The Jonathan & Kathleen Altman Foundation

Private foundation · EIN 85-0470898 · since 2000jkaltmanfoundation.org·California, Hawaii, New Mexico, New York, Washington·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$4.1M

Annual giving, 2024 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$5,000 to $115k

Grant range

From grants in the 990-PF filings

$10,000

Typical grant (median)

69 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

The foundation makes contributions only to organisations it has preselected and does not accept unsolicited requests, so a cold application is unlikely to be considered.
Your first step should be to find a route of introduction rather than to write a proposal.
If your work fits its stated themes, such as place-based knowledge systems, sacred places and cultures, land restoration, honey bee pollination, reforestation, or regenerative arts, food and farming, it is worth seeking a conversation.
Its grants are mostly modest: about 8 in 10 of its 185 grants to organisations fall between $5,000 and $115,000, and half are $25,000 or less, so a request of that order is a realistic size, though the largest grant was $1,000,000 and that band is not a ceiling.
In its latest filing, 92% of its grant dollars to organisations went to groups it had also funded in earlier filings, which suggests relationships matter a great deal in who it supports.

Overview

The Jonathan & Kathleen Altman Foundation is a US private foundation based in Santa Fe, NM.

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 foundation says interdependence and emergent growth guide its support for a wide variety of organisations engaged in understanding the impact of human actions and inactions and addressing the consequences for quality of life. It works with organisations prioritising place-based knowledge systems, sacred sites, land restoration and creative, community-supporting projects and programmes. Its stated themes also include honey-bee pollination, reforestation, regenerative arts, regenerative foods and farming, and sacred places and cultures. Recorded recipients include organisations in environmental conservation, food and farming, international relief, health, arts and culture, and community services.

Themes

Place-based knowledge systems
Sacred places and cultures
Land restoration
Honey bee pollination
Reforestation
Regenerative arts
Regenerative food and farming

Geographic Focus

No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in California, New York, Washington, New Mexico and Hawaii.

How to apply

It makes contributions only to preselected charitable organisations and does not accept unsolicited requests.

Application success factors

Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 92% 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 185 grants to organisations were $25,000 or less.

What the foundation says:

It works with organisations prioritising place-based knowledge systems, sacred sites, land restoration and creative community-supporting projects and programmes.

Where grants go

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

Grant dollars by state

California25%

New York23%

Washington18%

New Mexico14%

Hawaii6%

Michigan6%

6 other states: 7%

The largest single recipient received 18% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2024, 92% of grant dollars went to organisations The Jonathan & Kathleen Altman Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
3% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.

Grants

69 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $10,000

How much do they typically give?

Share of 69 grants in tax year 2024 by size

$1k–$2.5k7%

$2.5k–$5k4%

$5k–$10k22%

$10k–$25k23%

$25k–$50k12%

$50k–$100k13%

$100k–$250k16%

$250k–$500k0%

$500k–$1M1%

$1M and over1%

Median $10,000 (tax year 2024)

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

Ucsd Foundation · Healthy soils project
$1,000,0002024 tax year
Washington State University Foundation · Bee program
$625,0002024 tax year
International Rescue Committee · Donation
$200,0002024 tax year
Occidental Arts and Ecology Center · Donation
$200,0002024 tax year
Natural Resources Defense Council · Donation
$150,0002024 tax year
Archangel Ancient Tree Archive · Donation
$150,0002024 tax year
Doctors Without Borders · Donation
$150,0002024 tax year
Tibet Fund · Donation
$103,6002024 tax year

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

Officers and directors

Rafael Altman — Director
Jonathan Altman — Director

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

3 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$3,931,517	$3,330,350	$38,266,481	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$4,006,389	$3,354,900	$39,776,692	Filing for 2023 tax year
2024 tax year	$4,956,557	$4,101,100	$41,767,257	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.