Founders Pledge Inc concentrates large, strategic gifts to high‑leverage organizations working at the intersection of global catastrophic risk reduction, climate decarbonization, and crisis response. Their portfolio mixes science and policy-oriented climate work (including clean‑energy deployment and China decarbonization), AI safety research, and innovative humanitarian/rapid‑response efforts, and they also fund their own network/infrastructure. Grants are few but sizable and frequently international in scope.
Founders Pledge Inc directs large, strategic grants toward organizations working on global catastrophic risk reduction, climate decarbonization, and rapid-response humanitarian support. Its recent portfolio includes a $3.6 million grant to Clean Air Task Force for super hot rock geothermal energy, a $2.54 million grant to Tsinghua Education Foundation Na Inc for China carbon-neutrality work, and a $2.179 million grant to Alignment Research Center for general support. The pattern is not limited to one field: the funder also backs AI safety research, coal-power retrofit work, and infrastructure that supports its own donor network and pooled funds. The scale of giving is substantial. Annual grants given are $84,343,711, and the typical grant sits well into six figures, which places this funder among major strategic grantmakers rather than small-program sponsors. Recent awards also show a mix of general support and project-specific funding, with some grants tied to named initiatives and others used to strengthen research organizations, policy shops, and coordination teams. The foundation’s work has a strongly international orientation even when recipients are US-based, with grantmaking that reaches climate policy, existential-risk research, and emergency humanitarian interventions. Across the recent list, the same overall logic appears: fund high-leverage institutions, often with flexible support, where technical work or coordination can influence larger systems.
In climate policy and clean-energy deployment, Founders Pledge Inc backed Clean Air Task Force with $3.6 million for super hot rock geothermal energy and supported Tsinghua Education Foundation Na Inc with $2.54 million for the China Carbon Neutrality Project, including retrofitting coal power and Chinese international climate policy leadership. Those grants show interest in both technical decarbonization pathways and policy engagement. In AI alignment and long-term risk work, the foundation gave $2.179 million to Alignment Research Center for general support and $1.096 million to Center for Artificial Intelligence Safety Inc for charitable activities. It also funded Carnegie Mellon University with $1 million for the Foundations of Cooperative AI Lab, tying research support to broader governance and safety questions. For infrastructure and coordination, Founders Pledge Inc gave $1.922 million to Center for Applied Rationality for Lightcone infrastructure and coordination, and $1.097 million to Centre for Effective Altruism USA Inc for its long-term future fund, events team, online team, and community health and special project team.
$26.3M
$117.6M
$144.6M
$34.6M
Most grants fall between $50K and $461K, with a median of $189K.
25th Percentile
$50K
Median
$189K
75th Percentile
$461K
About 12% of grants go to recipients in CA.
Top 10 recipient countries by grant volume for Founders Pledge.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 226 | $79.5M | 89.0% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 6 |
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Concentrated, strategic giving: a small number of very large grants (multi‑million dollars) often to policy/research organizations and innovative operational groups; occasional repeat support for high‑priority grantees; internationally distributed rather than locally focused.
Notable grantees: DeployUS, Clean Air Task Force (CATF), Alignment Research Center, Tsinghua Education Foundation (China carbon neutrality project), Ukraine TrustChain
Typical grant size is $50,000 at the 25th percentile, $189,000 at the median, and $461,000 at the 75th percentile, but the recent list includes awards well above that range. The foundation behaves like a major strategic funder: grants are often large, sometimes multi-million dollar, and frequently directed to general support or named program work. Recipients recur across years, including Clean Air Task Force, Alignment Research Center, Center for Applied Rationality, and Players Philanthropy Fund. Founders Pledge Inc is a regular funder and also operates pooled philanthropic funds and a central requests-for-funding process; its general-grants portal accepts unsolicited requests, while several specific funds do not.
Grantmaking is national, but it is heavily concentrated in the United States: 225 grants, or 91.5%, went to US recipients. The top state by grant count is DC, even though the headquarters is in New York. Recent awards show clustering in Boston, Berkeley, Washington, and San Francisco, alongside smaller flows to international recipients in the UK, the Netherlands, India, Indonesia, New Zealand, Gambia, and Canada. The recipient geography points to a mix of US research hubs and a smaller set of non-US grantees tied to global policy and humanitarian work.
It funds organizations working on climate decarbonization, AI safety and long-term existential risk, global health and development, and rapid-response humanitarian work. Recent grants include support for climate policy and geothermal energy, AI alignment research, and emergency funding gaps in humanitarian response.
The typical grant size is $50,000 at the 25th percentile, $189,000 at the median, and $461,000 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards often exceed that range, including multi-million-dollar grants to research and policy organizations.
Yes, through its general Requests for Funding portal. The portal is open to organizations working on high-impact solutions to major global problems, and it covers areas such as climate change, global health, global poverty, education, and existential risks.
Its grants are national, but the top state by grant count is DC. The recipient mix is still overwhelmingly US-based overall, with 225 grants, or 91.5%, going to US recipients.
Several organizations recur across the recent list, including Clean Air Task Force, Alignment Research Center, Center for Applied Rationality, Founders Pledge Ltd, Players Philanthropy Fund, and Center for Artificial Intelligence Safety Inc. That pattern suggests repeated support for a core group of research, coordination, and pooled-fund partners.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
| $8.4M |
2.4% |
| 3 | Netherlands | 4 | $140K | 1.6% |
| 4 | India | 4 | $125K | 1.6% |
| 5 | Canada | 2 | $692K | 0.8% |
| 6 | Switzerland | 2 | $206K | 0.8% |
| 7 | New Zealand | 2 | $75K | 0.8% |
| 8 | Japan | 2 | $60K | 0.8% |
| 9 | Indonesia | 2 | $50K | 0.8% |
| 10 | Germany | 2 | $27K | 0.8% |
Recipient country reflects the grantee's headquarters per IRS 990-PF and Schedule F filings, not the program's implementation country.
Financiamiento actual y próximo de Founders Pledge al que tu organización sin fines de lucro podría postularse.
¿Quién puede postularse? Interventions must be exceptionally cost-effective and address neglected opportunities to improve farmed animal welfare, develop alternatives to animal farming, or improve market incentives. Grant decisions are guided by an advisory panel of animal welfare evaluators.
Fecha límite: No fixed deadline stated.
¿Quién puede postularse? Organizations should operate programs in low- and middle-income countries focused on education or job, entrepreneurship, or agriculture training. Programs should generally have annual budgets above $1 million, demonstrate measurable impact, and already reach a substantial number of beneficiaries. Education programs should show evidence of literacy or numeracy gains compared with a relevant comparison group. Job, entrepreneurship, or agriculture training programs should show evidence of increased participant income.
Fecha límite: No deadline specified; expressions of interest are currently being invited.
¿Quién puede postularse? Organizations must operate programs in low- and middle-income countries; have annual budgets above $1 million; demonstrate measurable impact; and already reach a substantial number of beneficiaries. Education programs should demonstrate literacy or numeracy gains compared with a relevant comparison group. Job, entrepreneurship, or agriculture training programs should demonstrate increased participant income.
Fecha límite: No deadline stated; expressions of interest are currently invited.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEPLOYUS | BOSTON, MA | $8,925,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| CENTER FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SAFETY INC | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $1,096,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| THE RAND CORPORATION | SANTA MONICA, CA | $1,000,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| PLAYERS PHILANTHROPY FUND | TOWSON, MD | $804,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| SANGRO INC (DBA ASHGRO) | NEWARK, DE | $741,500 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| PALISADE RESEARCH | DOVER, DE | $726,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| MATS RESEARCH INC | BERKELEY, CA | $584,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| LONGVIEW PHILANTHROPY USA | KANSAS CITY, MO | $562,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| SAFE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FORUM INSTITUTE | BROOKLYN, NY | $540,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| JOHNS HOPKINS - CENTER FOR HEALTH SECURITY (CHS) | BALTIMORE, MD | $539,757 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| AI OBJECTIVES INSTITUTE | WILMINGTON, DE | $538,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| RESTORINGVISION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $531,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| RETHINK PRIORITIES | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $520,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| EFFECTIVE VENTURES FOUNDATION USA | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $510,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| THE FOUNDATION FOR AMERICAN INNOVATION (LINCOLN NETWORK) | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $493,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| SOCIAL & ENVIRONMENTAL ENTREPRENEURS INC | CALABASAS, CA | $447,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES | WASHINGTON, DC | $429,085 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| BERKELEY EXISTENTIAL RISK INITIATIVE | BERKELEY, CA | $371,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| FAR AI INC | SAN DIEGO, CA | $367,304 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| SECUREBIO | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $342,159 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| BROWN UNIVERSITY | PROVIDENCE, RI | $326,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FORECASTING INC | BERKELEY, CA | $315,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| BLUEPRINT BIOSECURITY | WASHINGTON, DC | $297,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| BASIS RESEARCH INSTITUTE | NEW YORK CITY, NY | $296,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| HACK FOUNDATION | WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA | $257,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| CLEAN AIR TASK FORCE (CATF) | BOSTON, MA | $220,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| PANORAMA GLOBAL | SEATTLE, WA | $216,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| OPEN LUNAR FOUNDATION | COVINA, CA | $215,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| MODEL EVALUATION AND THREAT RESEARCH INC | COVINA, CA | $184,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND FOUNDATION & ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT | KINGSTON, RI | $163,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| CENTER FOR A NEW AMERICAN SECURITY | WASHINGTON, DC | $156,774 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| FAMILY EMPOWERMENT MEDIA | BROOKLYN, NY | $151,779 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| LEAD EXPOSURE ELIMINATION PROJECT (LEEP) | CHICAGO, IL | $150,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| PURE EARTH | NEW YORK, NY | $150,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| DIGITAL HARBOR FOUNDATION | BALTIMORE, MD | $150,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| ALIGNMENT RESEARCH CENTER | COVINA, CA | $147,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| GIVEDIRECTLY (GD) | NEW YORK, NY | $130,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| SHINING HOPE FOR COMMUNITIES | NEW YORK, NY | $115,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| TAIMAKA | ARLINGTON, VA | $105,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| ALLFED INSTITUTE | LAFAYETTE, CO | $103,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| TRANSPARENTEM | NEW YORK CITY, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| NINE LIVES FOUNDATION | REDWOOD CITY, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY | STANFORD, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| NEW INCENTIVES | COVINA, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| FREEDOM FUND | BROOKLYN, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE | WASHINGTON, DC | $100,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| CENTER FOR INNOVATIVE GOVERNANCE RESEARCH | WASHINGTON, DC | $99,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| EVERYORG | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $96,048 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| TOPOS INSTITUTE | BERKELEY, CA | $93,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
| CONTRAMOUNT RESEARCH | LEXINGTON, MA | $88,000 | 2025 | FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
THE RAND CORPORATION
$1,000,000FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
PLAYERS PHILANTHROPY FUND
$804,000FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
SANGRO INC (DBA ASHGRO)
$741,500FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
PALISADE RESEARCH
FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
MATS RESEARCH INC
$584,000FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
SAFE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FORUM INSTITUTE
$540,000FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
AI OBJECTIVES INSTITUTE
$538,000FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
RESTORINGVISION
$531,000FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FORECASTING INC
$315,000FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
BLUEPRINT BIOSECURITY
$297,000FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
BASIS RESEARCH INSTITUTE
$296,000FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
OPEN LUNAR FOUNDATION
$215,000FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
MODEL EVALUATION AND THREAT RESEARCH INC
$184,000FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
FAMILY EMPOWERMENT MEDIA
$151,779FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
LEAD EXPOSURE ELIMINATION PROJECT (LEEP)
$150,000FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
TAIMAKA
$105,000FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
NEW INCENTIVES
$100,000FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE
$100,000FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
EVERYORG
$96,048FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
TOPOS INSTITUTE
$93,000FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
CONTRAMOUNT RESEARCH
$88,000FUND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
