League of Conservation Voters Education Fund

Quick Stats

• Annual Revenue: $51.4 million (2023)
• Annual Grants: $67+ million since 2006 (averaging several million per year to state affiliates)
• Decision Time: Not applicable - no public application process
• Grant Range: Varies by affiliate and programme
• Geographic Focus: National (30+ state affiliates across the United States)

Contact Details

Website: https://www.lcvef.org/

Address: Washington, DC

EIN: 52-1379661

Overview

The League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (LCVEF) was established in 1985 and has become a major force in environmental advocacy and civic engagement. With annual revenue of $51.4 million (2023), the organisation works to strengthen democracy as a foundation for environmental protection. Since 2006, LCVEF has distributed more than $67 million in grants to its network of 30+ independent state affiliates and partner organisations. The organisation focuses on expanding voter participation, advocating for policy change, engaging in public education, mobilising communities, and building grassroots power. In 2021 alone, LCVEF granted over $3.7 million to 30 state affiliates focusing on democracy, climate, and capacity building. In September 2021, LCVEF received a $5 million grant from the Bezos Earth Fund as part of its ongoing environmental justice work.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programmes

LCVEF operates a grant-making programme exclusively for its network of state affiliates within the Conservation Voter Movement. The organisation does not accept unsolicited grant applications from organisations outside this network.

State Affiliate Support Grants: Ongoing financial support to 30+ state affiliates

• Focus areas: Democracy, climate action, capacity building
• 2021 example: $3.7 million distributed to 30 state affiliates
• Includes operational support, programmatic funding, and capacity building resources

Boards and Commissions Fellowship Grants: Supports fellowship programmes led by state affiliates

• Operating in Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Nebraska, North Carolina, and South Carolina
• Recruits racially diverse, values-aligned environmental leaders for board appointments
• Helps fellows secure positions on boards and commissions advancing clean energy and environmental agendas

State Capacity Building Programme: Provides organisational development, tools, and training

• Supports operational, programmatic, financial, and organisational growth
• Offers learning and networking opportunities, consulting, and training

Priority Areas

• Civic Engagement and Democracy: Voter registration, increasing turnout from underrepresented communities, expanding democratic participation
• Climate Action: Supporting campaigns for 100% clean energy (launched "Clean Energy for All" campaign in 2018 targeting 100% clean energy by 2050)
• Environmental Justice: Working with Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other communities of colour, youth communities, and immigrant communities
• Grassroots Mobilisation: Building community power and organising at local and state levels
• Public Education: Teaching about climate and democracy threats
• Policy Advocacy: Advancing environmental protection and land conservation at local, state, and national levels

What They Don't Fund

• Organisations outside the Conservation Voter Movement network
• Individual projects not affiliated with state affiliates
• Direct-service environmental programmes unrelated to civic engagement and advocacy

Governance and Leadership

President: Pete Maysmith (assumed role April 15, 2025)

• Previously served as Senior Vice President of Campaigns overseeing the organisation's largest electoral campaigns
• Over 30 years of environmental leadership experience
• Succeeded Gene Karpinski as president of both LCV and LCVEF

Board Chair: Roger Kim (appointed June 2025)

• First person of colour and first Asian-American chair of the organisation
• Formerly Founder and CEO of Climate and Clean Energy Equity Fund and Climate Equity Action Fund
• Former Senior Adviser to the Mayor of San Francisco and Executive Director of Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN)

Former Board Chair: Carol M. Browner

• Stepped down after over a decade chairing the boards
• Remains on the LCVEF board
• Former EPA Administrator

Board Member: Alyssa Macy

• CEO of Washington Conservation Voters
• Citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Oregon of Wasco, Navajo, and Hopi descent

The organisation emphasises diverse leadership and has actively recruited environmental justice, electoral reform, and labour advocates to its boards.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

LCVEF does not have a public application process. The organisation makes grants exclusively to its network of 30+ independent state affiliates within the Conservation Voter Movement. These are established, ongoing partnerships rather than competitive grant opportunities open to the public.

Grants are awarded through the organisation's State Capacity Building programme, which collaborates directly with existing state affiliates to support their operational, programmatic, financial, and organisational growth.

Organisations seeking environmental funding from the Conservation Voter Movement should explore whether their state has an existing LCV state affiliate and connect with that local organisation. A complete list of state affiliates is available at https://www.lcvef.org/building-power-in-the-states/.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable - grants flow to established affiliate partnerships rather than through application cycles.

Success Rates

Not applicable - not a competitive grant programme open to public applications.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - funding is provided through ongoing affiliate relationships rather than individual grant applications.

Application Success Factors

Since LCVEF does not accept public grant applications, traditional "success factors" do not apply. However, organisations interested in the Conservation Voter Movement's work should understand what LCVEF values in its affiliate partnerships:

Alignment with Core Values:

• The organisation emphasises working with "Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other communities of colour, youth communities, and immigrant communities"
• Focus on environmental justice and equity is central to LCVEF's mission
• Commitment to democratic participation and voter engagement

Strategic Approach:

• LCVEF describes its work as building "a powerful national movement with more than 2 million members"
• The organisation values coordinated state-level campaigns aligned with national initiatives
• In 2018, LCVEF launched "Clean Energy for All," a coordinated grassroots state-level education campaign demonstrating their preference for aligned, multi-state strategies

Capacity and Independence:

• State affiliates are described as "independent state partners"
• The State Capacity Building programme suggests LCVEF values organisational sustainability and growth
• Affiliates must be capable of running effective public education and advocacy programmes

Programmatic Focus:

• Civic engagement activities (voter registration, turnout)
• Policy advocacy at local, state, and national levels
• Public education on environmental issues
• Grassroots organising and community mobilisation

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• This is not a public funding opportunity: LCVEF operates a closed grant-making programme for its established network of 30+ state affiliates
• Look to state affiliates instead: Organisations seeking funding should connect with their state's LCV affiliate organisation, which may have its own grant programmes or partnership opportunities
• Affiliate relationships are long-term: The grants represent ongoing partnerships rather than project-based funding
• Focus areas are civic engagement and democracy: LCVEF's grant-making prioritises voter participation, grassroots organising, and democratic strengthening as pathways to environmental protection
• Environmental justice is central: The organisation explicitly prioritises work with and by communities of colour, youth, and immigrant communities
• National coordination valued: LCVEF launched coordinated multi-state campaigns like "Clean Energy for All," suggesting they value affiliates who can participate in aligned national strategies
• Significant financial resources: With $51.4 million in annual revenue (2023) and a history of $67+ million in grants since 2006, LCVEF is a major funder within its network

Financial Data

990 Filing Data (ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer)

• Tax Year: 2023
• Total Revenue: $51,462,091
• Total Expenses: $40,622,811
• Total Assets: $33,876,054

Historical Total Expenses

• 2023: $40,622,811
• 2022: $37,882,369
• 2021: $49,534,900

Note: LCVEF files Form 990 (not 990-PF), so grants paid are not broken out separately from other programme expenses. The figures above represent total functional expenses.

References

• League of Conservation Voters Education Fund website: https://www.lcvef.org/
• LCVEF About page: https://www.lcvef.org/about/
• LCVEF State Affiliates page: https://www.lcvef.org/building-power-in-the-states/
• Charity Navigator profile: https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/521379661
• ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/521379661
• InfluenceWatch profile: https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/lcv-education-fund/
• MacArthur Foundation grantee profile: https://www.macfound.org/grantee/league-of-conservation-voters-education-10115011/
• Rockefeller Brothers Fund grantee profile: https://www.rbf.org/grantees/league-conservation-voters-education-fund
• LCV press release on Pete Maysmith appointment: https://www.lcv.org/media-center/lcv-names-pete-maysmith-next-president/
• LCV press release on Roger Kim appointment: https://www.lcv.org/media-center/roger-kim-named-new-board-chair-of-lcv-and-lcv-education-fund/
• LCV press release on board diversity: https://www.lcv.org/media-center/lcv-lcvef-welcome-environmental-justice-electoral-reform-and-labor-advocates-to-boards/
• Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Conservation_Voters
• Ballotpedia profile: https://ballotpedia.org/League_of_Conservation_Voters