New York · Public charity
The Solar Foundation
To accelerate adoption of the world's most abundant energy source: the sun. Through our leadership, research, and capacity building, we create transformative solutions to achieve a prosperous future in which solar and solar-compatible technologies are integrated into all aspects of our lives.
- $394k
- Granted FY2021
- 10
- Grants FY2021
- 10
- Organizations funded FY2021
- 0%
- First-time grantees FY2021
- Median grant, FY2021
- $32,432
- Largest grant, FY2021
- $104,219
- Organizations funded a year
- 8 to 14
- FY2017 to FY2021
- States reached, FY2021
- 7
How open it is to new grantees
In FY2021, 0% of the organizations The Solar Foundation funded were first-time grantees, receiving 0% of its grant dollars.
New vs renewed · share of each year
In FY2021, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 went to new ones.
Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant
How this is measured
The numbers by year
| Fiscal year | Organizations funded | To those organizations | First-time grantees |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2021 | 10 | $394k | 0% |
| FY2020 | 11 | $1.0M | 27% |
| FY2019 | 8 | $711k | 13% |
| FY2018 | 12 | $681k | 17% |
| FY2017 | 14 | $1.5M | n/a |
What it funded, over time
Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2021.
Where its grants go
Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.
Which US states its grants reach
Top grantees
Largest recipients by total granted, FY2017 to FY2021, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.
| Grantee | Total granted | Years | Share of their budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meister Consultants Group Inc | $1,131,336 | 5 | n/a |
| Alliance for Sustainable Energy LLC | $607,114 | 4 | 0% |
| National League of Cities Institute Inc | $435,075 | 5 | 2% |
| Solar Energy Industries Association | $261,718 | 3 | 1% |
| US Chamber of Commerce Foundation | $233,120 | 2 | 0% |
| National Association of Counties Research Foundation | $214,248 | 4 | 1% |
| Psi Chi the National Honor Society in Psycology | $189,166 | 2 | n/a |
| Regulatory Assistance Project | $171,317 | 5 | 1% |
| National Association of Counties | $168,020 | 1 | 1% |
| Electric Power Research Institute Inc | $147,130 | 5 | 0% |
Show all 19 grantees
| Grantee | Total granted | Years | Share of their budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meister Consultants Group Inc | $1,131,336 | 5 | n/a |
| Alliance for Sustainable Energy LLC | $607,114 | 4 | 0% |
| National League of Cities Institute Inc | $435,075 | 5 | 2% |
| Solar Energy Industries Association | $261,718 | 3 | 1% |
| US Chamber of Commerce Foundation | $233,120 | 2 | 0% |
| National Association of Counties Research Foundation | $214,248 | 4 | 1% |
| Psi Chi the National Honor Society in Psycology | $189,166 | 2 | n/a |
| Regulatory Assistance Project | $171,317 | 5 | 1% |
| National Association of Counties | $168,020 | 1 | 1% |
| Electric Power Research Institute Inc | $147,130 | 5 | 0% |
| Grid Alternatives | $136,429 | 2 | n/a |
| North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners Inc | $134,727 | 2 | 5% |
| National Association of Workforce Boards | $93,290 | 2 | 3% |
| University of Central Florida | $84,415 | 2 | n/a |
| Solar Energy International | $68,573 | 3 | n/a |
| American Association of Community Colleges | $55,591 | 2 | 0% |
| Clean Energy Solutions Inc | $39,233 | 1 | n/a |
| Urban Ingenuity | $13,052 | 1 | n/a |
| Mid-America Regional Council | $5,235 | 1 | n/a |
Plus 1 recipient with no EIN on record ($141k), not named here.
Where it is load-bearing
Each grantee by its size and the share of its budget The Solar Foundation supplied at peak.
Tap a dot to name the grantee.
How this is measured
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 set of overlaps that mostly run through this funder rather than between each other.
Open a dossier: Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund
How this is measured
Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus
How do I get to The Solar Foundation?
Find your warmest path to The Solar 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 The Solar Foundation
- How much does The Solar Foundation give?
- The Solar Foundation reported 10 grants totaling $394,421 in its FY2021 IRS filing. It funded between 8 and 14 organizations a year over FY2017 to FY2021.
- What does The Solar Foundation fund?
- By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2021, its largest causes are Science & Tech (53%), Environment (19%), Public Benefit (15%).
- Who are The Solar Foundation's largest grantees?
- By total granted over FY2017 to FY2021: Meister Consultants Group Inc ($1.1M), Alliance for Sustainable Energy LLC ($607k), National League of Cities Institute Inc ($435k).
- Does The Solar Foundation fund new organizations?
- In FY2021, 0% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
- Which funders back the same organizations as The Solar Foundation?
- Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund.
- Where is The Solar Foundation based?
- The Solar Foundation is based in NY.
Play a game based on Solar’s filings →