The Campbell Foundation
At a glance
Key takeaways
- The Foundation funds across the United States, with priority given to Fresno, Kern, Kings, San Francisco, Tulare, Dorchester, Wicomico, Worcester, Somerset, Lancaster and York, and its work centres on watershed advocacy, community engagement, agriculture, clean and safe drinking water, water management and equitable cannabis, so check that your work matches one of these named areas before applying.
- For most applicants a modest request is realistic: about eight in ten of its grants fall between $1,000 and $90,000, the median grant is $7,500, and the Unsolicited Grants Program itself caps requests at $25,000; the single $3,300,000 grant went, as it does every year, to Resources Legacy Fund, which itself regrants to other organisations, so treat that figure as an outlier rather than a guide.
- Applying means first completing the Eligibility Checklist, which if successful leads to instructions for starting a proposal, and there are two unsolicited grant cycles a year, so plan your approach around those windows.
- Eighty-five per cent of its grant dollars went to organisations it had already funded in the two previous filings, which points to a foundation that favours relationships with organisations it already knows, though this is a share of money rather than of the number of grants made.
- The Unsolicited Grants Program will not fund a long list of categories, including academic or medical research, alcohol and drug recovery programming, animal rescue and rehabilitation, hospitals, individuals, international aid, and projects not based in the US, among others, so organisations working in these areas should not apply to that programme.
Overview
The Campbell Foundation is a US private foundation based in Bethesda, MD.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The Campbell Foundation accepts proposals from US-registered 501(c)3 public charitable organisations, educational institutions and fiscally sponsored projects. Its programme areas include watershed advocacy, community engagement, agriculture, clean and safe drinking water, water management and cannabis. In agriculture, it supports collaborative conservation to improve water quality while maintaining farm viability. Its water-management work brings stakeholders together so people who depend on water, especially vulnerable and marginalised communities, can access it. Across its unsolicited grants, the Foundation is particularly interested in organisations serving diverse populations, dismantling systems that constrain individual choices and opportunities, and promoting racial equity. It prioritises organisations with established operations, multiple funders and board members, programme-aligned work, and leadership reflecting the communities they serve.
Themes
- Watershed advocacy
- Community engagement
- Agriculture
- Clean safe drinking water
- Water management
- Equitable cannabis
Geographic Focus
United States. Priority: Fresno; Kern; Kings; San Francisco; Tulare; Dorchester; Wicomico; Worcester; Somerset; Lancaster; York.
What They Don't Fund
- Unsolicited Grants Program only: Academic or Medical Research; Alcohol and Drug Recovery Programming; Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation; Boarding schools/private schools including private preschools; City and county governments; federal departments; Conservation Districts outside of Chesapeake and California regions; Disease Research and Prevention; Ecosystem Restoration; Films; Hospitals; Individuals; International aid; Marine Protected Areas (Outside of California); Membership/dues based organizations; Non-Community-Based Fisheries and Ocean Management; Plastic Pollution; Programs or activities that require participation in religious activities or adhere to a religious creed as a condition of receiving services. Projects must be accessible and beneficial to beneficiaries regardless of their faith, and beneficiaries should not be subject to proselytizing; Projects not based in the US; Single Species Management or Conservation; Waterkeepers organizations outside of Chesapeake and California regions; Youth sports clubs
How to apply
Applicants complete the Eligibility Checklist and, if eligible, receive instructions on starting a proposal.
Deadlines: Two unsolicited grant cycles per year.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 85% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 1,447 grants to organisations were $7,500 or less.
What the foundation says:
- The Foundation particularly values organisations advancing racial equity and serving diverse populations, with an aim to dismantle systems that constrain individual choices and opportunities.
- For unsolicited grants, it prioritises organisations operating for at least five years, with budgets between $1MM and $12MM, at least five funders and at least five board members.
- Unsolicited applicants should match the priorities of one of the Foundation’s named Program Areas.
- The Foundation favours relevant racial-equity programming and leadership that reflects the communities served.
- Applicants are encouraged to use the Prescreen Tool to assess whether their organisation is a good candidate before applying.
- Proposals are reviewed for completeness, organisational financial health and sustainability, and adherence to cycle guidelines.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: 5%
Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 2%
- The largest single recipient received 23% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 85% of grant dollars went to organisations The Campbell Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- <1% of grant dollars went directly to organisations outside the US (Canada, China).
- 30% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 687 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $5,000 (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Environmental Defense Fund · Climate smart agriculture$1,500,0002024 tax year
- Environmental Defense Fund · Resilient water systems$1,500,0002024 tax year
- Resources Legacy Fund · California land-sea connection$1,025,0002024 tax year
- Resources Legacy Fund · California land-sea connection$1,025,0002024 tax year
- Resources Legacy Fund · California land-sea connection$1,025,0002024 tax year
- Resources Legacy Fund · California land-sea connection$1,025,0002024 tax year
- Multiplier · Catch together$1,000,0002024 tax year
- Resources Legacy Fund · Sustaining california's ocean$800,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Patricia Campbell — Director
- Kevin Campbell — Treasurer
- Samantha Campbell — President
- D Keith Campbell — Chairman
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $22,432,168 | $19,854,378 | $374,073,206 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $31,214,800 | $21,860,899 | $377,320,425 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $30,481,730 | $27,931,184 | $420,203,097 | Filing for 2024 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.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
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At a glance
Applying to The Campbell Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (415) 722-4739
- (410) 990-0900
- Bethesda, MD
- campbellfoundation.org
Applying to The Campbell Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (415) 722-4739
- (410) 990-0900
- Bethesda, MD
- campbellfoundation.org