Institute for Humane Studies
Arlington, VA · EIN 94-1623852. Reported 110 grants totalling $2,470,654 to 84 organizations across tax years 2020-2023, on Form 990 Schedule I.
Does this grantmaker accept applications?
Its tax return does not say, and we will not guess. Private foundations file Form 990-PF, which asks outright whether they fund only organizations they select themselves -- 78% say yes, and that one answer is what lets the rest of this site tell you which foundations are worth approaching. Grantmaking charities like this one file a regular Form 990 instead, and the IRS never puts the question to them. Anyone claiming to know the answer from the filing is inventing it.
Three things in the filing do bear on it:
- What kind of organization it is. The IRS has no activity classification on file for this one, so we cannot tell you whether it is a community foundation or a single-institution support fund. The recipient list below is the better guide.
- How spread out its giving is. 84 distinct organizations, with 7% of the dollars going to the largest single recipient. That is genuinely spread out -- the mark of a funder making many independent decisions rather than underwriting one institution.
- How much its list changes. 29% of one year's grantees are funded again the next, across 3 year-to-year transitions. That is below the 57% median for grantmaking charities, and well below the 67% private foundations manage. A list that turns over this much is one a newcomer can realistically join.
How big are its grants?
The median reported grant is $15,800. Half of what it reported fell between $9,825 and $24,500; the smallest was $5,180 and the largest $167,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong organization.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by the EIN the filer reported, not by name, so an organization that was typed differently in two years appears once rather than twice.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Virginia Univ Foundation Inc | Morgantown, WV | $167,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Duke University | Durham, NC | $144,839 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| New York University | New York, NY | $111,661 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | $107,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Cornell University | Ithaca, NY | $94,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| New Orleans Center for Economic Opportunity | Taylor, TX | $61,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| University of Wyoming | Laramie, WY | $58,300 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Syracuse University | Syracuse, NY | $57,600 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Northwestern University | Evanston, IL | $52,755 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Rochester Institute of Technology | Rochester, NY | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| University of Chicago | Chicago, IL | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| University of Notre Dame Du Lac | Notre Dame, IN | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Texas A&m University-College Station | College Station, TX | $45,700 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC | $43,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Curators of the University of Missouri Special Tr | Columbia, MO | $42,910 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Arizona State University Foundation for a New American University | Tempe, AZ | $41,100 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Indiana University | Bloomington, IA | $40,500 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Linfield University | Mcminnville, OR | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| West Virginia University Research Corporation | Morgantown, WV | $38,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Georgetown University | Washington, DC | $36,500 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Ohio University Foundation | Athens, OH | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Research Foundation for the State University of New York | Albany, NY | $32,417 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge, MA | $32,160 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Trustees of Purdue University | West Lafayette, IN | $31,900 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| University of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, PA | $31,400 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Yougov | Redwood City, CA | $31,160 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Western Kentucky University | Bowling Green, KY | $31,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| The University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX | $30,973 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Chapman University | Orange, CA | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison | Madison, WI | $29,800 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Colorado State University-Fort Collins | Fort Collins, CO | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Georgia Tech Research Corporation | Atlanta, GA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Assumption University | Worcester, MA | $24,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Trustees of Columbia University | New York, NY | $24,500 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Yale University | New Haven, CT | $24,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| University of Iowa | Iowa City, IA | $23,750 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Regents of the University of Colorado | Denver, CO | $23,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois | Urbana, IL | $22,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Charlotte, NC | $22,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| University of Maryland-College Park | College Park, MA | $21,800 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| University of California-Davis | Davis, CA | $21,100 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Arizona State University-Tempe | Tempe, AZ | $20,500 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Florida State University Foundation Inc | Tallahassee, FL | $20,250 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Americas Future Foundation | Washington, DC | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Ave Maria University Inc | Ave Maria, FL | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Forthright Access | Santa Monica, CA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Gustavus Adolphus College | Saint Peter, MN | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Board of Regents Nevada System of Higher Education | Reno, NV | $18,700 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Saint Anselm College | Manchester, NH | $18,658 | 2 | 1 | 2020 |
| Florida Atlantic University | Boca Raton, FL | $18,145 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| North Dakota State University-Main Campus | Fargo, ND | $17,300 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| University of Central Florida | Orlando, FL | $17,100 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Rector & Visitors of the University of Virginia | Charlottesvle, VA | $17,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison | Madison, WI | $17,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| President and Fellows of Harvard College | Cambridge, MA | $16,800 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| George Washington University | Ashburn, VA | $15,921 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| University of Delaware | Newark, DE | $15,600 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Institute for Political History | Saint Louis, MO | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, MD | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Middle Tennessee State University | Murfreesboro, TN | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| University of New Orleans Foundation | New Orleans, LA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | Cincinnati, OH | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| George Mason University Foundation Inc | Fairfax, VA | $14,900 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Providence College | Providence, RI | $14,800 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| William Marsh Rice University | Houston, TX | $13,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| St Marys College of California | Moraga, CA | $12,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Plemmons Burke Consulting LLC | Morgantown, WV | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Regents of the University of California at Berkeley | Riverside, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Research Foundation of the City University of New York | New York, NY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Regents of the University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, MI | $9,825 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Ball State University Foundation | Muncie, IN | $9,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Chord | Spokane, WA | $9,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, OH | $9,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR | $9,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Ohio State University | Columbus, OH | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Western Carolina University | Cullowhee, NC | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Drexel University | Philadelphia, PA | $7,450 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| International Policy Network | Portland, OR | $7,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Utah Valley University Foundation Inc | Orem, UT | $7,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| University of South Carolina-Columbia | Columbia, SC | $7,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Foundation Inc | Eau Claire, WI | $6,400 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, TN | $6,300 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Regents Univ of California | Los Angeles, CA | $5,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Creighton University | Omaha, NE | $5,180 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
22 of 84 (26%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold. Remember the $5,000 floor: an organization funded every year at $3,000 shows up here as never funded at all.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose column of its filings, largest first. This is the closest thing to a statement of what it funds, in its own words.
- West Virginia University Foundation
Student development & education/research grants - Cornell University
Student development/education grants - The University of Texas at Austin
Student development & education/research grants and stipends
What kind of organizations it funds
By each recipient's own IRS classification, for the 53 of 84 recipients we could match to a registered organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses -- Schedule I reports the recipient's EIN, so this is a lookup rather than a name match.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants reported | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 14 | $234,258 | $15,000 |
| 2021 | 23 | $422,200 | $17,300 |
| 2022 | 31 | $643,408 | $15,000 |
| 2023 | 42 | $1,170,788 | $18,422 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- Form 990 arrives about a year after the year it covers, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a grantmaker winding down.
Where its money goes
15% of its giving went to organizations in New York. Community foundations and federated funds are usually the most geographically bounded funders there are -- being outside the footprint is normally disqualifying in a way that a weak programme fit is not.
Down to the city
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Funders that support the same organizations
These grantmakers and private foundations gave to organizations this one also funded. Shared grantees are the strongest signal available that two funders have overlapping priorities -- and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.
How to approach this grantmaker
- Look for a published programme first. Unlike most private foundations, organizations of this kind often do run open, deadlined grant cycles with written guidelines. Its own website is the authority on that; this page is the authority on who it has actually paid.
- Check you are its size. The median reported grant is $15,800 -- and because grants under $5,000 need not be reported, it very likely writes smaller cheques than this page can see.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving concentrates in New York.
- Read the recipient list for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer and a cheap one to get.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Institute for Humane Studies's own Form 990 Schedule I filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2020-2023). Nothing here is scraped, inferred or estimated.
On its most recent return it told the IRS it made grants to 39 section 501(c)(3) organizations and 3 other organizations. That is the filer's own count for one year; the totals above cover every year we hold.
Address of record on the latest return: 3434 Washington Blvd Ms 1C5, Arlington, VA, 22201.
EIN 94-1623852 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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