ZG Foundation concentrates its funding on climate and environmental protection, privileging organizations that advance nature conservation, carbon/forest policy, and scalable climate solutions. It favors unrestricted, sizable grants to mission-driven nonprofits and policy groups working both in the U.S. (land trusts, open-space protection) and internationally (clean cooking, forest conservation in Latin America). Recipients are often repeat grantees and organizations that translate science and policy into large-scale mitigation or conservation outcomes.
Zg Foundation Inc’s recent giving is anchored by repeated unrestricted support for forest and climate organizations, with Forest Trends Association receiving $250,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025. That pattern points to a funder that backs the same policy and conservation groups over time rather than spreading small awards broadly. Its largest grants also reach land protection and climate-translation work, including Open Space Institute Land Trust at $200,000 in both 2023 and 2024 and Project Drawdown at $125,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025. The foundation’s portfolio consistently favors organizations working on climate mitigation, forest policy, open-space preservation, and solutions that scale across systems. Several awards are unrestricted contributions for exempt purposes, indicating flexible support for recipient organizations. Alongside U.S. conservation and policy groups, the list includes international climate and forest work through groups such as Natura Bolivia Foundation and the United Nations Foundation. The grants suggest a funder focused on environmental protection through science, policy, and implementation, with repeat relationships as a defining feature of how it gives.
Forest and forest-carbon policy is a clear priority. Zg Foundation Inc gave $250,000 to Forest Trends Association in 2025 for unrestricted contributions for exempt purposes, after matching grants of the same size in 2023 and 2024. Land protection is another major line of work: Open Space Institute Land Trust received $200,000 in 2025 for unrestricted contributions for exempt purposes, following similar grants in 2023 and 2024. The foundation also supports climate-solution synthesis and scaling. Project Drawdown received $125,000 in 2025 for unrestricted contributions for exempt purposes, alongside identical grants in 2023 and 2024. Clean cooking appears in the portfolio as well, with Cleaning Cooking Alliance awarded $175,000 in both 2024 and 2025.
Typical grants fall in a fairly high range: the p25 is $35,000, the median is $90,000, and the p75 is $187,500. The recent record shows repeated awards to the same organizations across multiple years, especially Forest Trends Association, Open Space Institute Land Trust, Project Drawdown, and Protect Our Winters. That pattern suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-time project bets. The grants are also broadly flexible: many are labeled unrestricted contributions for exempt purposes. Zg Foundation Inc is a private foundation making grants to charitable organizations, and it does not fund individuals.
$972K
$24.9M
$794K
$1.2M
Most grants fall between $35K and $188K, with a median of $90K.
25th Percentile
$35K
Median
$90K
75th Percentile
$188K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in DC.
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Concentrated, high-dollar giving with multiple unrestricted grants to a small set of core organizations; repeat funding relationships dominate rather than many small, one-off awards. Grants skew toward policy, research, and implementation partners positioned to scale climate and conservation outcomes.
Notable grantees: Forest Trends Association, Open Space Institute Land Trust, Project Drawdown, Clean Cooking Alliance, United Nations Foundation
Zg Foundation Inc gives nationally, and every recent grant in the sample went to U.S. recipients. California appears often in the recipient list, including San Francisco, Mill Valley, Morgan Hill, Boulder, and Victor through nearby grantee offices and operations. Washington, DC is also prominent, with multiple grantees there. New York shows up through recipients in New York and Victor, NY. The top state by grant count is California, while the foundation’s own headquarters is in Morristown, New Jersey.
Its recent grants support charitable organizations working on forest conservation, forest carbon policy, land and open-space preservation, climate mitigation research, clean cooking, and international conservation work. The grant list includes policy groups, land trusts, environmental nonprofits, and solution-focused climate organizations.
Yes. Many of the recent grants are described as “unrestricted contributions for exempt purposes,” including awards to Forest Trends Association, Open Space Institute Land Trust, Project Drawdown, and Cleaning Cooking Alliance.
Recurring. Several grantees appear in multiple years, including Forest Trends Association in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Open Space Institute Land Trust in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Project Drawdown in 2023, 2024, and 2025; and Protect Our Winters in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
California is the top state by grant count. The recent list includes recipients in Mill Valley, San Francisco, Morgan Hill, and other California locations, alongside grantees in Washington, DC, New York, and Colorado.
Typical awards are substantial: the p25 is $35,000, the median is $90,000, and the p75 is $187,500. Recent grants also include repeated $250,000, $200,000, and $125,000 awards to recurring grantees.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FOREST TRENDS ASSOCIATION | WASHINGTON DC, DC | $250,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES |
| OPEN SPACE INSTITUTE LAND TRUST | NEW YORK, NY | $200,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES |
| CLEANING COOKING ALLIANCE | WASHINGTON, DC | $175,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES |
| PROJECT DRAWDOWN | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $125,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES |
| ECOTRUST | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $75,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES |
| PROTECT OUR WINTERS | BOULDER, CO | $60,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES |
| WOMEN'S EARTH CLIMATE ACTION NETWORK | MILL VALLEY, CA | $45,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES |
| SOUND FUTURE | VICTOR, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES |
| EARTHECO INTERNATIONAL | WASHINGTON, DC | $17,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES |
| FOREST TRENDS ASSOCIATION | WASHINGTON DC, DC | $250,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES |
| OPEN SPACE INSTITUTE LAND TRUST | NEW YORK, NY | $200,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES |
| CLEANING COOKING ALLIANCE | WASHINGTON, DC | $175,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES |
| PROJECT DRAWDOWN | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $125,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES |
| NATURA BOLIVIA FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $75,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES |
| ECOTRUST | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $75,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES |
| WOMEN'S EARTH CLIMATE ACTION NETWORK | MILL VALLEY, CA | $35,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES |
| PROTECT OUR WINTERS | BOULDER, CO | $25,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES |
| SOUND FUTURE | VICTOR, NY | $25,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES |
| SCHWAB CHARITABLE | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $241 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES |
| FOREST TRENDS ASSOCIATION | WASHINGTON DC, DC | $250,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES |
| OPEN SPACE INSTITUTE LAND TRUST | NEW YORK, NY | $200,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES |
| UNITED NATIONS FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $200,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES |
| PROJECT DRAWDOWN | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $125,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES |
| NATURA BOLIVIA FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $100,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES |
| ECOTRUST | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $90,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES |
| PROTECT OUR WINTERS | BOULDER, CO | $50,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES |
| WOMEN'S EARTH CLIMATE ACTION NETWORK | MILL VALLEY, CA | $35,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES |
| ONE STEP CLOSER THERAPUETIC RIDING | MORGAN HILL, CA | $30,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES |
UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES
OPEN SPACE INSTITUTE LAND TRUST
$200,000UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES
CLEANING COOKING ALLIANCE
$175,000UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES
PROJECT DRAWDOWN
$125,000UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES
ECOTRUST
$75,000UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES
UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES
UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES
SOUND FUTURE
$25,000UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES
EARTHECO INTERNATIONAL
$17,000UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES
UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES
OPEN SPACE INSTITUTE LAND TRUST
$200,000UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES
CLEANING COOKING ALLIANCE
$175,000UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES
NATURA BOLIVIA FOUNDATION
$75,000UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES
ECOTRUST
$75,000UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES
UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES
SOUND FUTURE
$25,000UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES
UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES
OPEN SPACE INSTITUTE LAND TRUST
$200,000UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES
PROJECT DRAWDOWN
$125,000UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES
NATURA BOLIVIA FOUNDATION
$100,000UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES
ECOTRUST
$90,000UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES
UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES
ONE STEP CLOSER THERAPUETIC RIDING
$30,000UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR EXEMPT PURPOSES