Center for Science in the Public Interest
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is a Washington, DC–based public charity that works on food, nutrition, and public health issues and makes grants to support food-policy campaigns and community partnerships.
Center for Science in the Public Interest at a glance
In short: Center for Science in the Public Interest gave $409K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $37K), top state Georgia. 64% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $408,577
- -68.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 11
- -42.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $37,143
- -44.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $37,151
- Total assets
- $41,558,109
- -6.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 64% first-time grantees (7 of 11, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Georgia (15% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Center for Science in the Public Interest
- How to Apply
-
CSPI and CSPI Action Fund describe the Food Policy Catalyst Subgrants as currently open to local- and state-level organizations and advocates, including community-based organizations. The stated focus is food and nutrition policy and campaigns; the program description does not provide application materials or a submission process.
- Review Cycle
- No deadline is stated for the currently described Food Policy Catalyst Subgrants. A separate state and local funding cycle announced in 2020 had a December 31, 2020 deadline and is past.
- Deadline
- No deadline is stated for the currently described Food Policy Catalyst Subgrants.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1250 I Street Nw 500, Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202) 332-9110
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from Center for Science in the Public Interest
Who Center for Science in the Public Interest funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Emory University ($60K). Together the top 10 received $397K.
Grant Size Distribution
106 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 49 grants of 106 (46%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
CSPI’s Food Policy Catalyst initiative covers federal, state, and local food and nutrition policy. Its described partners are organizations and advocates at the local and state levels. The 2025 grants were distributed to recipients in multiple states; the largest shares by recipient state were Georgia and New Mexico, at 15% each, followed by New York and Texas, at 12% each, and Louisiana, at 10%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Center for Science in the Public Interest open to new grantees?
64%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 7 of 11 grantees (64%) 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 $37K; repeat grants $37K. How we count
Medians: $37K first-time, $34K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2021–2025). 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 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $409K (2025) to $3.1M (2021). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $409K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Emory University Atlanta, GA | Constructing case studies of dollar store policies to inform the ongoing policy development process in baltimore | $60,000 |
| La Semilla Food Center Anthony, NM | Supporting regional power building through a community based, emergent fellowship design | $60,000 |
| Interfaith Public Health Network (Fiscal Sponsor Church of God of Prophecy Bronx, NY | Supporting passage of New York city council legislation to require kids meals at chain restaurants in New York city to meet minimum nutritional requirements, participating in a sustainable restaurant kids meals workgroup and conducting exploratory work around sustainable kids meals policy in New York city | $49,450 |
| Sustainable Food Center Austin, TX | Building Support for Snap Incentive Programming in Texas | $48,000 |
| New Orleans Food Policy Advisory Committee New Orleans, LA | Campaigning for process improvements and increased access to the disaster snap program | $40,000 |
| University of North Carolina Boone, NC | Assessing the impacts of unconditional guaranteed income (GI) on food security and nutrition security among black women with low-incomes and their families participating in the Georgia resilience and opportunity fund (GRO) GI pilot, in her hands (IHH) | $37,151 |
| Coalition for Carceral Nutrition (Fiscal Sponsor Fiscal Sponsorship Allies Indianapolis, IN | Researching privatized prison food service and leading campaign for improvements to food and nutrition in the d.c. Department of corrections carceral system | $36,976 |
| Charles County NAACP (Fiscal Sponsor Youth Educational Services Inc) Baltimore, MD | Leading implementation of a new restaurant kids meals nutrition bill serving Charles county, Maryland | $25,000 |
| California Immigrant Policy Center Los Angeles, CA | Broadening food access for all californians, regardless of immigration status | $20,000 |
| End Hunger Connecticut East Hartford, CT | Convening the voices of snap recipients to identify actions to improve population health | $20,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Center for Science in the Public Interest?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $41,558,109 | $12,592,547 | $17,926,322 | $408,577 | 11 | $992,425 |
| 2024 | $44,277,891 | $19,796,365 | $17,289,504 | $1,275,030 | 19 | $796,400 |
| 2023 | $40,185,567 | $16,181,828 | $18,005,982 | $1,434,477 | 25 | $868,778 |
| 2022 | $42,108,388 | $36,719,898 | $18,820,314 | $547,690 | 14 | $709,010 |
| 2021 | $21,632,992 | $14,159,324 | $19,805,891 | $3,093,925 | 37 | $734,760 |
| 2020 | $26,079,913 | $25,098,313 | $14,022,582 | — | — | $420,548 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
CSPI’s stated values are independence, scientific rigor, and transparency. Its listed activities include public education; nutrition and food-safety information; advocacy on food laws, labeling, and restaurant menus; efforts to improve school food and food safety; and work on nutrition assistance, medical-product oversight, and food and agriculture policy.
Through its Food Policy Catalyst initiative, CSPI and affiliate CSPI Action Fund support partnerships with community-based organizations and advocates at local and state levels. The initiative addresses federal, state, and local food and nutrition policies and campaigns, with an emphasis on improving public health, the food environment, and community-informed approaches. CSPI also describes its role as helping build partners’ capacity to address food-system issues in their communities.
Grantee missions illustrate the range of organizations receiving support. La Semilla Food Center says it works to foster a healthy, self-reliant, fair, and sustainable food system in the Paso del Norte region. Sustainable Food Center says it transforms the food system to nourish health, land, and livelihood. End Hunger Connecticut says it works to eliminate hunger through outreach, public education, and advocacy. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own missions.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, CSPI reported 11 grants totaling $408,577. Grant amounts ranged from $12,000 to $60,000, with a median of $37,151.
Among the largest reported grants were $60,000 to Emory University for case studies of dollar-store policies and $60,000 to La Semilla Food Center for regional power-building through a community-based fellowship. Other notable grants included $49,450 to Interfaith Public Health Network for work on New York City kids’ meals legislation, $48,000 to Sustainable Food Center to build support for SNAP incentives in Texas, and $40,000 to the New Orleans Food Policy Advisory Committee for work to improve disaster SNAP access.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Officers and directors listed on the 2025 filing are Mary T Bassett, director; Phyllis R Lantos, treasurer; William Corr, director; Denise M Elliott, vice chair; Suzanne Hess, director; Giridhar Mallya, director; Michael A Nutter, chair; David Rousseau, director; Jane Schmitz, secretary; and William Schultz, director.
Center for Science in the Public Interest is led by Peter Lurie, Executive Director on every filing since 2023; 8 of 19 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Peter Lurie
Executive Director
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$280K (2023) → $304K (2025)
Michael A. Nutter
Chair
Director → Chair, 2022
On filings since 2020
1.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Bonnie Liebman
Director of Nutrition
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$191K (2020) → $218K (2025)
Jane Welna
Director of Development
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$164K (2020) → $180K (2025)
Jennifer Green-Holmes
Director of Business Operations
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$164K (2020) → $190K (2025)
Lisa Mankofsky
Director of Litigation
Director → Director of Litigation, 2022
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$165K (2021) → $198K (2025)
Monica Wilson
Director of Finance
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$134K (2024) → $143K (2025)
Lynn Silver
Director
On filings since 2020
1.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mary T. Bassett
Director
On filings since 2020
1.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Suzanne Hess
Director
On filings since 2020
1.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
William Corr
Director
On filings since 2020
1.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
William Schultz
Director
On filings since 2020
1.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Giridhar Mallya
Director
On filings since 2021
1.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David Rousseau
Director
On filings since 2022
1.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sara Ghaith
Chief Operating Officer
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$169K (2020) → $204K (2025)
Anupama Joshi
Vice President for Programs
Director → Vice President for Programs, 2025
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$204K (2024) → $232K (2025)
Denise M. Elliott
Vice Chair
Secretary → Vice Chair, 2022
On filings since 2020
1.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Phyllis R. Lantos
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jane Schmitz
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2022
On filings since 2021
1.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (15)
- Former: James Sullivan (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Sushma Palmer (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Robin Caiola (2021–2024) — Director
- Former: Lynn Silver Chalfin (2022–2024) — Director
- Former: Jena Welna (2024) — Director of Development
- Former: Claudia Malloy (2022–2023) — Advocacy Director
- Former: Gregory Jaffe (2022–2023) — Project Director
- Former: Michael Jacobson Non-Voting (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Peter Lurie Non-Voting (2020–2022) — Executive Director
- Former: Robin Caiola Sheekey (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Laura Maccleery (2020–2021) — Policy Director
- Former: Margo Wootan (2020–2021) — Vice President for Nutrition
- Former: David Kessler (2020) — Chair
- Former: Mark Ingram (2020) — Treasurer
- Former: Tom Gegax (2020) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $304K, to Peter Lurie (Executive Director). 8 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Center for Science in the Public Interest
How much does Center for Science in the Public Interest give each year?
Center for Science in the Public Interest gave $409K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $1.3M across 19 grants.
What is Center for Science in the Public Interest's typical grant size?
Center for Science in the Public Interest's median grant in 2025 was $37,151, and its average grant was $37,143, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Center for Science in the Public Interest that year got $37K on average.
Where does Center for Science in the Public Interest give grants?
Center for Science in the Public Interest's top state is Georgia, with 15% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were New Mexico (15%) and New York (12%).
Does Center for Science in the Public Interest give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 11 grants with a stated purpose on Center for Science in the Public Interest's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support.
Who are Center for Science in the Public Interest's largest grantees?
Center for Science in the Public Interest's largest 2025 grantees include Emory University ($60,000), La Semilla Food Center ($60,000) and Interfaith Public Health Network (Fiscal Sponsor Church of God of Prophecy ($49,450), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 41% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Center for Science in the Public Interest?
Center for Science in the Public Interest reported $41.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $12.6M.
What does Center for Science in the Public Interest fund?
CSPI’s stated values are independence, scientific rigor, and transparency. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Center for Science in the Public Interest?
CSPI and CSPI Action Fund describe the Food Policy Catalyst Subgrants as currently open to local- and state-level organizations and advocates, including community-based organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Center for Science in the Public Interest's EIN?
Center for Science in the Public Interest's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 23-7122879. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 9, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 25, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS August 29, 2022)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 9, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Center for Science in the Public Interest funds
Food, Agriculture & Nutrition Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Center for Science in the Public Interest's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Center for Science in the Public Interest funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/center-for-science-in-the-public-interest-morg_a9450cd3c36941afaf4cff09c821d77e
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_237122879_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Center for Science in the Public Interest funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/center-for-science-in-the-public-interest-morg_a9450cd3c36941afaf4cff09c821d77e},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-22. 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 Center for Science in the Public Interest'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.
Center for Science in the Public Interest down — hundreds of funders to go?