Who funds Defenders of Wildlife?
Washington, District of Columbia · EIN 53-0183181 · NTEE D300 · 501(c)(3)
207 private foundations paid Defenders of Wildlife 403 grants on IRS Form 990-PF returns for tax year 2022 or later, $9.8M in all. Its IRS activity code (NTEE D300) places it in animal welfare.
All years on file, including returns before 2022.
Work on animal welfare in District of Columbia? Find your own funders
The free match compares your mission, state and budget with each foundation's grants and starts from animal welfare in District of Columbia. Change them to fit your nonprofit.
Foundations that funded it
The 200 largest by total, of 208 on file.
Show 175 more foundations
Largest grants since 2022
Largest first. The purpose is what the foundation wrote on its return, for the tax year shown.
- Doolin Foundation for Biodiversity · 2023 - For habitat and species protection$2,000,000
- Head & Heart Foundation Tr · 2025 - General support$450,000
- Head & Heart Foundation Tr · 2024 - General support$450,000
- Head & Heart Foundation Tr · 2023 - General support$400,000
- The Shared Earth Foundation · 2025 - To provide support for the wildlife defense and restoration act; protecting wildlife now and preparing to reverse damage done to them and…$350,000
- The Volgenau Foundation · 2023 - Alaska program and protecting select predators in the southwest and florida$350,000
- Carroll Petrie Foundation · 2024 - New mexico & arizona programs$300,000
- The Shared Earth Foundation · 2024 - To provide support for the wildlife defense and restoration act; protecting wildlife now and preparing to reverse damage done to them and…$275,000
- The Volgenau Foundation · 2024 - Protecting alaskas biodiversity and restoring imperiled species$250,000
- Carroll Petrie Foundation · 2023 - Work in New Mexico and Arizona$250,000
- The Holocene Foundation · 2024 - General operating funds$200,000
- The Holocene Foundation · 2023 - General operating funds$200,000
- The Volgenau Foundation · 2024 - Recovering two icons of wild america, the florida panther and the mexican gray wolf$150,000
- Wilburforce Foundation · 2024 - Environmental - coexistence with wildlife and mexican wolf recovery 2024$150,000
- Mwc Foundation Inc #0726315 · 2024 - Wildlife conservation in the rockies and plains/southern rockies wolf strategic plan$150,000
- Mwc Foundation Inc #0726315 · 2023 - Wildlife conservation in the rockies and plains/southern rockies wolf strategic plan$150,000
- Mwc Foundation Inc #0726315 · 2022 - Wildlife conservation in the rockies and plains/southern rockies wolf strategic plan$125,000
- Wilburforce Foundation · 2023 - Environmental - coexistence with wildlife and mexican wolf recovery 2023$120,000
- Keefe Family Foundation · 2025 - To enable the donees to carry-out their tax exempt purposes.$100,000
- The Pritchard Foundation · 2024 - Unrestricted charitable puproses$100,000
- The Pritchard Foundation · 2023 - Unrestricted charitable puproses$100,000
- Keefe Family Foundation · 2024 - To enable the donees to carry-out their tax exempt purposes.$80,000
- The James Family Charitable Foundation · 2023 - General$80,000
- Msb Cockayne Fund Inc · 2024 - To further one or more of the exempt purposes of the charity$75,000
- Fondation Dune Inc · 2024 - General operating support$75,000
Organizations the same foundations fund
Organizations paid by many of the same foundations since 2022, by how much their lists of funders overlap.
- Wilderness SocietyWashington, DC · 47 shared funders
- Animal Legal Defense FundSacramento, CA · 35 shared funders
- National Wildlife FederationReston, VA · 65 shared funders
- Farm Sanctuary IncWatkins Glen, NY · 31 shared funders
- African Wildlife FoundationWashington, DC · 32 shared funders
- American Rivers IncWashington, DC · 30 shared funders
- Ocean Conservancy IncWashington, DC · 42 shared funders
- World Wildlife Fund IncWashington, DC · 85 shared funders
By tax year of the funder's return
| Year | Grants | Foundations | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 72 | 71 | $1.3M |
| 2024 | 154 | 143 | $3.3M |
| 2023 | 166 | 153 | $5.1M |
| 2022 | 11 | 11 | $170K |
| 2021 | 3 | 3 | $5,720 |
More funders nearby
How this page is made
Each grant comes from a foundation's IRS Form 990-PF and was linked to this EIN only when this was the single organization in the IRS Business Master File with that name in that state. Grants written under a different spelling, or where several organizations share the name, are not counted here, so the real totals can be higher. Government grants and gifts from individuals do not appear on these returns.
- IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search for EIN 53-0183181
- IRS Business Master File record updated Nov 9, 2026; listed in Publication 78 (eligible for deductible contributions)
Facts on this page come from the foundation's own IRS Form 990-PF filings as published by the IRS. Grantvello does not know whether a foundation is accepting proposals right now: a past grant is not an open opportunity. Always confirm current guidelines with the funder before applying.