Gaia Fund
Gaia Fund is a San Francisco-based family foundation founded in 1995. Its 2024 filing identifies it as a private foundation and lists its location as Berkeley, California. The funder supports work in sustainable agriculture, effective democracy, and Jewish life.
Gaia Fund at a glance
In short: Gaia Fund gave $1.6M across 84 grants in 2024 (avg $19K), top state California. 15% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,597,500
- -24.1% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 84
- +1.2% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $19,018
- -25.0% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $42,772,953
- +3.6% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 15% first-time grantees (12 of 79, 2024)
- Primary geography
- California (36% 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 Gaia Fund
- How to Apply
-
Gaia Fund’s website says unsolicited grant requests will not be considered. The filing directs applicants to contact Third Plateau and refer to Statement 15 for forms and materials, deadlines, and award restrictions.
- Contact
Application contact: Third Plateau
Mailing address: 127 University Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94710-1616
Phone: (510) 841-4193
Email: grants@thirdplateau.com
Website: https://www.gaiasf.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Gaia Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Voto Latino Foundation ($100K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $775K.
Grant Size Distribution
429 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 335 grants of 429 (78%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Gaia Fund’s stated program priorities include California sustainable agriculture and Jewish Life programs serving San Francisco’s Jewish community. It may occasionally support regional or national Jewish Life initiatives with particular local relevance. In 2024, grant dollars went primarily to recipients in California (36%), the District of Columbia (20%), Massachusetts (14%), Wisconsin (9%), and Vermont (5%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 84 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Gaia Fund open to new grantees?
15%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 12 of 79 grantees (15%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $42K; repeat grants $16K. How we count
Medians: $33K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 78% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving fell 26% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 95% 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 $1.6M (2024) to $2.4M (2020). In 2024 it made 84 grants totaling $1.6M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Working America Education Fund Washington, DC | General Support | $100,000 |
| Accelerate Change Inc Boston, MA | General Support | $100,000 |
| Workmoney Foundation Inc Milwaukee, WI | General Support | $100,000 |
| New Venture Fund Washington, DC | Trusted Elections Fund | $90,000 |
| Voto Latino Foundation Washington, DC | General Support | $75,000 |
| Real Organic Project East Thetford, VT | General Support | $75,000 |
| Organic Farming Research Fdn Santa Cruz, CA | General Support | $60,000 |
| Community Alliance With Family Farm Davis, CA | Ecological Farming: Growing Pathways to Organic | $50,000 |
| Cornucopia Institute Cornucopia, WI | To support expansion efforts in California | $50,000 |
| Contemporary Jewish Museum San Francisco, CA | General Support | $50,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The 2024 filing reports 84 grants; the 2023 filing reports 83, and the 2022 filing reports 86.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $42,772,953 | $1,437,370 | $1,959,922 | $1,597,500 | 84 | $1,950,215 | $1,365,481 | $2,048,259 |
| 2023 | $41,296,106 | $1,452,423 | $1,706,177 | $2,104,000 | 83 | $2,470,369 | $1,312,592 | $2,012,115 |
| 2022 | $39,879,573 | $278,580 | $2,163,230 | $1,989,000 | 86 | $2,328,180 | $795,815 | $2,082,453 |
| 2021 | $44,345,058 | $1,947,996 | $3,189,915 | $2,158,750 | 84 | $2,540,177 | $1,773,955 | $2,137,952 |
| 2020 | $42,684,175 | $838,263 | $2,214,014 | $2,364,200 | 92 | — | $831,564 | $1,878,735 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Gaia Fund reported a distributable amount of $2.0M 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
Gaia Fund’s stated goal in sustainable agriculture is to foster a transition to a California food and farming system that combines organic practices, environmental stewardship, profitability, and social and economic equity. Its priorities include encouraging sustainable practices among farmers, supporting smaller-scale farming for local markets, training people for sustainable farming careers, and preserving land for sustainable farming.
In effective democracy, Gaia Fund prioritizes fair elections, representation for all, and equal opportunity for political participation. Its Jewish Life funding focuses on San Francisco programs that connect Jews with their heritage and community, including initiatives that promote appreciation of Jewish history, art, and culture.
Grantees’ stated missions illustrate the range of work supported. Accelerate Change says it develops and tests scalable models for citizen organizing, particularly in communities of color. Working America Education Fund says it educates the public on issues important to working families. Voto Latino Foundation describes its work as educating and empowering Latino voters and advancing inclusive democracy. Real Organic Project says it teaches farmers and consumers about healthy soil and biological farming.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, Gaia Fund awarded 84 grants totaling $1,597,500. Grants ranged from $500 to $100,000, with a median award of $5,000.
Notable 2024 grants included $100,000 each to Working America Education Fund, Accelerate Change, and Workmoney Foundation; $90,000 to New Venture Fund for the Trusted Elections Fund; and $75,000 each to Voto Latino Foundation and Real Organic Project. Other grants included $60,000 to Organic Farming Research Foundation and $50,000 to the Community Alliance with Family Farmers for “Ecological Farming: Growing Pathways to Organic.”
For project grants, the funder’s general guidelines say awards usually range from $5,000 to $50,000. Applicants must be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) or have a 501(c)(3) fiscal agent. Project grants may be paid in one installment or annual installments over two to five years. Renewals are not guaranteed; a grant that is not renewed generally cannot be reconsidered until at least two years after the last award.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Christine H Russell as Director and President, and Mark L Schlesinger as Director, Chief Financial Officer, and Secretary. The funder’s website identifies Russell and Schlesinger as its founders and sole trustees.
Gaia Fund is led by Christine H Russell, Director & President on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Christine H Russell
Director & President
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mark L Schlesinger
Director, CFO & Secretary
On filings since 2020
20 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 Gaia Fund
How much does Gaia Fund give each year?
Gaia Fund gave $1.6M across 84 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $2.1M across 83 grants.
What is Gaia Fund's typical grant size?
Gaia Fund's median grant in 2024 was $5,000, and its average grant was $19,018, across 84 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Gaia Fund that year got $42K on average.
Where does Gaia Fund give grants?
Gaia Fund's top state is California, with 36% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were District of Columbia (20%) and Massachusetts (14%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (15 grants), Sonoma, CA (9 grants), Charleston, SC (8 grants) and Washington, DC (6 grants).
Does Gaia Fund give general operating support?
Yes: 83% of Gaia Fund's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (70 of 84) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Gaia Fund's largest grantees?
Gaia Fund's largest 2024 grantees include Voto Latino Foundation ($100,000 across 2 grants), Working America Education Fund ($100,000) and Accelerate Change Inc ($100,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 19% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Gaia Fund?
Gaia Fund reported $42.8M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.0M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $2.0M (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 Gaia Fund fund?
Gaia Fund’s stated goal in sustainable agriculture is to foster a transition to a California food and farming system that combines organic practices, environmental stewardship, profitability, and social and economic equity. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Gaia Fund?
Gaia Fund’s website says unsolicited grant requests will not be considered. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Gaia Fund's EIN?
Gaia Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-3215541. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
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
Explore Open Grants
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Gaia Fund funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/gaia-fund-morg_61e6c81a9f6a404290426cdfe64e802e
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_943215541_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Gaia Fund funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/gaia-fund-morg_61e6c81a9f6a404290426cdfe64e802e},
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 Gaia 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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