CF Industries Foundation
CF Industries Foundation is a private foundation based in Northbrook, Illinois, and a philanthropic organization founded and supported by CF Industries Holdings, Inc. The Foundation supports environmental sustainability, STEM education and awareness, healthy food access, and local community advancement, with an emphasis on communities where CF Industries operates.
CF Industries Foundation at a glance
In short: CF Industries Foundation gave $1.3M across 35 grants in 2024 (avg $37K), top state Illinois. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,277,672
- +2455.3% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 35
- +3400.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $36,505
- -27.0% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $15,000
- Total assets
- $19,718,535
- -4.0% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- Illinois (44% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026.
How to apply to CF Industries Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The Foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 2375 Waterview Drive, Northbrook, IL 60062
Phone: (847) 405-2400
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who CF Industries Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was One Acre Fund ($500K). Together the top 10 received $978K.
Organizations only. It also paid 2 individual scholarships ($66,800), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
36 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 29 grants of 36 (81%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Foundation describes its giving as focused on local initiatives and communities where CF Industries employees live and work. In 2024, the largest shares of grant dollars by recipient state were Illinois (44%), Louisiana (24%), Tennessee (10%), Iowa (9%), and Mississippi (5%). The listed grants also included support for disaster relief in Oklahoma.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 35 itemized grants.
Cities
How CF Industries Foundation gives
- In 2024 it paid out 149% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2023 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $50K (2023) to $1.3M (2024). In 2024 it made 35 grants totaling $1.3M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| One Acre Fund Highland Park, IL | Farmer Led Reforestation Program. | $500,000 |
| Ducks Unlimited Inc Memphis, TN | Iowa water quality wetlands program and Iowa shallow lake restorations. | $125,000 |
| Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater (New Orleans) New Orleans, LA | Improve Food Access in Louisiana | $80,000 |
| National American Red Cross Washington, DC | Disaster Relief Efforts in Oklahoma. | $50,000 |
| United Way of Siouxland Sioux City, IA | Disaster Relief Efforts in the Siouxland Community. | $50,000 |
| River Road African American Museum and Gallery Donaldsonville, LA | Stream After-School Program. | $50,000 |
| 2 individual scholarships Recipients not named | — | $66,800 |
| Southern University System Baton Rouge, LA | CF Industries Foundation Scholarship 2025-2026. | $42,800 |
| Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank Baton Rouge, LA | Support for Ascension Parish Partner Agencies. | $30,000 |
| Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines Des Moines, IA | Clay County Disaster Recovery Fund. | $25,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $19,718,535 | $1,190,980 | $3,278,034 | $1,277,672 | 35 | $1,488,437 | $1,105,870 | $1,001,742 |
| 2023 | $20,542,396 | $801,386 | $417,699 | $50,000 | 1 | $252,311 | $615,115 | $986,266 |
| 2022 | $20,000,000 | $20,000,000 | — | — | — | — | — | $10,796 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, CF Industries Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.0M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Foundation identifies four giving pillars:
- STEM Education and Awareness: Education and career development in areas that support a clean and sustainable future.
- Healthy Food Access: Improving access to nutritious, affordable food.
- Environmental Sustainability: Protecting and caring for lands and natural resources.
- Local Community Advancement: Supporting communities where CF Industries employees live and work, including first responders.
Its 2024 grants included support for farmer-led reforestation, wetlands and water-quality work, food access, disaster relief, after-school programming, and scholarships. The grantees’ own missions illustrate the range of organizations supported: One Acre Fund says it works with rural self-help groups to help hunger-affected farm families address hunger and poverty; Ducks Unlimited says it conserves, restores, and manages wetlands and associated habitats; and the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank says it feeds people in Baton Rouge and surrounding parishes through food and educational outreach.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the Foundation reported 35 grants totaling $1,277,672. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $500,000, with a median of $15,000. In 2023, it reported one grant totaling $50,000.
Among the largest 2024 awards were $500,000 to One Acre Fund for a farmer-led reforestation program; $125,000 to Ducks Unlimited for an Iowa water-quality wetlands program and Iowa shallow lake restorations; and $80,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans for improving food access in Louisiana. Other awards included $50,000 each to the National American Red Cross for disaster relief in Oklahoma, United Way of Siouxland for disaster relief in its community, and River Road African American Museum and Gallery for an after-school program.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Officers and directors listed on the 2024 filing:
- Susan Menzel — President
- Christopher Bohn — Chief Financial Officer (through August 2024)
- Scott Carlisle — Vice President
- Shawn Carnine — Vice President
- Kathy Frashier — Vice President
- Deborah Garland — Vice President
- Richard Hoker — Vice President and Corporate Controller
- Jeffrey Olin — Vice President, Tax
- Amanda Pascavage — Vice President
- Deborah Schneider — Vice President
CF Industries Foundation is led by Susan Menzel, President on every filing since 2022; none of the 13 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Susan Menzel
President
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Amanda Pascavage
Vice President
Vice President & Director → Vice President, 2024
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Christopher Bohn
Chief Financial Officer
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Deborah Garland
Vice President
Vice President & Director → Vice President, 2024
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Deborah Schneider
Vice President
Vice President & Director → Vice President, 2024
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jeffrey Olin
Vice President & Tax
Vice President Tax & Director → Vice President & Tax, 2024
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kathy Frashier
Vice President
Vice President & Director → Vice President, 2024
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kimberley Petersen
Secretary
Secretary & Director → Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Martin Jarosick
Treasurer
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Richard Hoker
Vice President & Corporate Controller
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Scott Carlisle
Vice President
Vice President & Director → Vice President, 2024
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Shawn Carnine
Vice President
Vice President & Director → Vice President, 2024
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Greg Cameron
Chief Financial Officer
New on the 2024 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2022–2024. "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 CF Industries Foundation
How much does CF Industries Foundation give each year?
CF Industries Foundation gave $1.3M across 35 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $50K across 1 grant.
What is CF Industries Foundation's typical grant size?
CF Industries Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $15,000, and its average grant was $36,505, across 35 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does CF Industries Foundation give grants?
CF Industries Foundation's top state is Illinois, with 44% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Louisiana (24%) and Tennessee (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Baton Rouge, LA (4 grants), Sioux City, IA (4 grants), Chicago, IL (3 grants) and New Orleans, LA (2 grants).
Does CF Industries Foundation give general operating support?
Occasionally: 6% of CF Industries Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (2 of 35) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are CF Industries Foundation's largest grantees?
CF Industries Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include One Acre Fund ($500,000), Ducks Unlimited Inc ($125,000) and Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater (New Orleans) ($80,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 2 individual scholarships ($66,800), which are not listed by name. Together they received 55% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is CF Industries Foundation?
CF Industries Foundation reported $19.7M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.5M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.0M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does CF Industries Foundation fund?
The Foundation identifies four giving pillars: See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from CF Industries Foundation?
The Foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is CF Industries Foundation's EIN?
CF Industries Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 88-4379468. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2022–2024.
Does CF Industries 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2022–2024
Live grants for the work CF Industries Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in CF Industries Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). CF Industries Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/cf-industries-foundation-morg_fd9ee12a34224bc2964e8dff199cdda6
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_884379468_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{CF Industries Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/cf-industries-foundation-morg_fd9ee12a34224bc2964e8dff199cdda6},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 CF Industries 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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