The Altus Foundation funds climate scientists, atmospheric researchers, and public-interest technologists building the tools we'll need to understand a changing sky.
Every program runs on its own cycle, with its own review process and its own theory of change. Choose the one that matches where your work is, not where you think we want it to be.
Deep, unrestricted funding for a small cohort of scientists and technologists pursuing ambitious, multi-year work.
For teams shipping open-source instruments, datasets, or software used by the wider research community.
Micro-grants for early exploration — field trips, prototypes, pilots — before an idea is ready for a full proposal.
Our process is deliberately light at the top of the funnel and rigorous at the bottom. We'd rather read a thousand short notes than a hundred polished proposals.
Tell us what you want to work on in plain prose. No budget, no CV, no appendices. We read everything.
5 minutes to writeEvery note is read by two program officers separately. When they disagree, we read more carefully — not less.
2 weeksShortlisted applicants meet with a program officer by video. We're looking for clarity, not polish.
1 week to scheduleOnly after the conversation do we ask for a fuller document. Your time matters; we refuse to waste it on speculation.
2 weeksOur external committee, rotated every cycle, reviews finalists together. Decisions are consensus, with written rationales shared with every applicant.
3 weeksNo reports. No deliverables theater. Just a conversation every three months about what's working and what isn't.
OngoingA short honesty list. If your work clearly fits the left column, apply. If it clearly fits the right column, save your time — and ours.
Strong fit
Not a fit
Altus funded the question, not the answer. That's the rarest kind of money there is.
If your question isn't here, email grants@altus.org. A real person reads every message and replies within a week.
No. More than half our current fellows are independent researchers with no university or nonprofit backing. When direct funding isn't legally possible, we work with fiscal sponsors to make it work.
Yes. Roughly 55% of our current cohort works outside the US. We fund in USD and can navigate most international transfer requirements. Applicants based in OFAC-sanctioned jurisdictions should contact us before applying.
We read the category broadly: atmospheric science, climate modeling, open environmental sensing, ecological monitoring, adaptation research, public-interest climate journalism, and the tools that make any of those possible.
Yes, and we encourage it. About 22% of our current fellows were rejected on a prior cycle. We ask that the work has meaningfully evolved — not just the framing of the same project.
In most jurisdictions, yes. We provide a 1099 or equivalent documentation. We can't offer tax advice — please consult a local professional before accepting funds.
Rarely, and only through Open Tools Grants, and only when the work is clearly public-interest, fully open-sourced, and structurally prevented from private capture. If you're uncertain, you probably don't qualify.
Three hundred words. Plain prose. No CV, no budget, no appendices. We reply within two weeks — every time, to everyone.
Begin application