Resources for the Future Inc
Resources for the Future Inc is an independent, nonprofit research institution based in Washington, DC. It is a public charity whose mission is to improve environmental, energy, and natural resource decisions through impartial economic research and policy engagement.
Resources for the Future Inc at a glance
In short: Resources for the Future Inc gave $706K across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $42K), top state Massachusetts. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $705,644
- +335.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- Average grant
- $41,508
- Median grant
- $42,443
- Total assets
- $81,143,391
- -5.5% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (14% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to Resources for the Future Inc
- Contact
Mailing address: 1616 P Street Nw, Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 328-5000
Website: https://rff.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Resources for the Future Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Harvard University ($100K). Together the top 10 received $571K.
Grant Size Distribution
17 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 12 grants of 17 (71%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars were distributed among recipients in multiple states. The largest listed shares were Massachusetts and Wyoming at 14% each, California at 13%, Pennsylvania at 11%, and Texas at 9%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $55K (2022) to $706K (2025). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $706K.
Hatched bars: grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Harvard University Boston, MA | Subaward | $100,000 |
| University of Wyoming Laramie, WY | Subaward | $99,243 |
| Swaniti Initiative Houston, TX | Subaward | $50,000 |
| University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA | Subaward | $50,000 |
| WVU Foundation Inc Morgantown, WV | Subaward | $50,000 |
| Arizona State University Tempe, AZ | Subaward | $49,960 |
| The Regents of the University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA | Subaward | $49,891 |
| Urban Institute Washington, DC | Subaward | $49,250 |
| The University of Oklahoma Norman, OK | Subaward | $42,443 |
| University of Kentucky Research Foundation Lexington, KY | Subaward | $30,706 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
IRS filing figures are reported by filing year. RFF’s 2025 annual report separately states that operating revenue for fiscal year 2025 was $18.8 million.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $81,143,391 | $15,548,968 | $18,836,539 | $705,644 | 17 | $5,858,483 |
| 2024 | $85,903,959 | $16,875,215 | $18,076,584 | $162,000 | Total only | $2,686,248 |
| 2023 | $81,861,351 | $13,736,994 | $17,236,786 | $115,000 | Total only | $360,447 |
| 2022 | $81,880,139 | $13,028,201 | $16,004,588 | $55,000 | Total only | $2,491,592 |
| 2021 | $93,492,158 | $15,530,673 | $15,342,319 | $200,000 | Total only | $2,717,321 |
| 2020 | $87,643,116 | $15,471,020 | $15,524,550 | — | — | $2,462,546 |
| 2019 | $83,427,208 | $9,153,096 | $14,744,180 | $305,419 | Total only | $1,638,916 |
"Total only": grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
RFF’s stated mission is to improve environmental, energy, and natural resource decisions through impartial economic research and policy engagement. Its stated program areas include assessing climate and environmental risks and resilience, and analyzing emissions-reduction policies for effectiveness, efficiency, equity, economic benefit, and progress toward net-zero emissions. RFF also describes communications and research dissemination as a program activity.
The 2025 grants include subawards to universities and other organizations. Among the recipients, Swaniti Initiative describes its mission as helping build supportive systems for a changing climate and making the transition to cleaner energy and stronger social protection more inclusive. The University of Pittsburgh describes itself as a public research university serving its region, Pennsylvania, and the nation through education, research, and partnership.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, RFF reported 17 grants totaling $705,644. Grants ranged from $10,466 to $100,000, with a median of $42,443. Each itemized grant was identified as a subaward.
Largest listed grants included Harvard University ($100,000), University of Wyoming ($99,243), Swaniti Initiative ($50,000), University of Pittsburgh ($50,000), WVU Foundation Inc ($50,000), Arizona State University ($49,960), and the Regents of the University of California Santa Barbara ($49,891).
RFF’s website describes a past request for proposals for research evaluating clean-energy policies in the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The solicitation anticipated four to eight grants of up to $25,000–$100,000, up to $400,000 total, and lists awardees. A separate RFF solicitation for retrospective studies of regulatory performance offered up to $200,000 for up to eight grants; its 2023 proposal deadlines have passed.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Susan F Tierney as Chair of the Board and Robert N Stavins as Vice Chair of the Board. Listed board directors are Vicky A Bailey, Jay Bartlett, Janet Clark, James Connaughton, H Russell Frisby, Jonathan Garfinkel, Paula Glover, and Glenn Hubbard.
Resources for the Future Inc is led by William Pizer, President & CEO since 2024 (on filings since 2022); 12 of 33 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
William Pizer
President & CEO
Vice President, Research & Policy Eng. → Vice President, Research & Policy Engagement, 2023
Vice President, Research & Policy Engagement → President & CEO, 2024
On filings since 2022
35 hrs/week
$159K (2022) → $487K (2025)
Kyung-Ah Park
Chair, Audit & Compliance Committee
Chair, Audit & Compliance Committee → Chair, Audit & Compliance Cmte., 2024
Chair, Audit & Compliance Cmte. → Chair, Audit & Compliance Committee, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Susan F Tierney
Chair of the Board
Chair → Chair of the Board, 2021
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jonathan Silver
Board Director
Director → Board Director, 2021
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mary Landrieu
Board Director
Director → Board Director, 2021
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Vicky A Bailey
Board Director
Director → Board Director, 2021
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Barbara Kates-Garnick
Board Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Glenn Hubbard
Board Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
H Russell Frisby
Board Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James Connaughton
Board Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Janet Clark
Board Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Catherine Wolfram
Board Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jeff Luse
Board Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jonathan Garfinkel
Board Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Paula Glover
Board Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ramya Swaminathan
Board Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
William Pate
Board Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Christopher Smith
Board Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Hilda Pinnix-Ragland
Board Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jay Bartlett
Board Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Laura Taylor
Board Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alan Krupnick
Senior Fellow
On filings since 2019
35 hrs/week
$243K (2019) → $308K (2025)
James Boyd
Associate Vice President, Research & Policy Engagement
Senior Fellow → Associate Vice President, Research & Policy Engagement, 2025
On filings since 2019
35 hrs/week
$192K (2019) → $322K (2025)
Karen Palmer
Senior Fellow
On filings since 2019
35 hrs/week
$201K (2019) → $283K (2025)
Margaret Walls
Senior Fellow
On filings since 2019
35 hrs/week
$197K (2019) → $265K (2025)
Shannon Wulf Tregar
Vice President, Development & Institutional Strategy
Vice President, Development & Institutional Strategy → Vice President, Development & Inst. Strategy, 2024
Vice President, Development & Inst. Strategy → Vice President, Development & Institutional Strategy, 2025
On filings since 2019
35 hrs/week
$139K (2019) → $272K (2025)
Carolyn Mollen
Vice President, Finance & Administration
Vice President, Finance & Administration → Vice President, Finance & Administrator, 2024
Vice President, Finance & Administrator → Vice President, Finance & Administration, 2025
On filings since 2020
35 hrs/week
$244K (2021) → $324K (2025)
Kristina Gawrgy
Vice President & Communications
On filings since 2023
35 hrs/week
$61K (2023) → $245K (2025)
Thomas Wrenn
Chief of Staff
On filings since 2023
35 hrs/week
$145K (2023) → $187K (2025)
Carlos Martin
Vice President, Research & Policy Engagement
New on the 2025 filing
35 hrs/week
$195K (2025)
Kevin Rennert
Fellow
New on the 2025 filing
35 hrs/week
$227K (2025)
Marc Hafstead
Fellow
New on the 2025 filing
35 hrs/week
$200K (2025)
Robert N Stavins
Vice Chair of the Board
Director → Co-Vice Chair of the Board, 2021
Co-Vice Chair of the Board → Vice Chair of the Board, 2024
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (43)
- Former: Peter Kagan (2020–2025) — Chair & Investment Committee · Filing note: Through oct 2019
- Former: Richard Schmalensee (2020–2025) — Chair Emeriti · Filing note: Through oct 2019
- Former: Dennis Burtraw (2019–2024) — Senior Fellow
- Former: Richard G Newell (2019–2024) — President & CEO
- Former: W Bowman Cutter (2022–2024) — Chair Emeriti
- Former: Anthony Bernhardt (2019–2023) — Co-Vice Chair of the Board
- Former: James K Asselstine (2019–2023) — Chair, Nominating & Governance Committee
- Former: Ross Keith Van Der Linde (2019–2023) — Vice President & Communications
- Former: Lawrence H Linden (2022–2023) — Chair Emeriti
- Former: Michael Toman (2022–2023) — Senior Fellow
- Former: C Boyden Gray (2019–2022) — Board Director
- Former: Catherine Kling (2019–2022) — Board Director
- Former: Daniel Esty (2019–2022) — Board Director
- Former: David G. Hawkins (2019–2022) — Board Director
- Former: Elaine Dorward-King (2019–2022) — Board Director
- Former: Raymond Kopp (2019–2022) — Vice President, Research & Policy Eng.
- Former: Bob Litterman (2020–2022) — Board Director
- Former: Frank Loy (2022) — Chair Emeriti
- Former: Ruben Kraiem (2019–2021) — Board Director
- Former: Sally Katzen (2019–2021) — Board Director
- Former: Ann M. Bartuska (2019–2020) — Vice President, Land, Water & Nature
- Former: Gregory R. McGovern (2019–2020) — Vice President & Development
- Former: Henry Schacht (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Paula Wolferseder Yabar (2019–2020) — Vice President Development
- Former: Teresa O'Brien (2019–2020) — Vice President Finance
- Former: Boyden Gray (2020) — Director
- Former: Cathy Kling (2020) — Director
- Former: Charles Kalmbach (2020) — Director · Filing note: Through oct 2019
- Former: Daivd Hawkins (2020) — Director
- Former: Dan Esty (2020) — Director
- Former: Jim Asselstine (2020) — Director
- Former: Jim Rogers (2020) — Director · Filing note: Through oct 2019
- Former: Kathleen Sullivan (2020) — Director · Filing note: Through oct 2019
- Former: Linda Fisher (2020) — Vice Chair · Filing note: Through oct 2019
- Former: Rob Stavins (2020) — Director
- Former: Shannon Wulf-Tregar (2020) — Chief of Staff
- Former: Sue Tierney (2020) — Director
- Former: Tony Bernhardt (2020) — Director
- Former: Trudy Ann Cameron (2020) — Director · Filing note: Through oct 2019
- Former: Wilhelm Merck (2020) — Director · Filing note: Through oct 2019
- Former: James Rogers (2019) — Director
- Former: Kathryn D. Sullivan (2019) — Director
- Former: Robert Litterman (2019) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 $487K, to William Pizer (President and CEO). 12 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Resources for the Future Inc
How much does Resources for the Future Inc give each year?
Resources for the Future Inc gave $706K across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it reported $162K in grants paid.
What is Resources for the Future Inc's typical grant size?
Resources for the Future Inc's median grant in 2025 was $42,443, and its average grant was $41,508, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does Resources for the Future Inc give grants?
Resources for the Future Inc's top state is Massachusetts, with 14% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were Wyoming (14%) and California (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were Morgantown, WV (2 grants).
Does Resources for the Future Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 17 grants with a stated purpose on Resources for the Future Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Subaward" (17 grants).
Who are Resources for the Future Inc's largest grantees?
Resources for the Future Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Harvard University ($100,000), University of Wyoming ($99,243) and Swaniti Initiative ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 35% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Resources for the Future Inc?
Resources for the Future Inc reported $81.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $15.5M.
What does Resources for the Future Inc fund?
RFF’s stated mission is to improve environmental, energy, and natural resource decisions through impartial economic research and policy engagement. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Resources for the Future Inc?
Resources for the Future Inc has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check rff.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Resources for the Future Inc's EIN?
Resources for the Future Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 53-0220900. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
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
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 5, 2026)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS August 14, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS August 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS September 26, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS July 17, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS July 11, 2025)
Live grants for the work Resources for the Future Inc funds
Environment & Animals Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Resources for the Future Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Resources for the Future Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/resources-for-the-future-inc-morg_fc04b71acc7c454db6bcf88ebf151143
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_530220900_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Resources for the Future Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/resources-for-the-future-inc-morg_fc04b71acc7c454db6bcf88ebf151143},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-22. 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 Resources for the Future 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.
Resources for the Future Inc down — hundreds of funders to go?