Filecoin Foundation for the Decentralized Web
ActivePublic & Society Benefit
About Filecoin Foundation for the Decentralized Web
The Filecoin Foundation funds organizations that advance a decentralized, open, and privacy-protecting internet — especially groups that defend digital rights, support independent journalism, and build open infrastructure and research for the decentralized web. Grants overwhelmingly fund operating support for mission-driven nonprofits and academic research groups, with an emphasis on technical development, public-interest technology, and tools for secure information sharing. The foundation favors repeat, large-dollar grants to a small set of national organizations and university programs that can drive standards, research, and advocacy.
Focus Areas
Digital civil liberties and internet freedom advocacy (e.g., Electronic Frontier Foundation)Support for independent, secure journalism and press freedom (e.g., Freedom of the Press Foundation, WITNESS)Research and academic programs focused on decentralized systems and open learning (e.g., Harvard, MIT Open Learning)Open knowledge and licensing infrastructure (e.g., Creative Commons)Community-driven decentralized web development and tooling (e.g., Spritely Networked Communities Institute)
Who They Fund
mission-driven digital rights nonprofits (e.g., EFF)
About Filecoin Foundation for the Decentralized Web
A three-year operating grant to Harvard Office for Sponsored Programs, repeated in 2023, 2024, and 2025, shows how Filecoin Foundation for the Decentralized Web backs long-running work rather than one-off awards. The foundation’s recent giving centers on organizations building and defending a decentralized, open, privacy-protecting internet: digital rights advocacy, press freedom, open education, preservation, and decentralized web infrastructure. Its largest listed recent grant went to Freedom of the Press Foundation in San Francisco, alongside repeated support for Electronic Frontier Foundation and Harvard. The pattern points to a portfolio built around a small set of mission-aligned institutions that can carry research, standards, advocacy, and technical development over time. Grants in the recent list also reach university programs and nonprofit infrastructure groups working on open learning, secure information sharing, and digital preservation. The foundation’s active programs reinforce that profile, including open requests for proposals for universities and GLAM institutions, creator and developer training, and public education about decentralized technologies. Across the record, the common thread is support for projects that make decentralized systems usable, documented, and durable.
What Filecoin Foundation for the Decentralized Web Funds
Digital civil liberties and internet freedom advocacy are central. Filecoin Foundation for the Decentralized Web gave $2,000,000 to Electronic Frontier Foundation in 2025 for operating support, after earlier operating grants of $2,000,000 in 2024 and $1,750,000 in 2023. Press freedom and independent journalism are another major line of support: Freedom of the Press Foundation received $2,112,144 in 2025 for operating support, following grants of $1,920,131 in 2024 and $1,309,180 in 2023. The foundation also funds open education and research infrastructure. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Open Learning received $1,000,000 in 2025 for operating support, building on a 2024 grant at the same amount. In preservation and licensing infrastructure, Creative Commons Corporation received $500,000 in 2024 for operating support.
How Filecoin Foundation for the Decentralized Web Gives
Typical grants are large: the 25th percentile is $1,000,000, the median is $1,434,118, and the 75th percentile is $1,792,533. The recent record shows repeated awards to the same organizations across multiple years, especially Electronic Frontier Foundation, Freedom of the Press Foundation, and Harvard Office for Sponsored Programs. Most listed grants are operating support, including awards to universities and nonprofit infrastructure groups. The foundation is classified as a regular funder, and it does make open requests for proposals in some areas; those programs accept unsolicited submissions. The grant record here is concentrated rather than dispersed, with several multi-year commitments rather than isolated one-time awards.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$2.8M
Total Assets
$9.6M
Total Revenue
-$2.5M
Total Expenses
$8.3M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $1M and $1.8M, with a median of $1.4M.
25th Percentile
$1M
Median
$1.4M
75th Percentile
$1.8M
Geographic Reach
Regional4 states funded
About 14% of grants go to recipients in CA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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