About Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute
The Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute concentrates on large, targeted investments in high-profile cultural and academic institutions, providing unrestricted/general operating support. Its grants favor established international cultural organizations and research universities, suggesting an interest in preserving, studying, and promoting cultural heritage across borders. The foundation makes very few but substantial awards rather than many small grants, directing funding to institutions with broad reach and capacity.
Focus Areas
Major international art museums via U.S. fundraising affiliates (e.g., American Friends of the Louvre)University-based cultural heritage research and program support (e.g., University of Toronto)General operating support for flagship cultural and academic institutionsTransnational cultural heritage preservation and promotion
Who They Fund
not specified
Giving Approach
Highly concentrated giving: very few (4) large grants totaling $4.55M, split between two repeat grantees; prefers sizable, unrestricted/general operating awards to established institutions rather than many small or community-level grants.
About Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute
Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute’s recent giving is built around very large general operating grants to institutions that teach, preserve, and present Persian culture. In 2024, it gave $1,500,000 to the University of Toronto and $1,300,000 to American Friends of the Louvre, followed by another $1,000,000 to American Friends of the Louvre in 2023. That pattern points to multi-year support for established organizations rather than one-time project funding. Across the grant list, the foundation also backs universities and cultural institutions with smaller operating awards, including Stony Brook Foundation Inc, the Regents of the University of California Irvine, Americans for Oxford Inc, and the University of Arizona. The funded work consistently sits within Persian studies, cultural preservation, research, exhibitions, and instruction. Its active grant programs show the same orientation in another form: fellowships for Ph.D. candidates, competitive grants to universities, and grants to museums and nonprofits. The overall profile is narrow and institution-focused. Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute uses unrestricted support, fellowships, and program grants to strengthen Persian language, literature, history, and related cultural work across universities and cultural nonprofits.
What Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute Funds
Persian studies is the clearest theme in the foundation’s active grant programs. It funds fellowships for Ph.D. candidates completing dissertations on Persian language, literature, history, geography, civilization, and related fields, including fellowships for graduate students enrolled at accredited U.S. universities. For museums and nonprofits, Roshan supports Persian cultural preservation, research, exhibitions, and public programming. A recent example is $60,000 to Stony Brook Foundation Inc for general operating support, alongside grants to Iranian Culture and Art Club in Fresno for general operating support in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Its university work is similarly centered on Persian studies infrastructure. The foundation gives competitive grants to universities to develop programs, establish faculty positions, sponsor research, and support curriculum work, as shown by grants to the Regents of the University of California Irvine and the University of Arizona. It also supports partner institutions abroad through general grants.
How Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute Gives
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$21K
Total Assets
$4.3M
Total Revenue
$472K
Total Expenses
$125K
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $5K and $578K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$578K
Geographic Reach
Regional4 states funded
About 0% of grants go to recipients in CA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Where Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute Funds
Top 2 recipient countries by grant volume for Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 15 | $2.4M | 79.0% |
| 2 | Canada |
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