Karuna Foundation
Karuna Foundation is a public charity based in Niwot, Colorado. Its stated mission is to make distributions to individuals and organizations supporting the wellbeing of animals, the natural environment, and global citizens, particularly by addressing humanitarian crises or deficiencies in nutrition or food systems.
Karuna Foundation at a glance
In short: Karuna Foundation gave $3.8M across 37 grants in 2024 (avg $104K), top state New York. 57% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $3,834,980
- -46.8% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 37
- -21.3% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $103,648
- -32.4% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $50,000
- Total assets
- $2,801,014
- +36.4% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 57% first-time grantees (21 of 37, 2024)
- Primary geography
- New York (20% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Karuna Foundation
- Contact
Mailing address: 7522 Monarch Rd, Niwot, CO 80503
Phone: (904) 612-6000
Website: https://karunafdn.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Karuna Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Vegan Hacktivists ($536K). Together the top 10 received $2.5M.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($340,457), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
153 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 66 grants of 153 (43%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, the largest shares of grant dollars by recipient state were New York (20%), Maryland (17%), Washington, DC (13%), Washington (10%), and Minnesota (9%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 37 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Karuna Foundation open to new grantees?
57%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 21 of 37 grantees (57%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $55K; repeat grants $167K. How we count
Medians: $30K first-time, $108K repeat.
- 41% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−7%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2021–2024). 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 2021 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $3.8M (2024) to $7.8M (2022). In 2024 it made 37 grants totaling $3.8M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Vegan Hacktivists Mount Airy, MD | Advocate for the wellbeing of animals. | $535,586 |
| Vegan Friendly USA New York, NY | Advocate for the wellbeing of animals. | $465,500 |
| Food Solutions Action Washington, DC | Advocate for the wellbeing of animals. | $400,000 |
| Vegan FTA Vancouver, WA | Advocate for the wellbeing of animals. | $355,424 |
| 1 grant to individuals Recipients not named | — | $340,457 |
| Waking Justice Asheville, NC | Advocate for the wellbeing of animals. | $200,000 |
| Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue Wantage, NJ | Advocate for the wellbeing of animals. | $150,000 |
| Asha's Farm Sanctuary Newfane, NY | Advocate for the wellbeing of animals. | $136,823 |
| Million Dollar Vegan Santa Barbara, CA | Advocate for the wellbeing of animals. | $115,000 |
| Main Street Vegan New York, NY | Advocate for the wellbeing of animals. | $100,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Karuna Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,801,014 | $35,412,280 | $35,569,695 | $3,834,980 | 37 | — |
| 2023 | $2,052,850 | $34,504,274 | $33,757,901 | $7,205,122 | 47 | — |
| 2022 | $843,277 | $26,842,823 | $26,494,769 | $7,825,260 | 39 | — |
| 2021 | $474,878 | $18,292,145 | $17,827,328 | $4,105,630 | 30 | $5 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
Karuna Foundation states that its mission is to make distributions to individuals and organizations that advocate for or support the wellbeing of animals, the natural environment, and global citizens, particularly through addressing humanitarian crises or deficiencies in nutrition or food systems. Its program descriptions specify support for organizations advocating for animal wellbeing and fiscal sponsorship of mission-aligned charitable initiatives.
The organizations it supported in 2024 illustrate a range of work. Vegan Hacktivists describes its work as providing technology and creative services to strengthen animal, environmental, and public-interest movements. Vegan Friendly says it educates the public about veganism and makes it more accessible. Food Solutions Action describes its mission as accelerating agriculture solutions and securing the future of the food system. Other supported organizations include animal sanctuaries, a plant-based lifestyle education organization, a community health resource provider, and a group organizing citizen-initiated ballot measure campaigns.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, Karuna Foundation reported 37 grants totaling $3,834,980. Grant amounts ranged from $6,000 to $535,586, with a median of $50,000. The listed grant purposes describe support for advocating for the wellbeing of animals.
Among the largest reported grants were $535,586 to Vegan Hacktivists, $465,500 to Vegan Friendly USA, $400,000 to Food Solutions Action, and $355,424 to Vegan FTA. Other notable awards included $200,000 to Waking Justice, $150,000 to Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue, and $136,823 to Asha’s Farm Sanctuary.
The filing also describes loans to organizations and fiscal sponsorship of mission-aligned charitable initiatives.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Shilpi Shah as President/Treasurer, Patricia Kowalewski as Director, and Shaleen Shah as Executive Director.
Karuna Foundation is led by Shaleen Shah, Executive Director on every filing since 2021; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Shaleen Shah
Executive Director
On filings since 2021
15 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Shilpi Shah
President & Treasurer
On filings since 2021
12 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Patricia Kowalewski
Director
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Nikki Bollaert (2021–2023) — Secretary
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2024. "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 Karuna Foundation
How much does Karuna Foundation give each year?
Karuna Foundation gave $3.8M across 37 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $7.2M across 47 grants.
What is Karuna Foundation's typical grant size?
Karuna Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $50,000, and its average grant was $103,648, across 37 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Karuna Foundation that year got $55K on average.
Where does Karuna Foundation give grants?
Karuna Foundation's top state is New York, with 20% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were Maryland (17%) and District of Columbia (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (4 grants), New York, NY (3 grants), Boston, MA (2 grants) and Orlando, FL (2 grants).
Does Karuna Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 37 grants with a stated purpose on Karuna Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Advocate for the wellbeing of animals." (37 grants).
Who are Karuna Foundation's largest grantees?
Karuna Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Vegan Hacktivists ($535,586), Vegan Friendly USA ($465,500) and Food Solutions Action ($400,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($340,457), which are not listed by name. Together they received 37% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Karuna Foundation?
Karuna Foundation reported $2.8M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $35.4M.
What does Karuna Foundation fund?
Karuna Foundation states that its mission is to make distributions to individuals and organizations that advocate for or support the wellbeing of animals, the natural environment, and global citizens, particularly through addressing humanitarian crises or deficiencies in nutrition or food systems. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Karuna Foundation?
Karuna Foundation has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check karunafdn.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Karuna Foundation's EIN?
Karuna Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 85-4026412. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2024.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(5)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 10, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 5, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 10, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Karuna Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/karuna-foundation-morg_35e683f124544f6d8d8109b0f3b18541
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_854026412_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Karuna Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/karuna-foundation-morg_35e683f124544f6d8d8109b0f3b18541},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Karuna Foundation'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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