The Fund for Policy Reform is a highly concentrated public‑policy funder that primarily supports progressive policy advocacy, civic media, and civil liberties work. Its largest commitments go to Open Society network entities and to mission-driven newsrooms, with additional grants for state‑level organizing, academic freedom advocacy, and curriculum projects related to antisemitism. The foundation favors national and state policy intervention rather than direct service delivery.
A defining feature of Fund for Policy Reform Inc is the scale of its commitments to Open Society network organizations: $257,000,000 to Open Society Policy Center in 2024 and $157,100,000 to Open Society Action Fund Inc in 2025. Those awards sit alongside sizable general-support grants to civic media and legal advocacy groups, showing a funder built around policy influence rather than direct service delivery. The foundation’s recent giving also includes repeated support for Courier Newsroom across three consecutive years, with $2,500,000 in 2023 and $5,000,000 in both 2024 and 2025. That pattern suggests sustained backing for media work tied to civic and political engagement. Smaller grants in the recent list extend the same approach into civil liberties, state-level organizing, and education-related advocacy. Fund for Policy Reform Inc also gave to the Florida Education Association for the United Faculty of Florida’s work on academic freedom, and to Pareco for curriculum work related to antisemitism. Across these grants, the funder appears to prioritize advocacy institutions, policy intermediaries, and narrative-shaping organizations with national or multi-state reach.
Progressive policy advocacy is a central theme in the recent grants, anchored by the $257,000,000 general-support award to Open Society Policy Center and the $157,100,000 operating grant to Open Society Action Fund Inc. Civic media is another clear lane: Courier Newsroom received $2,500,000 in 2023 and $5,000,000 in each of the next two years for general support and operating support. The foundation also funded civil liberties work through a $500,000 general-support grant to American Civil Liberties Union Inc. Education and academic-freedom advocacy show up in two smaller awards: $250,000 to Florida Education Association for the United Faculty of Florida’s work on academic freedom, and $50,000 to Pareco for program support tied to a curriculum on antisemitism.
Grant sizes are highly uneven. The middle of the distribution is $1,500,000, with the lower quartile at $469,750 and the upper quartile at $63,750,000. That spread reflects a model that pairs very large institutional grants with a smaller set of mid- and lower-sized awards. The recent list shows repeat support for the same recipients across multiple years, especially Courier Newsroom, which received grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025. The foundation gives through operating, general, and program support, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. Its latest 990 year on file is 2025.
$162.2M
$841M
$470.1M
$266M
Most grants fall between $470K and $63.8M, with a median of $1.5M.
25th Percentile
$470K
Median
$1.5M
75th Percentile
$63.8M
LEONARD BENARDO
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Extremely concentrated, large-dollar grants with repeat funding to a few core grantees; funding is primarily unrestricted/general operating or program support for policy and media organizations rather than many small grants.
Notable grantees: Open Society Policy Center, Open Society Action Fund Inc, Courier Newsroom, American Civil Liberties Union, Florida Education Association
The grant list is entirely domestic, with 11 grants going to U.S. recipients. New York accounts for 38% of grants in the HQ state, while Florida is the top state by grant count overall. Recent recipient locations include Washington, DC; New York, NY; Raleigh, NC; Atlanta, GA; Tallahassee, FL; and Brooklyn, NY. The geography suggests a mix of national policy hubs and state-level advocacy centers rather than a single regional focus.
The recent grants center on policy advocacy, civic media, civil liberties, and education-related advocacy. Examples include Open Society Policy Center for general support, Courier Newsroom for operating support, American Civil Liberties Union Inc for general support, and the Florida Education Association for academic-freedom work.
Yes. Courier Newsroom appears in three consecutive years: $2,500,000 in 2023 and $5,000,000 in both 2024 and 2025. The large Open Society grants also recur across years, with awards to Open Society Policy Center in 2024 and Open Society Action Fund Inc in 2025.
The grant-size distribution is very wide. The 25th percentile is $469,750, the median is $1,500,000, and the 75th percentile is $63,750,000. That pattern shows a mix of smaller awards and very large institutional grants.
Its grantmaking is national, with all recent grants going to U.S. recipients. Florida is the top state by grant count, while 38% of grants go to recipients in New York, the foundation’s HQ state.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OPEN SOCIETY ACTION FUND INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $157,100,000 | 2025 | TO PROVIDE GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| COURIER NEWSROOM | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000,000 | 2025 | TO PROVIDE GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| PARECO | BROOKLYN, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | TO PROVIDE PROGRAM SUPPORT FOR THE GRANTEE'S WORK ON THE CURRICULUM ON ANTISEMIT |
| OPEN SOCIETY POLICY CENTER | WASHINGTON, DC | $257,000,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| COURIER NEWSROOM | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FLORIDA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION | TALLAHASSEE, FL | $250,000 | 2024 | TO SUPPORT THE UNITED FACULTY OF FLORIDA'S WORK ON ACADEMIC FREEDOM |
| OPEN SOCIETY POLICY CENTER | WASHINGTON, DC | $240,000,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| COURIER NEWSROOM | NEW YORK, NY | $2,500,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| COMMITTEE ON STATES | RALEIGH, NC | $500,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION INC | NEW YORK, NY | $500,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NDOUPU LLC | ATLANTA, GA | $379,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
OPEN SOCIETY ACTION FUND INC
$157,100,000TO PROVIDE GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
COURIER NEWSROOM
$5,000,000TO PROVIDE GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
PARECO
$50,000TO PROVIDE PROGRAM SUPPORT FOR THE GRANTEE'S WORK ON THE CURRICULUM ON ANTISEMIT
OPEN SOCIETY POLICY CENTER
$257,000,000GENERAL SUPPORT
COURIER NEWSROOM
$5,000,000GENERAL SUPPORT
FLORIDA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
$250,000TO SUPPORT THE UNITED FACULTY OF FLORIDA'S WORK ON ACADEMIC FREEDOM
OPEN SOCIETY POLICY CENTER
$240,000,000GENERAL SUPPORT
COURIER NEWSROOM
$2,500,000GENERAL SUPPORT
COMMITTEE ON STATES
$500,000GENERAL SUPPORT
NDOUPU LLC
$379,000GENERAL SUPPORT