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 “photo”
Where the money went
Largest: $32,000 to MAXIM DONDYUK — to encourage photo journalism
Innovia FoundationSpokane, WACharity · may take applications
6 matching grants · $88,417 · through 2024Largest: $9,104 to LEWIS AND CLARK HIGH SCHOOL — for scholarships, faculty or student recognition plaques, trophy cases, framed photos, works of art or other lasting improvements (more permanent than uniforms). occasionally, fund…
Largest: $50,000 to THE BRONX DOCUMENTARY CENTER — bronx junior photo league
Largest: $200,000 to PHOTO CIRCLE — to support the charitable activities of photo circle
Largest: $8,500 to Filter Photo — general operations
Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy FundNew York, NYCharity · may take applications
3 matching grants · $260,000 · through 2024Largest: $150,000 to PHOTO START — arts and culture
Largest: $150,000 to FAMILY PICTURES INSTITUTE FOR INCLUSIVE STORYTELLING INC — core support for a rural-urban community hub that will include photo-sharing experiences, public performances, public art and media installations and accessible digital experiences…
The San Francisco FoundationSan Francisco, CACharity · may take applications
2 matching grants · $960,386 · through 2022Largest: $501,367 to SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART — advised - for director's circle membership, fog gala 2022, trustee restricted exhibition support, collector's forum, photo accessions, art bash 2022. advised - for director's circl…
Largest: $50,000 to NICA PHOTO — unrestricted use
Largest: $91,533 to MOTE MARINE LABORATORY — to support collaborative research: pacsp tools: epics: explainable ai driven individual photo-identification & tracking for cost-effective conservation study
Largest: $35,000 to CEPA Gallery — cepa gallery is a contemporary photography and visual arts center with impact in both local and national communities. with three galleries of changing exhibits and events, multimed…
California Healthcare FoundationOakland, CACharity · may take applications
3 matching grants · $140,000 · through 2022Largest: $65,000 to PEACH TREE HEALTHCARE — photo stipend for peach tree healthcare; connected care accelerator equity collaborative
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 paperSearch 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 →