Contina Impact
Contina Impact is a Berkeley, California–based public charity that provides fiscal sponsorship, pooled funding services, and technical assistance to help social-impact projects receive and administer charitable funding. Its website says it was founded in 2011 as Policy Impact; the organization’s 2024 filing lists its year formed as 2009.
Contina Impact at a glance
In short: Contina Impact gave $8.5M across 23 grants in 2024 (avg $368K), mostly in District of Columbia. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $8,452,546
- +544.3% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 23
- +666.7% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $367,502
- -16.0% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $250,000
- Total assets
- $14,041,305
- +218.0% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- District of Columbia (52% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026.
How to apply to Contina Impact
- Contact
Mailing address: 127 University Ave, Berkeley, CA 94710
Phone: (510) 841-4123
Website: https://continaimpact.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Contina Impact funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Defending Democracy Together Institute ($1.3M). Together the top 10 received $7.0M.
Grant Size Distribution
28 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $250–500K range: 8 grants of 28 (29%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2024 grants went to recipients in Washington, DC (52% of grant dollars), New York (25%), Wyoming (15%), California (7%), and New Jersey (1%). The website describes Contina Impact’s partners as spanning a range of social missions; it does not state a geographic restriction for its broader work.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 23 itemized grants.
Cities
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2022 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $425K (2022) to $8.5M (2024). In 2024 it made 23 grants totaling $8.5M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Defending Democracy Together Institute Washington, DC | General Assistance | $1,250,000 |
| Support Services Network Jackson, WY | To provide charitable assistance to a charitable class of individuals and organizations doing lawful work to defend democratic institutions and uphold the rule of law. | $1,250,000 |
| More in Common New York, NY | General Assistance | $1,106,679 |
| Democracy Security Project Washington, DC | General Assistance | $750,000 |
| SD Foundation Washington, DC | General Assistance | $636,000 |
| Neo Philanthropy New York, NY | General Assistance | $570,000 |
| Global Impact-Public Service Alliance Washington, DC | General Assistance | $500,000 |
| Secure Families Foundation Washington, DC | General Assistance | $350,000 |
| Redeeming Babel San Jose, CA | General Assistance | $300,000 |
| Access Now New York, NY | General Assistance | $250,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Contina Impact?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $14,041,305 | $21,662,768 | $13,544,406 | $8,452,546 | 23 | $222,588 |
| 2023 | $4,416,046 | $6,777,043 | $4,326,651 | $1,311,850 | 3 | $43,497 |
| 2022 | $1,914,503 | $4,582,631 | $3,688,608 | $425,000 | 2 | $35 |
| 2021 | $1,151,715 | $1,622,078 | $1,129,953 | — | — | $199 |
| 2020 | $238,850 | $722,098 | $888,745 | — | — | $260 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
Contina Impact’s stated mission is to serve as a fiscal sponsor for charitable donations and philanthropic disbursements from individuals, foundations, and other entities, and to provide technical assistance. Its 2024 filing also describes technical assistance to youth-serving and nonprofit organizations and coordination of education and other policy efforts.
The organization offers fiscal sponsorship, pooled-fund and collective-impact support, grantmaking administration, donation administration, programming, and guidance on donation and grant compliance. Its 2024 filing describes fiscally sponsored and supported projects related to democracy communications, donor learning and action, and newsroom support. These program descriptions identify the work of its projects, rather than a stated restriction on all Contina Impact funding.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, Contina Impact reported 23 grants totaling $8,452,546. Grants ranged from $10,000 to $1,250,000, with a median of $250,000.
Among the largest reported grants were $1,250,000 to Defending Democracy Together Institute and $1,250,000 to Support Services Network; $1,106,679 to More in Common; $750,000 to Democracy Security Project; and $636,000 to SD Foundation. The filing lists general assistance as the purpose for many of these grants. Support Services Network’s grant purpose was to provide charitable assistance to people and organizations doing lawful work to defend democratic institutions and uphold the rule of law.
Contina Impact’s website describes services for fiscally sponsored projects and funder-led initiatives, including pooled funds. It invites organizations to use its contact form to explore becoming a fiscally sponsored project, creating a pooled fund, or donating to a fiscally sponsored project.
The Arts and Culture Evaluation Lab was a free, grant-funded 10-week capacity-building cohort run with Third Plateau. Its Spring–Summer 2025 cycle is past; applications are closed. The published eligibility criteria included arts and culture organizations in the United States with annual operating budgets under $2 million and/or program budgets under $500,000, among other participation requirements.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Aaron Dorfman as president, Lionel C. Johnson as board treasurer and secretary, and Kari Dunn Saratovsky as executive director.
Contina Impact is led by Kari Dunn Saratovsky, Executive Director on every filing since 2022; 1 of 3 officers listed in 2024 is compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Kari Dunn Saratovsky
Executive Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
$6K (2022) → $12K (2024)
Aaron Dorfman
President
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lionel C. Johnson
Board Treasurer & Secretary
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (4)
- Former: Alice Perez (2020–2021) — Secretary
- Former: Ann Bancroft (2020–2021) — Treasurer
- Former: Barbara O'Connor (2020–2021) — Executive Director
- Former: Ed Manasala (2020–2021) — President
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 $12K, to Kari Dunn Saratovsky (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about Contina Impact
How much does Contina Impact give each year?
Contina Impact gave $8.5M across 23 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $1.3M across 3 grants.
What is Contina Impact's typical grant size?
Contina Impact's median grant in 2024 was $250,000, and its average grant was $367,502, across 23 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990.
Where does Contina Impact give grants?
Contina Impact gives mostly in District of Columbia: 52% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (25%) and Wyoming (15%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (11 grants) and New York, NY (5 grants).
Does Contina Impact give general operating support?
Yes: 96% of Contina Impact's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (22 of 23) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990.
Who are Contina Impact's largest grantees?
Contina Impact's largest 2024 grantees include Defending Democracy Together Institute ($1,250,000), Support Services Network ($1,250,000) and More in Common ($1,106,679), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 43% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Contina Impact?
Contina Impact reported $14.0M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $21.7M.
What does Contina Impact fund?
Contina Impact’s stated mission is to serve as a fiscal sponsor for charitable donations and philanthropic disbursements from individuals, foundations, and other entities, and to provide technical assistance. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Contina Impact?
Contina Impact has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check continaimpact.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Contina Impact's EIN?
Contina Impact's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-4657870. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(4)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 28, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS October 30, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 17, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Contina Impact funds
Education Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Contina Impact's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Contina Impact funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/contina-impact-morg_54259475674744e195c80b9f7868b110
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_364657870_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Contina Impact funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/contina-impact-morg_54259475674744e195c80b9f7868b110},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 Contina Impact'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.
Contina Impact down — hundreds of funders to go?