About Environmental Defense Fund
Guided by science and economics, and committed to climate justice, we work in the places, on the projects and with the people that can make the biggest difference.
Focus Areas
Climate changeMethane emissionsEnergy transitionClean transportationAgriculture and sustainable foodSustainable fisheriesWater and sustainable water supplyNatural climate solutionsSafer chemicalsClean air / air quality
Who They Fund
public and government bodies (US federal, state, and international governments)frontline and justice & equity communities (marginalized, impacted populations)
About Environmental Defense Fund
Environmental Defense Fund Incorporated channels most of its recent grantmaking into policy, research, and implementation work tied to climate and environmental systems. The largest grants in the file go to Environmental Defense Action Fund, including $7,867,820 in 2024 and $5,371,270 in 2025, which signals a sustained relationship at the policy and advocacy end of its portfolio. Another major thread is applied climate work with intermediaries and research institutions: Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Inc received $5,739,686 in 2023, and Tides Foundation received $3,312,700 in 2023. The foundation also supports specialized climate infrastructure and field-building, such as $1,490,000 to OpenET Inc in Carson City for water-related work and $762,400 to Emergent Forest Finance Accelerator Inc in New York. Across the recent grants list, the foundation backs both advocacy organizations and technical partners working on emissions, land use, water, and climate implementation. Its stated approach emphasizes science and economics, with climate justice as a guiding frame.
What Environmental Defense Fund Funds
Climate and policy work appears across the portfolio. Environmental Defense Fund Incorporated gave $918,604 to Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health and $655,000 to Ceres Inc, showing support for research and investor-oriented climate work. In natural climate solutions, the foundation awarded $754,000 to Emergent Forest Finance Accelerator Inc for Natural Climate Solutions-Tropical Forests and global technical assistance and finance, and $394,274 to Regents of the Univ of CA Santa Barbara for Economic Capacity and Natural Climate Solutions: Agricultural Soils. Water is another active area: OpenET Inc received $302,995 for Climate Resilient Water Systems, and Bonneville Environmental Foundation received $588,017 for Climate Resilient Water Systems: Colorado River Water. The portfolio also includes clean transportation and public-facing climate engagement, as shown by the $295,000 grant to African American Mayors Association for US community engagement and global transportation/trucks work.
How Environmental Defense Fund Gives
Typical awards cluster around a median of $30,000, with the 25th percentile at $18,000 and the 75th percentile at $68,750. The recent grants list also includes several large institutional awards, so the distribution stretches from smaller operating-style grants to multi-million-dollar commitments. Recipients recur across years: Environmental Defense Action Fund, Tides Foundation, OpenET Inc, Regents of the Univ of CA Santa Barbara, and Emergent Forest Finance Accelerator Inc each appear in more than one year. The foundation is a regular funder and does not make program-related investments. It also runs fellowship programs, including EDF Climate Corps, and those programs accept unsolicited requests.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$7.9M
Total Assets
$520.4M
Total Revenue
$443.3M
Total Expenses
$356.8M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $18K and $69K, with a median of $30K.
25th Percentile
$18K
Median
$30K
75th Percentile
$69K
Geographic Reach
National45 states funded
About 8% of grants go to recipients in DC.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
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