Funding search
Find who already funds work like yours.
Private foundations don’t post open calls, so nobody can search them. We read IRS filings instead — 9.6 million grants from 174,053 foundations and grantmaking charities, searchable by what the money was actually for.
12 funders with a record of paying for “ambitious”
Where the money went
Center for Cultural InnovationLos Angeles, CACharity · may take applications
58 matching grants · $4.8M · through 2024Largest: $500,000 to BELOVED ECONOMIES LLC — ambitious program
Largest: $9.6M to United States Energy Foundation — to build and support the midwest network of advocates in pursuit of ambitious and equitable climate action
Largest: $500,000 to (757) THE CENTER FOR CULTURAL INNOVATION — to support ambitious and research 2 impact
Largest: $250,000 to PROJECT DESTINY INC — to support the next phase of the ambitious thrive18 program in partnership with highmark health
Largest: $500,000 to WORLD RESOURCES INSTITUTE — for encouragement of ambitious nationally determined contributions
John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation (Consolidated)Chicago, IL
3 matching grants · $17.0M · through 2022Largest: $6.0M to Lever for Change — in support of operations for a new entity whose purpose is to unlock philanthropic capital for global social challenges through a variety of mechanisms including custom competition…
Largest: $700,000 to THE CENTER FOR CULTURAL INNOVATION — project support for the national initiative ambitious that will influence the development of alternative economic systems and services to be more sustainable by, for and with artis…
Largest: $900,000 to CityWorks DC — to support an ambitious collective action agenda to strengthen the education-to-work ecosystem to improve economic opportunities and mobility for students in the dc metro area.
Largest: $1.4M to THE PARTNERSHIP PROJECT INC — to drive ambitious action to equitably reduce climate pollution
Girls Rights ProjectPortola Valley, CA
3 matching grants · $24,000 · through 2024Largest: $8,000 to U-GO — to help ambitious and promising young women in low-income countries to pursue higher education.
Largest: $700,456 to CHICAGO SCHOLARS FOUNDATION — to mentor academically ambitious students from under-resourced communities to complete college
Largest: $7,500 to KNOWNPRENEURS — to support our bipoc business hub, a hybrid environment fostering an ambitious, diverse community of entrepreneurs via programming, networking, personalized coaching, and a collect…
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Source: IRS Form 990-PF Part XV and Form 990 Schedule I, tax years 2019–2025. These are grants already paid, a record of what an organization funds rather than an open call. Private foundations rarely accept unsolicited applications and the route in is usually a program officer; grantmaking charities and associations more often run real application cycles, so check their website. How this data is built, and its limits →