The Allen Institute is a public charity based in Seattle, Washington, formed in 2003. It conducts large-scale bioscience research and makes grants for research, with a commitment to sharing scientific knowledge, data, models, tools, and reagents openly.
Key facts about Allen Institute
In short: Allen Institute gave $19.2M across 31 grants in 2024 (avg $618K), top state Massachusetts. 19% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 91-2155317
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024
- Annual giving (2024)
- $19,155,275
- Grants made (2024)
- 31
- Average grant
- $617,912
- Median grant
- $137,464
- New grantees (estimate)
- 19% first-time grantees (6 of 31, 2024)
- Total assets
- $367,120,032
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (25% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990 · View filing
Total Assets
$367.1M
+4.5% YoY
Annual Giving
$19.2M
+45.6% YoY
Grant Count
31
+14.8% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$618K
+26.8% YoY
Is Allen Institute open to new grantees?
19%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 6 of 31 grantees (19%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $114K; repeat grants $739K. How we count
Medians: $25K first-time, $428K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Institute’s mission is to unlock the complexities of bioscience and advance knowledge to improve human health. It describes its approach as open, multi-scale, and team-oriented, with an emphasis on foundational research, developing standards and models, and cultivating ideas with broad impact on science.
Its research programs include mapping brain cells and circuits, studying how cells form tissues, investigating neural activity and behavior, building reference resources for the healthy human immune system, and engineering cells to record their histories. The Institute says it shares the data, tools, and knowledge generated by its large-scale projects with the global scientific community.
The 2024 grants listed include universities, medical schools, hospitals, and a research-support organization. Grantees describe their own missions in varied ways: Princeton University says it pursues research, education, and the discovery and transmission of knowledge; MIT says it advances knowledge and educates students; and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai says it advances science, medicine, and health care. Addgene describes its work as archiving and distributing plasmids connected to published research.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the Institute reported 31 grants totaling $19,155,275. Grant amounts ranged from $3,015 to $3,459,548, with a median of $137,464. The largest listed grants were for research:
The Institute’s “Ask Anything, Change Everything” campaign invited ideas about what researchers should be able to measure to advance bioscience. It said it would identify research teams to receive up to $10 million in total funding to address selected questions; submissions are now closed.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Allen Institute
Ready to take the next step with Allen Institute?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in Massachusetts (25%), New York (21%), Washington (19%), New Jersey (18%), and Illinois (5%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 31 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $5.1M (2020) to $19.2M (2024). In 2024 it made 31 grants totaling $19.2M.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was University of Washington ($3.5M). Together the top 10 received $16.0M.
Grant Size Distribution
107 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $500K–1M range: 22 grants of 107 (21%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| University of Washington Seattle, WA | Research | $3,459,548 |
| The Trustees of Princeton University Princeton, NJ | Research | $3,388,837 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA | Research | $2,518,196 |
| Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, NY | Research | $1,939,391 |
| Zetta Ai LLC Sherrell, NY | Research | $1,106,162 |
| Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA | Research | $942,942 |
| Rockefeller University Birmingham, AL | Research | $814,693 |
| The John Hopkins University Baltimore, MA | Research | $658,856 |
| Boston University Boston, MA | Research | $589,446 |
| Washington University in St Louis Saint Louis, MO | Research | $581,098 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $367,120,032 | $272,058,206 | $270,683,072 | $19,155,275 |
| 2023 | $351,360,685 | $240,418,148 | $220,607,045 | $13,159,646 |
| 2022 | $317,650,465 | $184,245,221 | $176,998,648 | $7,051,708 |
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $367,120,032 | $351,360,685 | $317,650,465 |
| Revenue | $272,058,206 | $240,418,148 | $184,245,221 |
| Expenses | $270,683,072 | $220,607,045 | $176,998,648 |
| Net Investment Income | $6,033,321 | $4,319,610 | $1,906,826 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 11, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 3, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 6, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 12, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS September 15, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists these directors: Jo Lynn Allen, Margaret Anderson, Joanne Berger-Sweeney, Phyllis Campbell, Alta Charo, Thomas Daniel, Carla Dewberry, Stephen Hall, Allan Jones, and Michael Stryker.
Allen Institute is led by Rui Costa, President since 2024 (on filings since 2023); 10 of 21 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Rui Costa
President
President & CEO → President, 2024
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$1.2M (2023) → $1.2M (2024)
Hongkui Zeng
Executive Vice President & Director Brain Science
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$575K (2023) → $599K (2024)
Karel Svoboda
Executive Vice President & Director Neural Dynamics
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$529K (2023) → $556K (2024)
Kathryn Richmond
Executive Vice President & Director Frontiers
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$489K (2023) → $509K (2024)
Michael Stryker
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
$4K (2023) → $0 (2024)
Ananda Goldrath
Executive Vice President & Director Allen I
New on the 2024 filing
40 hrs/week
$599K (2024)
Ruwanthi Niranjala Gunawardane
Executive Vice President & Director Cell Science
New on the 2024 filing
40 hrs/week
$489K (2024)
Allan Jones
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Alta Charo
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Carla Dewberry
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jo Lynn Allen
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Joanne Berger-Sweeney
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Margaret Anderson
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Phyllis Campbell
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Stephen Hall
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Thomas Daniel
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Aviv Regev
Director
New on the 2024 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Christopher Beaudoin
Vice President & COO
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$426K (2023) → $555K (2024)
Margaret McClellan
Vice President & Secretary
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$540K (2023) → $540K (2024)
Marjorie Thomas
Vice President, Treasurer & CFO
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$566K (2023) → $598K (2024)
Andrew Hickl
Chief Technology Officer
New on the 2024 filing
40 hrs/week
$558K (2024)
Former officers (33)
- Former: Christof Koch (2023) — Meritorious Investigator
- Former: Petra Smith (2023) — Executive Director, People & Culture
- Former: Robert Reid (2023) — Senior Investigator
- Former: Allen Jo Lynn (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Anderson Margaret (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Brown Nathaniel (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Bumol Thomas (2020–2022) — Executive Vice President & Director Immunology
- Former: Campbell Phyllis (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Daniel Thomas (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Hall Stephen (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Israel Allen D. (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Koch Christof (2020–2022) — Chief Scientist
- Former: Locke Gary (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Reid Robert C. (2020–2022) — Senior Investigator
- Former: Stryker Michael (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Thomas Marjorie (2020–2022) — Vice President, Treasurer & CFO
- Former: Zeng Hongkui (2020–2022) — Executive Vice President & Director Brain Science
- Former: Charo Alto (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Dewberry Carla (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: McClellan Margaret (2021–2022) — Vice President & Secretary
- Former: Richmond Kathryn (2021–2022) — Executive Vice President & Director Frontiers
- Former: Beaudoin Christopher (2022) — Vice President & COO
- Former: Costa Rui (2022) — President & CEO
- Former: Jones Allan (2022) — Director & President
- Former: Svoboda Karel (2022) — Executive Vice President & Director Neural Dynamics
- Former: Alivisatos Paul (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Hackett Lauren (2020–2021) — Vice President
- Former: Jones Allan R. (2020–2021) — President
- Former: Larson Maja D. (2020–2021) — Vice President & Secretary
- Former: Peterson Todd (2020–2021) — Vice President
- Former: Phillips John W. (2020–2021) — Executive Director, Strategy & Evaluation
- Former: Horwitz Alan Fredrick (2020) — Executive Director & Cell Science
- Former: Wohnoutka Paul (2020) — Former Senior Director of Operations
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $1.2M, to RUI Costa (President). 10 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Contact
Mailing address: 615 Westlake Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109
Phone: (206) 548-7000
Website: https://alleninstitute.org
Frequently asked questions about Allen Institute
How much does Allen Institute give each year?
Allen Institute gave $19.2M across 31 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $13.2M across 27 grants.
What is Allen Institute's typical grant size?
Allen Institute's median grant in 2024 was $137,464, and its average grant was $617,912, across 31 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Allen Institute that year got $114K on average.
Where does Allen Institute give grants?
Allen Institute's top state is Massachusetts, with 25% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were New York (21%) and Washington (19%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (3 grants), Seattle, WA (2 grants), Boston, MA (2 grants) and Chicago, IL (2 grants).
Does Allen Institute give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 31 grants with a stated purpose on Allen Institute's 2024 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Research" (31 grants).
Who are Allen Institute's largest grantees?
Allen Institute's largest 2024 grantees include University of Washington ($3,459,548), The Trustees of Princeton University ($3,388,837) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology ($2,518,196), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 49% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Allen Institute?
Allen Institute reported $367.1M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $272.1M.
What does Allen Institute fund?
The Institute’s mission is to unlock the complexities of bioscience and advance knowledge to improve human health. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Allen Institute?
Allen Institute has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check alleninstitute.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Allen Institute's EIN?
Allen Institute's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 91-2155317. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Here's the math on researching Allen Institute by hand.
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Allen Institute down — hundreds of funders to go?