About Project Liberty Institute
The Project Liberty Institute is a nonprofit research and convening hub that advances democratic values and digital governance to shape a people-centered digital economy, building digital infrastructure, data stewardship models, policy, and multistakeholder coalitions so technology strengthens democracy, protects human rights, and serves the common good.
Focus Areas
digital governanceAI governance and safetydecentralized infrastructuredata stewardship and portabilityresearch and insightspolicy and multilateral engagementpublic convening
Who They Fund
young people / youtheducators (across multiple fields)technologists / platform developerssocial media users and the general public / societymembers and community of the host organization
About Project Liberty Institute
Project Liberty Institute’s largest recent grants show a clear commitment to building new social network tools around authentic dialogue and deep listening. In 2023, it awarded matching $7,325,581 grants to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Cortico to support the research, development, deployment, and integration of the RealTalk system, described as a social network design. That scale sits alongside smaller grants for policy, convening, and research tied to the social effects of digital technology. The foundation’s 2024 award to Issue One supported educational events and activities examining the negative mental, civic, and public health impacts of digital technology, particularly social media. It also backed Common Sense Media’s work on a “duty of care” project aimed at creating an online harms map and establishing accountability standards. Across its recent grants, Project Liberty Institute connects technology development with public-interest research, civic dialogue, and questions about how digital systems affect democracy, human rights, and young people.
What Project Liberty Institute Funds
Project Liberty Institute funds both technical development and public-interest analysis. On platform design, it gave $7,325,581 to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for research and development of technologies and methods to advance and deploy the RealTalk system, and the same amount to Cortico for development and integration of RealTalk as a social network for authentic dialogue and deep listening. In policy research, it awarded $425,000 to Common Sense Media for the “duty of care” project, which will deliver an online harms map and seek a duty of care standard. Its convening work includes $250,000 to Heterodox Academy to host discussions for educators and technologists on the effects of technology on democratic and epistemic institutions. The foundation also gave $20,000 to The Hopewell Fund for roundtables on technology and young people’s wellbeing.
How Project Liberty Institute Gives
Typical grants are large: the p25 is $250,000, the median is $425,000, and the p75 is $3,912,790. Recent giving includes both one-off awards and repeated support, as shown by two grants to Heterodox Academy in 2023 and 2024 with similar purposes and amounts, and the paired 2023 grants to MIT and Cortico at the same dollar level. Project Liberty Institute is a regular funder, not a donor-advised fund, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. The pattern suggests a mix of major project support and smaller convening grants.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$16.1M
Total Assets
$6.2M
Total Revenue
$15M
Total Expenses
$9.4M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $250K and $3.9M, with a median of $425K.
25th Percentile
$250K
Median
$425K
75th Percentile
$3.9M
Geographic Reach
Regional4 states funded
About 29% of grants go to recipients in CA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
FRANK MCCOURT
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