Environmental Endowment for
Environmental Endowment for New Jersey, Inc. is a private foundation based in Mercerville, New Jersey. Incorporated in April 1991 to administer a Clean Water Act settlement, it makes grants for environmental projects focused on improving or protecting water quality in specified watersheds and waterways.
Environmental Endowment for at a glance
In short: Environmental Endowment for gave $286K across 19 grants in 2025 (avg $15K), mostly in New Jersey. 11% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $285,500
- +3.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 19
- +5.6% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $15,026
- -2.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $16,000
- Total assets
- $5,834,122
- +3.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 11% first-time grantees (2 of 19, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New Jersey (89% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Environmental Endowment for
- How to Apply
-
The foundation accepts emailed proposals. Its website’s 2027 application materials call for a completed cover page and a proposal narrative of no more than four single-sided pages, along with a project budget, the organization’s operating budget, and a list of board members. Applicants must identify the municipalities benefiting from the project and explain how it will improve or protect water quality in an eligible area. Organizations applying in more than one category must submit separate, materially different proposals, and no organization may receive more than one grant per year. Current grant recipients must report on the status of their current project in the application; grantees must also submit a final grant report. A 2024 filing described a brief two-page project description and budget, with an expanded application possibly requested.
- Review Cycle
- The website lists December 15, 2026, as the deadline for emailed 2027 grant applications.
- Deadline
- The website lists December 15, 2026, as the deadline for emailed 2027 grant applications.
- Contact
Application contact: Joan Burkholtz-Office Administrator
Mailing address: PO Box 3160, Mercerville, NJ 08619
Phone: (609) 584-1593
Website: https://www.eenj.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Environmental Endowment for funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Environment NJ Research and Policy ($20K). Together the top 10 received $184K.
Grant Size Distribution
79 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 79 grants of 79 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s guidelines identify the tidally related New York/New Jersey Harbor Complex, including the Hackensack, Raritan, and Passaic watersheds; the Delaware River Basin; and the Schuylkill Valley. Its eligibility page also specifies waterways and locations including the Kill Van Kull, Arthur Kill, Newark Bay, Upper and Lower New York Bay, Raritan Bay, and the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners service area. Projects must have a clear and direct linkage to waters affected by the violations underlying the enforcement cases. The guidelines exclude projects in the Atlantic Coastal Basin and Wallkill Basin.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Environmental Endowment for open to new grantees?
11%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 19 grantees (11%) were first-time recipients. With only 19 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $13K; repeat grants $15K. How we count
Medians: $13K first-time, $16K repeat.
- 84% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 244% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 115% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF 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 $83K (2022) to $303K (2021). In 2025 it made 19 grants totaling $286K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Environment NJ Research and Policy New Brunswick, NJ | Protecting Waters | $20,000 |
| Delaware Riverkeeper Network Bristol, PA | Education and Advocacy | $20,000 |
| Work Environment Council of NJ Trenton, NJ | Advocating to Protect Environment | $20,000 |
| Eastern Environmental Law Center Newark, NJ | Healthy Watersheds/Legal Support | $20,000 |
| Clean Water Fund Long Branch, NJ | Advocating to Protect Environment | $18,000 |
| Food & Water Watch New Brunswick, NJ | Support Clean Renewable Energy | $18,000 |
| Nynj Baykeeper Matawan, NJ | Advocacy and Litigation | $18,000 |
| Center for Environmental Transforma Camden, NJ | Community Outreach Reduce Pollution | $18,000 |
| Sierra Club NJ Trenton, NJ | Coalition Building and Advocacy | $16,000 |
| Clean Ocean Action Long Branch, NJ | Clean-up/Reduce Debris | $16,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $5,834,122 | $642,544 | $369,259 | $285,500 | 19 | $313,192 | $590,095 | $271,942 |
| 2024 | $5,653,481 | $125,708 | $354,785 | $276,500 | 18 | $301,329 | $110,490 | $274,670 |
| 2023 | $5,476,514 | $122,194 | $340,681 | $262,000 | 17 | $286,342 | $75,200 | $260,137 |
| 2022 | $5,238,332 | $79,090 | $151,623 | $83,000 | 7 | $97,693 | $53,654 | $177,487 |
| 2021 | $6,170,771 | $342,473 | $398,390 | $303,000 | 18 | — | $285,986 | $283,815 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Environmental Endowment for reported a distributable amount of $272K for 2025 — 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 funder’s guidelines say grants support organizations advocating for clean water in watersheds affected by the underlying Clean Water Act cases. Eligible projects must explain how they will improve or protect water quality and identify their intended change. The guidelines describe policy work, litigation, grassroots engagement, and other advocacy as possible strategies. The 2027 application materials further specify environmental advocacy and action projects with explicit policy-change goals and community engagement and/or litigation; they state that tree planting and rain garden work is not funded.
The 2025 grants show support for organizations working on water protection, watershed advocacy, environmental law, pollution reduction, and related efforts. For example, Delaware Riverkeeper Network describes its mission as championing communities’ rights to a clean, healthy Delaware River and tributary streams. Eastern Environmental Law Center says it provides legal assistance to nonprofits addressing environmental problems in New Jersey and the tri-state region. Clean Ocean Action describes work to protect New Jersey/New York coastal waters through research, education, and citizen action.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 19 grants totaling $285,500. Its website describes typical grants as ranging from $7,000 to $20,000; the 2025 grants ranged from $7,000 to $20,000, with a median of $16,000.
Selected 2025 grants included $20,000 to Environment NJ Research and Policy for protecting waters; $20,000 to Delaware Riverkeeper Network for education and advocacy; $20,000 to Eastern Environmental Law Center for healthy watersheds/legal support; $18,000 to Clean Water Fund for environmental advocacy; and $16,000 to Clean Ocean Action for cleanup and debris reduction.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Susan Kraham as president and Anjuli Ramos-Busot and Amy Goldsmith as trustees. The foundation’s website identifies Joan E. Burkholtz as office administrator.
Environmental Endowment for is led by Susan Kraham, President on every filing since 2024; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Susan Kraham
President
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Amy Goldsmith
Trustee
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Anjuli Ramos-Busot
Trustee
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Edward Lloyd (2021–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Nancy Hedinger (2021–2023) — Trustee
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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 Environmental Endowment for
How much does Environmental Endowment for give each year?
Environmental Endowment for gave $286K across 19 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $277K across 18 grants.
What is Environmental Endowment for's typical grant size?
Environmental Endowment for's median grant in 2025 was $16,000, and its average grant was $15,026, across 19 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Environmental Endowment for that year got $13K on average.
Where does Environmental Endowment for give grants?
Environmental Endowment for gives mostly in New Jersey: 89% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Pennsylvania (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Newark, NJ (3 grants), New Brunswick, NJ (3 grants), Trenton, NJ (2 grants) and Long Branch, NJ (2 grants).
Does Environmental Endowment for give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 19 grants with a stated purpose on Environmental Endowment for's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Environmental Endowment for's largest grantees?
Environmental Endowment for's largest 2025 grantees include Environment NJ Research and Policy ($20,000), Delaware Riverkeeper Network ($20,000) and Work Environment Council of NJ ($20,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 21% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Environmental Endowment for?
Environmental Endowment for reported $5.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $313K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $272K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Environmental Endowment for fund?
The funder’s guidelines say grants support organizations advocating for clean water in watersheds affected by the underlying Clean Water Act cases. Eligible projects must explain how they will improve or protect water quality and identify their intended change. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Environmental Endowment for?
The foundation accepts emailed proposals. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Environmental Endowment for's EIN?
Environmental Endowment for's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 22-3107878. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 11, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 11, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 10, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 21, 2026)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 28, 2023)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Environmental Endowment for funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/environmental-endowment-for-morg_92d1a634779a48d48788e261e11af618
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_223107878_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Environmental Endowment for funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/environmental-endowment-for-morg_92d1a634779a48d48788e261e11af618},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Environmental Endowment for'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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