The Main Reading Room of the Library of Congress
Foundation Lookup

Causes 25Read from grants

Foundations by cause

What private foundations fund, read from their grants: each grant to an organization we matched to the IRS list of exempt organizations counts toward that organization’s category.

Foundations with a return in the last two years, each by its latest return (tax years 2023 to 2025), read from the IRS e-file on Nov 11, 2026. Returns reach the IRS 5 to 18 months after the year they describe.

  1. The Main Reading Room of the Library of Congress Philanthropy and grantmaking $17,384,487,046 19,004 foundations · median grant $10,000
  2. Rows of old wooden school desks in an empty classroom Education $12,910,218,469 35,431 foundations · median grant $8,000
  3. A museum gallery with a large landscape painting in a gilt frame Arts and culture $4,642,955,186 23,640 foundations · median grant $6,500
  4. The waiting room of a community health clinic Health $3,944,144,426 23,672 foundations · median grant $5,000
  5. The kitchen of a community center, with a serving counter and a folding chair Human services $3,568,494,425 28,649 foundations · median grant $5,000
  6. Container cranes at a seaport, seen across the water International aid $2,884,887,880 14,086 foundations · median grant $5,000
  7. A river running through a deep pine forest valley Environment $2,725,193,338 12,273 foundations · median grant $6,000
  8. Raised vegetable beds and benches in a community garden Community development $2,129,649,779 8,172 foundations · median grant $10,000
  9. The Edmund Pettus Bridge over the Alabama River in Selma Civil rights $1,096,647,768 6,379 foundations · median grant $10,000
  10. Empty glass test tubes in a steel laboratory rack Medical research $1,077,987,418 4,412 foundations · median grant $4,000
  11. Wooden box pews in a sunlit church interior Religion $1,048,130,377 12,652 foundations · median grant $5,000
  12. Playground towers, slides and climbing frames in a park Youth development $857,336,606 10,629 foundations · median grant $7,000
  13. A small baseball field with a scoreboard and trees behind it Sports and recreation $734,570,059 9,874 foundations · median grant $5,000
  14. A late-summer cornfield in Iowa behind a red farm gate Food and agriculture $720,608,796 11,071 foundations · median grant $5,000
  15. A domed State capitol building across a wide lawn Public affairs $699,138,586 4,299 foundations · median grant $10,000
  16. A smiling dog in a collar, outdoors on a sunny day Animals $692,017,340 11,778 foundations · median grant $2,500
  17. A red brick apartment building on a city corner Housing and shelter $678,338,080 8,396 foundations · median grant $7,000
  18. An ornate courtroom with the judge’s bench and empty tables Crime and legal aid $596,062,373 6,775 foundations · median grant $10,000
  19. An observatory dome on a brick building at dusk Science and technology $516,564,147 1,567 foundations · median grant $15,000
  20. A log cabin with green shutters among tall pines Mental health $475,938,232 7,103 foundations · median grant $5,500
  21. An aisle between shelves of grey archive boxes Social science $405,524,967 1,292 foundations · median grant $35,000
  22. Sparks flying from a weld, the welder’s face hidden by the mask Jobs and employment $399,590,472 3,294 foundations · median grant $10,000
  23. A stone fire station with red engine bay doors Disaster relief and public safety $211,234,162 3,271 foundations · median grant $3,000
  24. Rows of white headstones under tall trees in a national cemetery Veterans and military $98,674,767 1,480 foundations · median grant $4,000
  25. A small brick grange hall in a rural field Mutual benefit $28,228,203 554 foundations · median grant $5,000