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.
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.
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.
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.
$16.1M
$6.2M
$15M
$9.4M
Most grants fall between $250K and $3.9M, with a median of $425K.
25th Percentile
$250K
Median
$425K
75th Percentile
$3.9M
About 29% of grants go to recipients in CA.
FRANK MCCOURT
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Grantmaking is regional, with 29% of grants going to recipients in New York state and the highest grant count in California. Recent recipients are concentrated in U.S. research, advocacy, and education hubs: Cambridge, Boston, San Francisco, Washington, and New York. The recipient country distribution is entirely U.S., with 7 grants recorded in the United States.
Its recent grants support social network design, digital governance research, educational convenings, and policy work on online harms. Examples include RealTalk development at MIT and Cortico, a duty-of-care project at Common Sense Media, and educational events on the mental, civic, and public health impacts of digital technology at Issue One.
Yes. It gave $250,000 to Heterodox Academy in 2023 and another $250,000 in 2024 to host discussions bringing together educators and technologists. It also gave $20,000 to The Hopewell Fund for roundtables on young people’s wellbeing and technology.
The grant-size distribution is substantial: the 25th percentile is $250,000, the median is $425,000, and the 75th percentile is $3,912,790. That pattern reflects a mix of mid-sized convening or research grants and very large project awards.
The top state by grant count is California, while 29% of grants go to recipients in New York state. Recent recipient cities include Cambridge, Boston, San Francisco, Washington, and New York, and all recorded grants in the data are to U.S. organizations.
2024
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2024.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISSUE ONE | WASHINGTON, DC | $500,000 | 2024 | SUPPORT THE ORGANIZATION TO DEVELOP AND HOST EDUCATIONAL EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES THAT EXPLORE THE NEGATIVE MENTAL, CIVIC AND PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACTS OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY, PARTICULARLY SOCIAL MEDIA. |
| HETERODOX ACADEMY | NEW YORK, NY | $250,000 | 2024 | SUPPORT ORGANIZATION IN HOSTING DISCUSSIONS THAT BRING TOGETHER EDUCATORS FROM MULTIPLE FIELDS WITH TECHNOLOGIST TO EXPLORE THE EFFECTS OF TECHNOLOGY ON DEMOCRATIC AND EPISTEMIC INSTITUTIONS. CONDUCT A MEMBERSHIP DRIVE TO LEVERAGE COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND INCREASE MEMBERSHIP. |
| THE HOPEWELL FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $20,000 | 2024 | SUPPORT THE ORGANIZATION TO HOST ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS BRINGING TOGETHER YOUNG PEOPLE FROM MULTIPLE FIELDS WITH TECHNOLOGISTS TO EXPLORE THE EFFECTS OF TECHNOLOGY ON THE WELLBEING OF YOUNG PEOPLE. |
| MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $7,325,581 | 2023 | PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE MIT CENTER FOR CONSTRUCTIVE COMMUNICATION'S RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGIES AND METHODS TO ADVANCE, ACCELERATE AND DEPLOY THE REALTALK SYSTEM - A SOCIAL NETWORK DESIGNED FOR AUTHENTIC DIALOGUE, DEEP LISTENING AND CONNECTION. |
| CORTICO | BOSTON, MA | $7,325,581 | 2023 | SUPPORT CORTICO'S DEVELOPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT OF TECHNOLOGIES AND METHODS TO ADVANCE, ACCELERATE, AND INTEGRATE THE REALTALK SYSTEM - A SOCIAL NETWORK DESIGNED FOR AUTHENTIC DIALOGUE, DEEP LISTENING AND CONNECTION - AND ITS TRANSITION TO THE PROJECT LIBERTY DECENTRALIZED SOCIAL NETWORK PROTOCOL (DSNP). |
| COMMON SENSE MEDIA | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $425,000 | 2023 | RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF A PROJECT CURRENTLY KNOWN AS THE "DUTY OF CARE" PROJECT WHICH WILL DELIVER AN ONLINE HARMS MAP AND HAS THE PURPOSE OF ESTABLISHING A DUTY OF CARE STANDARD TO COMPEL SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS TO BE ACCOUNTABLE TO THEIR USERS AND SOCIETY. |
| HETERODOX ACADEMY | NEW YORK, NY | $250,000 | 2023 | ENABLE THE ORGANIZATION TO HOST DISCUSSIONS BRINGING TOGETHER EDUCATORS FROM MULTIPLE FIELDS WITH TECHNOLOGISTS TO EXPLORE THE EFFECTS OF TECHNOLOGY ON DEMOCRATIC AND EPISTEMIC INSTITUTIONS AS WELL AS CONDUCT A MEMBERSHIP DRIVE TO EXPAND THE ORGANIZATION'S COMMUNITY. |
ISSUE ONE
$500,000SUPPORT THE ORGANIZATION TO DEVELOP AND HOST EDUCATIONAL EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES THAT EXPLORE THE NEGATIVE MENTAL, CIVIC AND PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACTS OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY, PARTICULARLY SOCIAL MEDIA.
HETERODOX ACADEMY
$250,000SUPPORT ORGANIZATION IN HOSTING DISCUSSIONS THAT BRING TOGETHER EDUCATORS FROM MULTIPLE FIELDS WITH TECHNOLOGIST TO EXPLORE THE EFFECTS OF TECHNOLOGY ON DEMOCRATIC AND EPISTEMIC INSTITUTIONS. CONDUCT A MEMBERSHIP DRIVE TO LEVERAGE COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND INCREASE MEMBERSHIP.
THE HOPEWELL FUND
$20,000SUPPORT THE ORGANIZATION TO HOST ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS BRINGING TOGETHER YOUNG PEOPLE FROM MULTIPLE FIELDS WITH TECHNOLOGISTS TO EXPLORE THE EFFECTS OF TECHNOLOGY ON THE WELLBEING OF YOUNG PEOPLE.
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
$7,325,581PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE MIT CENTER FOR CONSTRUCTIVE COMMUNICATION'S RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGIES AND METHODS TO ADVANCE, ACCELERATE AND DEPLOY THE REALTALK SYSTEM - A SOCIAL NETWORK DESIGNED FOR AUTHENTIC DIALOGUE, DEEP LISTENING AND CONNECTION.
CORTICO
$7,325,581SUPPORT CORTICO'S DEVELOPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT OF TECHNOLOGIES AND METHODS TO ADVANCE, ACCELERATE, AND INTEGRATE THE REALTALK SYSTEM - A SOCIAL NETWORK DESIGNED FOR AUTHENTIC DIALOGUE, DEEP LISTENING AND CONNECTION - AND ITS TRANSITION TO THE PROJECT LIBERTY DECENTRALIZED SOCIAL NETWORK PROTOCOL (DSNP).
COMMON SENSE MEDIA
$425,000RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF A PROJECT CURRENTLY KNOWN AS THE "DUTY OF CARE" PROJECT WHICH WILL DELIVER AN ONLINE HARMS MAP AND HAS THE PURPOSE OF ESTABLISHING A DUTY OF CARE STANDARD TO COMPEL SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS TO BE ACCOUNTABLE TO THEIR USERS AND SOCIETY.
HETERODOX ACADEMY
$250,000ENABLE THE ORGANIZATION TO HOST DISCUSSIONS BRINGING TOGETHER EDUCATORS FROM MULTIPLE FIELDS WITH TECHNOLOGISTS TO EXPLORE THE EFFECTS OF TECHNOLOGY ON DEMOCRATIC AND EPISTEMIC INSTITUTIONS AS WELL AS CONDUCT A MEMBERSHIP DRIVE TO EXPAND THE ORGANIZATION'S COMMUNITY.