Open Philanthropy Action Fund

About Open Philanthropy Action Fund

Open Philanthropy Action Fund stands out for funding policy advocacy and political campaigning that aim at systems-level change. In the recent grant list, that shows up in large general-support awards to Accountable Justice Action Fund in Brooklyn and Albany, alongside support for ballot initiative work in California and state-level housing advocacy in New York. The funder also backs technical policy work, including AI safety community-building, immigration reform research and advocacy, and policy development through Washington, DC-based organizations. Its portfolio combines domestic civic campaigns with cause areas often associated with effective-altruism-aligned work. Recent grants include support for malnutrition advocacy, clinical-trial work related to COVID-19, alcohol-harm reduction in low- and middle-income countries, and work related to plant-based foods. The foundation also funds climate-linked energy advocacy, with repeated support for Breakthrough Energy Action Inc, and market-competition or pro-innovation policy work through groups such as Americans for Responsible Innovation and Competitive Markets Action Inc. This mix suggests a funder that backs both implementation-focused advocacy vehicles and the upstream research, organizing, and campaign infrastructure behind them.

What Open Philanthropy Action Fund Funds

Housing policy and ballot work is a recurring theme. Open Philanthropy Action Fund gave $2,977,361 to California Yimby for general support, $1,966,904 to Open New York Inc for general support, and $595,667 to Abundant Housing MA Inc for general support. Those grants point to support for state- and city-level housing advocacy in California, New York, and Massachusetts. Public health and pandemic-related work is another clear thread. The foundation gave $3,000,000 to Californians Against Pandemics to support a ballot initiative, and later $604,000 to Charak Foundation for a clinical trial of ramatroban against COVID-19. It also backed Malnutrition Advocacy Fund with $7,734,777 for advocacy for cost-effective malnutrition interventions. On the policy and governance side, they funded Americans for Responsible Innovation for general support, Federation of American Scientists for immigration policy development and advocacy, and Ifp Action for development and research on various public policies. That combination shows support for both issue-specific advocacy and broader policy capacity.

How Open Philanthropy Action Fund Gives