Weeden Foundation

Private foundation · EIN 94-6109313 · since 1964weedenfoundation.org·Alaska, Belize, Bolivia, California, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, International, Mexico, Montana, Namib…·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$2M

Annual giving, 2024 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$10,000 to $30,000

Grant range

From the funder's website

$15,000

Typical grant (median)

132 grants in the latest filing

Open to applications

Fixed application deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

Work on biodiversity protection, bird or marine wildlife conservation, environmental education, sustainable consumption or international population fits its stated themes, and its priority geographies are Alaska, the California Floristic Province, Montana and Chilean Patagonia.
Half of its 270 grants to organisations across its two most recent filings were $15,000 or less, and its stated range is $10,000 to $30,000, so a modest request fits, though the filings show one award of $52,000 above that maximum.
In its latest filing, 60% of its grant dollars to organisations went to groups it had also funded in the earlier filing, so relationships with the Foundation carry weight, but a group new to it should not be discouraged from applying.
New applicants begin with a Letter of Inquiry due four weeks before the application deadline, and proposal deadlines fall eight weeks before each Board meeting, so work backwards from those dates.
Groups seeking multi-year support should not apply, because the Foundation does not fund multi-year grants.

Overview

Weeden Foundation is a US private foundation based in Bedford Hills, NY.

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 describes protection of biodiversity as its overarching priority. It supports biodiversity work in Alaska, the California Floristic Province, Montana and Chilean Patagonia, including salmon and land protection, wildlife corridors, endangered-species habitat and river restoration. Its wider programmes cover bird and marine wildlife conservation, global biodiversity, environmental education, sustainable consumption and international population. It seeks to conserve wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas, protect endangered marine species through research, advocacy, policy change and habitat conservation, and support biodiversity-hotspot campaigns, including protection of global temperate rainforests, wildlife corridors, land acquisition and conservation projects involving indigenous peoples. Environmental education backs grantees that provide future leaders with tools to influence environmental policy. Its consumption and population programmes support environmental-paper and packaging campaigns, and groups working on family planning, women’s education and women’s empowerment in biodiverse countries.

Themes

Biodiversity protection
Bird conservation
Marine wildlife conservation
Environmental education
Sustainable consumption
International population

Geographic Focus

Priority: Alaska; California Floristic Province; Montana; Chilean Patagonia; Americas; United States; Global; western United States; Russia; Bolivia; Chile; Peru; Columbia; Ecuador; Belize; Namibia; Mexico.

What They Don't Fund

Multi-year grants

How to apply

New applicants begin with a Letter of Inquiry (LOI), due four weeks before the application deadline; if the proposed work is of interest or fits a programme area, the Foundation invites a full proposal. Returning grantees and applicants invited to submit a full application apply through the online system.

Deadlines:

Proposal deadlines are eight weeks before each Board meeting.
New applicants’ Letters of Inquiry are due four weeks before the application deadline.

Application success factors

Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 60% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2023 filing.
Grant size: Across its TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 270 grants to organisations were $15,000 or less.

What the foundation says:

The Foundation invites a full proposal when the proposed work is of interest or fits one of its programme areas.
Returning grantees should describe the grant’s purpose and evaluation process clearly and precisely; shorter descriptions are preferred.
A concise Executive Summary is especially important for presenting the project’s nature and intent directly to the Board.

Where grants go

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

Grant dollars by state

California16%

Montana10%

District of Columbia8%

New York6%

Oregon5%

Virginia5%

6 other states: 20%

Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 30%

The largest single recipient received 4% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2024, 60% of grant dollars went to organisations Weeden Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
16% of grant dollars went directly to organisations outside the US (Chile, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Canada).
2% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.

Grants

132 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $15,000

How much do they typically give?

Share of 132 grants in tax year 2024 by size

Under $1k5%

$1k–$2.5k22%

$2.5k–$5k8%

$5k–$10k3%

$10k–$25k27%

$25k–$50k33%

$50k–$100k2%

Median $15,000 (tax year 2024)

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

RESOLVE · Grant
$52,0002024 tax year
Center for Biological Diversity · Grant
$50,0002024 tax year
National Wildlife Federation · Grant
$50,0002024 tax year
Pacific Forest Trust · Grant
$42,0002024 tax year
Puelo Patagonia · Grant
$40,0002024 tax year
Vital Ground Foundation · Grant
$32,0002024 tax year
American Bird Conservancy · Grant
$30,0002024 tax year
Futaleufu Riverkeeper · Grant
$30,0002024 tax year

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

Officers and directors

Norman Weeden — Director
Robert Weeden — Director
Nick Leibowitz — Treasurer
John Weeden — Secretary
Barbara Daugherty — Vice President
Leslie Weeden — President

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

3 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$2,584,620	$1,846,227	$38,095,537	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$2,234,743	$1,705,283	$41,177,206	Filing for 2023 tax year
2024 tax year	$2,531,199	$2,000,049	$43,245,606	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.