Also see League of Conservation Voters (nonprofit)

The League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (LCVEF) is the educational arm of the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), an environmentalist advocacy group that endorses left-wing candidates for public office. It seeks to educate the public on environmental issues and build support for its agenda. LCVEF is officially nonpartisan in accordance with Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. LCVEF opposes the use of traditional energy sources such as oil and gas and supports the use of weather-dependent sources such as solar and wind. It opposes the construction of traditional energy infrastructure and opposes resource extraction projects such as mining. ¹

The LCVEF argues that any climate change mitigation agenda that does not address the “injustices and racism upon which our democracy and its laws are built” serves the “inequities of the status quo,” and therefore environmentalist efforts must also involve far-left social and economic measures. ²

In 2025, the LCVEF boasted it had facilitated 1.7 million voter registrations since 2012, that 75 percent of voters registered through its Democracy For All program were “people of color,” and that since 2006, it had disbursed more than $67 million to its state affiliates and independent partner organizations. ²

Organization

The League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (LCVEF)  is responsible for training progressive activists and educating them on environmental issues. The LCV Education Fund claims it has engaged some 60,000 volunteers through its grassroots activism.³ The organization also networks with other progressive organizations and activists.

It cooperates with other progressive organizations on issues that may not have anything to do with the environment such as opposition to voter identification laws.⁴ In 2017, the organization issued a statement opposing a border wall.⁵

The organization conducts opinion polls and surveys. It uses online petitions to promote certain messages. For example, it has circulated an online petition to urge UPS to pull its support of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a conservative policy shop.⁶

The LCVEF has dozens of state affiliates. Among the most prominent state affiliates are those in California, New Jersey, Maryland, and Connecticut. Most states that have a chapter of the League of Conservation Voters have a state chapter of the education fund as well. ^{7 8}

In 2023, the LCVEF reported spending $23.7 million on its Climate and Organizing Program, which supports state chapters of the League of Conservation Voters and other partners in climate education efforts with the goal of putting public pressure on the U.S. government to become a “world leader in helping to tackle climate change.” It spent $6.15 million on its State Capacity Building Program, which helps LCV state chapters and partners develop their operations and fundraising programs. It spent an additional $3.98 million on its Community and Civic Engagement Program, which “builds upon the power of communities of color” to achieve “climate justice” and “increase access to the ballot box.” It spent another million dollars on program services that year. ⁹

As of 2025, the LCVEF boasted it had facilitated 1.7 million voter registrations since 2012, that 75 percent of voters registered through its Democracy For All program were “people of color,” and that since 2006, it had disbursed more than $67 million to its state affiliates and independent partner organizations. ²

In 2025, the LCVEF described the “climate crisis,” “assaults on our democracy,” and “economic inequality” as “interconnected challenges” that are triggered by “the realities of systemic and structural racism” among other “systems of oppression.” It stated that every decision it makes is informed by “anti-racism,” “equity,” and “racial justice.” It further argued that any climate change agenda or democratic reform that does not address the “injustices and racism upon which our democracy and its laws are built” is serving the “inequities of the status quo,” and therefore environmentalist efforts must also involve far-left social and economic measures. ²

Financials

In 2023, the LCVEF reported $51,462,091 in revenue, $40,622,811 in total expenses, and $29,863,158 in net assets. ¹⁰

Funding

The League of Conservation Voters Education Fund receives most of its donations from foundations. Since 2000, it has regularly received donations from the Brainerd Foundation. ¹¹ In 2014, a Colorado newspaper claimed that the organization received $9 million from the Sea Change Foundation in 2010 and 2011.¹²

In 2014, the LCVEF received $550,000 from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. ¹³

In 2015, the LCVEF received $1,551,415 from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and $1,000,000 from the Foundation for the Carolinas. ^{14 15}

In 2016, the LCVEF received $2 million from the Foundation for the Carolinas and $1,050,000 from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. ^{16 17}

In 2017, the LCVEF received $3.5 million from the Foundation for the Carolinas and $700,000 from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. ^{18 19}

In 2018, the LCVEF received $7 million from the Foundation for the Carolinas and $1,197,000 the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. ^{20 21}

In 2019, the LCVEF received $2 million from the Foundation for the Carolinas, $125,000 from the Seattle Foundation, $500,000 from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and $103,000 from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. ^{22 23 24 25}

In 2020, the LCVEF received $6 million from the Foundation for the Carolinas, $1 million from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, $500,000 from the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, $453,000 from the Tides Foundation, and $1,015,750 from the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin, and Sonoma Counties. ^{26 27 28 29 30}

In 2021, the LCVEF received $4 million from the Foundation for the Carolinas, $350,000 from the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, $100,000 from the Tides Foundation, $2 million from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and $350,150 from the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin, & Sonoma Counties. ^{31 32 33 34 35}

In September 2021, the LCVEF  received a $5 million grant from the Bezos Earth Fund. The grant was part of a $203.7 million package of grants and pledges given out to “advance climate justice” and fund climate change activism. ³⁶

In 2022, the LCVEF received $5.1 million from the Foundation for the Carolinas, $250,000 from Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, $1,250,000 from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and $254,000 from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. ^{37 38 39 40}

In 2023, the LCVEF received $13 million from the Foundation for the Carolinas, $475,000 from Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, and $600,000 from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. ^{41 42 43}

Influence Campaigns

The League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (LCVEF) is not allowed to voice support or oppose candidates for office by nature of its IRS designation. Instead, it works with other activists to help them promote the environmental issues they are campaigning on. It has online petition drives where it encourages people to sign up for various issues and the petitions are forwarded to the appropriate lawmakers. It also registers people to vote. ^{44 45}

The group works with the various League of Conservation Voters state chapters and awards grants to support their operations. ⁸

In 2013, the organization spent $3.3 million on climate change education campaigns. Among the expenditures was a $2.7 million grant to the parent League of Conservation Voters (LCV) organization⁴⁶

Opposition to Nuclear Energy

Nuclear power plants produce no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas emissions, and as of 2021 accounted for 20 percent of American electricity production—the largest source of zero carbon electricity in the United States. ⁴⁷  An October 2018 proposal from The Nature Conservancy noted that zero-carbon nuclear plants produced 7.8 percent of total world energy output and recommended reducing carbon emissions by increasing nuclear capacity to 33 percent of total world energy output. ⁴⁸

The League of Conservation Voters was one of more than 100 co-signatories on a November 2020 letter to the U.S. Senate that expressed opposition to S. 4897, the “American Nuclear Infrastructure Act of 2020.” The letter stated that nuclear power “amplifies and expands the dangers of climate change” and denounced it as an example of “false solutions to the climate crisis that perpetuate our reliance on dirty energy industries.” The letter was signed by Matthew Davis, who was identified as the legislative director for the LCV. ⁴⁹

Grantmaking

The League of Conservation Voters Education Fund makes yearly support grants to the state-level branches of the League of Conservation Voters, but also gives large sums to other left-leaning political organizations. ^{50 51 52 53}

In 2023, the LCVEF disbursed grants to various groups, including the Voter Registration Project ($1 million), the Washington Conservation Action Education Fund ($186,000), the Alaska Center Education Fund ($171,000), the Sustainable Markets Foundation ($300,000), the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters Foundation ($515,160), the New York LCVEF ($111,500), the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters ($254,485), the New Jersey LCVEF ($228,870), the Michigan LCVEF ($236,000), the Maryland LCVEF ($213,755), the Maine Conservation Alliance ($316,000), the League of Conservation Voters ($18,400,000), the Indiana Conservation Fund ($186,000), the Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund ($101,000), the Florida Conservation Voters Education Fund ($116,000), the Environmental League of Massachusetts ($205,000), the Conservation Voters of South Carolina Education Fund ($176,000), the Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania ($340,110), the Conservation Voters New Mexico Education Fund ($151,000), the Conservation Voters for Idaho Education Fund ($135,500), Conservation Nebraska ($244,970), and the California Environmental Voters Education Fund ($293,000), among others. ⁵⁴

Leadership

According to the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund’s 2023 tax return, Carol Browner was the chair of its board and Gene Karpinksi was its president. ⁵⁵

1. “Joe Slade White & Company » League Of Conservation Voters Anti-Mining Campaign.” 2017. Joesladewhite.Com. Accessed July 2 2017. http://joesladewhite.com/project/wlcv-anti-mining-campaign/.
2. “About Us.” League of Conservation Voters Education Fund. Accessed October 23, 2025. https://www.lcvef.org/about/.
3. “League Of Conservation Voters Education Fund – Grassroots Organizing.” 2017. LCVEF.org. Accessed July 17 2017. https://www.lcvef.org/organizing/grassroots-organizing/.
4. “The Fall Of Voter ID Laws: An Environment To Celebrate.” 2016. Medium. Accessed July 2 2017. https://medium.com/@LCVoters/the-fall-of-voter-id-laws-an-environment-to-celebrate-ae1a97e0a1fd.
5. “LCV Statement On Trump Administration’s Executive Orders To Build Border Wall And Temporary Refugee Ban – League Of Conservation Voters.” 2017. League Of Conservation Voters. Accessed July 2 2017. https://www.lcv.org/article/lcv-statement-trump-administrations-executive-orders-build-border-wall-temporary-refugee-ban/.
6. “Sign The Petition: Tell UPS To Stop Supporting ALEC!” 2017. Secure3.Convio.Net. Accessed July 2 2017. https://secure3.convio.net/lcv/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=3646.
7. “Building Power in the States.” LCV. Accessed October 23, 2025. https://www.lcv.org/building-power-in-the-states/.
8. “Building Power in the States.” LCVEF. Accessed October 23, 2025. https://www.lcvef.org/building-power-in-the-states/.
9. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). League of Conservation Voters Education Fund. 2023. Part III – Statement of Program Service Accomplishments.
10. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). League of Conservation Voters Education Fund. 2023. Part I, lines 12, 18, 22.
11. “The Brainerd Foundation – Groups We’ve Funded.” 2017. Brainerd.Org. Accessed June 24 2017. http://www.brainerd.org/grantee-profile.php?orgID=00060.
12. “Who Killed The Vote On Fracking?—Glossary – Boulder Weekly.” 2014. Boulder Weekly. Accessed June 24 2017. http://www.boulderweekly.com/news/who-killed-the-vote-on-frackingmdashglossary/.
13. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. 2014. Part XV. 3 – Grants and Contributions Paid During the Year or Approved for Future Payment.
14.  Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. 2015. Part XV. 3 – Grants and Contributions Paid During the Year or Approved for Future Payment.
15. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Foundation for the Carolinas. 2015. Schedule I. Part II – Grants and Other Assistance to Domestic Organizations and Domestic Governments.
16.  Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Foundation for the Carolinas. 2016. Schedule I. Part II – Grants and Other Assistance to Domestic Organizations and Domestic Governments.
17. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. 2016. Part XV. 3 – Grants and Contributions Paid During the Year or Approved for Future Payment.
18. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Foundation for the Carolinas. 2017. Schedule I. Part II – Grants and Other Assistance to Domestic Organizations and Domestic Governments.
19. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. 2017. Part XV. 3 – Grants and Contributions Paid During the Year or Approved for Future Payment.
20.  Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Foundation for the Carolinas. 2018. Schedule I. Part II – Grants and Other Assistance to Domestic Organizations and Domestic Governments.
21. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. 2018. Part XV. 3 – Grants and Contributions Paid During the Year or Approved for Future Payment.
22. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Foundation for the Carolinas. 2019. Schedule I. Part II – Grants and Other Assistance to Domestic Organizations and Domestic Governments.
23. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). The Seattle Foundation. 2019. Schedule I. Part II – Grants and Other Assistance to Domestic Organizations and Domestic Governments.
24. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. 2019. Part XV. 3 – Grants and Contributions Paid During the Year or Approved for Future Payment.
25. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Silicon Valley Community Foundation. 2019. Schedule I. Part II – Grants and Other Assistance to Domestic Organizations and Domestic Governments.
26. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Foundation for the Carolinas. 2020. Schedule I. Part II – Grants and Other Assistance to Domestic Organizations and Domestic Governments.
27. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. 2020. Part XV. 3 – Grants and Contributions Paid During the Year or Approved for Future Payment.
28. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. 2020. Part XV. 3 – Grants and Contributions Paid During the Year or Approved for Future Payment.
29. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Tides Foundation. 2020. Schedule I. Part II – Grants and Other Assistance to Domestic Organizations and Domestic Governments.
30. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Jewish Community Federation of S.F. Marin Peninsula & Sonoma Counties. 2020. Schedule I. Part II – Grants and Other Assistance to Domestic Organizations and Domestic Governments.
31. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. 2021. Part XV. 3 – Grants and Contributions Paid During the Year or Approved for Future Payment.
32. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Tides Foundation. 2021. Schedule I. Part II – Grants and Other Assistance to Domestic Organizations and Domestic Governments.
33. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. 2021. Part XV. 3 – Grants and Contributions Paid During the Year or Approved for Future Payment.
34. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. 2021. Schedule I. Part II – Grants and Other Assistance to Domestic Organizations and Domestic Governments.
35. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Jewish Community Federation of S.F. Marin Peninsula & Sonoma Counties. 2021. Schedule I. Part II – Grants and Other Assistance to Domestic Organizations and Domestic Governments.
36. Boyle, A. (2021, September 9). Bezos Earth Fund highlights climate justice in $200m round of grants and pledges. GeekWire. Retrieved October 8, 2021, from https://www.geekwire.com/2021/bezos-earth-fund-highlights-climate-justice-200m-round-grants-pledges/.
37. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Foundation for the Carolinas. 2022. Schedule I. Part II – Grants and Other Assistance to Domestic Organizations and Domestic Governments.
38. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. 2022. Schedule I. Part II – Grants and Other Assistance to Domestic Organizations and Domestic Governments.
39. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. 2022. Part XV. 3 – Grants and Contributions Paid During the Year or Approved for Future Payment.
40. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. 2022. Part XIV. 3 – Grants and Contributions Paid During the Year or Approved for Future Payment.
41. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Foundation for the Carolinas. 2023. Schedule I. Part II – Grants and Other Assistance to Domestic Organizations and Domestic Governments.
42. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. 2023. Schedule I. Part II – Grants and Other Assistance to Domestic Organizations and Domestic Governments.
43. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. 2023. Part XV. 3 – Grants and Contributions Paid During the Year or Approved for Future Payment.
44. “Building Grassroots Power.” LCVEF. Accessed October 23, 2025. https://www.lcvef.org/work/building-grassroots-power/.
45. “Mobilizing for the People and the Planet.” LCVEF. Accessed October 23, 2025. https://www.lcvef.org/work/mobilizing-for-the-people-and-the-planet/.
46. 2017. Pdfs.Citizenaudit.Org. Accessed June 24 2017. http://pdfs.citizenaudit.org/2014_12_EO/52-1379661_990_201312.pdf.
47. “Nuclear explained.” U.S. Energy Information Administration. Accessed August 16, 2021. https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/nuclear/us-nuclear-industry.php
48. “ The Science of Sustainability.” The Nature Conservancy. October 13, 2018. Accessed August 16, 2021. https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-insights/perspectives/the-science-of-sustainability
49. “Dear Chairman Barrasso, Ranking Member Carper, and Members of the Committee.” November 30, 2020. Accessed August 14, 2023. https://foe.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Sign-on_S4897_OPPOSE_119-orgs-3.pdf
50. Return of Tax-Exempt Organization. Form 990. League of Conservation Voters Education Fund. 2016. Schedule I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/521379661/12_2017_prefixes_51-52%2F521379661_201612_990_2017121115019258.
51. Return of Tax-Exempt Organization. Form 990. League of Conservation Voters Education Fund. 2017. Schedule I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/521379661/02_2019_prefixes_47-52%2F521379661_201712_990_2019020116054233.
52. Return of Tax-Exempt Organization. Form 990. League of Conservation Voters Education Fund. 2018. Schedule I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/521379661/02_2020_prefixes_47-52%2F521379661_201812_990_2020020717127256.
53. Return of Tax-Exempt Organization. Form 990. League of Conservation Voters Education Fund. 2019. Schedule I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/521379661/04_2021_prefixes_52-54%2F521379661_201912_990_2021040117851812.
54. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). League of Conservation Voters Education Fund. 2023. Schedule I. Part II – Grants and Other Assistance to Domestic Organizations and Domestic Governments.
55. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). League of Conservation Voters Education Fund. 2023. Part VII, Section A.