Growald Climate Fund

Private operating foundation · EIN 46-4209325 · since 2014growaldclimatefund.org·International·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$28.2M

Annual giving, 2023 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$200 to $500k

Grant range

From grants in the 990-PF filings

$2,000

Typical grant (median)

132 grants in the latest filing

Invitation only

Unsolicited applications are not accepted

This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.

Key takeaways

Growald Climate Fund works by invitation only and states that it does not accept unsolicited requests, so an organisation without an invitation should not send it a cold proposal, and should look first for a known contact who can make an introduction.
If your work sits within its themes of climate and clean electricity, energy policy and diplomacy, climate finance, national clean-energy campaigns or pollution reduction, and your work is international, the realistic route is an approach through that contact.
The foundation seeks innovative, untested approaches with high potential for impact, a pathway to sustainability beyond its involvement, and short- and long-term quantifiable measures of progress, so have these ready.
Most of its grants are small: half of its grants to organisations across the filings were $1,500 or less, and about 8 in 10 fell between $200 and $500,000, although its largest grant was about $4,250,000, so a modest request is the usual fit.
In the filing, 51% of grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in an earlier filing, so relationships with the foundation appear to matter a good deal.

Overview

Growald Climate Fund is a US private foundation based in Brookline, MA.

What they fund

Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.

Priority Areas

The fund uses venture philanthropy to catalyse climate innovation, collaboration and leadership, concentrating on transforming the electricity sector and accelerating the transition to clean energy. It backs organisations with potential for outsized impact and supports early-stage innovators, field research and initiatives, organisational development, and networks for collective impact. Its stated pathways include diplomacy and energy policy, financial analysis to shift fossil-fuel and clean-energy investment, national clean-energy campaigns, and healthier energy choices that reduce pollution. The fund also develops the climate field through research, convening, organisational support and collaboration with civil-society, foundation, academic and policy-research partners. It takes risks on new ideas, particularly those led by communities traditionally underfunded, and seeks measurable results, scalability and routes to sustainability.

Themes

Climate and clean electricity
Energy policy and diplomacy
Climate finance
National clean-energy campaigns
Pollution reduction

Geographic Focus

Priority: Internationally.

How to apply

The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests.

Application success factors

Repeat giving: In its TY2023 filing, 51% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 filing.
Grant size: Across its TY2022 and TY2023 filings, half of its 259 grants to organisations were $1,500 or less.

What the foundation says:

It seeks innovative organisations using untested approaches with high potential for impact.
It looks for short- and long-term quantifiable measures of progress and success.
It favours ideas, organisations and leaders with potential for exponential impact.
It looks for organisations with a pathway to sustainability beyond its involvement.
It particularly supports initiatives driven by leaders from communities that are traditionally underfunded.

Where grants go

From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2023.

Grant dollars by state

California9%

District of Columbia8%

Delaware5%

New York2%

Georgia1%

Vermont<1%

6 other states: 3%

Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 70%

The largest single recipient received 15% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2023, 51% of grant dollars went to organisations Growald Climate Fund had funded in earlier filings.
48% of grant dollars went directly to organisations outside the US (United Kingdom, South Korea, Australia, France).
31% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.

Grants

132 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $2,000

How much do they typically give?

Share of 132 grants in tax year 2023 by size

Under $1k36%

$1k–$2.5k15%

$2.5k–$5k3%

$5k–$10k2%

$10k–$25k7%

$25k–$50k3%

$50k–$100k1%

$100k–$250k11%

$250k–$500k8%

$500k–$1M6%

$1M and over7%

Median $2,000 (tax year 2023)

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

European Climate Foundation · Project support
$4,238,0002023 tax year
International Research and Exchanges Board · Program support
$3,421,4952023 tax year
SED Fund · General support
$2,600,0002023 tax year
Transforma · General support
$1,020,0002023 tax year
Next Group · General support
$1,000,0002023 tax year
Steelwatch Stichting · General support
$1,000,0002023 tax year
Energy Foundation · Program support
$1,000,0002023 tax year
Sunrise Project · General support
$1,000,0002023 tax year

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

Officers and directors

Joanna Messing — CEO
B Stephen Toben — Secretary
Adam Growald — Treasurer
Paul Growald — Vice-President
Eileen Growald — President

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

2 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$19,307,602	$14,965,752	$22,528,651	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$34,021,840	$28,245,496	$22,766,935	Filing for 2023 tax year

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.