CERES INC
MA
501(C)(3) organization. Received $78,000 grant in 2024. Purpose: ENVIRONMENTAL
Tracked direct giving
$0
Tracked donations to candidate
$0
LDA reported lobbying spend
$150,000
Connections
15
Dark Money Spending
Election spending by organizations that do not disclose their donors. Dark money flows through 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations, 501(c)(6) trade associations, and similar entities that are not required to reveal their funders. Figures below are never combined with disclosed-donor totals.
IRS 990 Schedule I Grant Chain
Grants between nonprofits reported on IRS Form 990 Schedule I. These inter-organizational transfers are a key pathway in dark money flows — a nonprofit may receive a grant from one entity and then spend that money on election ads.
IRS 990 Schedule I grants given
$540,485
| Grantee | Amount | Tax Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| FOREST TRENDS ASSOCIATION | $98,626 | 2023 | TO RESEARCH CORPORATE PRACTICES AND BENCHMARK PROGRESS IN RELATION TO COMPANY DEFORESTATION COMMITMENTS AND GENERATE CONTENT FOR INVESTORS AND COMPANIES REGARDING NATURAL CLIMATE SOLUTIONS. |
| MERIDIAN INSTITUTE | $54,584 | 2023 | TO RESEARCH CORPORATE PRACTICES AND BENCHMARK PROGRESS IN RELATION TO COMPANY DEFORESTATION COMMITMENTS AND GENERATE CONTENT FOR INVESTORS AND COMPANIES REGARDING NATURAL CLIMATE SOLUTIONS. |
| CDP NORTH AMERICA INC | $367,275 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT INVESTOR NET ZERO COMMITMENTS, IMPLEMENTATION, AND ACCOUNTABILITY AND TO SUPPORT INVESTORS WORLDWIDE WHO ADVOCATE FOR THE POLICIES NEEDED TO ENABLE THE NET ZERO TRANSITION. |
| CLEAN AIR TASK FORCE INC | $20,000 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT AND ROLL-OUT OF THE METHANE EMISSIONS REPORT. |
IRS 990 Schedule I grants received
$3,716,587
| Grantor | Amount | Tax Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| PARTNERSHIP PROJECT INC | $50,000 | 2024 | Program Support |
| AMERICAN ENDOWMENT FOUNDATION | $78,000 | 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL |
| New Venture Fund | $1,625,000 | 2024 | CAPACITY BUILDING |
| We Mean Business Coalition | $795,000 | 2023 | GRANT FOR PROJECT SUPPORT |
| Schwab Charitable | $120,874 | 2023 | ENVIRONMENTAL AND ANIMALS |
| ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND INCORPORATED | $247,500 | 2023 | — |
| Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund | $800,213 | 2022 | For grant recipient's exempt purposes |
Source: IRS Form 990 Schedule I (Grants and Other Assistance to Organizations) via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer and IRS 990 XML e-files. Grant amounts represent the most recent filing year available.
IRS 990 data lags a year or more behind filing. Grants shown are for the stated tax year and do not establish current-cycle funding.
Methodology Disclosure
Dark money figures are derived from FEC Form 5 (independent expenditures by non-committee organizations) and Form 9 (electioneering communications). These filings capture spending on ads and election communications but do not reveal the identity of the organization's donors. QPQ totals may differ from benchmarks like the Brennan Center's estimates because QPQ includes all Form 5 filers, while some benchmarks count only a subset of non-disclosing nonprofits. Grant chain data is from IRS Form 990 Schedule I and may not include all years or all grantee organizations.
Lobbying Activity Detail
Disclosed lobbying expenditures from LDA filings where this entity is the client. Dollar amounts represent what was reported to the Senate Office of Public Records.
Top Lobbying Issues
Lobbying Firms Retained
Bills Referenced in Lobbying Filings
Lobbying data from Senate LDA filings and the LobbyView dataset (MIT/NSF, CC-BY-4.0). Dollar figures represent disclosed expenditures only and may not capture all influence activity. Issue codes follow the LDA general issue classification.
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Relationships
| Type | Connected To | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lobbied for | IRA Clean Energy Tax Credits (Sections 45/48) | LDA filing: lobbied on IRA Clean Energy Tax Credits, period 1st Quarter (Jan 1 - Mar 31), reported amount $80,000 | Source |
| Lobbied for | Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act - Grid Modernization | LDA filing: lobbied on IIJA Grid Modernization, period 1st Quarter (Jan 1 - Mar 31), reported amount $70,000 | Source |
| Lobbied for | Conservators and Receivers | Lobbied on Farm Bill — matched LDA filing topic to Federal Register rule. | Source |
| Gave money to | FOREST TRENDS ASSOCIATION | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $98,626 (tax year 2023). Purpose: TO RESEARCH CORPORATE PRACTICES AND BENCHMARK PROGRESS IN RELATION TO COMPANY DEFORESTATION COMMITMENTS AND GENERATE CONTENT FOR INVESTORS AND COMPANIES REGARDING NATURAL CLIMATE SOLUTIONS. | Source |
| Gave money to | MERIDIAN INSTITUTE | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $54,584 (tax year 2023). Purpose: TO RESEARCH CORPORATE PRACTICES AND BENCHMARK PROGRESS IN RELATION TO COMPANY DEFORESTATION COMMITMENTS AND GENERATE CONTENT FOR INVESTORS AND COMPANIES REGARDING NATURAL CLIMATE SOLUTIONS. | Source |
| Gave money to | CDP NORTH AMERICA INC | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $367,275 (tax year 2023). Purpose: TO SUPPORT INVESTOR NET ZERO COMMITMENTS, IMPLEMENTATION, AND ACCOUNTABILITY AND TO SUPPORT INVESTORS WORLDWIDE WHO ADVOCATE FOR THE POLICIES NEEDED TO ENABLE THE NET ZERO TRANSITION. | Source |
| Gave money to | CLEAN AIR TASK FORCE INC | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $20,000 (tax year 2023). Purpose: TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT AND ROLL-OUT OF THE METHANE EMISSIONS REPORT. | Source |
| Employed by | DAVENPORT POLICY | Hired DAVENPORT POLICY to lobby on Farm Bill Reauthorization 2024 | Source |
| Received money from | AMERICAN ENDOWMENT FOUNDATION | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $78,000 (tax year 2024). Purpose: ENVIRONMENTAL | Source |
| Received money from | Schwab Charitable | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $120,874 (tax year 2023). Purpose: ENVIRONMENTAL AND ANIMALS | Source |
| Received money from | PARTNERSHIP PROJECT INC | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $50,000 (tax year 2024). Purpose: Program Support | Source |
| Received money from | Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $800,213 (tax year 2022). Purpose: For grant recipient's exempt purposes | Source |
| Received money from | New Venture Fund | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $1,625,000 (tax year 2024). Purpose: CAPACITY BUILDING | Source |
| Received money from | ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND INCORPORATED | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $247,500 (tax year 2023) | Source |
| Received money from | We Mean Business Coalition | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $795,000 (tax year 2023). Purpose: GRANT FOR PROJECT SUPPORT | Source |