PaperOrbit

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 “observational”

Where the money went

1.0×
Alfred P Sloan Foundation → Astrophysical Research Consortium: $10M across 3 grants, latest 2023The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for → University of Reading: $6.5M across 3 grants, latest 2024Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation → Northwestern University: $2.8M across 2 grants, latest 2024The Heising-Simons Foundation → California Institute of Technology: $1.8M across 4 grants, latest 2024John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation (Consolidated) → Observer Research Foundation: $1.0M across 4 grants, latest 2023The Simons Foundation Inc → University of California San Diego: $481K across 1 grant, latest 2022Great Lakes Observing System Regional Association → Michigan Tech: $463K across 6 grants, latest 2024Primordium Foundation → Michael Rubel: $415K across 4 grants, latest 2025The Brinson Foundation → Carnegie Institution for Science Carnegie Observatories Instrumentation Pro: $235K across 2 grants, latest 2024Thurgood Marshall College Fund → Alabama A&m University: $141K across 1 grant, latest 2024North Carolina Museum of Life & → Utah State University: $60K across 1 grant, latest 2024Institute for Nonprofit News → Lexington Observer Inc: $40K across 2 grants, latest 2024Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation → Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute: $2.3M across 2 grants, latest 2024The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for → Uc Santa Barbara: $1.2M across 1 grant, latest 2024The Heising-Simons Foundation → Arizona State University Foundation for A New American University: $965K across 4 grants, latest 2024Alfred P Sloan Foundation → University of Glasgow: $625K across 2 grants, latest 2024The Simons Foundation Inc → Woods Hole Oceanographic: $454K across 1 grant, latest 2024John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation (Consolidated) → Observer Research Foundation: $250K across 1 grant, latest 2024The Brinson Foundation → Carnegie Institution for Science: $185K across 2 grants, latest 2023Thurgood Marshall College Fund → Fayetteville State University: $141K across 1 grant, latest 2024North Carolina Museum of Life & → Museum of Science: $54K across 1 grant, latest 2024Great Lakes Observing System Regional Association → Clarkson University: $49K across 1 grant, latest 2021Institute for Nonprofit News → Needham Observer: $40K across 2 grants, latest 2024Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation → Associated Universities Inc: $1.5M across 2 grants, latest 2023The Heising-Simons Foundation → Lowell Observatory: $950K across 1 grant, latest 2022The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for → Regents of the University of California at San Diego: $515K across 1 grant, latest 2024The Simons Foundation Inc → Uc San Diego: $446K across 1 grant, latest 2023Thurgood Marshall College Fund → Texas Southern University Foundation: $141K across 1 grant, latest 2024The Brinson Foundation → University of Chicago Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics: $120K across 1 grant, latest 2024Alfred P Sloan Foundation → Ai for Good Foundation: $113K across 1 grant, latest 2024John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation (Consolidated) → Rule of Law and Empowerment Initiative: $100K across 2 grants, latest 2021Institute for Nonprofit News → The Cleveland Observer: $40K across 2 grants, latest 2024North Carolina Museum of Life & → The Works Inc: $10K across 1 grant, latest 2024Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation → Massachusetts Institute of Technology: $900K across 1 grant, latest 2022Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation → International Seafood Sustainability Foundation: $800K across 1 grant, latest 2024Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation → Astronetx Pbc: $800K across 2 grants, latest 2024The Heising-Simons Foundation → Regents of the University of California Santa Cruz: $720K across 3 grants, latest 2024Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation → Purdue University: $685K across 2 grants, latest 2024Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation → Emory University: $623K across 2 grants, latest 2024The Heising-Simons Foundation → University of California Santa Barbara: $506K across 4 grants, latest 2024The Heising-Simons Foundation → Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network Inc: $500K across 1 grant, latest 2024Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation → Regents of the University of California: $400K across 1 grant, latest 2020The Simons Foundation Inc → Ucsd: $394K across 1 grant, latest 2024The Heising-Simons Foundation → Ohio State University: $344K across 2 grants, latest 2024The Simons Foundation Inc → Northwestern University: $300K across 3 grants, latest 2024The Heising-Simons Foundation → Vanderbilt University: $250K across 1 grant, latest 2023Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation → Regents of the University of California: $210K across 1 grant, latest 2023The Heising-Simons Foundation → Regents of the University of California at San Diego: $207K across 2 grants, latest 2023Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation → Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York: $150K across 1 grant, latest 2022Thurgood Marshall College Fund → Virginia State University: $141K across 1 grant, latest 2024Thurgood Marshall College Fund → Alabama State University Foundation: $141K across 1 grant, latest 2024Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation → J Craig Venter Institute Inc: $141K across 1 grant, latest 2020The Heising-Simons Foundation → Cornell University: $130K across 1 grant, latest 2022The Brinson Foundation → Princeton University Department of Astrophysical Sciences: $120K across 1 grant, latest 2024The Brinson Foundation → Massachusetts Institute of Technology: $120K across 1 grant, latest 2024The Brinson Foundation → University of Chicago Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics Edward H Lev: $120K across 1 grant, latest 2024The Brinson Foundation → University of Chicago Department of: $120K across 1 grant, latest 2023The Brinson Foundation → Princeton University Department of: $120K across 1 grant, latest 2023The Brinson Foundation → Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy National Solar Observ: $118K across 2 grants, latest 2023The Simons Foundation Inc → Rochester Institute of Technology: $91K across 1 grant, latest 2022The Brinson Foundation → Carnegie Institution for Science Earth and Planets Laboratory: $78K across 1 grant, latest 2024Thurgood Marshall College Fund → Lawson State Community College: $71K across 1 grant, latest 2024The Brinson Foundation → University of Arizona Foundation: $70K across 2 grants, latest 2023The Simons Foundation Inc → Curators of University of Missouri: $65K across 1 grant, latest 2023Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation: $11M on this topic. Open the funder.Gordon E and Betty I Moore Fo…$11MAlfred P Sloan Foundation: $11M on this topic. Open the funder.Alfred P Sloan Foundation$11MThe Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for: $8.2M on this topic. Open the funder.The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fu…$8.2MThe Heising-Simons Foundation: $6.4M on this topic. Open the funder.The Heising-Simons Foundation$6.4MThe Simons Foundation Inc: $2.2M on this topic. Open the funder.The Simons Foundation Inc$2.2MThe Brinson Foundation: $1.4M on this topic. Open the funder.The Brinson Foundation$1.4MJohn D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation (Consolidated): $1.4M on this topic. Open the funder.John D and Catherine T Macart…$1.4MThurgood Marshall College Fund: $776K on this topic. Open the funder.Thurgood Marshall College Fund$776KGreat Lakes Observing System Regional Association: $512K on this topic. Open the funder.Great Lakes Observing System…$512KPrimordium Foundation: $415K on this topic. Open the funder.Primordium Foundation$415KNorth Carolina Museum of Life &: $124K on this topic. Open the funder.North Carolina Museum of Life…$124KInstitute for Nonprofit News: $120K on this topic. Open the funder.Institute for Nonprofit News$120KAstrophysical Research Consortium: received $10M on this topicAstrophysical Research Consorti…$10MUniversity of Reading: received $6.5M on this topicUniversity of Reading$6.5MNorthwestern University: received $3.1M on this topicNorthwestern University$3.1MMonterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute: received $2.3M on this topicMonterey Bay Aquarium Research…$2.3MCalifornia Institute of Technology: received $1.8M on this topicCalifornia Institute of Technol…$1.8MAssociated Universities Inc: received $1.5M on this topicAssociated Universities Inc$1.5MUc Santa Barbara: received $1.2M on this topicUc Santa Barbara$1.2MMassachusetts Institute of Technology: received $1.0M on this topicMassachusetts Institute of Tech…$1.0MObserver Research Foundation: received $1.0M on this topicObserver Research Foundation$1.0MArizona State University Foundation for A New American University: received $965K on this topicArizona State University Founda…$965KLowell Observatory: received $950K on this topicLowell Observatory$950KInternational Seafood Sustainability Foundation: received $800K on this topicInternational Seafood Sustainab…$800KAstronetx Pbc: received $800K on this topicAstronetx Pbc$800KRegents of the University of California at San Diego: received $722K on this topicRegents of the University of Ca…$722KRegents of the University of California Santa Cruz: received $720K on this topicRegents of the University of Ca…$720KPurdue University: received $685K on this topicPurdue University$685KUniversity of Glasgow: received $625K on this topicUniversity of Glasgow$625KEmory University: received $623K on this topicEmory University$623KUniversity of California Santa Barbara: received $506K on this topicUniversity of California Santa…$506KLas Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network Inc: received $500K on this topicLas Cumbres Observatory Global…$500KUniversity of California San Diego: received $481K on this topicUniversity of California San Di…$481KMichigan Tech: received $463K on this topicMichigan Tech$463KWoods Hole Oceanographic: received $454K on this topicWoods Hole Oceanographic$454KUc San Diego: received $446K on this topicUc San Diego$446KMichael Rubel: received $415K on this topicMichael Rubel$415KRegents of the University of California: received $400K on this topicRegents of the University of Ca…$400KUcsd: received $394K on this topicUcsd$394KOhio State University: received $344K on this topicOhio State University$344KObserver Research Foundation: received $250K on this topicObserver Research Foundation$250KVanderbilt University: received $250K on this topicVanderbilt University$250KCarnegie Institution for Science Carnegie Observatories Instrumentation Pro: received $235K on this topicCarnegie Institution for Scienc…$235KRegents of the University of California: received $210K on this topicRegents of the University of Ca…$210KCarnegie Institution for Science: received $185K on this topicCarnegie Institution for Science$185KTrustees of Columbia University in the City of New York: received $150K on this topicTrustees of Columbia University…$150KAlabama A&m University: received $141K on this topicAlabama A&m University$141KFayetteville State University: received $141K on this topicFayetteville State University$141KTexas Southern University Foundation: received $141K on this topicTexas Southern University Found…$141KVirginia State University: received $141K on this topicVirginia State University$141KAlabama State University Foundation: received $141K on this topicAlabama State University Founda…$141KJ Craig Venter Institute Inc: received $141K on this topicJ Craig Venter Institute Inc$141KCornell University: received $130K on this topicCornell University$130KUniversity of Chicago Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics: received $120K on this topicUniversity of Chicago Kavli Ins…$120KPrinceton University Department of Astrophysical Sciences: received $120K on this topicPrinceton University Department…$120KUniversity of Chicago Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics Edward H Lev: received $120K on this topicUniversity of Chicago Departmen…$120KUniversity of Chicago Department of: received $120K on this topicUniversity of Chicago Departmen…$120KPrinceton University Department of: received $120K on this topicPrinceton University Department…$120KAssociation of Universities for Research in Astronomy National Solar Observ: received $118K on this topicAssociation of Universities for…$118KAi for Good Foundation: received $113K on this topicAi for Good Foundation$113KRule of Law and Empowerment Initiative: received $100K on this topicRule of Law and Empowerment Ini…$100KRochester Institute of Technology: received $91K on this topicRochester Institute of Technolo…$91KCarnegie Institution for Science Earth and Planets Laboratory: received $78K on this topicCarnegie Institution for Scienc…$78KLawson State Community College: received $71K on this topicLawson State Community College$71KUniversity of Arizona Foundation: received $70K on this topicUniversity of Arizona Foundation$70KCurators of University of Missouri: received $65K on this topicCurators of University of Misso…$65KUtah State University: received $60K on this topicUtah State University$60KMuseum of Science: received $54K on this topicMuseum of Science$54KClarkson University: received $49K on this topicClarkson University$49KLexington Observer Inc: received $40K on this topicLexington Observer Inc$40KNeedham Observer: received $40K on this topicNeedham Observer$40KThe Cleveland Observer: received $40K on this topicThe Cleveland Observer$40KThe Works Inc: received $10K on this topicThe Works Inc$10K
12 funders, 61 recipients, grants matching “observational” only. Ribbon width is proportional to the total given; each funder has its own colour (smaller funders in gray). Hover a name to isolate its flows, click a funder to open it. Drag to move around; zoom with the buttons, a double-click, or the wheel after clicking the map.

This is one keyword. PaperOrbit reads your actual paper and searches on everything in it — population, methods, outcomes — then explains why each funder fits.

Start with one paper

Search by location

Local foundations often favor nearby communities. Enter a ZIP code to see foundations based near you, and where grant money has actually landed in your area.

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 →