Western Conservation Action
Denver, CO · EIN 20-8091495. Reported 158 grants totalling $9,324,365 to 88 organizations across tax years 2021-2024, on Form 990 Schedule I.
Does this grantmaker accept applications?
Its tax return does not say, and we will not guess. Private foundations file Form 990-PF, which asks outright whether they fund only organizations they select themselves -- 78% say yes, and that one answer is what lets the rest of this site tell you which foundations are worth approaching. Grantmaking charities like this one file a regular Form 990 instead, and the IRS never puts the question to them. Anyone claiming to know the answer from the filing is inventing it.
Three things in the filing do bear on it:
- What kind of organization it is. For Western Conservation Action, the IRS classifies it under civil rights rather than as a grantmaker (NTEE R40) -- it is an operating charity that also makes grants.
- How spread out its giving is. 88 distinct organizations, with 8% of the dollars going to the largest single recipient. That is genuinely spread out -- the mark of a funder making many independent decisions rather than underwriting one institution.
- How much its list changes. 47% of one year's grantees are funded again the next, across 3 year-to-year transitions. That is below the 57% median for grantmaking charities, and well below the 67% private foundations manage. A list that turns over this much is one a newcomer can realistically join.
How big are its grants?
The median reported grant is $40,000. Half of what it reported fell between $25,000 and $75,000; the smallest was $6,000 and the largest $420,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong organization.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by the EIN the filer reported, not by name, so an organization that was typed differently in two years appears once rather than twice.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rural Utah Project | Salt Lake City, UT | $750,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Western Way Action | Englewood, CO | $513,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Progressnow New Mexico | Albuquerque, NM | $427,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| League of Conservation Voters Inc | Washington, DC | $420,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Center for Civic Action | Albuquerque, NM | $404,000 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| 350 Colorado Action | Boulder, CO | $316,600 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Arizona Technology Council | Phoenix, AZ | $259,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Public Citizen Inc | Washington, DC | $255,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Mormon Women for Ethical Government | Salt Lake City, UT | $252,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Stewardship Utah | S Salt Lake, UT | $250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| New Mexico Wild Action Fund | Albuquerque, NM | $231,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Arizonans for a Clean Economy | Phoenix, AZ | $220,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Sierra Club | Oakland, CA | $193,000 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Greenlatinos | Boulder, CO | $175,965 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Wildearth Guardians | Santa Fe, NM | $170,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada Action Fund | Las Vegas, NV | $155,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Vetsforward Civic Action | Phoenix, AZ | $155,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Progressnow Colorado | Denver, CO | $154,500 | 4 | 3 | 2024 |
| National Wildlife Federation Action Fund | Washington, DC | $150,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Working Families Organization Inc | Brooklyn, NY | $142,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Western Organization of Resource Councils | Billings, MT | $140,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Solar United Neighbors Action | Washington, DC | $135,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Vet Voice Foundation | Portland, OR | $132,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Reno Sparks Chamber of Commerce | Reno, NV | $130,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Conservation Colorado | Denver, CO | $120,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Rep Environmental Education Foundation | Oakton, VA | $119,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Colorado Communities for Climate Action | Golden, CO | $115,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Copirg Citizen Lobby Inc | Denver, CO | $114,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Wild Montana Action Fund | Helena, MT | $113,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Mt Mountain Mamas | Bozeman, MT | $105,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Make the Road States Inc | Brooklyn, NY | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Colorado Rising for Communities | Denver, CO | $93,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Friends of the Earth | Washington, DC | $90,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Cultivando | Eastlake, CO | $76,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Western Resource Advocates | Boulder, CO | $76,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Amargosa Land Trust | Shoshone, CA | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Federation of State Conservation Voter Leagues Inc | Washington, DC | $75,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Good Business Colorado Association | Wheat Ridge, CO | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Make the Road Action Fund Inc | Brooklyn, NY | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Nevada Conservation League Education Fund | Las Vegas, NV | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Spirit of the Sun Inc | Denver, CO | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Federation of State Conservation Voter Leagues Inc | Santa Fe, NM | $71,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| America Votes | Washington, DC | $70,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Climate Advocates Voces Unidas | Universal Cty, TX | $70,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Good Business Colorado | Denver, CO | $70,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Solar United Neighbors | Washington, DC | $67,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Colorado School of Mines Foundation | Golden, CO | $60,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Logic Action | Erie, CO | $55,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| New Mexico Ethics Watch | Albuquerque, NM | $55,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Forward Action Fund | Concord, NH | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Healthy Air and Water Colorado | Denver, CO | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Trout Unlimited Inc | Arlington, VA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Strong Towns | Brainerd, MN | $45,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Utah Clean Energy Alliance Inc | Salt Lake Cty, UT | $45,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| 350 Colorado | Boulder, CO | $42,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Renewable Energy Owners Coalition of America | Pueblo, CO | $41,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Faith in Colorado | Denver, CO | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| League of Oil and Gas Impacted Coloradans | Erie, CO | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Protect Our Winters Action Fund | Boulder, CO | $40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership Inc | Washington, DC | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Tuleyome | Woodland, CA | $35,800 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Greenpeace Inc | Washington, DC | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Nm Native Vote | Albuquerque, NM | $33,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Coalition to Protect Americas National Parks | Washington, DC | $32,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Montana Public Interest Research Group | Missoula, MT | $32,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Clean Energy Economy for the Region | Carbondale, CO | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Partnership for Responsible Business | Santa Fe, NM | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Taxpayers for Common Sense Action | Washington, DC | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Western Colorado Alliance | Grand Jct, CO | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Vet Voice Foundation Inc | Washington, DC | $27,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Arizona Public Interest Research Gr | Gilbert, AZ | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Local First Arizona Foundation | Phoenix, AZ | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Nfria Wserc Conservation Center Inc | Paonia, CO | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Searchlight New Mexico | Santa Fe, NM | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Western Environmental Law Center | Eugene, OR | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Colorado Latino Forum | Denver, CO | $22,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Center for Economic and Policy Research | Washington, DC | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Earthworks Action Fund | Washington, DC | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| National Wildlife Federation | Reston, VA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Blue Wave Postcard Movement | Boulder, CO | $18,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Rocky Mountain Wild Incorporated | Denver, CO | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| The Healthier United Fund | Denver, CO | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Colorado Fiscal Institute | Denver, CO | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Pfaltzgraff Farms LLC | Haxtun, CO | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| San Juan Citizens Alliance | Durango, CO | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Progressnow Colorado Education | Denver, CO | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance Inc | E Glacier Pk, MT | $7,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Western Leaders Network | Durango, CO | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
36 of 88 (41%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold. Remember the $5,000 floor: an organization funded every year at $3,000 shows up here as never funded at all.
What kind of organizations it funds
By each recipient's own IRS classification, for the 59 of 88 recipients we could match to a registered organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses -- Schedule I reports the recipient's EIN, so this is a lookup rather than a name match.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants reported | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 51 | $2,412,600 | $32,000 |
| 2022 | 38 | $2,267,465 | $32,750 |
| 2023 | 33 | $1,902,300 | $50,000 |
| 2024 | 36 | $2,742,000 | $55,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- Form 990 arrives about a year after the year it covers, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a grantmaker winding down.
Where its money goes
27% of its giving went to organizations in Colorado. Community foundations and federated funds are usually the most geographically bounded funders there are -- being outside the footprint is normally disqualifying in a way that a weak programme fit is not.
Down to the city
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Funders that support the same organizations
These grantmakers and private foundations gave to organizations this one also funded. Shared grantees are the strongest signal available that two funders have overlapping priorities -- and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.
How to approach this grantmaker
- Look for a published programme first. Unlike most private foundations, organizations of this kind often do run open, deadlined grant cycles with written guidelines. Its own website is the authority on that; this page is the authority on who it has actually paid.
- Check you are its size. The median reported grant is $40,000 -- and because grants under $5,000 need not be reported, it very likely writes smaller cheques than this page can see.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving concentrates in Colorado.
- Read the recipient list for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer and a cheap one to get.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Western Conservation Action's own Form 990 Schedule I filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Nothing here is scraped, inferred or estimated.
On its most recent return it told the IRS it made grants to 9 section 501(c)(3) organizations and 27 other organizations. That is the filer's own count for one year; the totals above cover every year we hold.
Address of record on the latest return: 1675 Larimer Street 420, Denver, CO, 80202.
EIN 20-8091495 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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