Woodard & Curran Foundation

What Woodard & Curran Foundation does

Woodard & Curran Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization (EIN: 27-2130228) established in 2010 and headquartered in Portland, Maine, that operates as a volunteer-led grantmaking intermediary for environmental nonprofits. The foundation is funded almost entirely through donations from employees of Woodard & Curran, Inc., a closely affiliated environmental engineering firm, supplemented by a corporate matching program (dollar-for-dollar, with a double match for first-time donors), planned giving via the Silver Society, stock transfers through a Fidelity Investments brokerage account, and charitable IRA rollovers. In 2024, 410 employee donors contributed $123,000 and the parent company matched with $130,000; total assets reached $1,000,000 with managed investments of $900,000 under the guidance of Starboard Advisors of Portland, ME.

The foundation's product surface is a tiered grant portfolio: flagship Impact Grants of $75,000–$100,000 awarded to environmental nonprofits for water protection, watershed restoration, and climate adaptation projects (shifted in 2022 from a three-year to a one-year period of performance); Giving While Living Grants of $10,000 each distributed annually to ten environmental nonprofits nominated and selected by Woodard & Curran employees; smaller regional and micro grants ($1,500–$2,300) for community-level projects; and a newer Environmental Justice Grants track. Cumulative grant commitments since founding exceed $1.9 million across roughly 20+ recipient organizations spanning at least 12 U.S. states, including Tribal Nation grantees on the Navajo Nation.

Operations are lean by design: the foundation is governed by an 18-member volunteer board of directors with 40 additional committee volunteers, supported by a single contract Foundation Administrator. There is no permanent physical office (the Mountfort Street Portland address is a mailing address), no proprietary technology platform, and no disclosed digital product. Communications run through a Squarespace-hosted website and a low-volume email newsletter. Barry Sheff serves as President of the Board, with Sam Olney (Vice President), Christine Kohne (Treasurer), and Laura Tessier (Secretary) rounding out officer roles.

Name

Woodard & Curran Foundation

Legal name

Woodard & Curran Foundation

Website

https://woodardcurranfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Woodard & Curran Foundation is a volunteer-led 501(c)(3) grantmaking organization that funds environmental nonprofits protecting water and natural resources through employee-donor contributions and corporate matching from parent firm Woodard & Curran, Inc.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Grantmaking Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Environmental grantmaking
• Water protection funding
• Nonprofit foundation grants
• Watershed conservation
• Charitable philanthropy

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Employee Donations: The foundation's primary financial support comes from Woodard & Curran, Inc. employees who pledge and donate. In 2024, 410 employees pledged and gave $123,000, which was matched by Woodard & Curran, Inc. for an additional $130,000.
2. Corporate Matching: Woodard & Curran, Inc. matches employee contributions dollar-for-dollar and doubles the match for first-time donors.
3. Gifts of Stock: Donors can make gifts of stock through electronic transfer or certificate delivery to the foundation's Fidelity Investments account.
4. Charitable IRA Rollover: Taxpayers over 70½ can donate up to $100,000 directly from their IRA without treating the distribution as taxable income.
5. Deferred Gifts/Planned Giving: Members of the Silver Society remember the foundation through wills, bequests, charitable annuities, or gifts of life insurance.
6. Investment Income: The foundation maintains a conservative investment strategy with guidance from Starboard Advisors of Portland, ME. Investments totaled $900K at end of 2024.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Woodard & Curran Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation that pools tax-deductible donations from Woodard & Curran, Inc. employees, corporate matching gifts, and investment income to award grants to environmental nonprofits. Its grant portfolio includes flagship Impact Grants, Giving While Living Grants nominated by employees, and Environmental Justice Grants focused on water protection and conservation.

Product overview

Woodard & Curran Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that operates grant programs supporting nonprofit organizations protecting water and the environment. The Foundation's offerings include Impact Grants (major $100,000 grants for multi-year environmental projects), Giving While Living Grants ($10,000 awards to environmental nonprofits selected by employee donors), and Environmental Justice Grants. Total grant money committed since founding is approximately $1.9 million.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Impact Grants Flagship grant program awarding $75,000–$100,000 to environmental nonprofits for projects protecting water and the environment. Recipients have included Drylands Agroecology Research, Tó Nizhóní Ání, Florida Gulf Coast University Foundation, and University of Rhode Island Foundation.
• Giving While Living Grants Program awarding $10,000 grants to ten environmental nonprofits annually, with nominations driven by Woodard & Curran, Inc. employees. Honors the foundation's largest donor group and has supported organizations including Friends of Casco Bay, Change Is Simple, Ridge to Reefs, St. Francis House, and Ocean Research Project.
• Environmental Justice Grants Targeted grants supporting environmental justice and racial equity initiatives, exemplified by funding for organizations such as Blue Sky Fund that center youth of color in environmental programming.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $1.9M in grants committed since 2010
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Fidelity InvestmentssupportingOthersFidelity Investments serves as the brokerage for the foundation's stock gift program. Donors can electronically transfer stock shares (DTC: 0226, Account: 676-041958) or mail certificates.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Surdna Foundation: Family foundation funding environment, inclusive economies, and arts programs, with a long history of supporting water and climate initiatives. Comparable as a US-based grantmaker with environmental program focus.
• Tides Foundation: One of the largest environmental and social-justice grantmaking foundations in the US, with assets in the hundreds of millions. Directly comparable mission (water, climate, environmental justice) but operates at far greater scale and complexity.
• Charles Stewart Mott Foundation: Large private foundation with environment program focused on water protection in the Great Lakes region. Comparable in water-focused environmental grantmaking, though with much larger geographic and financial footprint.
• Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies: Large private foundation with significant grantmaking in environment and water-related programs. Comparable in grantmaking focus on environmental conservation and water resources, though with substantially greater endowment.
• The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation: Major national grantmaker funding environmental conservation and climate work among other program areas. Comparable as a multi-issue grantmaking foundation with environmental funding, though at vastly larger scale.

Direct peers

• REI Cooperative Action Fund: REI's nonprofit arm funding outdoor stewardship and environmental projects, supported by member donations and corporate contributions. Comparable as a co-op/corporate-affiliated environmental grantmaker with a member/donor-driven funding model.
• Patagonia Foundation: Environmental grantmaking foundation tied to a corporate parent (Patagonia), funded by employee and corporate donations to support grassroots environmental activism. Directly comparable in mission, funding model, and corporate-affiliation structure.

Emerging players

• Cedar Tree Foundation: Small-to-mid-sized environmental grantmaker funding water, climate, and conservation work. Comparable in size and mission focus on water and environmental protection, operating with similar lean structure.
• The Grantham Foundation: Environmental grantmaker focused on climate change and natural systems protection. Comparable as a specialized environmental funder with similar thematic focus on water and ecosystem protection, though funded by a single donor's wealth rather than corporate employees.
• Bullitt Foundation: Seattle-based environmental foundation focused on the Pacific Northwest with significant water/climate programming. Comparable as a regionally-concentrated environmental grantmaker, though with larger endowment and staff infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheWCfoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/WoodardCurranFoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Woodard & Curran Foundation