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 “genealogy”
Where the money went
Largest: $12,000 to NORWEGIAN AMERICAN GENEALOGICAL CENTER & NAESETH LIBRARY — research, printing, and distributions of two issues of our member newsletter called "norwegian tracks", our publication called "research guide to norwegian genealogy", and the nagc…
Largest: $11,000 to UNIVERSAL GENEALOGY — genealogy studies
Douglas N Thompson FoundationSalt Lake City, UT
4 matching grants · $451,000 · through 2025Largest: $140,000 to LDS PHILANTHROPIES — genealogical research, humanitarian
R J Taylor Jr Fdn Ua Co TrOrlando, FLCharity · may take applications
5 matching grants · $712,756 · through 2025Largest: $183,721 to GEORGIA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY — program support
Hawk Rock FoundationFort Lauderdale, FL
6 matching grants · $240,000 · through 2024Largest: $40,000 to NEW ENGLAND HISTORIC GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY — charitable / general purpose
National Society Daughters of theWashington, DCCharity · may take applications
4 matching grants · $620,000 · through 2024Largest: $350,000 to NEW ENGLAND HISTORIC GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY (NEHGS) — education grant
Largest: $10,000 to OCEANA CNTY HISTORICAL & GENEALOGY — museum complex - garden & tree renov
Action NowHouston, TXCharity · may take applications
2 matching grants · $846,895 · through 2025Largest: $556,895 to OTHRAM INC — to support a dna analysis pilot program with the houston police department (hpd) using forensic investigative genetic genealogy (figg), to determine if it yields improved case outc…
Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater BostonBoston, MACharity · may take applications
4 matching grants · $71,016 · through 2024Largest: $33,998 to New England Historic Genealogical Society — daf - education
Largest: $46,750 to New York Genealogical & Biographical Society — making available new online records from the society's physical collections
Boston FoundationBoston, MACharity · may take applications
3 matching grants · $538,000 · through 2024Largest: $206,500 to New England Historic Genealogical Society — operating support/annual fund
Largest: $2,500 to NEW ENGLAND HISTORIC GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY — operating costs
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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 →