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 “freelance”
Where the money went
Largest: $720,000 to THE AUTHOR'S LEAGUE — to help freelance writers and artists who have career-threatening illness
SixpointSt Petersburg, FLCharity · may take applications
18 matching grants · $380,585 · through 2024Largest: $150,000 to VARIETY MEDIA LLC — journalist and freelance expenses
The Traveling Press FundSt Petersburg, FLCharity · may take applications
10 matching grants · $11.2M · through 2024Largest: $4.1M to LEVEL THREE LABS LLC — journalist and freelance writer expenses
Largest: $50,000 to NEO PHILANTHROPY INC — core support for the gumshoe group, which is building a network of pro-bono attorneys from firms and law school clinics to support freelance investigative journalists pursuing publ…
Rsf Social FinanceSan Francisco, CACharity · may take applications
2 matching grants · $178,700 · through 2022Largest: $100,000 to INVESTIGATIVE REPORTERS AND EDITORS INC — to support freelance investigative reporters & editors (fire); for lux magazine
Gitlab FoundationSan Francisco, CA
2 matching grants · $572,000 · through 2024Largest: $300,000 to GENERATION YOU EMPLOYED INC — to support the digital freelancing programming to address job deserts in kenya
Largest: $210,000 to ASSOCIATION OF FREELANCE TEACHERS — to further educational programming at foulger school.
Society of Professional JournalistsIndianapolis, INCharity · may take applications
2 matching grants · $55,750 · through 2024Largest: $50,000 to SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS — supported spj's annual convention held in las vegas, nevada, in october. the convention provides journalists with education, training and networking. attendees work in online, prin…
Largest: $41,666 to PLAYERS PHILANTHROPY FUND — to bring together bipoc freelance journalists at the annual iij freelance journalism conference and to support iijs online business of freelancing course.
Allied Media ProjectsDetroit, MICharity · may take applications
2 matching grants · $29,920 · through 2022Largest: $14,960 to JAMIE BROADNAX — the $14,960 grant from critical minded will specifically support black girl nerds in general operating to underwrite the following: streaming software expenses; seo upgrade; settin…
Largest: $5,000 to REHEARSAL FOR LIFE INC — freelance players
Largest: $100,000 to The Lens — support to continue coverage of city and state criminal legal systems, expand youth justice coverage, and employ a full-time criminal justice reporter and freelance journalists.
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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 →