Arnold & Porter Foundation
Arnold & Porter Foundation is a private foundation based in Washington, DC. Its 2024 filing reports grants to organizations including legal aid providers, bar associations, civil-liberties groups, and organizations working on justice and public-interest issues.
Arnold & Porter Foundation at a glance
In short: Arnold & Porter Foundation gave $1.1M across 25 grants in 2024 (avg $45K), top state District of Columbia. 80% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,115,076
- +66.4% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 25
- +38.9% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $44,603
- +19.8% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $25,057
- Total assets
- $4,491,324
- -1.5% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 80% first-time grantees (16 of 20, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- District of Columbia (46% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Arnold & Porter Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 601 Massachusetts Ave Nw, Washington, DC 20001
Phone: (202) 274-7639
Website: https://arnoldporter.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Arnold & Porter Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Legal Aid Society (NY) ($236K). Together the top 10 received $840K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($20,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
87 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 58 grants of 87 (67%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 46% of grant dollars went to recipients in DC, 30% to an individual recipient, 7% to Maryland, 5% to North Carolina, and 4% to California. The listed grants also include recipients in Delaware and Georgia.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 25 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Arnold & Porter Foundation open to new grantees?
80%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 16 of 20 grantees (80%) were first-time recipients. With only 20 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $49K; repeat grants $66K. How we count
Medians: $31K first-time, $54K repeat.
- 15% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 143% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 526% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF 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.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $459K (2021) to $1.1M (2024). In 2024 it made 25 grants totaling $1.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Legal Aid Society (NY) New York, NY | General Operating Support | $235,500 |
| Equal Justice Works Washington, DC | General Operating Support | $142,500 |
| National Bar Association Washington, DC | Attorney Advancement Program | $100,000 |
| Delaware Community Legal Aid Society Inc Bethesda, MD | General Operating Support | $71,823 |
| Forward Justice Durham, NC | General Operating Support | $55,200 |
| DC Bar Pro Bono Center Washington, DC | General Operating Support | $52,250 |
| Campaign Legal Center - District Maps in Wisconsin Washington, DC | General Operating Support | $51,000 |
| Fair Election Center Washington, DC | General Operating Support | $50,000 |
| Bronx Defenders Bronx, NY | General Operating Support | $42,312 |
| Delaware ACLU Wilmington, DE | General Operating Support | $39,082 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $4,491,324 | $1,050,392 | $1,120,344 | $1,115,076 | 25 | $1,117,823 | $31,520 | $212,330 |
| 2023 | $4,561,276 | $406,884 | $673,013 | $670,154 | 18 | $671,813 | $22,658 | $228,861 |
| 2022 | $4,827,405 | $814,706 | $766,636 | $764,000 | 18 | $765,836 | — | $225,793 |
| 2021 | $4,779,334 | $1,295,764 | $462,089 | $459,250 | 12 | $462,089 | — | $193,340 |
| 2020 | $3,945,659 | $512,316 | $1,033,050 | $1,030,585 | 14 | — | — | $204,874 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Arnold & Porter Foundation reported a distributable amount of $212K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for a range of organizations. For example, Equal Justice Works says it creates opportunities for lawyers to pursue public service, and the National Bar Association says it works to advance jurisprudence and uphold the legal profession. Forward Justice describes itself as a nonpartisan law, policy, and strategy center advancing racial, social, and economic justice. The D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center says it provides free legal services and trains lawyers to serve community organizations and small businesses.
Other 2024 recipients include Advocates for Children of an individual recipient, whose stated mission is to support students facing barriers to academic success, and the John Paul Stevens Foundation, which says it supports people working in the public interest and works to promote democracy, the rule of law, access to justice, and equality.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the foundation reported 25 grants totaling $1,115,076. Grants ranged from $10,000 to $235,500, with a median of $25,057. The largest awards included $235,500 to the Legal Aid Society for general operating support; $142,500 to Equal Justice Works for general operating support; and $100,000 to the National Bar Association for its Attorney Advancement Program. Other large grants included $71,823 to Delaware Community Legal Aid Society Inc. and $55,200 to Forward Justice, both for general operating support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Richard M. Alexander as president, Sean T. Howell as treasurer/secretary, and James P. Joseph as director.
Arnold & Porter Foundation is led by Richard M. Alexander, President since 2024 (on filings since 2020); none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Richard M. Alexander
President
President & Director → President, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James P. Joseph
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sean T. Howell
Treasurer & Secretary
Secretary, Treasurer & Director → Treasurer & Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
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.
Frequently asked questions about Arnold & Porter Foundation
How much does Arnold & Porter Foundation give each year?
Arnold & Porter Foundation gave $1.1M across 25 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $670K across 18 grants.
What is Arnold & Porter Foundation's typical grant size?
Arnold & Porter Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $25,057, and its average grant was $44,603, across 25 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Arnold & Porter Foundation that year got $49K on average.
Where does Arnold & Porter Foundation give grants?
Arnold & Porter Foundation's top state is District of Columbia, with 46% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (30%) and Maryland (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (12 grants) and New York, NY (3 grants).
Does Arnold & Porter Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 72% of Arnold & Porter Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (18 of 25) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Scholarship" (5 grants).
Who are Arnold & Porter Foundation's largest grantees?
Arnold & Porter Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Legal Aid Society (NY) ($235,500), Equal Justice Works ($142,500) and National Bar Association ($100,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($20,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 43% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Arnold & Porter Foundation?
Arnold & Porter Foundation reported $4.5M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $212K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Arnold & Porter Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for a range of organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Arnold & Porter Foundation?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Arnold & Porter Foundation's EIN?
Arnold & Porter Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 52-1656501. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Arnold & Porter Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Arnold & Porter Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/arnold-and-porter-foundation-morg_9ace9b8148d94abd81e7f73fc3352a29
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_521656501_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Arnold \& Porter Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/arnold-and-porter-foundation-morg_9ace9b8148d94abd81e7f73fc3352a29},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Arnold & Porter Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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