Proteus Action League
Proteus Action League is a public charity based in Waltham, Massachusetts, formed in 2002. It advances democracy and human rights by convening donor collaboratives, hosting action funds focused on specific issues, partnering with projects through fiscal sponsorship, and offering donor-advised accounts.
Proteus Action League at a glance
In short: Proteus Action League gave $1.3M across 42 grants in 2024 (avg $30K), top state New York. 64% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,255,382
- +118.9% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 42
- +50.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $29,890
- +45.9% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $15,000
- Total assets
- $1,919,583
- -33.0% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 64% first-time grantees (27 of 42, 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 September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Proteus Action League
- Contact
Mailing address: 303 Wyman Street 300, Waltham, MA 02451
Phone: (413) 256-0349
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Proteus Action League funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Neo Philanthropy Action Fund ($150K). Together the top 10 received $739K.
Grant Size Distribution
207 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 179 grants of 207 (86%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in New York (20%), Florida (14%), the District of Columbia (10%), California (9%), and Illinois (8%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 42 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Proteus Action League open to new grantees?
64%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 27 of 42 grantees (64%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $24K; repeat grants $41K. How we count
Medians: $15K first-time, $15K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 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 $574K (2023) to $1.3M (2024). In 2024 it made 42 grants totaling $1.3M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Neo Philanthropy Action Fund New York, NY | Rights & Justice | $150,000 |
| Emgage Action Lakeland, FL | Rights & Justice | $125,000 |
| Niac Action Washington, DC | Rights & Justice | $84,300 |
| Tirrc Votes Nashville, TN | Rights & Justice | $75,000 |
| Washington Community Alliance Action-DBA People Powered Elections Pac Bellingham, WA | Democracy | $75,000 |
| Grassroots Global Justice Action Fund Oakland, CA | Rights & Justice | $50,000 |
| Reform for Illinois Chicago, IL | Democracy | $50,000 |
| Floridians for Open Democracy Tallahassee, FL | Democracy | $50,000 |
| Showing up for Racial Justice Action Buffalo, NY | Rights & Justice | $45,000 |
| Voters Not Money Ann Arbor, MI | Democracy | $35,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The 2024 filing also reports $173,973 in consultant expenses and $34,304 in professional fees, each categorized entirely as program service expenses.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,919,583 | $1,025,431 | $1,941,945 | $1,255,382 | 42 | $53,051 |
| 2023 | $2,867,075 | $1,122,607 | $1,598,978 | $573,500 | 28 | $47,223 |
| 2022 | $3,264,251 | $2,985,131 | $1,801,818 | $831,326 | 34 | — |
| 2021 | $1,923,944 | $1,156,581 | $1,570,870 | $1,013,122 | 52 | — |
| 2020 | $2,428,417 | $1,228,186 | $1,388,642 | $949,264 | 51 | — |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The organization’s stated mission is to advance democracy and human rights. Its filing describes the Piper Action Fund as bringing together individual donors and 501(c)(4) organizations to support legislative advocacy and issue-specific reform campaigns that defend democratic institutions and the rule of law. It describes the RISE Together Action Fund as a donor collaborative advancing civil rights and full inclusion for Black, African, Arab, Muslim, Middle Eastern, and South Asian communities.
Examples of grantees’ work, as described by the grantees, include NEO Philanthropy Action Fund’s social justice and policy-reform advocacy; NIAC Action’s work to build political power for Iranian Americans and advance peace and diplomacy, equitable immigration policies, and civil rights; and TIRRC VOTES’ work to build political power for immigrant and refugee communities through voter engagement and mobilization.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, Proteus Action League reported 42 grants totaling $1,255,382. Grant amounts ranged from $10,000 to $150,000, with a median of $15,000.
The largest reported grants included $150,000 to NEO Philanthropy Action Fund for rights and justice; $125,000 to Emgage Action for rights and justice; $84,300 to NIAC Action for rights and justice; and $75,000 each to TIRRC VOTES for rights and justice and Washington Community Alliance Action—DBA People Powered Elections PAC for democracy. Other notable awards were $50,000 to Grassroots Global Justice Action Fund for rights and justice, $50,000 to Reform for Illinois for democracy, and $50,000 to Floridians for Open Democracy for democracy.
The grantees’ own descriptions illustrate the range of work represented: Reform for Illinois says it researches government trends, advocates reforms, and promotes public participation and government accountability; Arab Americans for Progress describes its work as building a just, equitable, and democratic society; and Action Center on Race and the Economy describes its work as reducing racial and economic inequality through education, research, and advocacy.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Paul Di Donato as president and CEO; Beery Jimenez as director of philanthropy and fiscal sponsorship; and Quanita Toffie as chair. It also lists Daniel Ramos as treasurer, Jessie Ulibarri as secretary, and Jesse Beason, Richard Burns, Nicole Campbell, and Guillermo Quinteros as directors. Ryan Chavez is listed as former chief financial officer.
Proteus Action League is led by Paul Di Donato, President & CEO on every filing since 2020; none of the 10 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Paul Di Donato
President & CEO
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Quanita Toffie
Chair
Board Member → Secretary, 2021
Secretary → Chair, 2024
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Beery A. Jimenez
Director-Philanthropy & Fiscal Sponsorship
Director of Philanthropy → Director of Philanthropy & Fiscal Sponsorship, 2023
Director of Philanthropy & Fiscal Sponsorship → Director-Philanthropy & Fiscal Sponsorship, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jesse Beason
Director
Board Member → Director, 2021
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Guillermo Quinteros
Director
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nicole Campbell
Director
New on the 2024 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Richard Burns
Director
New on the 2024 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jessie Ulibarri
Secretary
Board Member → Director, 2021
Director → Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ryan Chavez
Former Chief Financial Officer
Chief Financial Officer → Former Chief Financial Officer, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Daniel Ramos
Treasurer
New on the 2024 filing
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (19)
- Former: Ian Fuller (2020–2023) — Treasurer
- Former: Ludovic Blain (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Natasha Minsker (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Ryan Alexander (2020–2023) — Chair
- Former: Amardeep Singh Bhalla (2021–2023) — Vice President of Programm
- Former: Nic Campbell (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Jill Price Marshall (2020–2022) — Chief Operating Officer
- Former: Michael Jarvis (2020–2022) — Program Director-Tai
- Former: Andrew Grant-Thomas (2022) — Co-Director Embrace Race
- Former: Emily Harris (2022) — Director Dpf
- Former: Gail Fuller (2022) — Program Manager Dpf
- Former: La Tonya Green (2022) — Director Weavers Program
- Former: Lauren Bence (2020–2021) — Proteus Hr Director
- Former: Melissa S. Spatz (2020–2021) — Executive Director-Piper
- Former: Ana Conner (2021) — Program Co-Director Thirdwave
- Former: Kiyomi Fujikawa (2021) — Program Director Src
- Former: Jason Franklin (2020) — Board Member
- Former: Sara Gould (2020) — Board Member
- Former: Shireen Zaman (2020) — Program Director - Src
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 Proteus Action League
How much does Proteus Action League give each year?
Proteus Action League gave $1.3M across 42 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $574K across 28 grants.
What is Proteus Action League's typical grant size?
Proteus Action League's median grant in 2024 was $15,000, and its average grant was $29,890, across 42 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Proteus Action League that year got $24K on average.
Where does Proteus Action League give grants?
Proteus Action League's top state is New York, with 20% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were Florida (14%) and District of Columbia (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (4 grants), New York, NY (3 grants), Chicago, IL (3 grants) and Nashville, TN (2 grants).
Does Proteus Action League give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 42 grants with a stated purpose on Proteus Action League's 2024 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Democracy" (27 grants) and "Rights & Justice" (15 grants).
Who are Proteus Action League's largest grantees?
Proteus Action League's largest 2024 grantees include Neo Philanthropy Action Fund ($150,000), Emgage Action ($125,000) and Niac Action ($84,300), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 29% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Proteus Action League?
Proteus Action League reported $1.9M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $1.0M.
What does Proteus Action League fund?
The organization’s stated mission is to advance democracy and human rights. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Proteus Action League?
Proteus Action League has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Proteus Action League's EIN?
Proteus Action League's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 22-3888268. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 11, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 14, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 10, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 10, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Proteus Action League's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Proteus Action League funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/proteus-action-league-morg_0d7dbb8e65934514935c409a7368cb60
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_223888268_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Proteus Action League funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/proteus-action-league-morg_0d7dbb8e65934514935c409a7368cb60},
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 Proteus Action League'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.
Proteus Action League down — hundreds of funders to go?