Illuminative Inc
Illuminative Inc is a public charity based in Washington, DC. Its mission is to build power for Native peoples by amplifying contemporary Native voices, stories, and issues to advance justice, equity, and self-determination. Its grantmaking includes support for Native-serving organizations and work in media, storytelling, and community advocacy.
Illuminative Inc at a glance
In short: Illuminative Inc gave $2.6M across 24 grants in 2025 (avg $109K), top state California. 71% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $2,608,000
- +70.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 24
- +50.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $108,667
- +13.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $55,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 71% first-time grantees (17 of 24, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (27% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Illuminative Inc
- Contact
Mailing address: 909 Walnut Street 300, Boulder, CO 80302
Phone: (303) 857-5497
Website: https://illuminative.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Illuminative Inc
Who Illuminative Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Amplifier Foundation ($425K). Together the top 10 received $2.1M.
Grant Size Distribution
48 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 26 grants of 48 (54%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars were distributed among recipients in multiple states. The largest reported shares went to California (27%), Utah (12%), North Carolina (12%), Tennessee (12%), and Alaska (8%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 24 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Illuminative Inc open to new grantees?
71%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 17 of 24 grantees (71%) were first-time recipients. With only 24 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $117K; repeat grants $88K. How we count
Medians: $50K first-time, $60K repeat.
- 29% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2023–2025). 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 2023 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $80K (2023) to $2.6M (2025). In 2025 it made 24 grants totaling $2.6M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Amplifier Foundation Los Angeles, CA | General Operating Support | $425,000 |
| Sundance Institute Park City, UT | General Operating Support | $300,000 |
| The Center for Native Health Inc Whittier, NC | General Operating Support | $300,000 |
| United South & Eastern Tribes Inc Nashville, TN | General Operating Support | $300,000 |
| Native Movement Fairbanks, AK | General Operating Support | $200,000 |
| Lone Wolf Documentary Group South Portland, ME | Media Project | $160,000 |
| Alliance for a Just Society Seattle, WA | General Operating Support | $150,000 |
| Community Partners Los Angeles, CA | General Operating Support | $105,000 |
| Big Sky Film Institute Missoula, MT | General Operating Support | $100,000 |
| Native American Rights Fund Boulder, CO | Charitable Donation - Unrestricted | $75,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | $644,149 | $12,701,887 | $2,608,000 | 24 | $-19,646 |
| 2024 | $12,919,194 | $20,797,201 | $11,562,693 | $1,530,175 | 16 | — |
| 2023 | $2,047,532 | $2,126,490 | $103,260 | $80,000 | 8 | — |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The organization states that it uses research, narrative and culture-change strategies, movement-building, and organizing to disrupt the invisibility of Native peoples, re-educate Americans, and mobilize public support for Native issues. Its website describes research-informed storytelling and digital organizing; efforts to improve Native representation in entertainment and media; research developed with Native scholars and organizations; and campaigns that engage audiences around Native issues.
In 2025, the largest listed grants included general operating support for Amplifier Foundation, which describes its mission as amplifying social movements and engaging artists and audiences; the Center for Native Health, which says it works to integrate traditional knowledge into Native health care and education; and Native Movement, which says it engages communities on Indigenous rights and healthy, sustainable communities. Other grantees included Alliance for a Just Society, whose stated mission includes supporting community organizing; Big Sky Film Institute, which promotes nonfiction filmmaking and media literacy; and the Native American Rights Fund, which describes its work as protecting Native rights, resources, and lifeways through legal advocacy.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, Illuminative reported 24 grants totaling $2,608,000. Grants ranged from $10,000 to $425,000, with a median of $55,000. The largest awards included $425,000 to Amplifier Foundation, $300,000 each to Sundance Institute, the Center for Native Health, and United South & Eastern Tribes, and $200,000 to Native Movement. Most of these grants were listed as general operating support; Lone Wolf Documentary Group received $160,000 for a media project.
The organization generally requires a written proposal describing the use of funds and conducts a pre-grant inquiry, including screening for compliance with anti-terrorist-financing guidelines. Grants require a written agreement specifying use of funds and reporting obligations; funds may have to be returned if they are not used as specified or required reports are not submitted.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Crystal Echo Hawk as CEO, Michael Johnson as president, and Collin Czilla as COO. It also lists Wayne Ducheneaux as chair; David Gover as vice chair from February 14 through December 31, 2025; Faye Brown as secretary from February 14 through December 31, 2025; and Holly Cook Macarro as chair from January 1 through February 14, 2025.
Illuminative Inc is led by Crystal Echo Hawk, CEO since 2024 (on filings since 2023); 10 of 15 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Crystal Echo Hawk
CEO
Member → CEO, 2024
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$264K (2024) → $675K (2025)
Angel Charley
Executive Director
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$209K (2024) → $168K (2025)
Michael Johnson
President
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$259K (2024) → $551K (2025)
Holly Cook Macarro
Chair
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Wayne Ducheneaux
Chair
Board Member → Chair, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Emi Aguilar
Director of Research & Action
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$101K (2024) → $103K (2025)
Lashay Wesley
Director of Comms & Storytel
Director of Comms & Storytelling → Director of Comms & Storytel, 2025
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$104K (2024) → $106K (2025)
Andreas Hipple
Senior Director of Advancement
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$170K (2025)
Connie Fisher
Hr Director
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$130K (2025)
Collin Czilli
COO
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$147K (2024) → $310K (2025)
Faye Brown
Secretary
Senior Director of Advancement → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
$121K (2024) → $0 (2025)
Kalee Salazar
Executive Assistant
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$189K (2025)
Thomasina Gover
People & Culture Manager
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$113K (2025)
Mary Kathryn Nagle
Vice Chair
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
David Gover
Vice Chair
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (5)
- Former: Bird Running Water (2024) — Board Member
- Former: Jennifer Van Der Heide Escobar (2024) — Vice President
- Former: Kathy Baird (2024) — Board Member
- Former: Majel Peters (2024) — Senior Director of Npi
- Former: Shayna Gutierrez (2024) — Director of Advancement
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2023–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $675K, to Crystal Echo Hawk (CEO). 10 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Illuminative Inc
How much does Illuminative Inc give each year?
Illuminative Inc gave $2.6M across 24 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $1.5M across 16 grants.
What is Illuminative Inc's typical grant size?
Illuminative Inc's median grant in 2025 was $55,000, and its average grant was $108,667, across 24 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Illuminative Inc that year got $117K on average.
Where does Illuminative Inc give grants?
Illuminative Inc's top state is California, with 27% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were Utah (12%) and North Carolina (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (2 grants), Washington, DC (2 grants) and Oakland, CA (2 grants).
Does Illuminative Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 92% of Illuminative Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (22 of 24) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Who are Illuminative Inc's largest grantees?
Illuminative Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Amplifier Foundation ($425,000), Sundance Institute ($300,000) and The Center for Native Health Inc ($300,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 39% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
What does Illuminative Inc fund?
The organization states that it uses research, narrative and culture-change strategies, movement-building, and organizing to disrupt the invisibility of Native peoples, re-educate Americans, and mobilize public support for Native issues. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Illuminative Inc?
Illuminative Inc has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check illuminative.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Illuminative Inc's EIN?
Illuminative Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 92-1975377. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2023–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(4)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 12, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS October 15, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 24, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2023–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Illuminative Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/illuminative-inc-morg_31fc418666fe47b5961e0cc49344d3b2
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_921975377_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Illuminative Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/illuminative-inc-morg_31fc418666fe47b5961e0cc49344d3b2},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. 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 Illuminative 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.
Illuminative Inc down — hundreds of funders to go?