The Common Sense Fund

• The Common Sense Fund supports environmental work, including education, policy, carbon-free energy and natural resource stewardship, and arts programmes for under-resourced communities, so a small nonprofit in those fields should check whether its work fits.
• The typical grant band is $30,000 to $100,000 and the median grant is $62,000, so a request in that range matches most of its giving, though the band is not a ceiling.
• It makes arts and environmental grants by invitation only and does not review unsolicited proposals, so an organisation without an introduction should not expect a cold application to be considered.
• Its filing shows that 97% of its grant dollars to organisations went to groups it had funded in earlier years, so new applicants face a competitive, relationship-led process, and it values grassroots efforts, replicable models, organisational sustainability and site visits.
• No geographic focus is stated, so the states where its grants are concentrated in the filing are not a rule about who may apply.

The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:

• PEF Israel Endowment Fund · To enable the organization's direct distribution of funds to selected and approved charitable organizations in israel.
  $1,018,0002024 tax year
• Schwab Charitable Fund · Contribution to a donor-advised fund account.
  $150,0002024 tax year
• Save the Sound · To support the organizations mission to fight climate change, save endangered lands, protect the sound and its rivers, and work with nature to restore ecosystems.
  $100,0002024 tax year
• Natural Capitalism Solutions · To support the organization's mission to build an economy in service to life through education, innovative solutions and youth empowerment. help companies, communities and countries implement more regenerative practices profitably.
  $100,0002024 tax year
• Peoples Action For Clean Energy · To support the organization's mission to work throughout connecticut to promote the development of alternative, renewable sources of energy and encourage others to join in on the conversation
  $100,0002024 tax year
• Inside Climate News · To support the organization's mission to produce clear, objective stories that give the public and decision-makers the information they need to navigate the heat and emotion of climate and energy debates.
  $100,0002024 tax year
• Sustainable Connecticut · To support the organization's mission to provide municipalities with a menu of coordinated, voluntary actions, to continually become more sustainable; to provide resources and tools to assist municipalities in implementing sustainability actions and advancing their programs for the benefit of all residents; and to certify and recognize municipalities for their ongoing sustainability achievements.
  $100,0002024 tax year
• The Heschel Center for Sustainability · To support the work of the heschel center sustainability in israel in their work to build and strengthen the rapidly growing sustainaility movement in israel.
  $100,0002024 tax year

Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.

Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.