Forsythia Foundation Inc
Forsythia Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Washington, DC. Its stated mission is to promote healthier people and environments by reducing harmful chemicals in people’s lives. Its 2024 grants supported work including safer chemicals, environmental health advocacy, chemical-hazards information, and related research and communications.
Forsythia Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Forsythia Foundation Inc gave $1.1M across 17 grants in 2024 (avg $67K), top state District of Columbia. 24% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,140,000
- -0.4% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 17
- +0.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $67,059
- -0.4% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $50,000
- Total assets
- $33,759,186
- +1.6% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 24% first-time grantees (4 of 17, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- District of Columbia (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. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Forsythia Foundation Inc
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- Contact
Mailing address: 1828 L Street Nw 400, Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 595-1020
Website: https://forsythiafdn.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Forsythia Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Toxic-Free Future ($175K). Together the top 10 received $900K.
Grant Size Distribution
94 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $50–100K range: 58 grants of 94 (62%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation is based in Washington, DC. In 2024, the largest reported shares of grant dollars went to recipients in DC (44%), California (21%), Washington state (15%), New York (11%), and Massachusetts (4%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Forsythia Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
24%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 4 of 17 grantees (24%) were first-time recipients. With only 17 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $75K; repeat grants $65K. How we count
Medians: $88K first-time, $50K repeat.
- 71% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 29% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 92% 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 $885K (2021) to $1.2M (2020). In 2024 it made 17 grants totaling $1.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Toxic-Free Future Seattle, WA | General operating support for mind the store, to support a series of convenings with the environmental health community to develop a coordinated vision and framework for advancing sustainable chemistry, to support safer states' procurement efforts, and in support of toxic free future's leadership role for coordinated advocacy in the toxics use reduction community | $175,000 |
| Healthy Building Network Washington, DC | For expanding the influence and impact of the pharos, a chemical hazards database + subgrant to beyond benign | $150,000 |
| Center for International Environmental Law Washington, DC | Support of investor environmental health network's (IEHN) work scaling investor support for sci metrics and the transition to safer chemicals | $100,000 |
| Environmental Law Institute Washington, DC | Support of eli's work on toxics litigation trends analysis and database | $100,000 |
| Earthjustice San Francisco, CA | Support of Erthjustice's Legal Team's Environmental Health Work | $75,000 |
| Environmental Working Group Washington, DC | General operating support for ewg's work on pfas, food and toxics | $75,000 |
| National Resources Defense Council New York, NY | Support for nrdc's work on toxic technologies for plastic waste management work; pfas in drinking water; and lead in drinking water | $75,000 |
| Clean Production Action Somerville, MA | Support for investor environmental health network's work embedding environemtanl justic and green chemistry ito esg strategies | $50,000 |
| Green Science Policy Institute Berkeley, CA | General Operating Support | $50,000 |
| Public Health Watch Austin, TX | Support Training Journalists on Environmental Health Data Reporting | $50,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Forsythia Foundation Inc?
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 | $33,759,186 | $1,747,137 | $1,831,121 | $1,140,000 | 17 | $1,538,490 | $1,497,114 | $1,665,709 |
| 2023 | $33,234,109 | $1,156,995 | $1,822,281 | $1,145,000 | 17 | $1,610,338 | $931,853 | $1,594,207 |
| 2022 | $31,728,876 | $2,101,787 | $1,782,605 | $1,075,000 | 19 | $1,521,438 | $1,683,227 | $1,539,701 |
| 2021 | $34,667,692 | $3,853,270 | $1,588,439 | $885,000 | 17 | $1,197,133 | $3,050,180 | $1,533,344 |
| 2020 | $32,413,562 | $4,257,787 | $1,657,687 | $1,160,000 | 24 | — | $1,622,558 | $1,380,799 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Forsythia Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $1.7M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s mission is to promote healthier people and environments by reducing harmful chemicals in our lives. Its 2024 grants show support for organizations working on toxics reduction, green chemistry, environmental health law and advocacy, chemical-hazards databases, and environmental-health journalism.
The grantees describe a range of related work. Toxic-Free Future says it uses science, education, and activism to advance protections from toxic chemicals and pollution. The Environmental Law Institute says it advances environmental protection through law and governance, research, training, and policy recommendations. The Center for International Environmental Law describes work investigating and advocating on international environmental issues. Environmental Working Group says it is a research and advocacy organization focused on healthier food, farms, water, and people; Earthjustice describes its work as using law and partnerships to protect health and the environment. Public Health Watch says it advances well-being through data-driven journalism, while Clean Production Action describes work on green chemicals, sustainable materials, and environmentally preferable products.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 17 grants totaling $1,140,000. Grant amounts ranged from $25,000 to $175,000, with a median of $50,000. Its largest listed award was $175,000 to Toxic-Free Future for general operating support and work involving environmental-health community convenings, safer-states procurement efforts, and coordinated advocacy. Other notable awards included $150,000 to Healthy Building Network for the Pharos chemical-hazards database, including a subgrant to Beyond Benign; $100,000 each to the Center for International Environmental Law and the Environmental Law Institute; and $75,000 each to Earthjustice, Environmental Working Group, and the National Resources Defense Council.
The foundation’s website says it does not accept unsolicited proposals, citing its small staff and board. The foundation’s statement on its 2024 filing says it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Alison Carlson as president and chair, Geoffrey Eisenberg as treasurer, Shelley Hearne as executive director, and Theodore Gannett as secretary.
Forsythia Foundation Inc is led by Shelley Hearne, Executive Director on every filing since 2020; 1 of 4 officers listed in 2024 is compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Shelley Hearne
Executive Director
On filings since 2020
30 hrs/week
$144K (2020) → $151K (2024)
Alison Carlson
President & Chair
On filings since 2020
30 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Geoffrey Eisenberg
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Theodore Gannett
Secretary
On filings since 2020
5 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.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $151K, to Shelley Hearne (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about Forsythia Foundation Inc
How much does Forsythia Foundation Inc give each year?
Forsythia Foundation Inc gave $1.1M across 17 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $1.1M across 17 grants.
What is Forsythia Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Forsythia Foundation Inc's median grant in 2024 was $50,000, and its average grant was $67,059, across 17 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Forsythia Foundation Inc that year got $75K on average.
Where does Forsythia Foundation Inc give grants?
Forsythia Foundation Inc's top state is District of Columbia, with 44% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were California (21%) and Washington (15%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (6 grants), New York, NY (2 grants), San Francisco, CA (2 grants) and Oakland, CA (2 grants).
Does Forsythia Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 29% of Forsythia Foundation Inc's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (5 of 17) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Forsythia Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Forsythia Foundation Inc's largest 2024 grantees include Toxic-Free Future ($175,000), Healthy Building Network ($150,000) and Center for International Environmental Law ($100,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 37% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Forsythia Foundation Inc?
Forsythia Foundation Inc reported $33.8M 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 $1.7M (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 Forsythia Foundation Inc fund?
The foundation’s mission is to promote healthier people and environments by reducing harmful chemicals in our lives. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Forsythia Foundation Inc?
Forsythia Foundation Inc does not accept unsolicited proposals, according to Grantable's research on its published guidelines. Check forsythiafdn.org for any change to that policy.
What is Forsythia Foundation Inc's EIN?
Forsythia Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-3990775. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Forsythia Foundation Inc 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Forsythia Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/forsythia-foundation-inc-morg_e2ceff31ebb0422f95007d09957e26f5
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_813990775_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Forsythia Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/forsythia-foundation-inc-morg_e2ceff31ebb0422f95007d09957e26f5},
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 Forsythia Foundation Inc'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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