About Institute for Humane Studies
Supports students and scholars advancing classical liberal ideas, individual freedom, and open inquiry through grants, fellowships, academic programs, and events.
Focus Areas
Higher educationAcademic researchClassical liberal ideasFree speech and individual libertyPolicy ideas related to free society
Who They Fund
students (general)postsecondary students / college studentslearners receiving research funding or stipends
Funding Style
direct service grantsresearch support fundingscholarships/stipends
About Institute for Humane Studies
Institute for Humane Studies centers its grantmaking on students and scholars who advance classical liberal ideas, individual freedom, and open inquiry. The largest recent award in the file is $167,000 to the West Virginia University Foundation in Morgantown for student development and education/research grants, showing how the organization uses university-based support to reach learners and academic communities. Other large grants went to Duke University for $134,992 and New York University for $111,661, both for the same broad student-development and research purpose. The pattern points to a funder that works through higher-education institutions rather than individual recipients, consistent with its programmatic support for scholarships, stipends, research, and educational programming. Across the recent grants list, the recipients include major public and private universities as well as research and program intermediaries, which aligns with its stated focus on higher education, academic research, free speech, and policy ideas related to a free society. The latest 990 year on file is 2025, and annual giving is reported at $2,236,396.
What Institute for Humane Studies Funds
Higher education is the clearest channel for the Institute for Humane Studies. In 2024, it gave $94,000 to Cornell University for student development and education grants, and $82,000 to the University of Pennsylvania for the same type of support. Its academic-research orientation also appears in a 2025 grant of $32,417 to The Research Foundation for The State University of New York for student development and education/research grants. The foundation also backs institutions that connect philosophy, politics, and economics with student programming: New Orleans Institute of Philosophy Politics and Economics received $27,000 in 2025. Grants to universities such as Yale, Texas A&M University-College Station, and Purdue University-Main Campus show that this support is spread across different campus settings while staying within education-focused work.
How Institute for Humane Studies Gives
Typical awards are mid-sized for university programs: the grant-size distribution is $9,744 at the 25th percentile, $17,000 at the median, and $25,000 at the 75th percentile. The recent list includes both larger anchor grants and many smaller campus-level awards, suggesting a mix of multi-site support and targeted program funding. The grants shown span 2023, 2024, and 2025, so the pattern is not limited to a single year. Institute for Humane Studies is a foundation rather than a donor advised fund, and it does not fund individuals directly; its recent giving is routed through institutions and research or program intermediaries.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$1.8M
Total Assets
$33M
Total Revenue
$21.1M
Total Expenses
$20.4M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $25K, with a median of $17K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$17K
75th Percentile
$25K
Geographic Reach
National42 states funded
About 6% of grants go to recipients in CA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
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