Cloud Mountain Foundation
Cloud Mountain Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, NY. It makes charitable gifts and, in 2024, awarded 105 grants totaling $4,542,000.
Cloud Mountain Foundation at a glance
In short: Cloud Mountain Foundation gave $4.5M across 105 grants in 2024 (avg $43K), top state California. 14% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $4,542,000
- -29.7% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 105
- -4.5% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $43,257
- -26.3% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $30,000
- Total assets
- $92,085,242
- +0.5% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 14% first-time grantees (15 of 105, 2024)
- Primary geography
- California (17% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Cloud Mountain 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: 237 West 35Th Street 1001, New York, NY 10001
Phone: (212) 576-1829
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Cloud Mountain Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was True North Research ($250K). Together the top 10 received $1.5M.
Grant Size Distribution
487 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 335 grants of 487 (69%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in California (17%), New York (15%), Washington, DC (11%), Massachusetts (9%), and Oregon (7%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 105 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Cloud Mountain Foundation open to new grantees?
14%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 15 of 105 grantees (14%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $51K; repeat grants $42K. How we count
Medians: $25K first-time, $30K repeat.
- 83% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 48% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 83% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF 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 $3.0M (2022) to $6.5M (2023). In 2024 it made 105 grants totaling $4.5M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| True North Research Encinitas, CA | Environmental | $250,000 |
| Science & Envir Health Network Eugene, OR | Environmental | $210,000 |
| Grassroots Fund Newmarket, NH | Environmental | $200,000 |
| Sustainable Markets Foundation New York, NY | CIVIC | $177,000 |
| Bold Alliance Doniphan, NE | CIVIC | $150,000 |
| Cder Beltsville, MD | CIVIC | $150,000 |
| Center for Media & Democracy Madison, WI | News and Information | $100,000 |
| New World Found Fracking Fund New York, NY | Environmental | $100,000 |
| New World Foundation New York, NY | CIVIC | $100,000 |
| Story of Stuff Berkeley, CA | Environmental | $90,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Cloud Mountain 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $92,085,242 | $7,479,096 | $4,886,275 | $4,542,000 | 105 | $4,624,917 | $5,497,737 | $5,561,660 |
| 2023 | $91,604,630 | $4,404,091 | $6,723,069 | $6,457,500 | 110 | $6,544,798 | $4,225,820 | $5,017,209 |
| 2022 | $91,811,399 | $1,030,000 | $3,477,827 | $3,030,500 | 79 | $3,118,289 | $712,534 | $5,083,922 |
| 2021 | $94,259,226 | $30,619,231 | $3,399,770 | $3,074,000 | 83 | $3,159,909 | $29,325,982 | $5,179,777 |
| 2020 | $67,039,765 | $30,853,842 | $5,852,409 | $5,391,000 | 110 | — | $29,389,389 | $3,858,374 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Cloud Mountain Foundation reported a distributable amount of $5.6M 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 does not conduct direct charitable activities; it carries out its charitable purposes solely through charitable gifts. Its grantmaking includes environmental, civic, and news-and-information purposes.
Grantee descriptions illustrate the kinds of work supported. Sustainable Markets Foundation says its mission includes promoting environmental protection, energy efficiency, consumer protection, health and safety, and good government. Bold Alliance says it educates Nebraskans about clean energy, eminent domain, and local food. The New World Foundation says it supports community activists. Center for Media and Democracy describes its work as investigating and publicizing the influence of powerful special interests on media and democracy.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 105 grants totaling $4,542,000. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $250,000, with a median of $30,000.
Among the largest 2024 awards were $250,000 to True North Research for environmental purposes; $210,000 to Science & Environmental Health Network for environmental purposes; $200,000 to Grassroots Fund for environmental purposes; and $177,000 to Sustainable Markets Foundation for civic purposes. Other notable grants included $150,000 to Bold Alliance and $150,000 to CDER, both for civic purposes, and $100,000 to Center for Media & Democracy for news and information.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Benjamin Friedman is listed as president on the 2024 filing.
Cloud Mountain Foundation is led by Benjamin Friedman, President on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Benjamin Friedman
President
On filings since 2020
15 hrs/week
No compensation reported
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.
Frequently asked questions about Cloud Mountain Foundation
How much does Cloud Mountain Foundation give each year?
Cloud Mountain Foundation gave $4.5M across 105 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $6.5M across 110 grants.
What is Cloud Mountain Foundation's typical grant size?
Cloud Mountain Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $30,000, and its average grant was $43,257, across 105 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Cloud Mountain Foundation that year got $51K on average.
Where does Cloud Mountain Foundation give grants?
Cloud Mountain Foundation's top state is California, with 17% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (15%) and District of Columbia (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (14 grants), New York, NY (10 grants), Austin, TX (4 grants) and Berkeley, CA (3 grants).
Does Cloud Mountain Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 105 grants with a stated purpose on Cloud Mountain Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Environmental" (47 grants), "Civic" (42 grants) and "Media" (4 grants).
Who are Cloud Mountain Foundation's largest grantees?
Cloud Mountain Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include True North Research ($250,000), Science & Envir Health Network ($210,000) and Grassroots Fund ($200,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 15% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Cloud Mountain Foundation?
Cloud Mountain Foundation reported $92.1M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $4.6M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $5.6M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Cloud Mountain Foundation fund?
The foundation does not conduct direct charitable activities; it carries out its charitable purposes solely through charitable gifts. Its grantmaking includes environmental, civic, and news-and-information purposes. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Cloud Mountain 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 Cloud Mountain Foundation's EIN?
Cloud Mountain Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-3493352. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Cloud Mountain 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 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Cloud Mountain Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Cloud Mountain Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/cloud-mountain-foundation-morg_1f560c5079e04bd8a9e6ea0a6eb1c2a6
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_043493352_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Cloud Mountain Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/cloud-mountain-foundation-morg_1f560c5079e04bd8a9e6ea0a6eb1c2a6},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Cloud Mountain 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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