Share of Foundation Grant Dollars to Climate and Clean Energy (U.S., Annual)

## What this measures

Of classified grant dollars on Form 990-PF Part XV, the share whose stated purpose or recipient's registered name mentions climate, clean or renewable energy, emissions, carbon, decarbonization, solar or wind energy. It is a subset that cuts across themes. A tax year is the year a return's tax period begins; it is published once the IRS has posted the two following years of returns. E-filing became required for tax years from 2020, so the series starts there. Tax year 2021 is left out: the IRS's 2022 e-file release holds about two-thirds of the returns its own index lists, so roughly 30% of 2021 returns are missing from the public data. A year is published only when at least 97% of the returns the IRS index lists for it were read.

## Why it matters

Climate philanthropy has been one of the fastest-discussed areas of giving; this measures it from the grants themselves.

## How to read it

The series starts in tax year 2020 at 1.0%. The latest reading, for tax year 2024, is 1.5%. The high is 1.9% (tax year 2022) and the low 1.0% (tax year 2020).

## What it does not say

Climate work under a general purpose ("general support" to an environmental group) is missed unless the recipient's name says it, so the share understates climate giving.

## Source

IRS Form 990 series e-file returns (Form 990-PF), tax years 2020 on, read and totalled by Palanor; one return per foundation per tax year, the latest filed. U.S. Government work, public domain. Source: Internal Revenue Service.