Pick a funder. Read the room.
- 01Bill & Melinda Gates FoundationThe Gates Foundation is the world's largest private philanthropic funder of global health and development research. Having adopted the shortened name "Gates Foundation" in 2025, it recently committed to a fixed lifespan, pledging an additional $200 billion over its final 20 years to close entirely by December 31, 2045. Its endgame is built on three priorities: ending preventable maternal and child deaths; eradicating polio and malaria while bringing TB and HIV under control; and lifting hundreds of millions out of poverty, largely through agricultural development and economic opportunity. A dominant current theme is investing in "equitable Artificial Intelligence" as a catalytic tool across health, education, and agriculture.108 publications+73 this month
- 02Bloomberg PhilanthropiesBloomberg Philanthropies aims to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The funder utilises a data-driven approach grounded in its founder's business and municipal experience. Funding is concentrated in five core areas: Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. It also supports special Founder's Projects, including a Women's Economic Development Initiative focused on vocational training and market access.126 publications+80 this month
- 03ClimateWorks FoundationClimateWorks Foundation presents itself as a global platform that connects philanthropic funders and implementing organizations to innovate and scale high-impact climate solutions. The foundation focuses on driving climate progress for a more sustainable and equitable future that benefits both people and the planet, delivering global programs, insights, and services to equip the philanthropy ecosystem with necessary knowledge and networks. Since 2008, it reports granting over $2 billion to more than 850 grantees globally.119 publications+72 this month
- 04Co-ImpactCo-Impact is a global philanthropic collaborative that pools resources to provide flexible, long-term funding and strategic support to locally rooted, predominantly women-led organizations in the Global South. Rather than funding isolated projects, Co-Impact operates on a "funding-plus" model, investing in "big bets" that tackle the root causes of inequality. The funder's core ambition is systems change: transforming public health, education, and economic systems to work for everyone. Through its Foundational Fund and Gender Fund, Co-Impact places a central emphasis on gender equality, intersectionality, and increasing women's leadership and agency across public institutions, civil society, law, and economics. They prioritize building "winning coalitions" with governments and social movements to ensure reforms are institutionalized via laws, budgets, and policies.191 publications+143 this month
- 05David and Lucile Packard FoundationThe David and Lucile Packard Foundation is a philanthropic organization focused on advancing enduring solutions for people and nature. They aim to build a just and equitable world where families and communities have the power to shape their lives, societies are inclusive, and nature is sustained by a healthy ocean and climate. Their core programmatic areas encompass climate change mitigation and resilience, reproductive health, ocean conservation, child and family initiatives, civil society and leadership, and science and engineering fellowships. The Foundation places a strong emphasis on locally led development, advocating for solutions shaped by the people most affected by global challenges. They increasingly favor intersectional funding approaches—such as linking climate action with economic development or health—and prioritize the protection of civic space, the rights of Indigenous and local communities, and the integration of evidence-based learning.130 publications+80 this month
- 06Digital Freedom FundThe Digital Freedom Fund (DFF) is a non-profit organisation that supports the digital rights community to advance human rights in digital spaces through strategic litigation. DFF provides financial support for litigation, pre-litigation research, and post-litigation activities to activists, NGOs, and litigators. The funder prioritises strategic cases that aim to achieve wider legislative, policy, or societal change beyond the immediate parties. Thematic priorities include platform accountability, digital democracy, spyware, artificial intelligence, and combating digital discrimination against marginalised groups. DFF emphasises intersectional, anti-oppressive, and decolonial practices, having recently transitioned to a distributed leadership model.73 publications+34 this month
- 07Equality FundThe Equality Fund is an international feminist fund based in Canada, launched with a historic contribution from the Canadian government, aimed at sustainably resourcing feminist movements globally. It operates through a model that combines global grantmaking, 100% gender-lens investing, policy advocacy, and feminist philanthropy. It provides core, flexible, and multi-year funding directly to women's rights and feminist organizations, particularly in the Global South, ranging from grassroots groups to regional alliances. It supports distinct streams including direct local support, funding for feminist funds, movement-building spaces, and feminist crisis response, while explicitly excluding international non-governmental organizations (INGOs).99 publications+60 this month
- 08Ford FoundationThe Ford Foundation is a large, independent philanthropic organization with an endowment of over $16 billion, focused on addressing inequality, advancing social justice, and strengthening democratic values worldwide. Its programmatic areas include civic engagement, disability rights, the future of workers, gender and racial justice, technology and society, and mission investments. Under its new president, Heather Gerken, the foundation is undergoing a strategy overhaul and ending its BUILD program—which historically provided multiyear general operating support—while maintaining a commitment to grantmaking focused on the rule of law and democracy.130 publications+80 this month
- 09Fund for Global Human RightsThe Fund for Global Human Rights (FGHR) invests in human rights activism to advance justice, dignity, and equality. Operating as a grantmaker since 2002, FGHR provides long-term flexible funding, emergency grants, and hands-on strategic and security support to frontline activists and community-led movements. Under its 2025-2030 strategic outlook, FGHR prioritizes resourcing activism in restrictive or closed civic spaces, addressing systemic root causes rather than isolated symptoms, and centering the lived experiences of marginalized groups, including women, LGBTQ+ people, Indigenous communities, and youth. FGHR advocates for trust-based philanthropy, occasionally utilizes participatory grantmaking models, and actively supports cross-border movement building.126 publications+80 this month
- 10Global Fund for WomenGlobal Fund for Women is a feminist funder that supports grassroots organizations, initiatives, and movements working for gender justice around the world. Founded in 1987, the funder provides flexible, trust-based, unrestricted, and multi-year funding to groups closest to the issues they address, prioritizing organizations facing intersecting forms of oppression, unregistered groups, and those in restrictive environments. Its core funding priorities include crisis response, climate justice, freedom from gender-based violence, and sexual and reproductive health and rights. It centers community-driven solutions, sustained resilience, collective power, and systems change.75 publications+31 this month
- 11Gordon and Betty Moore FoundationThe Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation aims to create positive outcomes for future generations and foster path-breaking scientific discovery, environmental conservation, and the preservation of the San Francisco Bay Area. The foundation seeks to tackle large issues at a scale where it can achieve significant and measurable impacts, evaluating initiatives through 'Four Filters': Importance, Enduring Difference, Measurable Results, and Portfolio Effect. They support approaches that integrate empirical evidence, rigorous methodologies, and transparency.105 publications+81 this month
- 12IKEA FoundationThe IKEA Foundation is an independent philanthropic organization based in the Netherlands, legally and operationally distinct from the IKEA retail business. It focuses its funding on fighting global warming and improving livelihoods, organizing its strategy around three core climate domains: Energy; Land, Food & Forests; and Buildings & Transport, alongside emergency humanitarian response. Total cumulative funding reported exceeds €3 billion. The Foundation operates primarily by forming long-term, strategic partnerships with established NGOs, INGOs, multilateral agencies, and intermediary research organizations rather than funding individual researchers or uninvited projects.103 publications+67 this month
- 13KR FoundationThe KR Foundation is a Danish philanthropic foundation established in 2014 that works globally and nationally to address the root causes of climate change and environmental degradation. They focus on driving a rapid, global phase-out of fossil fuels in line with the Paris Agreement. The foundation identifies cultural, social, political, and economic systems as the origins of the crisis. They support interventions targeting fossil fuel finance, the 'influence industry' including PR, lobbying, and advertising, and the transition to a sustainable economic paradigm. Their approach is science-based, collaborative, and flexible, explicitly leaving the promotion of clean energy to other actors.10 publications+1 this month
- 14Laudes FoundationLaudes Foundation is an independent philanthropic organisation that aims to advance a transition to a just and regenerative economy by transforming the built environment, fashion, food, and finance and capital markets industries. Founded in 2020 as part of the Brenninkmeijer family enterprise, it addresses the root causes of climate breakdown, inequality, and nature degradation by challenging industry rules, power dynamics, and incentives. A central principle of its strategy is the 'just transition', which emphasises ensuring the inclusion, agency, and accountability of workers and marginalised communities in economic transitions. To achieve this, the foundation heavily supports cross-sectoral coalitions and place-based solutions grounded in local realities. Operationally, it employs a 'Developmental Evaluation' learning approach, using a rubrics system to monitor non-linear, complex industry shifts and evaluate the impact of its funding.71 publications+36 this month
- 15MacArthur FoundationThe MacArthur Foundation organizes its current grantmaking into "Big Bets" (including AI Opportunity, Climate Solutions, Criminal Justice, and Local News), "Awards", "Enduring Commitments" (such as the Chicago Commitment and Journalism & Media), "Field Support", and "Initiatives" (such as Nigeria Next). The foundation funds structural reform, civil rights protection, and policy advocacy, aiming to reduce corruption and over-incarceration, strengthen accountability, and advance science and global security.115 publications+80 this month
- 16Mama CashMama Cash is a participatory, international women's fund based in the Netherlands that resources self-led feminist groups and movements globally. They provide core, flexible, and multi-year funding to groups led by women, girls, trans, and intersex people who are tackling under-addressed and contested issues. Their funding model centres on shifting power in philanthropy by entrusting grant decisions to activists and communities most impacted by injustice. Key thematic priorities include climate and environmental justice, bodily autonomy, LGBTQI+ and intersex rights, and sex workers' rights, with a strong emphasis on achieving structural and systemic change rather than providing service delivery or humanitarian assistance.160 publications+85 this month
- 17Mozilla FoundationThe Mozilla Foundation is a global nonprofit dedicated to keeping the internet a public resource that is open and accessible to all. They support individuals, groups, and organizations to build a more human-centered internet. Through Fellowships, Awards, the Data Futures Lab, and the Mozilla Open Source Support (MOSS) program, they fund technologists, researchers, creators, and advocates. The Foundation focuses on issues such as protecting user privacy, auditing AI systems, advancing climate justice, protecting creators, democratizing data, and building open infrastructure. They also rally communities through the Mozilla Festival (MozFest) and advocate for tech accountability and platform transparency.95 publications+50 this month
- 18Numun FundNumun Fund is a feminist technology fund grounded in and led by movements in the Larger Majority World (Global South). The fund seeds, resources, and sustains feminist activists who engage with technology as a critical site for activism, social justice, and systemic change. It supports collective organizing efforts that center historically excluded communities and challenge prevailing power structures such as patriarchy, colonialism, and capitalism. The fund explicitly challenges the concentration of technology resources and decision-making in the Global North by prioritizing community-led grantmaking and shifting power to women in all their diversity.37 publications+18 this month
- 19Oak FoundationOak Foundation is a global philanthropic organisation established in 1983 that provides grants to not-for-profit organisations aiming to make the world a safer, fairer, and more sustainable place. Driven by a commitment to social justice, rights-based approaches, and gender equality, the foundation addresses systemic root causes and fosters long-term sustainability through flexible unrestricted core support and capacity strengthening. Funding is distributed across major global programmes—including Environment, Housing and Homelessness, International Human Rights, Issues Affecting Women, Prevent Child Sexual Abuse, Learning Differences, Global Climate Initiatives, and Special Interest—as well as dedicated country programmes in Denmark and Zimbabwe.92 publications+41 this month
- 20Omidyar NetworkOmidyar Network is a philanthropic organization and social change venture that aims to bend the digital revolution toward shared power, prosperity, and possibility. They focus on hardwiring humanity into the digital future by addressing the culture, governance, and business of technology. Recently, they shifted from a three-pronged approach encompassing technology, the economy, and belonging to a laser-focus on technology's role in society. They support policy, organizing, narrative change, and independent journalism.115 publications+81 this month
- 21Open Society FoundationsOpen Society Foundations (OSF) is presented as a major philanthropic organization dedicated to advancing human rights, justice, and equitable societies, and building vibrant, inclusive democracies whose governments are accountable to their people. Core areas of focus include rights and dignity, democratic practice, equity in governance, free speech, criminal justice reform, minority and refugee rights, and inclusive economic agendas. The funder explicitly supports civil society, public intellectuals, legal reform, and policy change, frequently applying a systemic, rights-first lens to cross-cutting issues like climate change and economic justice.95 publications+79 this month
- 22Patrick J. McGovern FoundationThe Patrick J. McGovern Foundation (PJMF) is a $1.5 billion philanthropic organization that invests in artificial intelligence (AI) and data science for public purpose. Over the past decade, it has deployed over $500 million toward AI as public infrastructure. The foundation advocates for governing AI as a long-term civic infrastructure shaped by democratic institutions and civil society, rather than solely by private tech companies. PJMF focuses on applying technology to challenges in climate resilience, human rights, media and journalism, crisis response, digital literacy, and health equity. It emphasizes "IDEA" principles (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access) and advocates for nonprofits to serve as "data guardians" that protect the data and agency of vulnerable populations. Beyond financial support, the foundation provides in-house technical teams to advise grantees on data governance, risk assessment, and model evaluation.121 publications+80 this month
- 23PorticusPorticus is a philanthropic funder working across multiple thematic areas, including Earth, Education, Faith, Society, Community Arts Lab, and Argidius. They emphasize community participation, local leadership, and long-term systems change. Key strategies include integrating Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) into education for vulnerable children, supporting smallholder farmers and Indigenous communities to access finance and protect ecosystems, advancing humane alternatives and rehabilitation in criminal justice, and advocating for the rights and dignity of migrants, refugees, and stateless people.45 publications+14 this month
- 24Sequoia Climate FoundationSequoia Climate Foundation aims to avert the worst effects of climate change and transition the world to clean energy. They frame climate change as a complex systems challenge requiring interventions that meet four core metrics: speed (achieving impact by 2030), scale (targeting major levers for transformative impact), cost efficiency, and a high probability of success based on evidence. A major priority is the rapid phase-down of non-CO2 'super climate pollutants' like methane, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and black carbon, running alongside broader economic decarbonisation. The foundation explicitly notes that their longer-term decarbonisation investments rely on near-term warming reductions, and they state that future agreements should align with the concerns of the Global South, where communities are most vulnerable.16 publications+1 this month
- 25Sigrid Rausing TrustThe Sigrid Rausing Trust is a UK grant-making foundation established in 1995 to promote human rights, equality, the rule of law, and environmental preservation globally. Following a recent restructuring, the Trust consolidated its grant-making from eleven legacy programmes into three main areas: Human Rights and the Rule of Law, Open Societies, and Environment, alongside a few targeted strategic initiatives. The funder places a high premium on truth and impartial evidence-gathering; it explicitly prohibits its grantees from promoting violence, celebrating atrocities, or using inflammatory and delegitimising language.44 publications+3 this month
- 26Skoll FoundationThe Skoll Foundation presents itself as a philanthropic organization focused on catalyzing transformational, systems-level social change. It supports social entrepreneurs, movement builders, system orchestrators, and global coalitions advancing equitable solutions to global problems. The foundation operates through strategic grantmaking—most notably its unrestricted $2 million Skoll Award for Social Innovation—and by investing a significant portion of its endowment in impact-aligned causes. It also convenes leaders annually at the Skoll World Forum. The foundation's strategic priorities center on strengthening global health systems (particularly community health workers), climate action and environmental sustainability (including preventing deforestation and securing Indigenous land rights), reimagining inclusive economies (such as supporting smallholder agriculture, employee ownership, and girls' education), promoting effective governance, and advancing racial justice. Its approach emphasizes cross-sector collaboration, centering equity, and empowering leaders with lived experience proximate to the challenges they address.147 publications+79 this month
- 27Synchronicity EarthSynchronicity Earth is a conservation funder focused on protecting biological and cultural diversity. The documents present them as prioritizing rights-based philanthropy, engaging Indigenous Peoples, local communities, women, and youth in grassroots conservation. They emphasize flexible, unrestricted, and core funding over narrow project grants, and provide seed funding for early-stage conservationists. Their programmatic areas include Amphibians, Asian Species, Biocultural Diversity, the Congo Basin, Freshwater, Melanesia, and the Ocean (including high and deep seas). They seek to build long-term relationships and strengthen the organizational capacity of their partners.116 publications+77 this month
- 28The Rockefeller FoundationThe Rockefeller Foundation is a philanthropic organization that promotes the well-being of humanity by finding and scaling solutions to advance opportunity and reverse the climate crisis. Its core focus areas include health, food, power, American jobs, innovation, and innovative finance. Key initiatives include Universal Energy Abundance to deploy clean energy and drive economic growth; Food is Medicine programs integrating healthy food into healthcare; and large-scale collaborative commitments like Mission 300 to electrify Africa.109 publications+79 this month
- 29Waverley Street FoundationThe funder supports community-led climate solutions focused on two primary areas: Clean Energy (expanding access to renewables) and Healthy Land (regenerative agriculture and land stewardship). Their materials emphasize shifting power to local and Indigenous communities, climate equity, and community organizing. Recent learning documents indicate a strategic shift from early experimentation ('going wide') to a refined focus on deeper, 'networked' strategies that build long-term relationships and narrative power.66 publications+26 this month
- 30William and Flora Hewlett FoundationThe William and Flora Hewlett Foundation is presented as a philanthropic funder supporting programs in fields such as Performing Arts, Education, U.S. Democracy, Global Development and Population, and Cyber policy. The foundation emphasizes flexible funding, evidence-informed policymaking, and systems-mapping for complex societal problems.101 publications+57 this month