Climate Emergency Fund
Climate Emergency Fund is a public charity based in West Hollywood, California, that raises money for and makes grants to grassroots climate groups using nonviolent disruption. It describes itself as a funding intermediary connecting philanthropists with activists, with an emphasis on early-stage groups and movement infrastructure.
Climate Emergency Fund at a glance
In short: Climate Emergency Fund gave $2.8M across 18 grants in 2024 (avg $154K), top state California. 61% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $2,766,792
- +136.5% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 18
- +63.6% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $153,711
- +44.5% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $67,500
- Total assets
- $1,640,018
- +19.8% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 61% first-time grantees (11 of 18, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (34% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Climate Emergency Fund
- How to Apply
-
The funder’s website invites applicants to check eligibility and launch an application through its application portal. It lists eligible work as climate action using disruption and direct support for movements using disruption, and excludes the activities described above.
- Contact
Mailing address: 8605 Santa Monica Blvd 56492, West Hollywood, CA 90069
Phone: (213) 290-3005
Website: https://climateemergencyfund.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from Climate Emergency Fund
Who Climate Emergency Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Intrl Center on Nonviolent C ($652K). Together the top 10 received $2.5M.
Grant Size Distribution
77 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 36 grants of 77 (47%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The funder says it supports climate activism in the United States and internationally. Its website prioritizes, among others, groups in the Global South fighting on the front lines of climate catastrophe. In 2024, grant dollars were distributed among recipients in California (34%), Washington, DC (34%), New Jersey (9%), Massachusetts (9%), and New York (8%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 18 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Climate Emergency Fund open to new grantees?
61%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 11 of 18 grantees (61%) were first-time recipients. With only 18 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $181K; repeat grants $111K. How we count
Medians: $100K first-time, $57K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2024). 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 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $736K (2021) to $2.8M (2024). In 2024 it made 18 grants totaling $2.8M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Intrl Center on Nonviolent C Washington, DC | Recruitment and Training | $652,000 |
| Center for the Working Poor Los Angeles, CA | Research | $406,000 |
| Oil and Gas Action Network Berkeley, CA | Recruitment and Training | $365,000 |
| Climate Defiance Action Washington, DC | Basebuilding | $250,000 |
| Climate Defiance Foundation Jersey City, NJ | Basebuilding | $243,292 |
| New York Communities Organizi Brooklyn, NY | Recruitment, Training & RENTAL SP. | $220,000 |
| Ayni Institute Revere, MA | Training | $163,000 |
| Yellow Dot Studios Inc Los Angeles, CA | Get Out the Vote | $100,000 |
| Massachusetts Peace Action Ed Cambridge, MA | General Support | $75,000 |
| Etina Marina Del Rey, CA | Recruitment and Training | $60,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Climate Emergency Fund?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,640,018 | $5,637,020 | $5,366,093 | $2,766,792 | 18 | $75,478 |
| 2023 | $1,368,811 | $4,796,373 | $4,680,572 | $1,170,000 | 11 | $26,424 |
| 2022 | $1,253,010 | $6,052,641 | $6,063,895 | $1,025,600 | 16 | $-36,270 |
| 2021 | $1,261,081 | $2,303,973 | $1,822,426 | $735,500 | 14 | $7,306 |
| 2020 | $781,844 | $1,452,905 | $2,214,416 | $1,801,558 | 18 | $1,421 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
Climate Emergency Fund’s stated mission is to support nonviolent climate activists who wake up the public and demand urgent action from governments and corporations. Its website says it funds disruptive, nonviolent climate activism, including efforts to fight fossil fuels, seed new movements, advance climate justice and democracy, and provide movement infrastructure such as training, press support, strategic consulting, and software.
The funder says it prioritizes groups using disruption, building multiracial, cross-class people power, or providing direct support to movements that use disruption. Its website also identifies large-scale training, technology or financial infrastructure, and network-building as forms of movement infrastructure it may support. It says it does not fund projects that do not center climate disruptive protest, litigation or bail funds, conservation projects, art installations or creative projects, political campaigns, or illegal activities.
Some 2024 grantees’ own descriptions illustrate the range of organizations supported. Oil & Gas Action Network says its work includes research, public education, and advocacy related to the effects of oil and gas extraction. Yellow Dot Studios says it produces videos and other content to build public awareness of urgent climate action. New York Communities Organizing Fund describes work to empower low- and moderate-income New Yorkers through public education, advocacy, research, and direct services. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own work, not statements of the funder’s mission.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, Climate Emergency Fund reported 18 itemized grants totaling $2,766,792. Grant amounts ranged from $10,000 to $652,000, with a median of $67,500. The organization’s 2024 filing separately states that it supported 34 activist groups that year.
Among the largest 2024 grants were $652,000 to Intrl Center on Nonviolent C for recruitment and training; $406,000 to Center for the Working Poor for research; $365,000 to Oil and Gas Action Network for recruitment and training; $250,000 to Climate Defiance Action for basebuilding; and $243,292 to Climate Defiance Foundation for basebuilding. Other notable grants included $220,000 to New York Communities Organizing Fund for recruitment, training, and rental support; $163,000 to Ayni Institute for training; and $100,000 to Yellow Dot Studios for get-out-the-vote work.
The funder’s website says its grants typically range from $25,000 to $85,000 and strongly recommends applying for less than $100,000. It describes an assessment of applicants’ organizing experience, vision, strategy, volunteer-driven structures, movement connections, and internal culture.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing listed Margaret K. Salamon as executive director; Rose Zheng Abramoff as president and director; Rory Kennedy as treasurer and director; Shannon O’Leary Joy as secretary and director; and Geralyn Dreyfous, Chris Packham, Adam McKay, Aileen Getty, and Jeremy Strong as directors.
The funder’s website reported in 2026 that Philip Eubanks was named executive director and Margaret Klein Salamon was named board chair.
Climate Emergency Fund is led by Margaret K. Salamon, Executive Director on every filing since 2021; 2 of 9 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Margaret K. Salamon
Executive Director
On filings since 2021
50 hrs/week
$129K (2021) → $159K (2024)
Rose Zheng Abramoff
President & Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
$6K (2023) → $11K (2024)
Aileen Getty
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Geralyn Dreyfous
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rory Kennedy
Treasurer & Director
Treasurer → Treasurer & Director, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Shannon O'Leary Joy
Secretary & Director
Secretary → Secretary & Director, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Adam McKay
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jeremy Strong
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Chris Packham
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Sarah Ezzy (2020–2023) — President & Director
- Former: Rowena J. Koenig (2022–2023) — Development Director
- Former: Diana Barrett (2020–2021) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $159K, to Margaret K Salamon (executive director). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Climate Emergency Fund
How much does Climate Emergency Fund give each year?
Climate Emergency Fund gave $2.8M across 18 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $1.2M across 11 grants.
What is Climate Emergency Fund's typical grant size?
Climate Emergency Fund's median grant in 2024 was $67,500, and its average grant was $153,711, across 18 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Climate Emergency Fund that year got $181K on average.
Where does Climate Emergency Fund give grants?
Climate Emergency Fund's top state is California, with 34% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were District of Columbia (34%) and New Jersey (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (3 grants), Los Angeles, CA (2 grants) and Brooklyn, NY (2 grants).
Does Climate Emergency Fund give general operating support?
Yes: 17% of Climate Emergency Fund's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (3 of 18) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990. Recurring purposes include "Recruitment and Training" (4 grants), "Training" (3 grants) and "Basebuilding" (3 grants).
Who are Climate Emergency Fund's largest grantees?
Climate Emergency Fund's largest 2024 grantees include Intrl Center on Nonviolent C ($652,000), Center for the Working Poor ($406,000) and Oil and Gas Action Network ($365,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 51% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Climate Emergency Fund?
Climate Emergency Fund reported $1.6M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $5.6M.
What does Climate Emergency Fund fund?
Climate Emergency Fund’s stated mission is to support nonviolent climate activists who wake up the public and demand urgent action from governments and corporations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Climate Emergency Fund?
The funder’s website invites applicants to check eligibility and launch an application through its application portal. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Climate Emergency Fund's EIN?
Climate Emergency Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 84-2151545. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 10, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS August 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 5, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Climate Emergency Fund's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Climate Emergency Fund funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/climate-emergency-fund-morg_c078802f6b5b48f28b5ce68ff4e12c4b
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_842151545_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Climate Emergency Fund funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/climate-emergency-fund-morg_c078802f6b5b48f28b5ce68ff4e12c4b},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Climate Emergency Fund'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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