Milkweed Foundation Inc. — Funder Overview

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: $905,000 (2024); $400,000 (2023)
• Success Rate: Not publicly available (invitation-only, no public application process)
• Decision Time: Not publicly available
• Grant Range: $10,000 – $200,000 (estimated typical range based on 990 data)
• Geographic Focus: United States — primary states: California, New York, Vermont
• Total Assets: $24,825,730 (2024)
• Number of Awards: 10 (2024); 4 (2023)

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Contact Details

• Registered Address: c/o Dentons US LLP, 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
• EIN: 92-3159543
• No public website identified for this foundation
• No public-facing email or phone number available

Note: The foundation is administered through Dentons US LLP, a major international law firm, indicating it operates as a private, professionally managed foundation without a public-facing office.

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Overview

Milkweed Foundation Inc. is a private grantmaking foundation established in New York, NY, with tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status granted in September 2023. Despite being a newly formed foundation, it has grown rapidly — from $10.1 million in total revenue and $400,000 in grants in its first filing year (2023), to $16.1 million in revenue and $905,000 in charitable disbursements in 2024. Total assets stood at $24.8 million as of its 2024 fiscal year filing.

The foundation's mission centres on conservation and climate change mitigation, with a particular emphasis on funding organisations that address large-scale environmental problems in scalable ways while meaningfully engaging local communities to improve human well-being. A secondary focus includes the decarbonisation of building and electricity sectors, particularly in New York State.

The foundation operates as an invitation-only, preselected-grantee model, as stated in its IRS filings. It does not accept unsolicited requests for funds, which is consistent with its structure as a private family-linked foundation with no paid staff. All officers are uncompensated volunteers. The foundation is growing rapidly in both assets and grant-making activity, with the number of awards more than doubling from 2023 to 2024.

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Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation does not publish named grant programmes. Based on available 990 data and leadership background, giving falls broadly into:

• Conservation Grants: Supporting organisations involved in habitat preservation, biodiversity, and ecosystem protection. Estimated range: $10,000–$200,000 per award.
• Climate Mitigation Grants: Supporting scalable solutions to climate change, including building decarbonisation and clean energy transition. Estimated range: $10,000–$200,000 per award.

Application method: Invitation only / preselected. No public application process exists.

Priority Areas

• Environmental conservation and biodiversity protection
• Climate change mitigation, particularly building sector decarbonisation
• Scalable solutions to widespread environmental problems
• Organisations that engage meaningfully with local communities to improve human well-being
• Island conservation and ecosystems (given leadership's board position at Island Conservation)
• US states of California, New York, and Vermont appear to be primary geographic areas of giving

What They Don't Fund

• Unsolicited grant requests (explicitly stated in IRS filings)
• The foundation does not list charitable programme activities in Part IX-A of its 990-PF, suggesting it does not fund operating programmes directly
• No evidence of international giving (all known activity is US-based)

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Governance and Leadership

The foundation has three uncompensated officers with no paid staff:

Delia Kulukundis — President Delia is a researcher, consensus-builder, and problem-solver devoted to preserving the natural environment. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Swarthmore College and a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Virginia. She brings over a decade of practice as a landscape architect, managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders ranging from private landowners to municipal government agencies.

As trustee and President of the Milkweed Foundation, she directs grantmaking for conservation and climate change mitigation. She is described as "an enthusiastic champion of organisations that both solve a widespread problem in a scalable way and engage meaningfully with local communities to improve human well-being." She is also active in New York's climate movement, focusing on decarbonisation of the building and electricity sectors, and was part of the successful campaign to ban fossil fuels from new buildings in New York State — making it the first US state to do so.

Delia is also a Board Member (Alumni) of Island Conservation, a conservation organisation focused on preventing extinctions by removing invasive species from islands, suggesting potential alignment between Milkweed Foundation grants and island ecosystem conservation.

Jane Bulnes Fowles — Treasurer No additional public information found.

Louisa Withfield Smith — Secretary No additional public information found.

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Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process.

As explicitly stated in its Form 990-PF filing, the Milkweed Foundation "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organisations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds." There is no application portal, grant guidelines document, or public request for proposals.

Grants are made at the discretion of the foundation's trustees, primarily guided by President Delia Kulukundis's interests in conservation and climate change mitigation.

Getting on Their Radar

The following represents specific, funder-relevant intelligence rather than generic advice:

• Island Conservation connection: Delia Kulukundis serves on the board of Island Conservation. Organisations active in or aligned with Island Conservation's network — focused on preventing extinctions by removing invasive species from islands and similar ecosystems work — may have a natural pathway to Milkweed Foundation's attention through that shared community.

• New York climate advocacy: Delia is documented as active in New York State's climate movement, particularly around building decarbonisation. She was part of the coalition that achieved the statewide ban on fossil fuels in new buildings. Organisations engaged in that specific policy space or its implementation may be on her radar.

• Landscape architecture and land use: Given her professional background, organisations working at the intersection of urban planning, landscape architecture, and biodiversity (particularly those involving multi-stakeholder processes with local government and private landowners) align directly with her professional expertise and the foundation's stated approach.

• California, New York, Vermont focus: If your organisation operates in these three states, this increases geographic alignment.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly available. As an invitation-only foundation with no staff, decisions are made at trustee discretion with no published timeline.

Success Rates

Not available. The foundation does not publish application data. In 2023, 4 grants were made; in 2024, 10 grants were made.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable. No formal application process exists.

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Application Success Factors

Given the invitation-only nature of this foundation, the following intelligence is specific to Milkweed Foundation:

1. Scalability is a documented priority: President Delia Kulukundis has specifically stated she champions organisations that "solve a widespread problem in a scalable way." Applications or introductory conversations should demonstrate that your model can be replicated, scaled, or has systemic impact — not just local reach.

2. Community engagement is equally weighted: The foundation's documented language pairs scalability with meaningful community engagement. Organisations that can show both impact at scale AND deep community roots are the clearest fit.

3. Conservation + climate dual focus: The foundation's stated mission covers both conservation and climate change mitigation. Organisations working at the intersection of these two — for example, nature-based climate solutions, rewilding, or ecosystem-based adaptation — are likely strongest candidates.

4. Human well-being lens: The framing "improve human well-being" alongside conservation is notable. This is not a strictly ecocentric funder — they appear to value organisations that connect environmental outcomes to human community outcomes.

5. Professional alignment with leadership: Given the President's background as a landscape architect focused on biodiversity and land-use recommendations, organisations working on habitat restoration planning, green infrastructure, or environmental design may resonate strongly.

6. New York State policy context: The foundation's leadership was involved in landmark New York State fossil fuel legislation. Organisations working on policy implementation, building electrification, or related climate transition work in New York may find particular resonance.

7. Relationship-first approach: As a newly formed private foundation with no staff and no website, this funder operates entirely through personal relationships and professional networks. Any pathway to funding will require a pre-existing or newly developed relationship with a trustee.

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Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• No unsolicited applications accepted: This foundation explicitly does not accept unsolicited requests. Any outreach must be relationship-driven, not application-driven.
• Rapidly growing funder: Assets grew from approximately $9.7 million (2023) to $24.8 million (2024), and annual giving more than doubled. This is a funder in active growth mode, with increasing grant capacity.
• Conservation and climate are the twin pillars: All giving is focused at the intersection of environmental conservation and climate change mitigation. If your work spans both, you are well-positioned to make a case.
• Scalability is the key differentiator: Leadership has explicitly named scalability as a priority. Lead with evidence of scale and replicability.
• Geographic focus is US-based with California, New York, Vermont: Ensure geographic alignment is clear in any introductory materials.
• Board relationship pathway: The most likely route to a conversation with this foundation is through the Island Conservation board network, given the President's documented involvement there.
• Newly established, private, and discreet: This foundation has no website, no published guidelines, and no staff. It operates very privately. Patience and relationship-building over time are essential.

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References

1. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer — Milkweed Foundation Inc. URL: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/923159543 Accessed: February 2026 Source of financial data (2023 and 2024 fiscal years), officer names, EIN, and tax-exempt status date.

2. Instrumentl 990 Report — Milkweed Foundation Inc. URL: https://www.instrumentl.com/990-report/milkweed-foundation-inc Accessed: February 2026 Source of grant range estimates ($10,000–$200,000), geographic focus (California, New York, Vermont), number of awards (4 in 2023, 10 in 2024), and total assets.

3. Cause IQ — Milkweed Foundation URL: https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/milkweed-foundation,923159543/ Accessed: February 2026 Source of financial summary data for 2023 fiscal year.

4. Charity Navigator — Milkweed Foundation Inc. URL: https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/923159543 Accessed: February 2026 Confirmed EIN, NTEE classification as Private Grantmaking Foundation, IRS ruling year 2023, and independent status.

5. Grantmakers.io Profile — Milkweed Foundation Inc. URL: https://www.grantmakers.io/profiles/v0/923159543-milkweed-foundation-inc/ Accessed: February 2026 Source of NTEE classification confirmation and foundation profile data.

6. Island Conservation — Team Page: Delia Kulukundis URL: https://www.islandconservation.org/team/delia-kulukundis/ Accessed: February 2026 Primary source for biographical information on Delia Kulukundis, her role as trustee of Milkweed Foundation, her grantmaking focus on conservation and climate, her landscape architecture background, her community engagement priorities, and her involvement in New York fossil fuel building ban.

7. Benevity Causes — MILKWEED FOUNDATION INC URL: https://causes.benevity.org/causes/840-923159543 Accessed: February 2026 Confirmed registered address (c/o Dentons US LLP, New York, NY 10020).