Woka Foundation

The Woka Foundation is a private climate philanthropy based in Newbury Park, California, that launched in 2020 with $4M in assets and reached $192M by 2024 — one of the most rapid asset accumulations in recent climate philanthropy. Despite carrying an IRS NTEE code of X01 (Religion — Alliance/Advocacy Organizations), the foundation's actual grantmaking is entirely focused on climate change. The religion classification likely reflects limited engagement with faith-based environmental organizing groups like Interfaith Power and Light (IPL) and the Regeneration Project's CoolCongregations program, which represent a small but intentional slice of the portfolio.

Leadership is lean and mission-driven: CEO and Director Rod Womer, Secretary/Treasurer and Director Barbara Karplus, and Director Krista Kurth all receive $0 compensation from the foundation. This is a small, values-led team — not an institutional bureaucracy — and relationship dynamics matter accordingly.

Woka's giving philosophy organizes around five pillars: climate action, innovation (early-stage science-based solutions), regenerative practices (land and ocean), gender equity, and education. Proposals that score highest appear to integrate multiple pillars simultaneously — a regenerative agriculture organization that foregrounds women farmer leadership and runs training programs hits three pillars in one pitch. The weakest applications are likely those that address only one dimension.

This is a relationship-driven funder above all else. Applications are accepted by invitation only, and Woka does not publish open solicitations or accept unsolicited proposals. Top grantees like Prime Coalition (6 grants, $6M), Green America (6 grants, $3.35M), and Ashoka (5 grants, $1.75M) have received repeated support across multiple years, demonstrating that Woka builds long-term partnerships rather than transactional awards. No organization in the database received a single large one-off grant without follow-on support.

First-time applicants face one primary hurdle: generating an invitation. The best pathways are warm introductions from current grantees (50+ organizations funded, creating a broad referral network), connection through intermediary networks Woka has explicitly funded (Funders for Regenerative Agriculture, RE-AMP Agriculture Hub), and attendance at climate and regenerative agriculture convenings where Woka staff are known to engage. Organizations should plan a 12-24 month relationship development arc before expecting a major grant commitment.

Woka has distributed at least $43.9M across 139 grants since 2020, representing one of the most aggressive climate philanthropy ramp-ups of the decade. Annual giving has tracked directly with asset growth and capital infusions:

• FY2020: $8.7M total giving (first full grant year; $71.3M in contributions received)
• FY2021: $16.3M total giving (87% growth; $48.7M new capital contribution)
• FY2022: $15.2M total giving (stable year; revenue negative as investment markets declined)
• FY2023: $19.8M total giving (new record; $26.8M revenue, $26.4M net investment income)
• FY2024: Assets surged from $129M to $192M — a $63M jump suggesting another major capital injection. Grants paid data is not yet filed, but the pattern implies 2025 giving could approach $25-30M.

Typical grant size: The median grant across a recent sample of 36 awards is $227,500, with an average of $297,083. The full range spans $25,000 (capacity-building floor) to $1.55M (largest single recorded grant). For first-time applicants, the $100,000-$300,000 range is the practical target. Multi-year accumulations for established partners routinely reach $1M-$6M.

Sector concentration: Regenerative agriculture and soil carbon commands the largest share — Green America ($3.35M), Center for Land-Based Learning ($775K), Mad Agriculture ($750K), The Land Institute ($750K), Quivira ($690K), Agroecology Fund ($600K), and Kiss the Ground ($100K) account for over $7M combined. Cleantech and entrepreneurship ecosystem building totals approximately $8M-plus (Prime Coalition, Activate, New Energy Nexus, Greentown, Vertue Lab, Forge, Deployus). Ocean and marine solutions account for roughly $3.3M (Climate Foundation, Mangrove Action Project, Conservation International, Greenwave).

Geography: California (34 grants), Massachusetts (30), New York (18), and Washington DC (11) dominate — reflecting established climate nonprofit ecosystems. Colorado (11) and Virginia (10) represent the next tier. International work is present but typically channeled through US-based intermediaries (Ashoka in South/Southeast Asia; African Women Rising for Uganda; Kakenya's Dream for Kenya).

The IRS categorizes Woka under NTEE Code X01 (Religion — Alliance/Advocacy Organizations) alongside several large family foundations that share the same code but have substantially different grantmaking characters. This classification reflects Woka's limited engagement with faith-based environmental organizations — a small but intentional portfolio slice. The five IRS-listed peers by asset size are all far less transparent in their grant programs and do not share Woka's climate focus:

Among these IRS peers, Woka is the clear outlier — the only one with a published website, a transparent grantee list, and documented climate-focused programming. For grant seekers, this IRS category is effectively a red herring. Woka's actual peer set in the climate philanthropy landscape includes funders like the Patagonia Environmental Grants program, the 11th Hour Project, and the Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment — foundations that share Woka's science-based, multi-pillar approach to climate grantmaking and that operate on broadly similar asset bases. Understanding this distinction is critical: organizations searching for Woka through religion-sector databases will miss it, while those navigating climate funder networks are far more likely to encounter it.

The most significant development in Woka's recent history is financial: assets grew from $129M at the close of FY2023 to $192M at the close of FY2024, a $63M increase that likely reflects a large capital contribution by the foundation's principals. This mirrors the 2021 pattern — a $48.7M infusion that nearly doubled annual giving the following year. If history repeats, 2025 grant commitments could approach $25-30M, representing the largest single-year giving in the foundation's short existence.

On the programmatic side, June 2025 brought a high-profile new partnership: Woka is backing LabStart's climate technology commercialization fellowship, enabling non-traditional entrepreneurs to access up to $100,000 in milestone-based funding to license and commercialize patents from national laboratories and universities. This partnership spans circular economy, carbon removal, industrial decarbonization, agriculture, and built environment — a signal that Woka's venture-building thesis is deepening alongside its existing portfolio anchor at Prime Coalition ($6M, 6 grants).

Multi-year commitments renewed in 2025-2026 include 350.org (renewable energy advocacy through 2026), Covering Climate Now (newsroom training through 2027), and the Youth Climate Justice Fund (youth organizing through 2026). New in 2025: the Climate Action Against Disinformation coalition, targeting fossil fuel industry influence campaigns — a departure from Woka's typical solutions-oriented grantees toward adversarial accountability work.

Leadership has remained stable since founding: Rod Womer (CEO/Director), Barbara Karplus (Secretary/Treasurer/Director), and Krista Kurth (Director) remain in place with no known transitions. All three serve without compensation from the foundation.

Woka does not post open solicitations, publish application forms, or accept unsolicited proposals. Getting funded requires navigating a relationship-driven invitation process — here is what the evidence suggests works:

Build the relationship before the ask. Woka's top 10 grantees have each received between 3 and 6 grants over their history. No path to a $500K+ award bypasses a smaller introductory grant and a demonstrated track record with the foundation. Plan for a 12-24 month runway from first contact to first grant.

Enter through existing grantees. Fifty-plus organizations have received Woka funding, creating an unusually broad referral network. If your organization has existing collaborative relationships — co-authored reports, shared convenings, overlapping geographies — with any Woka grantee, ask them for an email introduction to Rod Womer or Barbara Karplus. The Funders for Regenerative Agriculture network (a direct Woka grantee at $175K cumulative) is particularly positioned to route agricultural sector applicants. RE-AMP's Agriculture Hub is another documented on-ramp.

Use the five-pillar framework precisely. When making your introductory pitch — by email or in person — explicitly map your work to Woka's five priorities using their own language: 'science-based climate solutions,' 'carbon reduction,' 'regenerative practices,' 'gender equity,' 'education and capacity building.' Avoid generic sustainability framing; Woka funds specific methodologies — marine permaculture, agroecology, perennial grain breeding, soil carbon sequestration, biochar, cleantech commercialization.

Always include a gender equity dimension. Even if your primary focus is science, agriculture, or technology, document how your work advances women's leadership or gender-just outcomes. Every international grantee in the portfolio pairs environmental work with women's leadership. Domestic applicants who integrate this dimension score higher.

Calibrate your first ask. The median grant is $227,500. First grants to new organizations typically fall between $100,000 and $300,000. Do not lead with a $1M request. Frame your concept note around a specific, time-bound program with measurable carbon or regenerative impact — Woka is not a general operating support funder at the first-grant stage.

Time your approach to asset cycles. FY2024 assets surged to $192M, signaling increased grant capacity in 2025. Approach in Q1-Q2 2025 to align with anticipated decision timelines.