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Utah · Private foundation

Ruth Brown Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$723k
Granted FY2025(still arriving)
32
Grants FY2025
65
Organizations funded FY2024
45%
First-time grantees FY2024
Read the full brief
Median grant, FY2025
$10,000
Largest grant, FY2025
$250,000
Organizations funded a year
49 to 67
FY2018 to FY2024
States reached, FY2025
8
Total assets, FY2025
$4.1M
Applications
Preselected organizations only
Per its most recent filing; check its own site

How open it is to new grantees

In FY2024, 45% of the organizations Ruth Brown Foundation funded were first-time grantees, receiving 44% of its grant dollars.

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 56% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $174k went to new ones.

50%100%’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
EnvironmentInternationalHuman ServicesCommunity ImprovementCivil RightsCrime & LegalOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.
The numbers by year
Fiscal yearOrganizations fundedTo those organizationsFirst-time grantees
FY2025still arriving30$463k23%
FY202465$393k45%
FY202361$384k28%
FY202252$287k37%
FY202149$257k10%
FY202067$392k39%
FY201953$403k26%
FY201855$294k33%
100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Environment$2.7MPhilanthropy$263kArts & Culture$70kCommunity Improvement$64kHealth$49kScience & Tech$44kRecreation & Sports$35kPublic Benefit$33kOther$0

Where its grants go

Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.

Which US states its grants reach

VT
MI
NY
MA
OR
CA
UT
CO
VA
AZ
NM
DC
HI

Top grantees

Largest recipients by total granted, FY2017 to FY2025, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.

Show all 94 grantees
All grantees of Ruth Brown Foundation by total granted
GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Natural Resources Defense Council Inc$165,00090%
Earthjustice$122,00070%
Conservation Colorado$120,00062%
Western Resource Advocates$93,00080%
Center for Biological Diversity Inc$89,00080%
Environmental Defense Fund Incorporated$82,50080%
San Juan Citizens Alliance$58,00092%
Citizens Climate Education Corp$55,00040%
Creede Repertory Theatre$50,00051%
The Grand Canyon Trust Inc$47,50050%
Aspen Center for Environmental Studies$47,50080%
Lawyers for Good Government Inc$44,0001n/a
Protect Our Winters$43,00081%
Crested Butte Land Trust$42,50081%
Conservation Colorado Education Fund$40,00031%
San Juan Mountains Association$39,00041%
Canyonlands Field Institute Inc$34,00081%
Psephos Inc$32,00029%
Our Children's Trust$30,00014%
Vermont Natural Resources Council Inc$30,00070%
Community Environmental Council$29,50070%
The Union of Concerned Scientists Inc$29,00050%
Population Connection$29,00080%
Oceana Inc$28,00050%
Environmental Defense Center$27,50060%
Colorado Open Lands$27,50030%
Friends of Cedar Mesa$26,00041%
Trails 2000 Inc$24,00062%
Sierra Club Foundation$20,00020%
Durango Nature Studies$19,00034%
Great Old Broads for Wilderness$19,00052%
Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah$17,00061%
Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust$16,00030%
The Ojai Valley Land Conservancy$15,00020%
American Rivers Inc$15,00020%
Vote Solar$15,00020%
Signal Tech Coalition$15,0001n/a
Heal the Ocean Inc$15,00041%
Wilderness Workshop$15,00020%
Growing Empowerment$15,0001n/a
Institute for Sustainable Communities$15,00030%
Friends of the Earth$14,00030%
350 Vermont Inc$13,00070%
Conservation Law Foundation Inc$12,50050%
Sustainable Crested Butte Inc$12,5006n/a
Aspen Valley Land Trust$12,00020%
Community Rebuilds$12,00041%
Living Rivers$11,00024%
Moab Healthcare Foundation$10,00014%
Rural Education Action Project$10,00092%
Utah Open Lands Conservation Association Inc$10,00011%
Crested Butte Nordic Council$10,00020%
Sierra Club$10,00030%
United Nations Foundation Inc$10,00020%
High Country News$9,00030%
Rios to Rivers$8,00042%
West Harlem Environmental Action Inc$7,50020%
Youth Garden Project$7,00021%
Wabisabi Inc$7,00021%
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society$7,00020%
Direct Relief$5,00010%
Moab Solutions Inc$5,00032%
San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council Inc$5,00015%
Rutland West Neighborhood Housing Services Inc$5,00010%
Four Winds Nature Institute Inc$5,00050%
The Story of Stuff Project$5,00010%
Friends of Arches&Canyonlands Parks Bates Wilson Legacy Fund$5,00011%
Aspen Historical Society$5,00010%
The Access Fund$5,00010%
Western Colorado Alliance$5,00010%
Third Act Education Fund Inc$5,0001n/a
Vermont Council on Rural Development Inc$5,00010%
350org$5,00010%
Center for Climate and Energy Solutions Inc$5,00010%
The Alliance for Climate Protection$5,00010%
Earth Island Institute Inc$5,00010%
Greenpeace Inc$5,00010%
Rocky Mountain Institute$5,00010%
Rainforest Action Network$5,00010%
Colorado State University Foundation$5,00010%
Sunrise Movement Education Fund$5,00010%
Ecoflight$3,50020%
Moab Trails Alliance$3,0003n/a
Canyonlands Natural History Assoc$2,50010%
The Population Institute Inc$2,50010%
Environmental Defense Action Fund$2,0001n/a
The Solar Foundation$2,00010%
Eco-Cycle Inc$2,00010%
Energy Action Network Inc$2,00011%
The Surfrider Foundation$2,00010%
Vermont Wilderness School$1,00010%
Torrey House Press$1,00010%
Alliance for a Better Utah Inc$1,00011%
Creede Historical Society Inc$7001n/a

What it could do for these grantees

Plus 90 recipients with no EIN on record ($1.1M), not named here.

Where it is load-bearing

Each grantee by its size and the share of its budget Ruth Brown Foundation supplied at peak.

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetNatural Resources Defense Council Inc: $165,000 over 9y, 0.0% of budgetEarthjustice: $122,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetConservation Colorado: $120,000 over 6y, 1.8% of budgetWestern Resource Advocates: $93,000 over 8y, 0.3% of budgetCenter for Biological Diversity Inc: $89,000 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetEnvironmental Defense Fund Incorporated: $82,500 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetSan Juan Citizens Alliance: $58,000 over 9y, 2.0% of budgetCitizens Climate Education Corp: $55,000 over 4y, 0.4% of budgetCreede Repertory Theatre: $50,000 over 5y, 0.9% of budgetThe Grand Canyon Trust Inc: $47,500 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetAspen Center for Environmental Studies: $47,500 over 8y, 0.3% of budgetProtect Our Winters: $43,000 over 8y, 0.6% of budgetCrested Butte Land Trust: $42,500 over 8y, 0.7% of budgetConservation Colorado Education Fund: $40,000 over 3y, 0.6% of budgetSan Juan Mountains Association: $39,000 over 4y, 1.0% of budgetCanyonlands Field Institute Inc: $34,000 over 8y, 1.0% of budgetPsephos Inc: $32,000 over 2y, 8.9% of budgetOur Children's Trust: $30,000 over 1y, 3.8% of budgetVermont Natural Resources Council Inc: $30,000 over 7y, 0.3% of budgetCommunity Environmental Council: $29,500 over 7y, 0.3% of budgetThe Union of Concerned Scientists Inc: $29,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetPopulation Connection: $29,000 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetOceana Inc: $28,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetEnvironmental Defense Center: $27,500 over 6y, 0.3% of budgetColorado Open Lands: $27,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetFriends of Cedar Mesa: $26,000 over 4y, 0.9% of budgetTrails 2000 Inc: $24,000 over 6y, 2.1% of budgetSierra Club Foundation: $20,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetDurango Nature Studies: $19,000 over 3y, 4.1% of budgetGreat Old Broads for Wilderness: $19,000 over 5y, 1.8% of budgetHealthy Environment Alliance of Utah: $17,000 over 6y, 0.9% of budgetRio Grande Headwaters Land Trust: $16,000 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetThe Ojai Valley Land Conservancy: $15,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetAmerican Rivers Inc: $15,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetVote Solar: $15,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetHeal the Ocean Inc: $15,000 over 4y, 0.5% of budgetWilderness Workshop: $15,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetInstitute for Sustainable Communities: $15,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetFriends of the Earth: $14,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budget350 Vermont Inc: $13,000 over 7y, 0.4% of budgetConservation Law Foundation Inc: $12,500 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetAspen Valley Land Trust: $12,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetCommunity Rebuilds: $12,000 over 4y, 0.7% of budgetLiving Rivers: $11,000 over 2y, 3.5% of budgetMoab Healthcare Foundation: $10,000 over 1y, 4.3% of budgetRural Education Action Project: $10,000 over 9y, 1.6% of budgetUtah Open Lands Conservation Association Inc: $10,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetCrested Butte Nordic Council: $10,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budget

Tap a dot to name the grantee.

How this is measured
Share of budget is the funder’s grant in a year over the grantee’s total revenue that year, at its highest across the years we hold; revenue is from all sources. Only grantees confirmed against their own filings, whose grants do not exceed their revenue, are plotted: the largest 86.

Nonprofits that may fit its grantmaking

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

PatagoniaorgCA41.3× affinity21 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Patagoniaorg · Colorado Gives Foundation · Alpenglow Foundation · Resources Legacy Fund · Maki Foundation · The Vermont Community Foundation · United States Energy Foundation · Aspen Business Center Foundation · Palladium Foundation · The New-Land Foundation Inc · The May Family Foundation · The Wilderness Society

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

Compare Ruth Brown Foundation with peer funders

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to Ruth Brown Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Ruth Brown Foundation through trustees and officers whose names appear on both boards. Search for your organization and Plinth traces the shortest route it can evidence.

Each link is a name appearing on two organizations’ public IRS 990 filings, matched on that name and, where the filings support it, on location. A same-state match has geographic support, which is a second matching feature rather than confirmation that the two are one person; a cross-state one is the likeliest to be two people who share a name. Every hop shows its tier, low-confidence and distant paths are held back rather than guessed, and it is worth confirming the person before you use the introduction.

About Ruth Brown Foundation

How much does Ruth Brown Foundation give?
Ruth Brown Foundation reported 32 grants totaling $722,500 in its FY2025 IRS filing. It funded between 49 and 67 organizations a year over FY2018 to FY2024.
What does Ruth Brown Foundation fund?
By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2025, its largest causes are Environment (80%), Philanthropy (8%), Arts & Culture (2%).
Who are Ruth Brown Foundation's largest grantees?
By total granted over FY2017 to FY2025: Natural Resources Defense Council Inc ($165k), Earthjustice ($122k), Conservation Colorado ($120k).
Does Ruth Brown Foundation fund new organizations?
In FY2024, 45% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
Does Ruth Brown Foundation accept unsolicited applications?
Its most recent filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and does not take unsolicited requests. Check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.
Which funders back the same organizations as Ruth Brown Foundation?
Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include Patagoniaorg, Colorado Gives Foundation, Alpenglow Foundation.
Where is Ruth Brown Foundation based?
Ruth Brown Foundation is based in UT.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 187 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

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