About Urban Institute
Urban is a leader in providing evidence and solutions on the issues that affect the well-being of people and communities.
Focus Areas
Family and Financial Well-BeingHealth PolicyHousing and CommunitiesJustice and SafetyNonprofits and PhilanthropyEquity and Community ImpactTax and Income SupportsTechnology and DataUpward MobilityWork, Education, and Labor
Who They Fund
unspecified
Funding Style
sub-award / pass-through funding
About Urban Institute
The Urban Institute’s recent grantmaking is built around research and practice projects that improve employment, training, and worker outcomes. Its WorkRise initiative issued a Request for Proposals to support this kind of work, and the recent-grants list shows the same pattern in practice through large grant sub-awards to organizations such as WorkHands Inc and Per Scholas Inc. That mix points to a funder that does not operate as a direct-service grantmaker; instead, it channels resources through sub-awards tied to projects and research partnerships. The foundation’s portfolio also reaches beyond workforce development. Recent awards include sub-awards to universities, policy organizations, and community-based groups, which fits an institution known for evidence and solutions on issues affecting the well-being of people and communities. In the latest grants, recipients range from Harvard College and Brookings Institution to Jobs With Justice Education Fund and Centro Campesino Farmworker Center. The presence of both academic and practice-oriented recipients suggests a funding model that values applied research, policy analysis, and implementation-focused work. Across the record on file, the Urban Institute appears to fund regional projects rather than broad open grantmaking.
What Urban Institute Funds
Workforce development is the clearest named program area. Through WorkRise, the Urban Institute funded research and practice-focused projects aimed at improving employment, training, and worker outcomes, and a recent sub-award to WorkHands Inc reflects that emphasis. Education and labor-related work also appears in the grant list through a sub-award to Per Scholas Inc, a workforce training organization, and another to Seeding Success. Those awards sit alongside research and intermediary grantees such as Mdrc and American Institutes for Research, showing interest in both program delivery and evaluation. Housing, equity, and community impact show up indirectly through grants to community-facing organizations, including a sub-award to Centro Campesino Farmworker Center. The mix of grantees suggests the Urban Institute supports both policy work and projects with on-the-ground service or organizing components.
How Urban Institute Gives
Typical grant size is $20,000 at the 25th percentile, $48,604 at the median, and $99,500 at the 75th percentile. The recent record includes several awards above $300,000, alongside many mid-sized project sub-awards. This is a regular funder, not a funder of individuals, and it does not make program-related investments. The grant labels also point to a strong sub-award and contractual-support orientation rather than unrestricted philanthropy. Recipients recur across years: President and Fellows of Harvard College, Regents of The University of California-Berkeley, Rutgers University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology each appear more than once in the recent-grants list. The active WorkRise RFP also shows that at least part of the funding is organized through a formal proposal process rather than open unsolicited applications.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$10M
Total Assets
$311.6M
Total Revenue
$129.6M
Total Expenses
$148.5M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $20K and $100K, with a median of $49K.
25th Percentile
$20K
Median
$49K
75th Percentile
$100K
Geographic Reach
National36 states funded
About 8% of grants go to recipients in CA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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