Caldera Foundation
Caldera Foundation is a small family foundation based in Vineburg, California, that provides early-stage seed funding for initiatives addressing major global challenges, especially climate disruption and the wise use of natural capital. It is listed as a private foundation.
Caldera Foundation at a glance
In short: Caldera Foundation gave $511K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $46K), top state California. 36% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $511,000
- +24.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 11
- -15.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $46,455
- +47.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $50,000
- Total assets
- $10,433,232
- +7.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 36% first-time grantees (4 of 11, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (49% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Caldera Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
Caldera does not accept unsolicited requests. It says it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not solicit or accept grant proposals.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 115, Vineburg, CA 95487
Phone: (415) 731-8254
Website: https://www.calderafoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Caldera Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Ploughshares Fund ($100K). Together the top 10 received $510K.
Grant Size Distribution
50 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 29 grants of 50 (58%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Caldera is based in Vineburg, California. In filing year 2025, its grants were reported as going to recipients in California (49% of grant dollars), Washington, DC (34%), Colorado (10%), and New York (7%). Its website also lists support for work in Michigan and other locations.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Caldera Foundation open to new grantees?
36%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 11 grantees (36%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $32K; repeat grants $55K. How we count
Medians: $38K first-time, $50K repeat.
- 27% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 137% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $410K (2024) to $547K (2023). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $511K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Ploughshares Fund San Francisco, CA | Financial Support | $100,000 |
| Rocky Mountain Institute Basalt, CO | Financial Support for Rocky Mountain Institute | $50,000 |
| Issue One Washington, DC | Financial Support | $50,000 |
| Pacific Institute Oakland, CA | Financial Support | $50,000 |
| Indivisible Civics Engagement San Francisco, CA | Financial Support | $50,000 |
| Campaign Legal Center Washington, DC | Financial Support | $50,000 |
| Clean Energy Communities Fund Berkeley, CA | Financial Support | $50,000 |
| Amalgamated Charitable Foundation Washington, DC | Financial Support | $50,000 |
| The Good Information Foundation New York, NY | Financial Support | $35,000 |
| American Independent Foundation Washington, DC | Financial Support | $25,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Caldera Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $10,433,232 | $631,270 | $637,651 | $511,000 | 11 | $637,651 | $631,152 | $465,090 |
| 2024 | $9,697,823 | $288,342 | $533,884 | $410,000 | 13 | $454,127 | $207,280 | $424,570 |
| 2023 | $8,920,110 | $78,170 | $667,553 | $547,000 | 13 | $589,497 | $105,787 | $403,541 |
| 2021 | $8,228,096 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2020 | $8,228,096 | $291,464 | $595,480 | $488,000 | 13 | — | $237,436 | $398,651 |
| 2019 | $8,729,711 | $222,508 | $647,452 | $510,000 | 18 | — | $176,931 | $444,399 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Caldera Foundation reported a distributable amount of $465K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
Caldera describes its work as advancing solutions to big global challenges, with particular emphasis on preventing climate disruption and making wise use of natural capital. Its website also discusses climate mitigation and adaptation, water resilience, and nuclear proliferation. Listed grants show support for work involving clean energy, water, elections and democratic engagement, local journalism, and nuclear issues.
The grantees’ own descriptions illustrate the range of organizations supported. Ploughshares Fund says its mission is to reduce and eventually eliminate the threat of nuclear weapons. Issue One describes itself as a crosspartisan political reform organization. Rocky Mountain Institute says it works to transform the global energy system toward a clean, prosperous, zero-carbon future. The Good Information Foundation says it works to increase the flow of factual information online and counter misinformation and disinformation.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, Caldera reported 11 grants totaling $511,000. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $100,000, with a median of $50,000. Among the largest grants reported were $100,000 to Ploughshares Fund; $50,000 each to Rocky Mountain Institute, Issue One, Pacific Institute, Indivisible Civics Engagement, Campaign Legal Center, Clean Energy Communities Fund, and Amalgamated Charitable Foundation; and $35,000 to The Good Information Foundation.
Caldera’s website separately lists 2025–2026 awards, including $100,000 each to Rule of Law Project, Campaign Legal Center, and Ploughshares Fund, and $50,000 each to The American Independent, Press Forward Northern Michigan, Movement Voter Project, Permit Power, Deploy Action, and VOW for Girls. These website listings are distinct from the 2025 filing-year grant figures.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Margaret G. Boyer as president and Peter S. Boyer as secretary and treasurer.
Caldera Foundation is led by Margaret G. Boyer, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Margaret G. Boyer
President
On filings since 2019
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Peter S. Boyer
Secretary & Treasurer
On filings since 2019
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Caldera Foundation
How much does Caldera Foundation give each year?
Caldera Foundation gave $511K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $410K across 13 grants.
What is Caldera Foundation's typical grant size?
Caldera Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $50,000, and its average grant was $46,455, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Caldera Foundation that year got $32K on average.
Where does Caldera Foundation give grants?
Caldera Foundation's top state is California, with 49% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were District of Columbia (34%) and Colorado (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (4 grants) and San Francisco, CA (3 grants).
Does Caldera Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 11 grants with a stated purpose on Caldera Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Financial Support" (10 grants).
Who are Caldera Foundation's largest grantees?
Caldera Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Ploughshares Fund ($100,000), Rocky Mountain Institute ($50,000) and Issue One ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 39% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Caldera Foundation?
Caldera Foundation reported $10.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $638K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $465K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Caldera Foundation fund?
Caldera describes its work as advancing solutions to big global challenges, with particular emphasis on preventing climate disruption and making wise use of natural capital. Its website also discusses climate mitigation and adaptation, water resilience, and nuclear proliferation. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Caldera Foundation?
Caldera does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Caldera Foundation's EIN?
Caldera Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-2387065. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Caldera Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 24, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 29, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 23, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 5, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 7, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Caldera Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Caldera Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/caldera-foundation-morg_58f556aa2ddc4025bfbff2b5d4a6551a
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_472387065_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Caldera Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/caldera-foundation-morg_58f556aa2ddc4025bfbff2b5d4a6551a},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Caldera Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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