CS Fund
At a glance
Key takeaways
- Its work fits best if you are building equitable democracy, a just transition, food sovereignty or the fight against false solutions, since it funds social movements and the infrastructure around them and gives priority to the US.
- Most of its grants fall between $1,000 and $95,000, with a median of $40,000, so a request near that median is a sensible starting point, though its largest grant has been far larger.
- Repeat giving is strong: 84% of its grant dollars to organisations went to groups it had also funded in earlier filings, so it appears to rely on existing relationships and a first approach should be brief and well aimed.
- Submit your contact details and a brief overview through the linked form, which it reviews periodically on a rolling basis, but do not expect a reply unless a programme director sees an opportunity.
Overview
CS Fund is a US private foundation based in Petaluma, 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
CS Fund seeks an equitable democracy and a just transition to regenerative economies and food systems. It supports social movements and the infrastructure around them in the US and the Global South, concentrating on critical, under-resourced issues, root causes and systemic solutions. Its grantmaking backs local, national and global organisations, including a diverse, intersectional ecosystem using legal, policy, education, organising, power-building, narrative and culture-change strategies. Its stated programme areas include food sovereignty, just transitions and fighting false solutions. The foundation uses trust-based, long-term multi-year general and programme support, while also making rapid-response and out-of-cycle grants and supporting systemic issues beyond programme areas. It describes its role as a partner, resource and advocate for grantees and works to organise other funders.
Themes
- Food sovereignty
- Just transitions
- Fighting false solutions
Geographic Focus
Priority: US.
How to apply
Organisations may submit contact information and a brief overview through the linked form if their work aligns with the foundation’s strategy and approach. Submissions are reviewed periodically; a programme director may contact them if there is an opportunity, but a response is not guaranteed.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 84% 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 311 grants to organisations were $40,000 or less.
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: 1%
- The largest single recipient received 15% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 84% of grant dollars went to organisations CS Fund had funded in earlier filings.
- <1% of grant dollars went directly to organisations outside the US (Tanzania).
- 52% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 129 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $40,000 (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Tides Foundation · Donor advised fund$1,085,0002024 tax year
- Friends of Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration · Action group on erosion, technology and concentration$250,0002024 tax year
- Government Accountability Project · General support$150,0002024 tax year
- Center for Constitutional Rights · General support$145,0002024 tax year
- Tides Center · Community justice exchange$145,0002024 tax year
- Partnership for Civil Justice Fund · General support$130,0002024 tax year
- Global Greengrants Fund · Agroecology fund$105,0002024 tax year
- Project on Government Oversight · General support$100,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Corinne Meadows-Efram — Vice-President / Trustee
- Michael Warsh — Trustee
- Maryanne Mott — Trustee
- Bailey Malone — Executive Director
- Kau'i Keliipio — Treasurer / Trustee
- Teresa Robinson — Secretary / Trustee
- Marise Meynet Sheehan — President / Trustee
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $6,381,705 | $3,886,150 | $6,661,400 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $8,082,523 | $5,136,350 | $6,843,159 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $10,253,865 | $6,325,120 | $5,002,812 | 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 CS Fund?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (707) 874-2942
- Petaluma, CA
- csfund.org
Applying to CS Fund?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (707) 874-2942
- Petaluma, CA
- csfund.org