NonprofitsThe Breakthrough Institute

Environment

The Breakthrough Institute

BERKELEY, CA

Total revenue

$7.5M

Total expenses

$5.5M

Net assets

$5.1M

Grants received

$20.3M

87 grants

EIN

814526660

Tax year

2024

Mission

The Breakthrough Institute is a research center that identifies and promotes technological solutions to environmental and human development challenges.

Programs

2 programs

Events: Network building is one of the principal ways that Breakthrough makes change in the world, and we primarily execute on this through our events. For the last ten years we hosted a West Coast conference and are going on our 8th year hosting a multi-day East Coast event that is policy-focused with hundreds of bipartisan attendees. We also host numerous small gatherings, high-level meetings, and issue-focused workshops.

Expenses: $556K

Communications: Our communications program consists of regular publication of research and commentary on our website; our flagship Breakthrough Journal, which now lives on Substack as The Ecomodernist; a strong social media presence; speaking engagements at conferences and events; and staff writing at other outlets--including in academia, the peer-reviewed literature, and mainstream media.

Expenses: $108K

Financials

FY 2024

Revenue

Contributions & grants$7.2M
Program service revenue$141K
Investment income$200K
Other revenue$15K
Total revenue$7.5M

Expenses

Grants paid$20K
Salaries & benefits$3.5M
Fundraising$190K
Other expenses$2.0M
Total expenses$5.5M
Total assets$6.5M
Net assets$5.1M

People

21 listed

NameRoleCompensation

Ronald Nordhaus

Executive Dir.

Board

$261K

40 hrs/wk

Rachel Pritzker

Board Chair

Board

2 hrs/wk

Thomas Riley

Sec./Treasury

Board

2 hrs/wk

Matthew Winkler

Board Member

Board

1 hrs/wk

Tisha Schuller

Board Member

Board

1 hrs/wk

Ross Koningstein

Board Member

Board

1 hrs/wk

Ray Rothrock

Board Member

Board

1 hrs/wk

Jennifer Hernandez

Board Member

Board

1 hrs/wk

Chris Foreman

Board Member

Board

1 hrs/wk

Bill Budinger

Board Member

Board

1 hrs/wk

Varun Sivaram

Board Member

Board

1 hrs/wk

David Hong

Washington Dir.

Staff

$204K

40 hrs/wk

Alex Trembath

Deputy Director

Staff

$191K

40 hrs/wk

Seaver Wang

Co-Dir Climate & Energy

Staff

$184K

40 hrs/wk

Vijaya Ramachandran

Dir Energy for Dev

Staff

$168K

40 hrs/wk

Daniel Blaustein-Reijto

Dir Food & Agriculture

Staff

$162K

40 hrs/wk

Adam Stein

Dir Nuclear Energy Innovation

Staff

$158K

40 hrs/wk

Patrick Brown

Co-Dir Climate & Energy

Staff

$153K

40 hrs/wk

Ephstathia Bonadies

Dir Events & Proj

Staff

$135K

40 hrs/wk

Ann Wang

Dir. of Operations

Staff

$129K

40 hrs/wk

Alexander Smith

Editorial Dir.

Staff

$125K

40 hrs/wk

Grants received

Showing 87 of 87

FromAmountPurposeYear
$500K
GENERAL PURPOSE
2024
$115K
TO SUPPORT RESEARCH, ANALYSIS, PUBLICATION, AND DISTRIBUTION OF A REPORT ON NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT LAWSUITS.
2024
$100K
TO SUPPORT THE BREAKTHROUGH INSTITUTE
2024
$49K
CHARITABLE DONATION FOR GLOBAL RESEARCH-IDENTIFIES TECH SOLUTIONS FOR ENVIRON CHALLENGES
2024
$8K
UNRESTRICTED GENERAL SUPPORT
2024
$6K
ENVIRONMENT & ANIMAL PROTECTION
2024
$4K
CHARITABLE
2024
$2.4M
FOR RECIPIENT'S EXEMPT PURPOSE
2023
$1.3M
POLICY DEVELOPMENT
2023
$700K
FOOD & FARMING PROGRAM
2023
$423K
For grant recipient's exempt purposes
2023
$250K
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND PROTECTION
2023
$250K
FOR THE ADVANCED NUCLEAR POWER PROGRAM
2023
$100K
TO SUPPORT THE BREAKTHROUGH INSTITUTE
2023
$100K
ENVIRONMENT
2023
$100K
CHARITABLE
2023
$58K
UNRESTRICTED GENERAL SUPPORT
2023
$30K
GENERAL SUPPORT
2023
$15K
IN FURTHERANCE OF GRANTEE'S TAX-EXEMPT PURPOSE
2023
$10K
GENERAL SUPPORT
2023
$4K
CHARITABLE
2023
$1K
UNRESTRICTED GRANTTO SUPPORT
2023
$1K
environment
2023
$500
General & Unrestricted
2023
$1.8M
FOR RECIPIENT'S EXEMPT PURPOSE
2022
$1.3M
FED AGRICULTURE & NUCLEAR POLICY
2022
$900K
FOOD & FARMING PROGRAMGENERAL PURPOSE
2022
$500K
ASSESSING & ADVANCING CLIMATE-SMART AG R&D
2022
$387K
For grant recipient's exempt purposes
2022
$250K
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND PROTECTION
2022
$100K
TO SUPPORT THE BREAKTHROUGH INSTITUTE
2022
$38K
GENERAL SUPPORT
2022
$30K
ENVIRONMENT, ANIMALS
2022
$10K
GENERAL SUPPORT
2022
$8K
UNRESTRICTED GENERAL SUPPORT
2022
$5K
ENVIRONMENTAL
2022
$5K
FUNDS ARE DONATED WITHOUT RESTRICTION ON USAGE
2022
$4K
CHARITABLE
2022
$2K
UNRESTRICTED GRANT TO SUPPORT
2022
$1K
environment
2022
$309
GENERAL SUPPORT
2022
$2.5M
For recipient's exempt purpose
2021
$787K
For grant recipient's exempt purposes
2021
$787K
For grant recipient's exempt purposes
2021
$450K
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND PROTECTION
2021
$100K
TO SUPPORT THE BREAKTHROUGH INSTITUTE
2021
$30K
GENERAL SUPPORT
2021
$30K
ENVIRONMENT, ANIMALS
2021
$10K
GENERAL SUPPORT
2021
$4K
UNRESTRICTED GRANT TO SUPPORT
2021
$1K
environment
2021
$900K
FOOD & FARMING PROGRAM - $400,000GENERAL PURPOSE - $500,000
2020
$333K
For grant recipient's exempt purposes
2020
$275K
PUBLIC/SOCIETY BENEFIT
2020
$250K
FOR GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
2020
$200K
ENVIRONMENT
2020
$150K
FOR A PROJECT TO ADDRESS STRANDED ASSETS IN THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
2020
$100K
TO SUPPORT THE BREAKTHROUGH INSTITUTE
2020
$100K
TO BRING MAJOR FOCUS TO IDEAS THAT HELP TRANSITION THE US ECONOMY TOWARDS NET-ZERO EMISSIONS IN AN EQUITABLE, WORKER-FRIENDLY WAY.
2020
$50K
FOR RECIPIENT'S EXEMPT PURPOSE
2020
$25K
GENERAL SUPPORT
2020
$25K
ENVIRONMENT
2020
$25K
FOOD SYSTEM RESEARCH GRANT
2020
$10K
ENVIRONMENT, ANIMALS
2020
$10K
GENERAL SUPPORT
2020
$8K
UNRESTRICTED GENERAL SUPPORT
2020
$3K
UNRESTRICTED GRANT TO SUPPORT
2020
$2K
Unrestricted
2020
$1K
environment
2020
$400K
PUBLIC/SOCIETY BENEFIT
2019
$139K
For grant recipient's exempt purposes
2019
$25K
GENERAL SUPPORT
2019
$25K
TO IDENTIFY AND PROMOTE TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS TO ENVIRONMENTAL AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES
2019
$10K
GENERAL SUPPORT
2019
$10K
ENVIRONMENT, ANIMALS
2019
$8K
UNRESTRICTED GENERAL SUPPORT
2019
$104K
For grant recipient's exempt purposes
2018
$10K
GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
2018
$5K
TO IDENTIFY AND PROMOTE TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS TO ENVIRONMENTAL AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES
2018
$5K
CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
2018
$100
Matching Grant
2018
$400K
ENVIRONMENTAL/ANIMALS
2017
$50K
GENERAL SUPPORT
2017
$20K
GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
2017
$10K
GENERAL SUPPORT
2017

Funded by

$20.3M from 31 funders · 87 grants · 2017–2024

Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program

$6.7M · 4 grants · 2020–2023

Breakthrough Energy Foundation

$3.0M · 3 grants · 2022–2023

Bernard And Anne Spitzer

$3M · 4 grants · 2020–2024

Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund

$3.0M · 7 grants · 2018–2023

Jewish Community Federation Of San

$2.0M · 6 grants · 2017–2023

The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation

$650K · 3 grants · 2020–2023

Ptsrk Foundation

$500K · 5 grants · 2020–2024

The Rodel Foundation

$325K · 3 grants · 2020–2023

Details

EIN814526660
NTEE codeC19
Subsection03
Ruling date2017-03
Formed2016
Employees33
Volunteers10
THE BREAKTHROUGH INSTITUTE — Mission, Financials & Grants Received | Grantivo