductive Rights with $350,000 in 2025 and earlier grants of $300,000 in 2024 and 2023. Human rights advocacy is another recurring area. Human Rights Watch received $750,000 in 2025, $750,000 in 2024, $600,000 in 2023, and a separate $250,000 grant in 2023 tied to women’s rights. The Fund for Global Human Rights received $300,000 in 2023 and $200,000 in 2024 and 2025. The funder also supports investigative and crisis reporting. Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting received $500,000 in 2024 and 2023, while The Marshall Project received $300,000 in 2024 and 2025 and $150,000 in 2023. Public-interest reporting is further reflected in ProPublica’s grants of $250,000 in 2024 and 2025 and $200,000 in 2023.
How Trellis Charitable Fund Gives
Trellis Charitable Fund’s typical grant size is $100,000 at the 25th percentile, $200,000 at the median, and $300,000 at the 75th percentile, even though several recent awards are larger. The pattern is repeat funding: Human Rights Watch, the Center for Reproductive Rights, the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, The Marshall Project, ProPublica, the Fund for Global Human Rights, and the National Gallery of Art each appear in multiple years. It is a pure DAF provider, makes no program-related investments, and does not fund individuals. Grants are frequently written as general support, with some endowment support appearing in the reporting portfolio.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$4.9M
Total Assets
$119.9M
Total Revenue
$24.1M
Total Expenses
$5.7M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $100K and $300K, with a median of $200K.
25th Percentile
$100K
Median
$200K
75th Percentile
$300K
Geographic Reach
National6 states funded
About 36% of grants go to recipients in NY.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Where Trellis Charitable Fund Funds
Top 3 recipient countries by grant volume for Trellis Charitable Fund.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 44 | $10.6M | 93.6% |
| 2 | India |
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