The Passport Foundation
The Passport Foundation is a private foundation based in Wilmington, Delaware. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations working on toxic chemicals, environmental health, and environmental protection.
The Passport Foundation at a glance
In short: The Passport Foundation gave $2.6M across 44 grants in 2024 (avg $59K), top state California. 25% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $2,611,913
- -29.6% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 44
- +0.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $59,362
- -29.6% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $32,500
- Total assets
- $62,650,504
- +21.7% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 25% first-time grantees (10 of 40, 2024)
- Primary geography
- California (32% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Passport Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: Foundation Source 501 Silverside Rd, Wilmington, DE 19809-1377
Phone: (800) 839-1754
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Passport Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Earthjustice ($303K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $1.9M.
Grant Size Distribution
280 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 144 grants of 280 (51%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in California (32%), the District of Columbia (21%), New York (12%), Washington (11%), and Vermont (8%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 44 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Passport Foundation open to new grantees?
25%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 10 of 40 grantees (25%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $27K; repeat grants $78K. How we count
Medians: $6K first-time, $55K repeat.
- 57% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−3%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 100% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. 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.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $2.3M (2020) to $3.9M (2022). In 2024 it made 44 grants totaling $2.6M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Earthjustice San Francisco, CA | Protecting Against Toxic Chemical Exposures | $300,000 |
| Natural Resources Defense Council Inc New York, NY | NRDC Toxics Initiative Support | $300,000 |
| University of California San Francisco San Francisco, CA | Defending Science and Promoting Evidence-Based Decision-Making to Protect Health from Toxic Environmental Chemicals | $200,000 |
| Toxic-Free Future Seattle, WA | General & Unrestricted | $175,000 |
| Coming Clean Inc Brattleboro, VT | General & Unrestricted | $125,000 |
| Environmental Working Group Washington, DC | EWG Food Chemicals Campaign | $125,000 |
| International Pollutants Elimination Network | Expenditure Responsibility Grant | $125,000 |
| Toxic-Free Future Seattle, WA | Mind the Store | $125,000 |
| Center for International Environmental Law Inc Washington, DC | Plastics Treaty Negotiations | $110,000 |
| Environmental Protection Network Washington, DC | Support for EPN's work to build the capacity of environmental agencies and the communities they serve to truly address the most urgent health and environmental crises, such as toxics, climate change, and environmental injustice. | $110,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Passport Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $62,650,504 | $15,722,506 | $4,550,988 | $2,611,913 | 44 | $3,069,488 | $13,164,086 | $3,081,966 |
| 2023 | $51,478,986 | $7,811,665 | $5,721,413 | $3,710,670 | 44 | $4,144,603 | — | $3,063,642 |
| 2022 | $49,288,734 | $7,686,076 | $5,884,290 | $3,889,862 | 75 | $4,431,886 | $3,056,501 | $3,914,651 |
| 2021 | $47,486,948 | $13,102,798 | $4,572,547 | $2,704,357 | 65 | $3,118,046 | $11,882,229 | $4,608,431 |
| 2020 | $39,586,697 | $4,790,505 | $3,994,409 | $2,312,934 | 52 | — | $3,104,853 | $2,922,777 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Passport Foundation reported a distributable amount of $3.1M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for environmental and health-related work. For example, Earthjustice describes its mission as using law and partnership to protect people’s health, preserve places and wildlife, advance clean energy, and combat climate change. The Natural Resources Defense Council describes its work as confronting the climate crisis, protecting wildlife and wild places, and supporting clean air, clean water, and healthy communities. Toxic-Free Future describes itself as using research, education, and activism to promote protections against toxic chemicals and pollution.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 44 grants totaling $2,611,913. Grants ranged from $250 to $300,000, with a median grant of $32,500. Among the largest grants were $300,000 each to Earthjustice for “Protecting Against Toxic Chemical Exposures” and the Natural Resources Defense Council for “NRDC Toxics Initiative Support”; $200,000 to the University of California San Francisco for work to protect health from toxic environmental chemicals; and $175,000 to Toxic-Free Future for general and unrestricted support. Other notable grants included $125,000 to Coming Clean for general and unrestricted support and $125,000 to the Environmental Working Group for its Food Chemicals Campaign.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Ani Arutyunyan as secretary and director; John H. Burbank III as director and president; Jim Cunningham and Joanne Poile as directors; and Michelle Ruggeri as treasurer.
The Passport Foundation is led by John H Burbank III, Director & President on every filing since 2020; none of the 5 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
John H Burbank III
Director & President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jim Cunningham
Director
Director & Trustee → Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Joanne Poile
Director
Treasurer → Treasurer & Director, 2023
Treasurer & Director → Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ani Arutyunyan
Secretary & Director
Secretary → Secretary & Director, 2023
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michelle Ruggeri
Treasurer
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Walther Lovato (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Julie Kim (2020–2021) — 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.
Frequently asked questions about The Passport Foundation
How much does The Passport Foundation give each year?
The Passport Foundation gave $2.6M across 44 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $3.7M across 44 grants.
What is The Passport Foundation's typical grant size?
The Passport Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $32,500, and its average grant was $59,362, across 44 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Passport Foundation that year got $27K on average.
Where does The Passport Foundation give grants?
The Passport Foundation's top state is California, with 32% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were District of Columbia (21%) and New York (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (12 grants), Washington, DC (8 grants), New York, NY (3 grants) and Seattle, WA (2 grants).
Does The Passport Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 23% of The Passport Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (10 of 44) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Employee Matching" (15 grants).
Who are The Passport Foundation's largest grantees?
The Passport Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Earthjustice ($302,500 across 2 grants), Natural Resources Defense Council Inc ($300,000) and Toxic-Free Future ($300,000 across 2 grants), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 35% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Passport Foundation?
The Passport Foundation reported $62.7M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $3.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $3.1M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does The Passport Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for environmental and health-related work. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Passport Foundation?
The foundation states that it 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 ↑
What is The Passport Foundation's EIN?
The Passport Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-1580196. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Passport Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Passport Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Passport Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-passport-foundation-morg_d23d44b6db124a02afaf2272eb5251ab
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_261580196_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Passport Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-passport-foundation-morg_d23d44b6db124a02afaf2272eb5251ab},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 The Passport 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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