Rocky Mountain Institute
Boulder, CO · EIN 74-2244146. Reported 108 grants totalling $22.4M to 72 organizations across tax years 2020-2024, on Form 990 Schedule I.
Does this grantmaker accept applications?
Its tax return does not say, and we will not guess. Private foundations file Form 990-PF, which asks outright whether they fund only organizations they select themselves -- 78% say yes, and that one answer is what lets the rest of this site tell you which foundations are worth approaching. Grantmaking charities like this one file a regular Form 990 instead, and the IRS never puts the question to them. Anyone claiming to know the answer from the filing is inventing it.
Three things in the filing do bear on it:
- What kind of organization it is. The IRS has no activity classification on file for this one, so we cannot tell you whether it is a community foundation or a single-institution support fund. The recipient list below is the better guide.
- How spread out its giving is. 72 distinct organizations, with 19% of the dollars going to the largest single recipient. That is genuinely spread out -- the mark of a funder making many independent decisions rather than underwriting one institution.
- How much its list changes. 43% of one year's grantees are funded again the next, across 4 year-to-year transitions. That is below the 56% median for grantmaking charities, and well below the 67% median for private foundations. It describes the organizations it already funds, not whether it would consider a new one.
How big are its grants?
The median reported grant is $80,663. Half of what it reported fell between $34,500 and $198,000; the smallest was $5,000 and the largest $3,937,867. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong organization.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by the EIN the filer reported, not by name, so an organization that was typed differently in two years appears once rather than twice.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canary Media Inc | Asheville, NC | $4,187,867 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Mission Possible Partnership USA Inc | Washington, DC | $3,000,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| We Mean Business Coalition Inc | New York, NY | $1,778,687 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Adl Ventures LLC | San Francisco, CA | $1,628,953 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Association for Energy Affordability Inc | Bronx, NY | $937,780 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Gistearth LLC | Washington, DC | $815,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Resources Legacy Fund | Sacramento, CA | $800,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Preservation of Affordable Housing Inc | Boston, MA | $750,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| World Resources Institute | Washington, DC | $725,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Building Decarbonization Coalition | Lewes, DE | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| David Baker Architects | San Francisco, CA | $444,626 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Action for Boston Community Development | Boston, MA | $400,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Spark Northwest | Seattle, WA | $400,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| American Lung Association | Chicago, IL | $398,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| United States Public Interest Research Group Education Fund | Denver, CO | $398,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| New Buildings Institute Inc | Portland, OR | $395,375 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| International Council on Clean Transportation | Washington, DC | $350,000 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Trustees of Columbia University | New York, NY | $330,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Gistearth LLC | Washington, DC | $300,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Gridlab Inc | Berkeley, CA | $300,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Solutions Project Inc | Los Angeles, CA | $200,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Carbon Mapper Inc | Pasadena, CA | $199,895 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| The Regents of the University of California | Davis, CA | $189,320 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Signetron Inc | Berkeley, CA | $172,901 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Tk Fabricate LLC | Manluis, NY | $162,350 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Battelle Memorial Institute | Columbus, OH | $160,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Potential Energy Coalition Inc | New York, NY | $152,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Vermont Energy Investment Corp | Winooski, VT | $150,816 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Passive House Institute US Inc | Chicago, IL | $127,890 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Integral Group Inc | Oakland, CA | $125,874 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory | Berkeley, CA | $112,114 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| American Council for An Energy Efficient Economy | Washington, DC | $108,333 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| National Housing Trust | Washington, DC | $108,333 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Third Way Institute | Washington, DC | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Transaera Inc | Somerville, MA | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| United Nations Foundation Inc | Washington, DC | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Community Development Corporation of Php Nfp | Hopkins Park, IL | $90,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Hourcar | Saint Paul, MN | $86,326 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Community Initiatives | Oakland, CA | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Colorado School of Mines | Golden, CO | $75,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| St Paul Transportation Management Organization | Saint Paul, MN | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| NAACP Co Mt Wy State Conference | Aurora, CO | $70,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Rdh Building Science Inc | Seattle, WA | $67,764 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Open Market Esco LLC | Boston, MA | $67,095 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Power-to-X Analytics LLC | Hancock, MN | $65,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Southern Environmental Law Center | Charlottesville, VA | $60,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Brookings Institution | Washington, DC | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Climate Strategies Lab LLC Dba Industrious Labs | Cincinnati, OH | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Energy Efficiency Business Coalition | Denver, CO | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Georgetown University | Washington, DC | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Patillas Farmacia Jomari | Rivera, PA | $49,800 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Farmers Union Foundation | Saint Paul, MN | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Strong Towns | Brainerd, MN | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Sustaera Inc | Durham, NC | $26,250 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Philadelphia Green Capital Corp | Philadelphia, PA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Washington State University | Renton, WA | $20,273 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Environmental Defense Fund Incorporated | New York, NY | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Fresh Energy | Saint Paul, MN | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Hua Nani Partners LLC | Kailua, HI | $18,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Twelve Benefit Corporation | Berkeley, CA | $17,115 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| American Thoracic Society Inc | New York, NY | $15,800 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Main South Community Development Corporation | Worcester, MA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Mobility Development Partners LLC | Chicago, IL | $13,206 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Forth | Portland, OR | $11,827 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| American National Red Cross | Washington, DC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Eco Infinity Nation LLC | Seattle, WA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| East Metro Strong | Saint Paul, MN | $8,600 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| People for Community Recovery | Chicago, IL | $8,600 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners | Washington, DC | $7,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Environmental Leadership Program | Washington, DC | $5,500 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Americans for a Clean Energy Grid | Washington, DC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Give Foundation Inc | Dublin, CA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
23 of 72 (32%) received money in more than one year over the 5 years we hold. Remember the $5,000 floor: an organization funded every year at $3,000 shows up here as never funded at all.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose column of its filings, largest first. This is the closest thing to a statement of what it funds, in its own words.
- Mission Possible Partnership
SUPPORT FORMER RELATED ENTITY - Gistearth LLC
TO COMPLETE THREE STUDIES INVOLVING CARBON INTELLIGENT CITIES, F-GAS AND LANDFILLS - Canary Media
ASSISTANCE TO HELP CANARY MEDIA BEGIN OPERATIONS - International Council on Clean Transportation
SUPPORT THE ACCELERATION OF TRANSPORT DECARBONISATION IN INDIA - Transaera Inc
INCENTIVIZE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A RESIDENTIAL COOLING SOLUTION THAT WILL HAVE AT LEAST FIVE TIMES LOWER CLIMATE IMPACT THAN THE STANDARD ROOM AC UNITS SOLD ON THE MARKET TODAY - Community Development Corporation of Pembroke Hopkins Park
ESTABLISH A BENEFICIAL ELECTRIFICATION DEMONSTRATION PROJECT WITH BUILDING DECARBONIZATION IMPROVEMENTS TO BE INSTALLED IN APPROXIMATELY FIVE HOMES IN PEMBROKE TOWNSHIP, ILLINOIS
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 44 of 72 recipients we could match to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's, not ours -- Schedule I reports the recipient's EIN, so this is a lookup rather than a name match.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants reported | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 8 | $1,445,500 | $77,500 |
| 2021 | 17 | $3,325,462 | $49,800 |
| 2022 | 25 | $4,965,957 | $108,333 |
| 2023 | 27 | $9,837,088 | $93,512 |
| 2024 | 31 | $2,858,763 | $40,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- Form 990 arrives about a year after the year it covers, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a grantmaker winding down.
Where its money goes
26% of its giving went to organizations in District of Columbia. Community foundations and federated funds are usually the most geographically bounded funders there are -- being outside the footprint is normally disqualifying in a way that a weak programme fit is not.
Down to the city
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Funders that support the same organizations
These grantmakers and private foundations gave to organizations this one also funded. Shared grantees are a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more: they do not show that any of these funders would consider a new organization. Each page says what its filings show.
How to approach this grantmaker
- Look for a published programme first. Unlike most private foundations, organizations of this kind often do run open, deadlined grant cycles with written guidelines. Its own website is the authority on that; this page is the authority on who it has actually paid.
- Check you are its size. The median reported grant is $80,663 -- and because grants under $5,000 need not be reported, it very likely writes smaller cheques than this page can see.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving concentrates in District of Columbia.
- Read the recipient list for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer and a cheap one to get.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Rocky Mountain Institute's own Form 990 Schedule I filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 5 returns (tax years 2020-2024). Grant figures are from its returns. Recipient classifications, the concentration and retention figures and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations from them, described in how we build this.
On its most recent return it told the IRS it made grants to 18 section 501(c)(3) organizations and 13 other organizations. That is the filer's own count for one year; the totals above cover every year we hold.
Address of record on the latest return: 2490 Junction Place 200, Boulder, CO, 80301.
EIN 74-2244146 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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