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Non-profit

Blittersdorf Family Foundation

Location:

Charlotte, VT
Tax ID:

06-1764244
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Budget (2020):

Assets: $193,912
Type:

Private Grantmaking Organization
Founded:

2008
President:

David Blittersdorf
Budget (2021):

Revenues: $24

Expenses: $42,250

Assets: $157,685

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The Blittersdorf Family Foundation is a Charlotte, Vermont-based private grantmaking foundation belonging to weather-dependent energy businessman David Blittersdorf which mostly donates to environmentalist causes.

The group supported the left-of-center activist group Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG) which in 2014 successfully campaigned for the closure of Vermont’s only carbon-free nuclear power plant, Vermont Yankee. 1 The group also gave $200,000 between grant years 2018 and 2020 to the Post Carbon Institute. 2 3 4

In January 2015, the free-market think tank Ethan Allen Institute accused Blittersdorf of using his foundation, which sponsored an economic analysis in favor of a carbon tax, to advocate policies that would favor his businesses. 5

Background

David Blittersdorf is the Blittersdorf Family Foundation president. He is the founder of AllEarth Renewables, a solar-energy installation company, and before that founded NRG Systems, a wind installation company. He is a former treasurer of the American Wind Energy Association and former founding member and treasurer of the Distributed Wind Energy Association. 6 He founded the Blittersdorf Family Foundation as the Jan and David Blittersdorf Foundation Inc. in 2008. 7

Sometime before May 2017, Blittersdorf and Jan Blomstrann divorced 8 and the group became the Blittersdorf Family Foundation.

The group makes most of its donations to support left-leaning climate policy. 9

Activities

Vermont Public Interest Research Group

The Blittersdorf Family Foundation supported the left-of-center activist group Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG). VPIRG opposed the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant since it opened in 1972 and pressured lawmakers with over 75,000 actions including sending postcards, emails, and photo petitions to urge the power plant’s closure, despite its zero-carbon-emissions status. The plant closed in 2014 when its license expired. 10

VPIRG led the fight to ban fracking in 2012 and opposed the expansion of Vermont Gas Systems’ natural gas pipeline in 2014 and 2015. 11

Also in 2014, VPIRG successfully campaigned to expand “net metering” which requires electrical grid operators to pay retail rates for electricity they buy from customers who install solar panels on their roofs. 12

VPIRG received $60,000 from the Blittersdorf Family Foundation in 2018, 13 $40,000 in 2020, 14 and $20,790 in 2021. 15

Carbon Tax

In 2014, the Blittersdorf Family Foundation financed an economic survey in support of a carbon tax. Vermont Public Interest Research Group, the Conservation Law Foundation, and 15 other left-of-center groups formed Energy Independent Vermont which commissioned the survey to push for a carbon tax in Vermont. Their proposed tax would use 10 percent of the revenue to subsidize weather-dependent energy businesses, another share would be given to low income households, and the rest would be spent by the Vermont legislature. 16

The free market think tank Ethan Allen Institute accused David Blittersdorf, a weather-dependent energy businessman, of using his foundation to promote fiscal policies that his businesses would benefit from. 17

Other Groups Supported

The Blittersdorf Family Foundation supported the left-of-center environmentalist group 350 Vermont with $10,000 in 2018, 18 $10,000 in 2019, 19 and $10,000 in 2021. 20 350 Vermont supported increasing the use of weather-dependent sources of energy such as wind and solar and moving away from conventional sources of energy. 21

The group supported the Lake Champlain Science Center at ECHO with $60,000 in 2018  22 to buy solar panels and $50,000 in 2019 also to buy solar panels. 23

As of November 2023, Blittersdorf is a board member of Post Carbon Institute. 24 For grant years 2018 through 2020, his foundation gave a total of $200,000 to Post Carbon. 25 26 27

In grant years 2018 through 2020, the Blittersdorf Family Foundation gave $150,000 to Vermont Public Radio, $50,000 to the VT Digger Foundation, $40,000 to Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility, $30,000 to Net Zero Vermont, $22,000 to VBSR- Research and Education Foundation, $10,000 to Renewable Energy Vermont, $10,000 to Smart Infrastructure Coalition, $10,000 to Vermont Rail Action Network, $5,000 to Rights and Democracy- Educational Fund, $4,000 to Vermont Energy Education Program, and $1,000 to Sierra Club Foundation. 28 29 30

Finances

According to its 2021 tax return, the Blittersdorf Family Foundation had $24 in revenue, $42,250 in expenses, and $157,685 in assets. 31

References

  1. “2014 Annual Report.” VPIRG. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://www.vpirg.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/vpirgAR14-FINAL.pdf.
  2. “Jan & David Blittersdorf Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/61764244/201912829349100311/full.
  3. “Jan & David Blittersdorf Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/61764244/202003219349104405/full.
  4. “Jan & David Blittersdorf Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/61764244/202113149349102161/full.
  5. “Make Your Voice Heard. Take the ‘Carbon Tax’ Survey!” Ethan Allen Institute . Accessed November 20, 2023. https://www.ethanallen.org/make-your-voice-heard-take-the-carbon-tax-survey/.
  6. “David Blittersdorf.” Post Carbon Institute. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://www.postcarbon.org/our-people/david-blittersdorf/.
  7. “Jan & David Blittersdorf Foundation Inc – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/61764244.
  8. D’Ambrosio, Dan. “Behind the Sale of Hinesburg’s NRG Systems.” Burlington Free Press, May 24, 2017. https://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/money/2017/05/24/behind-sale-hinesburgs-nrg-systems/324880001/.
  9.  “Jan & David Blittersdorf Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/61764244/202223139349101012/full.
  10. “2014 Annual Report.” VPIRG. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://www.vpirg.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/vpirgAR14-FINAL.pdf.
  11. “2014 Annual Report.” VPIRG. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://www.vpirg.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/vpirgAR14-FINAL.pdf.
  12.  “2014 Annual Report.” VPIRG. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://www.vpirg.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/vpirgAR14-FINAL.pdf.
  13. “Jan & David Blittersdorf Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/61764244/201912829349100311/full.
  14. “Jan & David Blittersdorf Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/61764244/202113149349102161/full.
  15. “Jan & David Blittersdorf Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/61764244/202223139349101012/full.
  16. “Make Your Voice Heard. Take the ‘Carbon Tax’ Survey!” Ethan Allen Institute . Accessed November 20, 2023. https://www.ethanallen.org/make-your-voice-heard-take-the-carbon-tax-survey/.
  17. “Make Your Voice Heard. Take the ‘Carbon Tax’ Survey!” Ethan Allen Institute . Accessed November 20, 2023. https://www.ethanallen.org/make-your-voice-heard-take-the-carbon-tax-survey/.
  18. “Jan & David Blittersdorf Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/61764244/201912829349100311/full.
  19. “Jan & David Blittersdorf Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/61764244/202003219349104405/full.
  20. “Jan & David Blittersdorf Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/61764244/202223139349101012/full.
  21. “Just Transition for Vermont.” 350Vermont. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://www.350vermont.org/justtransitionforvermont.
  22. “Jan & David Blittersdorf Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/61764244/201912829349100311/full.
  23. “Jan & David Blittersdorf Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/61764244/202003219349104405/full.
  24. “David Blittersdorf.” Post Carbon Institute. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://www.postcarbon.org/our-people/david-blittersdorf/.
  25. “Jan & David Blittersdorf Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/61764244/201912829349100311/full.
  26. “Jan & David Blittersdorf Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/61764244/202003219349104405/full.
  27. “Jan & David Blittersdorf Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/61764244/202113149349102161/full.
  28. “Jan & David Blittersdorf Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/61764244/201912829349100311/full.
  29. “Jan & David Blittersdorf Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/61764244/202003219349104405/full.
  30. “Jan & David Blittersdorf Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/61764244/202113149349102161/full.
  31. “Jan & David Blittersdorf Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/61764244/202223139349101012/full.
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: June 1, 2008

    • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2020 Dec Form PF $0 $0 $193,912 $1 $0 $0 $0 $0
    2019 Dec Form PF $0 $0 $4,390 $1 $0 $0 $0 $0
    2015 Dec Form PF $0 $0 $199,064 $1 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2014 Dec Form PF $0 $0 $841,492 $1 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2013 Dec Form PF $0 $0 $1,108,717 $1 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2012 Dec Form PF $0 $0 $1,308,444 $1 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2011 Dec Form PF $0 $0 $1,473,588 $1 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)

    Blittersdorf Family Foundation

    1042 Dorsett Street
    Charlotte, VT 05445-9270