The Climate Cousins Foundation
The Climate Cousins Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, NY. Its stated approach is to invest time and capital in the climate change ecosystem, and its 2025 filing says it made its final distribution of assets that year. The foundation was formally dissolved in Delaware effective December 19, 2025.
Key facts about The Climate Cousins Foundation
In short: The Climate Cousins Foundation gave $165K across 2 grants in 2025 (avg $83K), mostly in District of Columbia. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 84-4498198
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $165,000
- Grants made (2025)
- 2
- Average grant
- $82,500
- Median grant
- $82,500
- Primary geography
- District of Columbia (55% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to apply
- The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
—
-100.0% YoY
Annual Giving
$165K
+10.0% YoY
Grant Count
2
+100.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$83K
-45.0% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Climate Cousins Foundation reported a distributable amount of $9K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
How The Climate Cousins Foundation gives
- Giving fell 93% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is to help limit global temperature increases to well below 2°C, including by cutting overall carbon emissions in half by 2030 and reaching net-zero emissions by mid-century. It says its approach may combine philanthropic, political, and investment strategies.
Its 2025 grants went to two 501(c)(3) public charities. Rural Investment to Protect Our Environment (RIPE) describes its mission as advancing fair value for voluntary agricultural stewardship. Spark Climate Solutions describes its mission as accelerating progress in emerging approaches to climate mitigation and adaptation that can contribute to a broad portfolio of solutions while minimizing risks to societal stability.
Grantmaking
The foundation reported two grants totaling $165,000 in 2025, with a median grant of $82,500. These were described as its final cash grants and final distribution of assets: $90,000 to Rural Investment to Protect Our Environment and $75,000 to Spark Climate Solutions. Earlier filings reported one grant totaling $150,000 in 2024 and three grants totaling $300,000 in 2023.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s two reported 2025 grantees were located in Washington, DC, and California. The filing attributed 55% of 2025 grant dollars to DC recipients and 45% to California recipients.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 2 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $150K (2024) to $2.5M (2022). In 2025 it made 2 grants totaling $165K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 2 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Rural Investment to Protect Our Environment ($90K). Together the top 2 received $165K.
Grant Size Distribution
45 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $100–250K range: 25 grants of 45 (56%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Rural Investment to Protect Our Environment Washington, DC | General | $90,000 |
| Spark Climate Solutions Inc Corvina, CA | General | $75,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Grant total | Number of grants |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $165,000 | 2 |
| 2024 | $150,000 | 1 |
| 2023 | $300,000 | 3 |
The foundation’s 2025 filing states that it held back a small amount of cash for final bills related to its dissolution and reported $8,924 in cash as of December 31, 2025.
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | — | $260,311 | $192,868 |
| Revenue | $8,057 | $259,449 | $550,345 |
| Expenses | $259,444 | $192,006 | $386,630 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $253,843 | $180,968 | $334,904 |
| Net Investment Income | $2,456 | $4,411 | $456,877 |
| Distributable Amount | $9,379 | $8,984 | $17,935 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS October 13, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 23, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 14, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 15, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Officers and directors listed on the 2025 filing were Alejandro Foung, president; Rachel Gelman, vice president; Serra Falk Goldman, secretary; and Daniel Rueven, treasurer.
The Climate Cousins Foundation is led by Alejandro Foung, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Alejandro Foung
President
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Daniel Rueven
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Rachel Gelman
Vice President
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Serra Falk Goldman
Secretary
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Contact
Mailing address: 126 East 56Th Street 26Th Floor, New York, NY 10022
Phone: (646) 519-4333
Website: https://climatecousins.org
Frequently asked questions about The Climate Cousins Foundation
How much does The Climate Cousins Foundation give each year?
The Climate Cousins Foundation gave $165K across 2 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $150K across 1 grant.
What does The Climate Cousins Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to help limit global temperature increases to well below 2°C, including by cutting overall carbon emissions in half by 2030 and reaching net-zero emissions by mid-century. It says its approach may combine philanthropic, political, and investment strategies. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Climate Cousins Foundation?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
Where does The Climate Cousins Foundation make grants?
The foundation’s two reported 2025 grantees were located in Washington, DC, and California. The filing attributed 55% of 2025 grant dollars to DC recipients and 45% to California recipients.
How much is The Climate Cousins Foundation required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2025, The Climate Cousins Foundation reported a distributable amount of $9K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is The Climate Cousins Foundation's EIN?
The Climate Cousins Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 84-4498198. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Climate Cousins Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Here's the math on researching The Climate Cousins Foundation by hand.
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