OC Foundation is a nonprofit fiscal sponsor and tech platform that provides nonprofit status, fundraising, and money-management tools to aligned groups, enabling transparent budgets and community-controlled financial workflows.
Opencollective Foundation’s recent giving is defined by a set of research grants in biotechnology and life sciences, with two awards at $110,000 each: one to Rice University for scalable, equipment-free affinity purification of enzymes using engineered buoyant nanostructures, and another to Stanford University for bioprospecting and directed evolution of nitrogen-fixing enzymes that can function in eukaryotes. That pattern places the foundation in a seed-stage, proof-of-concept role for projects that need translational support rather than traditional programmatic grants. The same grant list shows the foundation also backing industrial carbon reuse, reproductive-health research, and photosynthesis engineering. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory received $98,778 for bioproduction of fatty alcohols from industrial CO2/CO runoff, Harvard University received $71,500 for modeling human ovarian development, and Columbia University received $55,000 for interactions in endo. A later award to the University of Washington for enhancing photosynthesis through de novo protein design extends that emphasis on scalable bioengineering. Opencollective Foundation is structured as a pure DAF provider and public charity, and its grantmaking is tied to a hosted, transparent funding platform used by aligned groups. The result is a mix of direct project support and infrastructure for community-controlled financial workflows.
In bioengineering, Opencollective Foundation funded Rice University with $110,000 for scalable, equipment-free affinity purification of enzymes by engineered buoyant nanostructures, a project aimed at simplifying lab workflows. It also gave Stanford University $110,000 for bioprospecting and directed evolution of nitrogen-fixing enzymes that can function in eukaryotes, signaling interest in translational enzyme development. The foundation also backed carbon valorization and photosynthesis research. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory received $98,778 for bioproduction of fatty alcohols from industrial CO2/CO runoff, while the University of Washington received $38,500 to enhance photosynthesis through de novo protein design. A separate research thread centers reproductive health: Harvard University received $71,500 for modeling human ovarian development, and Columbia University received $55,000 for interactions in endo. Together, these grants show support for both platform-level biology and disease-focused inquiry.
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The recent grant sizes cluster in a narrow range: $38,500 at the low end, $55,000 and $71,500 in the middle, and two awards at $110,000. The median of the six listed grants is $81,000. Every recent grant shown was made in 2025. The foundation is a public charity and a pure DAF provider, with grantmaking administered through its hosted-collective platform. The recent list does not show repeat grantees across years in the data provided, so the visible pattern is a single-year snapshot rather than a multi-year relationship map. Applications are accepted unsolicited through the platform.
All six recent grants went to U.S. recipients, so the recipient-country distribution is 100% US. The largest concentrations are at research institutions in Texas and California, including Houston, Stanford, Berkeley, and Seattle, with additional grants in Cambridge and New York. California appears in the recent list through Stanford University and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, but the grants do not go to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state as a whole. The geographic scope of giving is otherwise described as global in the platform programs.
The recent grants point to biotechnology, industrial carbon reuse, reproductive-health research, and photosynthesis engineering. Named examples include enzyme purification at Rice University, nitrogen-fixing enzymes at Stanford University, fatty alcohol bioproduction at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and ovarian-development modeling at Harvard University.
The six listed grants range from $38,500 to $110,000, with a median of $81,000. Two grants were $110,000, one was $98,778, one was $71,500, one was $55,000, and one was $38,500.
Yes. The active program descriptions say several grant and hosting programs accept unsolicited applications, including the fiscal sponsorship / hosting program, the Data Empowerment Fund, and the general grant funding programs.
All six recent grants in the data went to U.S. recipients. Specific recipient locations include Houston, Stanford, Berkeley, Cambridge, New York, and Seattle.
Opencollective Foundation is listed as a public charity and a pure DAF provider. Its platform also offers fiscal sponsorship, hosted collectives, fundraising pages, and money-management software for aligned groups.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Current and upcoming funding from Opencollective Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Aligned groups seeking nonprofit status and fundraising tools; includes nonprofits, community groups, co-ops, LLCs, and other collectives that align with OC Foundation's mission and values. Must apply and be approved by the Foundation.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY | STANFORD, CA | $110,000 | 2025 | BIOPROSPECTING AND DIRECTED EVOLUTION OF NITROGEN FIXING ENZYMES THAT CAN FUNCTION IN EUKARYOTES |
| BOSTON UNIVERSITY | BOSTON, MA | $110,000 | 2025 | SYNTHETIC APOMIXIS FOR PERPETUATING HETEROSIS IN HYBRID CROPS |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY | STANFORD, CA | $110,000 | 2025 | BIOPROSPECTING AND DIRECTED EVOLUTION OF NITROGEN FIXING ENZYMES THAT CAN FUNCTION IN EUKARYOTES. |
| RICE UNIVERSITY | HOUSTON, TX | $110,000 | 2025 | SCALABLE, EQUIPMENT-FREE AFFINITY PURIFICATION OF ENZYMES BY ENGINEERED BUOYANT NANOSTRUCTURES |
| RICE UNIVERSITY | HOUSTON, TX | $110,000 | 2025 | SCALABLE, EQUIPMENT-FREE AFFINITY PURIFICATION OF ENZYMES BY ENGINEERED BUOYANT NANOSTRUCTURES |
| LAWRENCE BERKELEY NATIONAL LABORATORY | BERKELEY, CA | $98,778 | 2025 | UTILIZE AN INNOVATIVE BIOCATALYST TO CONVERT LOW-COST CO2 AND H2 FEEDSTOCKS, OR SYNGAS (CO/CO2/H2/O2 GAS MIXTURES) TO PRODUCE FOHS USING INDUSTRIALLY RELEVANT CULTIVATION TECHNIQUES |
| LAWRENCE BERKELEY NATIONAL LABORATORY | BERKELEY, CA | $98,778 | 2025 | BIOPRODUCTION OF FATTY ALCOHOLS FROM INDUSTRIAL CO2/CO RUNOFF |
| HARVARD UNIVERSITY | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $71,500 | 2025 | MODELING HUMAN OVARIAN DEVELOPMENT |
| COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY | NEW YORK, NY | $55,000 | 2025 | INTERACTIONS IN ENDO |
| SIMPLY SECURE | NEW YORK, NY | $49,996 | 2025 | RESEARCH: INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDER'S TOOLKIT |
| THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY | UNIVERSITY PARK, PA | $40,049 | 2025 | RESEARCH: RUST SECURITY ANALYSIS |
| UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON | SEATTLE, WA | $38,500 | 2025 | ENHANCING PHOTOSYNTHESIS THROUGH DE NOVO PROTEIN DESIGN |
| ARTICLE 19 INC | WILMINGTON, DE | $21,249 | 2025 | IN SUPPORT OF THE INTERNET FREEDOM FESTIVAL |
| CODE FOR SCIENCE AND SOCIETY | PORTLAND, OR | $9,240 | 2025 | RESEARCH: INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDER'S TOOLKIT |
| SIMPLY SECURE | NEW YORK, NY | $49,996 | 2023 | RESEARCH: INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDER'S TOOLKIT |
| THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY | UNIVERSITY PARK, PA | $40,049 | 2023 | RESEARCH: RUST SECURITY ANALYSIS |
| ARTICLE 19 INC | WILMINGTON, DE | $21,249 | 2023 | IN SUPPORT OF THE INTERNET FREEDOM FESTIVAL |
| CODE FOR SCIENCE AND SOCIETY | PORTLAND, OR | $9,240 | 2023 | RESEARCH: INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDER'S TOOLKIT |
BIOPROSPECTING AND DIRECTED EVOLUTION OF NITROGEN FIXING ENZYMES THAT CAN FUNCTION IN EUKARYOTES
SYNTHETIC APOMIXIS FOR PERPETUATING HETEROSIS IN HYBRID CROPS
BIOPROSPECTING AND DIRECTED EVOLUTION OF NITROGEN FIXING ENZYMES THAT CAN FUNCTION IN EUKARYOTES.
SCALABLE, EQUIPMENT-FREE AFFINITY PURIFICATION OF ENZYMES BY ENGINEERED BUOYANT NANOSTRUCTURES
SCALABLE, EQUIPMENT-FREE AFFINITY PURIFICATION OF ENZYMES BY ENGINEERED BUOYANT NANOSTRUCTURES
LAWRENCE BERKELEY NATIONAL LABORATORY
$98,778UTILIZE AN INNOVATIVE BIOCATALYST TO CONVERT LOW-COST CO2 AND H2 FEEDSTOCKS, OR SYNGAS (CO/CO2/H2/O2 GAS MIXTURES) TO PRODUCE FOHS USING INDUSTRIALLY RELEVANT CULTIVATION TECHNIQUES
LAWRENCE BERKELEY NATIONAL LABORATORY
$98,778BIOPRODUCTION OF FATTY ALCOHOLS FROM INDUSTRIAL CO2/CO RUNOFF
THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
$40,049RESEARCH: RUST SECURITY ANALYSIS
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
$38,500ENHANCING PHOTOSYNTHESIS THROUGH DE NOVO PROTEIN DESIGN
ARTICLE 19 INC
$21,249IN SUPPORT OF THE INTERNET FREEDOM FESTIVAL
THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
$40,049RESEARCH: RUST SECURITY ANALYSIS
ARTICLE 19 INC
$21,249IN SUPPORT OF THE INTERNET FREEDOM FESTIVAL
