The Christensen Fund
The Christensen Fund is a private foundation based in San Francisco, California. It works to support Indigenous Peoples in advancing their inherent rights, dignity, and self-determination.
Key facts about The Christensen Fund
In short: The Christensen Fund gave $13.2M across 134 grants in 2024 (avg $99K), top state Arizona. 39% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 94-6055879
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024
- Annual giving (2024)
- $13,235,092
- Grants made (2024)
- 134
- Average grant
- $98,769
- Median grant
- $76,125
- New grantees (estimate)
- 39% first-time grantees (44 of 114, 2024)
- Total assets
- $327,090,899
- Primary geography
- Arizona (7% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- How to apply
- The fund states that prospective grantees are invited to submit full proposals electronically through a pre-grant inquiry. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$327.1M
+3.6% YoY
Annual Giving
$13.2M
+2.8% YoY
Grant Count
134
-10.7% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$99K
+15.0% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Christensen Fund reported a distributable amount of $16.7M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is The Christensen Fund open to new grantees?
39%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 44 of 114 grantees (39%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $81K; repeat grants $138K. How we count
Medians: $78K first-time, $100K repeat.
- 48% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+8%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 125% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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.
Mission & Focus Areas
The fund’s stated mission is to support Indigenous Peoples in advancing their inherent rights, dignity, and self-determination. Its grantmaking and collaborative work center Indigenous leadership, voices, and perspectives.
Examples of supported organizations illustrate the range of work among its grantees. Indigenous Peoples Rights Inc. says its mission is to coordinate a global initiative addressing criminalization, violence, and impunity against Indigenous Peoples. Rights and Resources Institute Inc. says it works to advance policy, market, and legal reforms that secure local communities’ and Indigenous Peoples’ rights to natural resources, especially land and forests. Rainforest Foundation Inc. says it supports Indigenous Peoples and forest communities seeking to secure their lands, protect their environment, and uphold their rights. International Indian Treaty Council describes its work as advancing Indigenous self-determination and protecting human rights, treaties, traditional cultures, and sacred lands and waters.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the fund reported 134 grants totaling $13,235,092. Grants ranged from $942 to $350,000, with a median of $76,125. The largest listed awards included $350,000 each to International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs and Indigenous Peoples Rights Inc.; $325,000 to Snowchange Cooperative; and $300,000 each to Rudolf Steiner Foundation dba RSF Social Finance, Center for Research and Development in Drylands, and Rights and Resources Institute Inc. Other notable awards included $250,000 to Rainforest Foundation Inc., Cultural Survival, and International Indian Treaty Council. The fund also reported a $250,000 grant to Native Americans in Philanthropy and a $250,000 grant to IllumiNative.
How to Apply
The fund states that prospective grantees are invited to submit full proposals electronically through a pre-grant inquiry. Requested information includes organizational identity and contact information, tax status, registration and governing documents, financial statements, key officers and major funders, organizational background, governance, priorities, activities, and practices. For grants over which the fund exercises expenditure responsibility, applicants must also provide a detailed project purpose and description, budget, activities, timeline, and anticipated results. The filing states that there are no restrictions on awards.
Ready to take the next step with The Christensen Fund?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The fund identifies four partner geographies: Kenya, Mexico, the United States, and global. Its 2024 filing reports that grant dollars went to recipients in Arizona (7%), Washington, DC (5%), California (5%), and New York (3%); the largest state-share entry is not identified.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 134 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $8.4M (2020) to $14.0M (2022). In 2024 it made 134 grants totaling $13.2M.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs ($530K across 3 grants). Together the top 10 received $3.6M.
Grant Size Distribution
628 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 258 grants of 628 (41%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs | General Support | $350,000 |
| Indigenous Peoples Rights Inc West Boothbay Harbor, ME | General Support | $350,000 |
| Snowchange Cooperative | General Support | $325,000 |
| Rudolf Steiner Foundation DBA RSF Social Finance San Francisco, CA | Support for the Pawanka Fund | $300,000 |
| Center for Research and Development in Drylands | General Support | $300,000 |
| Rights and Resources Institute Inc Washington, DC | General Support | $300,000 |
| Drylands Learning and Capacity Building Initiatives | Genral Support | $280,000 |
| Forest Peoples Programme | General Support | $260,000 |
| Indigenous Movement for Peace Advancement and Conflict Transformation | General Support | $260,000 |
| Rainforest Foundation Inc Brooklyn, NY | Core support for the global alliance of territorial communities -- a fiscally sponsored project of the rainforest foundation, inc. | $250,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants | Grant count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $327,090,899 | $25,633,170 | $26,059,545 | $13,235,092 | 134 |
| 2023 | $315,696,871 | $6,670,329 | $22,726,136 | $12,878,050 | 150 |
| 2022 | $298,535,284 | $8,057,809 | $21,549,964 | $13,980,278 | 142 |
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $327,090,899 | $315,696,871 | $298,535,284 |
| Revenue | $25,633,170 | $6,670,329 | $8,057,809 |
| Expenses | $26,059,545 | $22,726,136 | $21,549,964 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $20,863,913 | $17,900,790 | $17,882,437 |
| Net Investment Income | $22,794,700 | $2,561,980 | $2,878,436 |
| Distributable Amount | $16,681,024 | $16,660,204 | $17,176,681 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Diane Christensen as president; Lisa Hendrickson as board chair; Michael Christensen-Calvin as treasurer; and Nicole Pierret, Aletha Coleman, Nichole Maher, Christine Smith-Martin, Phillippe Wallace, Joan Carling, and Vicky Tauli-Corpuz as trustees.
The Christensen Fund is led by Carla Fredericks, Chief Executive Officer on every filing since 2021; 10 of 14 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Carla Fredericks
Chief Executive Officer
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$307K (2021) → $453K (2024)
Diane Christensen
President
Co-Chair → President, 2022
On filings since 2020
3.7 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lisa Hendrickson
Board Chair
Trustee → Board Chair, 2023
On filings since 2020
3.7 hrs/week
$8K (2020) → $20K (2024)
Aletha Coleman
Trustee
On filings since 2020
3.7 hrs/week
$15K (2020) → $0 (2024)
Phillippe Wallace
Trustee
Treasurer → Trustee, 2024
On filings since 2020
3.7 hrs/week
$8K (2020) → $17K (2024)
Terri Henry
Trustee
On filings since 2021
3.7 hrs/week
$8K (2021) → $15K (2024)
Christine Smith-Martin
Trustee
On filings since 2023
3.7 hrs/week
$15K (2023) → $15K (2024)
Nichole Maher
Trustee
On filings since 2023
3.7 hrs/week
$15K (2023) → $17K (2024)
Ikal Angelei
Trustee
New on the 2024 filing
3.7 hrs/week
$15K (2024)
Joan Carling
Trustee
New on the 2024 filing
3.7 hrs/week
$10K (2024)
Vicky Tauli-Corpuz
Trustee
New on the 2024 filing
3.7 hrs/week
$15K (2024)
Nicole Pierret
Trustee
On filings since 2020
3.7 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Matt Aguiar
Chief Financial & Operating Officer
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$247K (2022) → $285K (2024)
Michael Christensen-Calvin
Treasurer
Trustee → Treasurer, 2024
On filings since 2020
3.7 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (11)
- Former: Vilas Dhar (2020–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Shannon Dworsky (2021–2023) — Secretary
- Former: Michael Calvin-Christensen (2023) — Trustee
- Former: Christine Martin (2020–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Julia Lopez (2020–2022) — Chair
- Former: Vince Logan (2021–2022) — Trustee
- Former: China Ching (2020–2021) — Director of Programming
- Former: Matthew Aguiar (2020–2021) — Chief Finance & Operating Officer
- Former: Peter Liu (2020) — Treasurer
- Former: Sanjay Bavikatte (2020) — Executive Director
- Former: Tara Stein (2020) — Secretary
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $453K, to Carla Fredericks (Chief Executive Officer). 10 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Contact
Application contact: An Email Should Be Electronically S
Mailing address: Address Wwwchristensenfundorg, San Francisco, CA 94107
Phone: (415) 644-1620
Website: https://christensenfund.org
Frequently asked questions about The Christensen Fund
How much does The Christensen Fund give each year?
The Christensen Fund gave $13.2M across 134 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $12.9M across 150 grants.
What is The Christensen Fund's typical grant size?
The Christensen Fund's median grant in 2024 was $76,125, and its average grant was $98,769, across 134 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Christensen Fund that year got $81K on average.
Where does The Christensen Fund give grants?
The Christensen Fund's top state is Arizona, with 7% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest state was District of Columbia (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (8 grants), Oakland, CA (6 grants), San Francisco, CA (5 grants) and Tucson, AZ (4 grants).
Does The Christensen Fund give general operating support?
Yes: 52% of The Christensen Fund's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (70 of 134) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Christensen Fund's largest grantees?
The Christensen Fund's largest 2024 grantees include International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs ($530,000 across 3 grants), International Indian Treaty Council ($510,000 across 3 grants) and Rainforest Foundation Inc ($360,000 across 3 grants), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 11% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Christensen Fund?
The Christensen Fund reported $327.1M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $20.9M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $16.7M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Christensen Fund fund?
The fund’s stated mission is to support Indigenous Peoples in advancing their inherent rights, dignity, and self-determination. Its grantmaking and collaborative work center Indigenous leadership, voices, and perspectives. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Christensen Fund?
The fund states that prospective grantees are invited to submit full proposals electronically through a pre-grant inquiry. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Christensen Fund's EIN?
The Christensen Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-6055879. 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 September 2026.
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