17 of 62 organizations The Lemelson Foundation funded in FY2024 had not been funded in the prior 3 years.
Across all compared years the rate is 34.4%. Foundations of a similar size sit at 31.9%.
| Recipient | Amount |
|---|---|
| NATIONAL COLLEGIATE INVENTORS & INNOVATORS ALLIANCE | $2,959,932 |
| NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION | $1,650,000 |
| ALLIANCE FOR TRIBAL CLEAN ENERGY INCnew | $1,250,000 |
| MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY | $1,150,000 |
| ROCKY MOUNTAIN INSTITUTE | $1,000,000 |
| ROCKEFELLER PHILANTHROPY ADVISORS INCnew | $750,000 |
| WILLIAM MARSH RICE UNIVERSITY | $600,000 |
| KENYA IMPACT INNOVATIONS FOUNDATION | $599,520 |
| PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION | $506,241 |
| CLIMATE BREAKTHROUGH INC | $500,000 |
| SUSTAINABLE ENERGY FOR ALL VEREIN FUR NACHHALTIGE ENERGIE | $500,000 |
| OIL CHANGE INTERNATIONALnew | $500,000 |
| ROCKEFELLER FAMILY FUND INCnew | $500,000 |
| SEEDING JUSTICEnew | $500,000 |
| CLEARPATH INC | $400,000 |
| SELCO FOUNDATION | $395,740 |
| THE EDISON INSTITUTE INC | $386,370 |
| VILLGRO INNOVATIONS FOUNDATIONnew | $375,594 |
| WINDWARD FUND | $360,000 |
| ACTION FOR THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY INCnew | $350,000 |
| ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND INCORPORATED | $300,000 |
| NEW VENTURE FUNDnew | $300,000 |
| NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO INC | $250,000 |
| CLEAN AIR TASK FORCE INCnew | $250,000 |
| AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR ENGINEERING EDUCATION | $242,206 |
Showing the 25 largest of 62 grants.
Every US private foundation files Form 990-PF, and Part XV of that return itemises each grant it paid, with the recipient's name. Lining those lists up across filing years shows which organizations were funded for the first time.
That does work the application checkbox cannot. Whether a foundation says it accepts unsolicited proposals is self-reported and never audited. The grant ledger is behaviour.
Every figure here comes from your own filings. If one looks wrong I would rather hear it than keep publishing it — write to me and I will show you the filings and the arithmetic behind it, and correct it if it is off.