Zephyr Impact
Zephyr Impact is a Denver, Colorado-based public charity formed in 2021. It brings together donors, social entrepreneurs, and subject-matter experts to design philanthropic initiatives and support solutions to social issues; its 2025 filing describes work across leadership, conservation, and positive youth development.
Zephyr Impact at a glance
In short: Zephyr Impact gave $5.0M across 15 grants in 2025 (avg $336K), mostly in District of Columbia. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $5,043,500
- +1581.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 15
- +1400.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $336,233
- +12.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $300,000
- Total assets
- $3,678,856
- -43.9% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- District of Columbia (56% 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 Zephyr Impact
- How to Apply
-
The available Spark Cohort information describes a past program and does not provide a current application process.
- Contact
Mailing address: 244 Jackson St, Denver, CO 80206
Phone: (775) 446-7242
Website: https://zephyrimpact.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Zephyr Impact funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Amalgamated Charitable Foundation ($1.0M). Together the top 10 received $4.8M.
Grant Size Distribution
23 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $250–500K range: 9 grants of 23 (39%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Zephyr Impact’s 2023 Spark Cohort had a stated geographic scope of the United States. In 2025, grant dollars went to recipients in multiple locations: 56% to Washington, D.C.; 13% to Colorado; 10% to New York; 8% to Connecticut; and 6% to Puerto Rico.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Zephyr Impact gives
- Giving grew 1227% from 2022 to 2025. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990 filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2022 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $300K (2024) to $5.0M (2025). In 2025 it made 15 grants totaling $5.0M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Amalgamated Charitable Foundation Washington, DC | General Operating Support | $1,000,000 |
| New Venture Fund Washington, DC | General Operating Support | $1,000,000 |
| The Sarara Foundation Denver, CO | General Operating Support | $505,000 |
| National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector Hartford, CT | General Operating Support | $400,000 |
| Education Reimagined Washington, DC | General Operating Support | $400,000 |
| Montessori Public Policy Initiative Washington, DC | General Operating Support | $400,000 |
| The Indaba Education Fund Inc New York, NY | General Operating Support | $300,000 |
| PR Education Initiative Corp San Juan, PR | General Operating Support | $300,000 |
| South Dakota Education Equity Coalition Black Hawk, SD | General Operating Support | $300,000 |
| Kidogo Early Years Inc Brooklyn, NY | General Operating Support | $200,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Zephyr Impact?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $3,678,856 | $667,152 | $5,802,762 | $5,043,500 | 15 | $102,080 |
| 2024 | $6,560,623 | $6,975,216 | $1,014,319 | $300,000 | 1 | — |
| 2023 | $222,807 | $996,592 | $867,537 | $420,000 | 6 | — |
| 2022 | $123,627 | $699,546 | $605,794 | $380,000 | 1 | — |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
In its 2025 filing, Zephyr Impact describes its mission as designing ambitious, high-impact philanthropic initiatives to address urgent social issues and connecting and supporting donors, social entrepreneurs, and subject-matter experts to pursue system-wide solutions.
The organization’s website describes the Youth Wellbeing Project as an effort to address the youth mental health crisis, including through support for nonprofits serving traditionally underserved communities. Its 2025 filing says it supported the Youth Wellbeing Project, the Thriving Youth Initiative, and the Mindful Leadership Project, and awarded grants to organizations working in youth wellbeing, education, and conservation.
The 2025 grantees included organizations with varied missions. For example, Education Reimagined says it works to make learner-centered education available to every child in the United States. The South Dakota Education Equity Coalition describes a vision of innovative, equitable, and inclusive educational environments for Indigenous youth in South Dakota. Montessori Public Policy Initiative says it supports the Montessori community’s policy and advocacy work. These are grantees’ stated missions, not Zephyr Impact’s.
Grantmaking
In 2025, Zephyr Impact awarded $5,043,500 across 15 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $10,000 to $1,000,000, with a median of $300,000. The listed grants were for general operating support. The largest awards were $1,000,000 each to Amalgamated Charitable Foundation and New Venture Fund; $505,000 to The Sarara Foundation; and $400,000 each to National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector, Education Reimagined, and Montessori Public Policy Initiative.
The organization’s 2023 Spark Cohort was a separate, U.S.-wide initiative conducted with Harbourton Foundation. It offered $20,000 grants to eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofits that had operated for at least three years and served PK–12 students through school-related partnerships or programs. The stated interests included student mental and emotional wellness, positive school climate, social and emotional learning, and programs serving historically marginalized and economically disadvantaged communities. Applications for the 2023 cohort are closed; these are past-cycle details, not current application instructions.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Andrew Smiles as president; W Bradley Lawliss as secretary through July 2025; Joe Scantlebury as secretary; Robert Savage as treasurer; and Alison Powell as director.
Zephyr Impact is led by Andrew Smiles, President on every filing since 2022; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Andrew Smiles
President
On filings since 2022
30 hrs/week
$149K (2022) → $0 (2025)
Alison Powell
Director
Director - → Director, 2024
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Robert Savage
Treasurer
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
W. Bradley Lawliss
Secretary
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Joe Scantlebury
Secretary
Director - → Director, 2024
Director → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2022–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2022 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2022 filing was $149K, to Andrew Smiles (President).
Frequently asked questions about Zephyr Impact
How much does Zephyr Impact give each year?
Zephyr Impact gave $5.0M across 15 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $300K across 1 grant.
What is Zephyr Impact's typical grant size?
Zephyr Impact's median grant in 2025 was $300,000, and its average grant was $336,233, across 15 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does Zephyr Impact give grants?
Zephyr Impact gives mostly in District of Columbia: 56% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest states were Colorado (13%) and New York (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (4 grants) and Denver, CO (3 grants).
Does Zephyr Impact give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Zephyr Impact's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (15 of 15) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Who are Zephyr Impact's largest grantees?
Zephyr Impact's largest 2025 grantees include Amalgamated Charitable Foundation ($1,000,000), New Venture Fund ($1,000,000) and The Sarara Foundation ($505,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 50% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Zephyr Impact?
Zephyr Impact reported $3.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $667K.
What does Zephyr Impact fund?
In its 2025 filing, Zephyr Impact describes its mission as designing ambitious, high-impact philanthropic initiatives to address urgent social issues and connecting and supporting donors, social entrepreneurs, and subject-matter experts to pursue system-wide solutions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Zephyr Impact?
The available Spark Cohort information describes a past program and does not provide a current application process. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Zephyr Impact's EIN?
Zephyr Impact's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 87-0941650. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2022–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(5)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 31, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 14, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 7, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2022–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Zephyr Impact funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/zephyr-impact-morg_3afba3fd517f448aaa84b45f4c62a600
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_870941650_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Zephyr Impact funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/zephyr-impact-morg_3afba3fd517f448aaa84b45f4c62a600},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Zephyr Impact'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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