About First Liberty Institute
First Liberty Institute’s giving shows a steady pattern of general support for organizations working on religious liberty, First Amendment law, and related advocacy. In 2024, its largest recent grant was $50,000 to the Rule of Law Defense Fund for general support, followed by $25,000 grants to James Wilson Institute, Benedict XVI Institute, and Family Policies Fdn. Those awards sit alongside repeated support for groups connected to law, policy, chaplaincy, and education, including American Conservative Union, Council for National, Henry Inst - Calvin University, Family Research Council, Chaplains Alliance, and Assoc of Christian Lawmakers. The foundation’s stated summary centers on defending religious liberty and the First Amendment for all Americans through legal advocacy and education, and the recent grants align with that framing. The record also shows that grants are often structured as unrestricted or core support rather than project-specific awards, which helps explain why the same general-purpose language appears across multiple recipients. Across the latest filing year, the portfolio reflects a clear preference for organizations operating in adjacent policy and legal spaces.
What First Liberty Institute Funds
Religious liberty and First Amendment advocacy are the clearest throughline in the grant record. The foundation gave $50,000 to Rule of Law Defense Fund for general support, and it also awarded $15,000 to the same grantee in 2023, indicating continued backing for legal and policy work. In education-related grantmaking, it gave $25,000 to Benedict XVI Institute and $20,000 to Henry Inst - Calvin University, both as general support. Public-policy organizations also appear repeatedly: James Wilson Institute received $25,000 for general support, while American Conservative Union received $20,000 in 2023. The foundation also backed faith-related civic work through $15,000 to Family Research Council and $10,000 to Chaplains Alliance, both for general support. These awards point to support for legal advocacy, education, and public-policy organizations rather than a single program area.
How First Liberty Institute Gives
Typical grant size sits at $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $20,000 at the median, and $20,000 at the 75th percentile, which places most awards in a narrow band. The recent record includes repeated grants to the same recipients across 2023 and 2024, including Rule of Law Defense Fund, American Conservative Union, Council for National, and Chaplains Alliance, suggesting recurring rather than one-time support. The grant descriptions are consistently general support or general support equivalents, and the foundation does not make program-related investments or grants to individuals. The pattern fits an organization-wide, flexible funding approach.
