The Waking Up Foundation concentrates on high-impact, evidence-driven interventions that reduce extreme global risks (AI, biotech, nuclear) and advance biomedical research and humanitarian relief. They fund a mix of specialized strategy and policy groups tied to the effective altruism ecosystem as well as established research institutions and direct-relief organizations, privileging organizations that produce research, policy change, or scalable interventions.
Waking Up Foundation’s recent grants show a clear emphasis on extreme-risk reduction and technical policy work, with some of the largest awards going to organizations tracking AI incidents, shaping nuclear weapons policy, and building AI governance research capacity. In 2023, it gave $550,000 to The Responsible Ai Collaborative to maintain the AI incident database, a record of real-world harms caused by AI systems. The following year, it backed Effective Ventures Foundation USA Inc with $426,000 for the nuclear weapons policy fund, then in 2025 it provided $300,000 to Safe Artificial Intelligence Forum Institute to minimize extreme AI risks. The foundation also supports biomedical research, pandemic prevention, humanitarian relief, and direct economic support. Its portfolio includes grants for Alzheimer’s disease research, biosecurity work on novel biotechnologies, emergency medical aid, and unconditional cash transfers. Several awards go to organizations connected to research, policy development, or specialized field-building rather than broad service delivery. That pattern suggests a funder looking for interventions that can influence systems, evidence, and decision-making across global risk, health, and poverty alleviation domains.
AI safety and governance is a central theme. Waking Up Foundation gave $550,000 to The Responsible Ai Collaborative to maintain the AI incident database, and later awarded $100,000 to Effective Ventures Foundation USA Inc for research to inform AI policy and training for AI policy researchers and practitioners. It also provided $300,000 to Safe Artificial Intelligence Forum Institute to minimize extreme AI risks. In biosecurity and pandemic prevention, the foundation granted $270,000 to Securebio Inc to reduce catastrophic risks from novel biotechnologies through research on pandemic prevention, detection, and mitigation, plus $130,000 to Effective Ventures Foundation USA Inc for work on the safety of low-wavelength germicidal light. For global health, it gave $40,000 to Malaria Consortium US Inc for seasonal malaria chemoprevention training. Its poverty-alleviation work includes a $50,000 grant to Givedirectly Inc in support of people in poverty.
Waking Up Foundation’s grant sizes cluster in the mid-six-figure and lower-six-figure range: p25 is $62,000, median is $125,000, and p75 is $200,000. The recent grants list shows repeat support to several recipients across multiple years, including Effective Ventures Foundation USA Inc, Givedirectly Inc, and the funder’s grantees in AI policy and humanitarian work. The foundation is classified as a Regular Funder, funds individuals, and does not make program-related investments. The recent portfolio also mixes operating support, research support, and capacity-building grants.
$705K
$1.3M
$1.4M
$714K
Most grants fall between $62K and $200K, with a median of $125K.
25th Percentile
$62K
Median
$125K
75th Percentile
$200K
About 21% of grants go to recipients in NY.
Top 3 recipient countries by grant volume for Waking Up Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 22 | $2.9M | 91.7% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 1 |
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Relatively concentrated, high-dollar grants to a small set of mission-aligned organizations and research institutions; mix of repeat funding for core ecosystem players and one-off large grants to established research/relief organizations. Funding skews toward strategy, research, and policy organizations rather than many small local charities.
Notable grantees: Effective Ventures Foundation USA Inc, The Responsible AI Collaborative, Center for Effective Altruism USA Inc, SecureBio Inc, Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières
Giving is national, with 91.7% of recent grants going to U.S. recipients and 18% of grants landing in California. By grant count, Maryland is the top state, even though the foundation is headquartered in Encino, California. Recent recipient locations include Baltimore, New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. Outside the United States, the list includes one grant to London and one to Amsterdam.
The recent grants point to AI safety and governance, biosecurity and pandemic prevention, nuclear weapons policy, effective altruism research and field-building, biomedical research, humanitarian relief, direct cash transfers, climate mitigation, and some disability-focused work.
Yes. The recent grant list includes repeat awards to Effective Ventures Foundation USA Inc in 2024 and 2025, and to Givedirectly Inc in 2023 and 2025. That indicates at least some ongoing relationships rather than one-off grants only.
Typical grants are in the six-figure range. The distribution provided shows a p25 of $62,000, a median of $125,000, and a p75 of $200,000.
By grant count, Maryland is the top state for recipients. The recipient country distribution is overwhelmingly U.S.-based, with 22 of 24 grants going to U.S. organizations.
It funds individuals as well as organizations. The foundation profile marks funds individuals as true, while the recent grants list shows a mix of institutional recipients across research, policy, humanitarian, and field-building work.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
| $550K |
4.2% |
| 3 | Netherlands | 1 | $330K | 4.2% |
Recipient country reflects the grantee's headquarters per IRS 990-PF and Schedule F filings, not the program's implementation country.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAFE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FORUM INSTITUTE | BROOKLYN, NY | $300,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT MISSION OF MINIMIZING EXTREME AI RISKS. |
| THE RAND CORPORATION | SANTA MONICA, CA | $250,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT RESEARCH THAT DEVELOPS SOLUTIONS TO PUBLIC POLICY CHALLENGES TO HELP MAKE COMMUNITIES SAFER, MORE SECURE, HEALTHIER, AND MORE PROSPEROUS. |
| EFFECTIVE VENTURES FOUNDATION USA INC | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | RESEARCH TO INFORM AI POLICY, TRAINING AI POLICY RESEARCHERS AND PRACTITIONERS. |
| GIVEDIRECTLY INC | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | IN SUPPORT OF PEOPLE IN POVERTY. |
| LOTUS TREASURE | BOULDER, CO | $4,700 | 2025 | IN SUPPORT OF THE TULKU URGYEN RINPOCHE DZOGCHEN COMPILATION PROJECT. |
| EFFECTIVE VENTURES FOUNDATION USA INC | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $426,000 | 2024 | TO SUPPORT THE NUCLEAR WEAPONS POLICY FUND. |
| SECUREBIO INC | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $270,000 | 2024 | TO REDUCE CATASTROPHIC RISKS FROM NOVEL BIOTECHNOLOGIES BY CONDUCTING RESEARCH ON PANDEMIC PREVENTION, DETECTION AND MITIGATION. |
| DOCTORS WITHOUT BOARDERS MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES | NEW YORK, NY | $200,000 | 2024 | ENSURE THAT PATIENTS RECEIVE THE CARE THEY SO URGENTLY NEED, NO MATTER THEIR CIRCUMSTANCES. |
| EFFECTIVE VENTURES FOUNDATION USA INC | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $130,000 | 2024 | TOWARDS COMPREHENSIVELY DETERMINING THE SAFETY OF LOW-WAVELENGTH GERMICIDAL LIGHT. |
| JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY | BALTIMORE, MD | $125,000 | 2024 | TO EDUCATE STUDENTS, TO FOSTER INDEPENDENT & ORIGINAL RESEARCH, AND TO SHARE BENEFITS DISCOVERED. |
| HORIZON INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC SERVICE | WASHINGTON, DC | $74,000 | 2024 | HELPING INTERESTED INDIVIDUALS LEARN ABOUT AND GAIN EXPERIENCE WITH U.S. GOVERNMENT WORK IN EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES AND ASSISTING THE U.S. GOVERNMENT IN ITS SEARCH FOR EMERGING TECHNOLOGY EXPERTISE. |
| BE HERD FOUNDATION | SHERMAN OAKS, CA | $50,000 | 2024 | TO EDUCATE AND INFORM THE PUBLIC ON MATTERS REGARDING HEALTH, EDUCATION, RESEARCH, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DRIVEN BY SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. |
| MALARIA CONSORTIUM US INC | HERMITAGE, PA | $40,000 | 2024 | TO HELP SUPPORT THE SEASONAL MALARIA CHEMOPREVENTION PROGRAM THROUGH TRAINING OVER 200,000 COMMUNITY DISTRIBUTORS WHO HELP DELIVER THIS LIFE-SAVING INTERVENTION TO 26 MILLION CHILDREN ACROSS SEVEN COUNTRIES. |
| DONGYU GATSAL LING INITIATIVES INCORPORATED | WOODBURY, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | TO IMPROVE THE EDUCATION STANDARDS AND LIVING CONDITIONS OF TIBETAN BUDDHIST FEMALE MONASTIC COMMUNITIES. |
| THE RESPONSIBLE AI COLLABORATIVE | LONDON, JL | $550,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT WORK TO MAINTAIN THE AI INCIDENT DATABASE, WHICH IS A DATABASE OF INCIDENTS WHERE AI SYSTEMS HAVE CAUSED REAL-WORLD HARM. |
| CENTER FOR EFFECTIVE ALTRUISM USA INC | AMSTERDAM, HG | $330,000 | 2023 | EFFECTIVE ALTRUISM IS AN EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION THAT HELPS EMPOWER PEOPLE WHO WANT TO MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT IN THEIR COMMUNITY. THEIR MISSION IS TO BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN THINKING OF WANTING TO HELP OTHERS AND PUTTING THAT IDEA INTO ACTION. EFFECTIVE ALTRUISM IS A RESEARCH FIELD WHICH USES HIGH-QUALITY EVIDENCE AND CAREFUL REASONING TO WORK OUT HOW TO HELP OTHERS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. IT IS ALSO A COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE TAKING THESE ANSWERS SERIOUSLY, BY FOCUSING THEIR EFFORTS ON THE MOST PROMISING SOLUTIONS TO THE WORLD'S MOST PRESSING PROBLEMS. |
| ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE RESEARCH FOUNDATION INC | WELLESLEY, MA | $200,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH INTO THE CAUSES OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE TO FIND A THERAPEUTIC SOLUTION. |
| GIVEDIRECTLY INC | NEW YORK, NY | $180,000 | 2023 | RESHAPE INTERNATIONAL GIVING, MAKING UNCONDITIONAL, DIRECT CASH TRANSFERS TO THE POOR THE BENCHMARK AGAINST WHICH OTHER INTERVENTIONS ARE EVALUATED. |
| JOHN HOPKINS UNIVERSITYDEVELOPMENT | BALTIMORE, MD | $125,000 | 2023 | TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF THE COMMUNITY AND THE WORLD BY SETTING THE STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE IN MEDICAL EDUCATION, RESEARCH AND CLINICAL CARE. |
| FOUNDERS PLEDGE INC | NEW YORK, NY | $120,000 | 2023 | DEMONSTRATES THE ABILITY AND WILLINGNESS OF TECH LEADERS TO COLLECTIVELY APPLY THEIR RESOURCES, PASSIONS, AND TENACITY TOWARDS SOLVING GLOBAL CHALLENGES. |
| THE GOOD FOOD INSTITUTE INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $100,000 | 2023 | BUILDING A MORE SUSTAINABLE AND SECURE GLOBAL FOOD SYSTEM. POWERING SOLUTIONS TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE, ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION, AND THE RISE OF ZOONOTIC AND ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANT DISEASES. |
| INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE | NEW YORK, NY | $80,000 | 2023 | IRC FUNDS STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS ON THE GROUND IN AFGHANISTAN, WHO ARE WORKING DAY AND NIGHT TO DELIVER SERVICES TO AS MANY CIVILIANS AS POSSIBLE. WE ARE ALSO PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR AFGHAN ALLIES AND REFUGEES IN THEIR RESETTLEMENT PROCESS IN THE UNITED STATES. IRC IS HELPING TO SAVE LIVES BY PROVIDING EMERGENCY CASH ASSISTANCE, HEALTH, EDUCATION, PROTECTION, AND OTHER CRITICAL SERVICES TO SOME OF THE MOST VULNERABLE AFFECTED. |
| SIGHTSAVERS INC | BOSTON, MA | $50,000 | 2023 | ADVOCATE FOR THE RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS AND OTHER DISABILITIES, AND HELP TO IMPROVE LOCAL HEALTH SERVICES SO THEY ARE SUSTAINABLE. |
| CLEAN AIR TASK FORCE INC | BOSTON, MA | $50,000 | 2023 | TO RAPIDLY REDUCE EMISSIONS WHILE ADVANCING BOLD, DURABLE CLIMATE SOLUTIONS TO ENSURE A NET-ZERO EMISSIONS, HIGH ENERGY PLANET AT AN AFFORDABLE COST. |
SAFE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FORUM INSTITUTE
$300,000TO SUPPORT MISSION OF MINIMIZING EXTREME AI RISKS.
THE RAND CORPORATION
$250,000TO SUPPORT RESEARCH THAT DEVELOPS SOLUTIONS TO PUBLIC POLICY CHALLENGES TO HELP MAKE COMMUNITIES SAFER, MORE SECURE, HEALTHIER, AND MORE PROSPEROUS.
RESEARCH TO INFORM AI POLICY, TRAINING AI POLICY RESEARCHERS AND PRACTITIONERS.
LOTUS TREASURE
$4,700IN SUPPORT OF THE TULKU URGYEN RINPOCHE DZOGCHEN COMPILATION PROJECT.
TO SUPPORT THE NUCLEAR WEAPONS POLICY FUND.
TO REDUCE CATASTROPHIC RISKS FROM NOVEL BIOTECHNOLOGIES BY CONDUCTING RESEARCH ON PANDEMIC PREVENTION, DETECTION AND MITIGATION.
DOCTORS WITHOUT BOARDERS MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES
$200,000ENSURE THAT PATIENTS RECEIVE THE CARE THEY SO URGENTLY NEED, NO MATTER THEIR CIRCUMSTANCES.
TOWARDS COMPREHENSIVELY DETERMINING THE SAFETY OF LOW-WAVELENGTH GERMICIDAL LIGHT.
TO EDUCATE STUDENTS, TO FOSTER INDEPENDENT & ORIGINAL RESEARCH, AND TO SHARE BENEFITS DISCOVERED.
HELPING INTERESTED INDIVIDUALS LEARN ABOUT AND GAIN EXPERIENCE WITH U.S. GOVERNMENT WORK IN EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES AND ASSISTING THE U.S. GOVERNMENT IN ITS SEARCH FOR EMERGING TECHNOLOGY EXPERTISE.
BE HERD FOUNDATION
$50,000TO EDUCATE AND INFORM THE PUBLIC ON MATTERS REGARDING HEALTH, EDUCATION, RESEARCH, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DRIVEN BY SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.
TO HELP SUPPORT THE SEASONAL MALARIA CHEMOPREVENTION PROGRAM THROUGH TRAINING OVER 200,000 COMMUNITY DISTRIBUTORS WHO HELP DELIVER THIS LIFE-SAVING INTERVENTION TO 26 MILLION CHILDREN ACROSS SEVEN COUNTRIES.
DONGYU GATSAL LING INITIATIVES INCORPORATED
$10,000TO IMPROVE THE EDUCATION STANDARDS AND LIVING CONDITIONS OF TIBETAN BUDDHIST FEMALE MONASTIC COMMUNITIES.
THE RESPONSIBLE AI COLLABORATIVE
$550,000SUPPORT WORK TO MAINTAIN THE AI INCIDENT DATABASE, WHICH IS A DATABASE OF INCIDENTS WHERE AI SYSTEMS HAVE CAUSED REAL-WORLD HARM.
CENTER FOR EFFECTIVE ALTRUISM USA INC
$330,000EFFECTIVE ALTRUISM IS AN EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION THAT HELPS EMPOWER PEOPLE WHO WANT TO MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT IN THEIR COMMUNITY. THEIR MISSION IS TO BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN THINKING OF WANTING TO HELP OTHERS AND PUTTING THAT IDEA INTO ACTION. EFFECTIVE ALTRUISM IS A RESEARCH FIELD WHICH USES HIGH-QUALITY EVIDENCE AND CAREFUL REASONING TO WORK OUT HOW TO HELP OTHERS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. IT IS ALSO A COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE TAKING THESE ANSWERS SERIOUSLY, BY FOCUSING THEIR EFFORTS ON THE MOST PROMISING SOLUTIONS TO THE WORLD'S MOST PRESSING PROBLEMS.
SUPPORT OF FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH INTO THE CAUSES OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE TO FIND A THERAPEUTIC SOLUTION.
RESHAPE INTERNATIONAL GIVING, MAKING UNCONDITIONAL, DIRECT CASH TRANSFERS TO THE POOR THE BENCHMARK AGAINST WHICH OTHER INTERVENTIONS ARE EVALUATED.
TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF THE COMMUNITY AND THE WORLD BY SETTING THE STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE IN MEDICAL EDUCATION, RESEARCH AND CLINICAL CARE.
DEMONSTRATES THE ABILITY AND WILLINGNESS OF TECH LEADERS TO COLLECTIVELY APPLY THEIR RESOURCES, PASSIONS, AND TENACITY TOWARDS SOLVING GLOBAL CHALLENGES.
BUILDING A MORE SUSTAINABLE AND SECURE GLOBAL FOOD SYSTEM. POWERING SOLUTIONS TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE, ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION, AND THE RISE OF ZOONOTIC AND ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANT DISEASES.
IRC FUNDS STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS ON THE GROUND IN AFGHANISTAN, WHO ARE WORKING DAY AND NIGHT TO DELIVER SERVICES TO AS MANY CIVILIANS AS POSSIBLE. WE ARE ALSO PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR AFGHAN ALLIES AND REFUGEES IN THEIR RESETTLEMENT PROCESS IN THE UNITED STATES. IRC IS HELPING TO SAVE LIVES BY PROVIDING EMERGENCY CASH ASSISTANCE, HEALTH, EDUCATION, PROTECTION, AND OTHER CRITICAL SERVICES TO SOME OF THE MOST VULNERABLE AFFECTED.
ADVOCATE FOR THE RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS AND OTHER DISABILITIES, AND HELP TO IMPROVE LOCAL HEALTH SERVICES SO THEY ARE SUSTAINABLE.
TO RAPIDLY REDUCE EMISSIONS WHILE ADVANCING BOLD, DURABLE CLIMATE SOLUTIONS TO ENSURE A NET-ZERO EMISSIONS, HIGH ENERGY PLANET AT AN AFFORDABLE COST.