Woka Foundation

Private foundation · EIN 84-2848519 · since 2020wokafoundation.org·California, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, New York, Virginia·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$13M

Annual giving, 2024 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$70,000 to $700k

Grant range

From the funder's website

$225k

Typical grant (median)

45 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

Woka Foundation supports work to reverse climate change, covering climate technology, regenerative practices, gender equity, education, fossil fuel phase-out and civic infrastructure, so a good fit is essential before considering it.
No geographic focus is stated, so treat that as unrestricted rather than reading any rule into where its grants have landed.
Most grants sit between $70,000 and $700,000, and half of its 128 grants across its recent filings were $250,000 or less, so a request in that lower range is realistic for a smaller charity.
This is a highly relationship-led funder: 85% of its grant dollars went to organisations it had already funded in the previous two filings, and it operates strictly by invitation only, so unsolicited applications are not accepted and only U.S. registered 501c3 nonprofits are eligible.

Overview

Woka Foundation is a US private foundation based in Newbury Park, CA.

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

Woka Foundation funds work to reverse climate change and build a durable biosphere through innovation, regenerative practices, gender equity, education, keeping fossil fuels in the ground and civic infrastructure. It supports innovators developing or deploying technological climate solutions that reduce or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions or absorb legacy atmospheric carbon, and initiatives restoring farmland, rangeland, forest, wetland and ocean ecosystems. Its grantmaking includes grassroots, gender-just and intersectional strategies, as well as efforts to halt new fossil-fuel infrastructure, hold the fossil-fuel industry accountable and defend democratic institutions. It describes its approach as addressing underlying causes rather than symptoms and supporting self-sustaining solutions. It supports U.S. registered 501c3 nonprofits, and applications are accepted by invitation only.

Themes

Climate technology
Regenerative practices
Gender equity
Education
Fossil fuel phase-out
Civic infrastructure

Geographic Focus

No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in California, Massachusetts, District of Columbia, New York and Virginia.

What They Don't Fund

Organisations other than U.S. registered 501c3 nonprofits

How to apply

Grant applications are accepted by invitation only.

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 128 grants to organisations were $250,000 or less.

Where grants go

From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.

Grant dollars by state

California27%

Massachusetts20%

District of Columbia15%

New York8%

Virginia7%

Colorado7%

6 other states: 13%

Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 2%

The largest single recipient received 8% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2024, 85% of grant dollars went to organisations Woka Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
<1% of grant dollars went directly to organisations outside the US (India).
36% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.

Grants

45 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $225k

How much do they typically give?

Share of 45 grants in tax year 2024 by size

$1k–$2.5k2%

$2.5k–$5k0%

$5k–$10k0%

$10k–$25k0%

$25k–$50k0%

$50k–$100k4%

$100k–$250k47%

$250k–$500k36%

$500k–$1M7%

$1M and over4%

Median $225k (tax year 2024)

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

New Energy Nexus · General operating support
$1,000,0002024 tax year
Green America · Soil Carbon Initiative
$1,000,0002024 tax year
Activate · General operating expenses and climate tech fellows
$700,0002024 tax year
Ashoka · Select and support Ashoka Climate Fellows
$500,0002024 tax year
Elemental Excelerator · General operating support
$500,0002024 tax year
Rockefeller Family Fund · General operating support for Funder's Collaborative on Oil and Gas initiative
$400,0002024 tax year
Climate Foundation · General operating support
$400,0002024 tax year
Global Greengrants · Gender & Environment
$400,0002024 tax year

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

Officers and directors

Krista Kurth — Director
Barbara Karplus — Secretary / Treasurer / Director
Rod Womer — CEO / Director

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

3 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$15,220,472	$14,726,393	$105,806,410	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$19,841,657	$13,493,986	$129,420,935	Filing for 2023 tax year
2024 tax year	$12,207,219	$12,976,000	$192,297,869	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.