The Seed Fund Grants Inc
The Seed Fund Grants Inc is a private foundation based in Pittsford, New York. It supports creative approaches that equitably address the challenges of a changing climate, including early-stage ideas with potential to scale and foster change.
The Seed Fund Grants Inc at a glance
In short: The Seed Fund Grants Inc gave $464K across 28 grants in 2025 (avg $17K), mostly in New York. 32% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $464,076
- +15.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 28
- -3.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $16,574
- +19.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $17,500
- Total assets
- $9,178,011
- -2.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 32% first-time grantees (7 of 22, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (65% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Seed Fund Grants Inc
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- Invitation Only
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. Proposals are by invitation only; it says it will review a one-page letter of interest. Fellowships are by board nomination only. The foundation notes that it may not be able to respond to all inquiries.
- Contact
Mailing address: 30B Grove Street, Pittsford, NY 14534
Phone: (585) 697-0362
Website: https://seedfundgrants.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Seed Fund Grants Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Bronx River Alliance ($50K). Together the top 10 received $315K.
Grant Size Distribution
141 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 140 grants of 141 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation says most of its grants go to projects in New York City and New York State, while also expressing interest in inspiring endeavors nationally and internationally. In 2025, 65% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York, 12% to California, 12% to Washington, DC, 5% to Montana, and 4% to Pennsylvania.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 28 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Seed Fund Grants Inc open to new grantees?
32%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 7 of 22 grantees (32%) were first-time recipients. With only 22 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $26K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $22K repeat.
- 64% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 45% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 113% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $321K (2022) to $464K (2025). In 2025 it made 28 grants totaling $464K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Bronx River Alliance Bronx, NY | Unrestricted | $50,000 |
| Shared-Use Mobility Center Los Angeles, CA | Unrestricted | $40,000 |
| Transportation Alternatives New York, NY | Biking Is Not a Crime | $30,000 |
| American Forests Washington, DC | Unrestricted | $25,000 |
| Open Plans New York, NY | Unrestricted | $23,000 |
| Climate Ride Missoula, MT | BBG Gala | $22,326 |
| El Puente Brooklyn, NY | Unrestricted | $20,000 |
| Island Press Washington, DC | Built Environment Portfolio | $20,000 |
| Regional Plan Association New York, NY | Cross Bronx Expansion Report | $20,000 |
| Riders Alliance Fund Inc New York, NY | Unrestricted | $20,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Seed Fund Grants Inc?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $9,178,011 | $617,949 | $811,557 | $464,076 | 28 | $742,948 | $564,322 | $655,413 |
| 2024 | $9,371,619 | $959,543 | $678,240 | $403,000 | 29 | $627,031 | $910,338 | $610,555 |
| 2023 | $9,088,016 | $262,174 | $625,606 | $350,150 | 32 | $563,645 | $202,790 | $545,178 |
| 2022 | $9,454,082 | $259,996 | $624,734 | $321,000 | 22 | $560,618 | $199,222 | $555,946 |
| 2021 | $9,816,191 | $474,860 | $646,843 | $351,100 | 30 | $534,723 | $409,019 | $607,435 |
| 2020 | $9,988,359 | $1,724,018 | $550,879 | $335,000 | 25 | — | $1,665,513 | $517,213 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Seed Fund Grants Inc reported a distributable amount of $655K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation says it supports creative approaches to climate challenges and seeks transformative ideas at their inception. Its website lists equitable mobility, public space, climate resilience, and food security as grant themes.
Its 2025 grants included support for organizations working in areas such as river restoration, sustainable transportation, public transit, and public space. For example, the Bronx River Alliance describes its mission as protecting, improving, and restoring the Bronx River corridor as an ecological, recreational, educational, and economic resource. An individual recipient says it works to make New York City streets safe, sustainable, and equitable places to walk, bike, take transit, gather, and thrive. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 28 grants totaling $464,076. Grants ranged from $200 to $50,000, with a median of $17,500. Among the largest were $50,000 to Bronx River Alliance, $40,000 to Shared-Use Mobility Center, $30,000 to an individual recipient, and $25,000 to American Forests. Other grants included $23,000 to an individual recipient and $22,326 to Climate Ride.
The foundation’s website says proposals are accepted by invitation only, but that it will review a one-page letter of interest. It also says fellowships are granted by board nomination only. The foundation states on its filing that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Alison E Sant-Johnson as president, Richard R Johnson as treasurer, and Emma-Louise Anderson as a director. The foundation’s website identifies Anderson as executive director.
The Seed Fund Grants Inc is led by Alison E. Sant-Johnson, President on every filing since 2020; 1 of 3 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Alison E. Sant-Johnson
President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Emma-Louise Anderson
Director
On filings since 2020
26 hrs/week
$106K (2020) → $137K (2025)
Richard R. Johnson
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Courtney Fink (2020) — Director
- Former: Marina McDougall (2020) — Director
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $137K, to Emma-Louise Anderson (Director).
Frequently asked questions about The Seed Fund Grants Inc
How much does The Seed Fund Grants Inc give each year?
The Seed Fund Grants Inc gave $464K across 28 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $403K across 29 grants.
What is The Seed Fund Grants Inc's typical grant size?
The Seed Fund Grants Inc's median grant in 2025 was $17,500, and its average grant was $16,574, across 28 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Seed Fund Grants Inc that year got $10K on average.
Where does The Seed Fund Grants Inc give grants?
The Seed Fund Grants Inc gives mostly in New York: 65% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were California (12%) and District of Columbia (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (13 grants), Brooklyn, NY (4 grants) and Washington, DC (3 grants).
Does The Seed Fund Grants Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 50% of The Seed Fund Grants Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (14 of 28) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Seed Fund Grants Inc's largest grantees?
The Seed Fund Grants Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Bronx River Alliance ($50,000), Transportation Alternatives ($50,000 across 4 grants) and Shared-Use Mobility Center ($40,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 30% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Seed Fund Grants Inc?
The Seed Fund Grants Inc reported $9.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $743K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $655K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Seed Fund Grants Inc fund?
The foundation says it supports creative approaches to climate challenges and seeks transformative ideas at their inception. Its website lists equitable mobility, public space, climate resilience, and food security as grant themes. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Seed Fund Grants Inc?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Seed Fund Grants Inc's EIN?
The Seed Fund Grants Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 35-2285618. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Seed Fund Grants Inc 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 September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 12, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 5, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 13, 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 12, 2026)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Seed Fund Grants Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-seed-fund-grants-inc-morg_7ade5410dee74ff0939bff54ff05f0ab
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_352285618_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Seed Fund Grants Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-seed-fund-grants-inc-morg_7ade5410dee74ff0939bff54ff05f0ab},
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 The Seed Fund Grants 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.
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