About Nrdc Action Fund
The NRDC Action Fund’s mission is to build political support for advancing the goals of the Natural Resources Defense Council: averting dangerous climate change, supporting healthy people and thriving communities, and conserving and protecting nature and wildlife. We support candidates who stand up for these goals, and we mobilize the American public to lobby lawmakers and hold them accountable for their votes, both in office and at the ballot box.
Focus Areas
Climate changeClean air and waterPublic healthConservationPolitical advocacyElectoral support
Who They Fund
environmental nonprofitsadvocacy organizationsgrassroots community groups
Funding Style
advocacy supportpolicy advocacy
About Nrdc Action Fund
Nrdc Action Fund Inc uses political giving to advance the goals of the Natural Resources Defense Council, backing candidates and allied organizations that support averting dangerous climate change, protecting people and communities, and conserving nature and wildlife. The most visible part of that work in the recent grants is its support for environmental advocacy groups such as Nrdc Action Votes, which received $2,080,000 in 2024, and the League of Conservation Voters, which received $1,017,500 in 2024 after a $1,000,000 grant in 2023. Those awards sit alongside direct support for the Natural Resources Defense Council itself, including $204,998 in 2023 and $140,431 in 2024. The foundation’s grantees also include state and national advocacy organizations, ballot- and election-related entities, and coalitions working on clean energy, climate, public health, and conservation. Its profile is defined less by one narrow program than by a coordinated set of grants that combine electoral support with public lobbying and accountability work. The result is a funder centered on environmental policy influence through advocacy organizations rather than program grants to individuals or operating support for unrelated fields.
What Nrdc Action Fund Funds
Climate and clean-energy advocacy are central in the recent grants. The foundation gave $50,000 in 2024 to Conservatives for a Clean Energy Future in Lansing, Michigan, and $70,000 in 2024 to Multiplier in San Francisco, California, both tied to environmental advocacy. State-based climate and conservation groups also appear often: Colorado People's Alliance in Denver received $25,000 in 2023, and Colorado Sierra Club in Denver received $25,000 in 2023. Public-health and clean-air work shows up through $40,000 in 2024 to Clean Air California in San Rafael, California. The portfolio also includes civic and coalition partners such as The Partnership Project Inc in Washington, DC, which received $45,000 in 2024, indicating a funding approach that supports advocacy infrastructure as well as issue-specific groups.
How Nrdc Action Fund Gives
Typical grants cluster around a median of $25,000, with the 25th percentile at $10,000 and the 75th percentile at $50,000. The recent list also shows several much larger awards, including seven-figure support for a small number of recipients. Grants recur across years for some organizations: Nrdc Action Votes and the League of Conservation Voters both appear in 2023 and 2024, as does the Natural Resources Defense Council. Nrdc Action Fund Inc is a regular funder, not a DAF and does not make PRIs. The pattern points to repeat advocacy support rather than one-off program grants, with annual giving concentrated in environmental policy and electoral work.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$6.3M
Total Assets
$11.5M
Total Revenue
$9.2M
Total Expenses
$17M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $50K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$50K
Geographic Reach
National14 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
MANISH BAPNA
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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