Council of American Overseas Research Centers
The Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) is a Washington, DC-based public charity and a federation of independent overseas research centers. Its stated mission is to promote research that advances knowledge of the world outside the United States in an era of global engagement. CAORC supports research and academic exchange through subgrants to overseas research centers and through fellowship and special-project programs.
Council of American Overseas Research Centers at a glance
In short: Council of American Overseas Research Centers gave $6.3M across 23 grants in 2025 (avg $275K), top state Massachusetts. 4% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $6,330,846
- +41.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 23
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $275,254
- +41.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $206,274
- Total assets
- $5,063,891
- +8.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 4% first-time grantees (1 of 23, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (21% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Council of American Overseas Research Centers
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 37012, Washington, DC 20013-7012
Phone: (202) 633-1599
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from Council of American Overseas Research Centers
Who Council of American Overseas Research Centers funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was West African Research Association ($868K). Together the top 10 received $4.4M.
Grant Size Distribution
114 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $100–250K range: 56 grants of 114 (49%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
CAORC’s mission concerns research on the world outside the United States. Its filing describes support for overseas research centers and projects in West Africa, the Middle East, Tunisia, Algeria, and Libya. The Multi-Country Research Fellowship supports research in countries across the Overseas Research Center network as well as other countries.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 23 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Council of American Overseas Research Centers open to new grantees?
4%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 23 grantees (4%) were first-time recipients. With only 23 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $41K; repeat grants $286K. How we count
Medians: $41K first-time, $217K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $3.0M (2021) to $6.3M (2025). In 2025 it made 23 grants totaling $6.3M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| West African Research Association Boston, MA | Pass-through subgrants | $868,182 |
| American Inst for Maghrib Studies Tucson, AZ | Pass-through subgrants | $579,531 |
| American Inst Iranian Studies New York, NY | Pass-through subgrants | $541,073 |
| American Center Oriental Research Alexandria, VA | Pass-through subgrants | $463,000 |
| American Research Center in Egypt Alexandria, VA | Pass-through subgrants | $415,813 |
| American Inst Indian Studies Chicago, IL | Pass-through subgrants | $385,519 |
| American Research Inst Turkey Philadelphia, PA | Pass-through subgrants | $355,000 |
| Palestinian American Research Ctr Washington, DC | Pass-through subgrants | $300,684 |
| American Inst Sri Lankan Studies Belmont, MA | Pass-through subgrants | $295,000 |
| American Inst Pakistan Studies Madison, WI | Pass-through subgrants | $233,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Council of American Overseas Research Centers?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The 2025 filing reported 23 grants; the 2024 and 2023 filings reported 23 and 24 grants, respectively. The 2024 filing states that part of CAORC’s endowment is permanently restricted under grant terms and that the remainder comprises board-designated operating reserves.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $5,063,891 | $7,802,922 | $7,774,502 | $6,330,846 | 23 | $248,442 |
| 2024 | $4,679,949 | $6,470,375 | $6,342,969 | $4,471,931 | 23 | $111,342 |
| 2023 | $4,554,961 | $5,967,934 | $6,577,596 | $4,807,594 | 24 | $88,259 |
| 2022 | $3,977,316 | $5,844,672 | $5,775,205 | $4,183,790 | 22 | $114,629 |
| 2021 | $3,976,736 | $4,108,746 | $4,069,436 | $3,025,423 | 22 | $299,917 |
| 2020 | $3,966,493 | $4,326,391 | $4,409,839 | $3,158,781 | 22 | $44,718 |
| 2019 | $4,038,954 | $5,893,195 | $4,826,071 | $3,384,775 | 22 | $61,747 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
CAORC’s mission is to promote research that advances knowledge of the world outside the United States. Its 2024 filing describes three program areas: Overseas Research Center Support, Special Projects, and International Academic Development. Special Projects include a Library of Congress acquisition project for material from twelve West African countries, heritage-preservation work in the Middle East, humanities fellowships at independent research institutions, and research and scholarly-capacity support in Tunisia, Algeria, and Libya. International Academic Development includes coordinating presentations of contemporary American art at the Dakar Biennale.
CAORC’s 2025 grants included organizations whose stated missions concern research and scholarly exchange in particular regions and countries. For example, the West African Research Association says it promotes collaborative research and scholarly exchange between U.S. and West African scholars, educators, and institutions. The American Institute for an individual recipient describes its mission as promoting the study of North Africa, while the American Institute of an individual recipient says it promotes scholarly research on Iran and the Persian language. The American Center of Research describes its work as advancing understanding of Jordan and the interconnected region.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, CAORC reported 23 grants totaling $6,330,846. Grants ranged from $13,600 to $868,182, with a median of $206,274. The largest grants listed were to the West African Research Association ($868,182), the American Institute for an individual recipient ($579,531), the American Institute of an individual recipient ($541,073), the American Center of Research ($463,000), and the American Research Center in Egypt ($415,813). Each of these listed grants was for pass-through subgrants.
CAORC lists two fellowship opportunities as currently open. The CAORC-NEH Research Fellowship provides approximately four awards, with stipends of $5,000 per month for four to six consecutive months. It supports advanced humanities research by applicants with a PhD or terminal degree who are U.S. citizens or foreign national scholars resident in the United States for at least three years. Independent scholars are eligible, and minority scholars and scholars from Minority-Serving Institutions are especially encouraged to apply.
The CAORC Multi-Country Research Fellowship lists six awards of $12,600 each. It supports trans-regional and comparative research in the humanities, social sciences, and allied natural sciences. Applicants must be U.S. citizens; eligible applicants include U.S. doctoral candidates who are all but dissertation and scholars with a PhD or terminal degree. Team projects are admissible, and funding is not available for research conducted in the United States.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Heidi Wiederkehr as Executive Director. Directors listed are J Mark Kenoyer, Ismael Montana, Milan Shrestra, Katharyn Hanson, Thomas Barfield, Octaviana Trujillo, Matt Cook, Pearce Paul Creasman, and Robert Hefner.
Council of American Overseas Research Centers is led by Heidi Wiederkehr, Executive Director since 2023 (on filings since 2019); 1 of 30 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Heidi Wiederkehr
Executive Director
Deputy Director → Executive Director, 2023
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$128K (2019) → $207K (2025)
Anne Betteridge
Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2022
Vice Chair → Chair, 2024
On filings since 2021
7 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Brian Rose
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Donald Kane
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
J Mark Kenoyer
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mark Lawall
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Penelope Mitchell
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Peter Wien
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Thomas Barfield
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Eve Zucker
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ismael Montana
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Matt Cook
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James Miller
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Pearce Paul Creasman
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Robert Hefner
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sumathi Ramaswamy
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Franois Tainturier
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Flagg Miller
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Katharyn Hanson
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kathryn Grossman
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Milan Shrestra
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mythri Jegathesan
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Paula DePriest
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Hegnar Watenpaugh
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Melinda Hartwig
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Octaviana Trujillo
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Leonardo Villalon
Former Chair
Board Chair → Chair, 2023
Chair → Former Chair, 2024
On filings since 2019
4.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Siddharth Chandra
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2022
On filings since 2019
4.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ali Riaz
Vice Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2024
On filings since 2021
4.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ann-Marie Knoblauch
Secretary
On filings since 2022
4.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (22)
- Former: Cynthia Radding (2019–2024) — Director
- Former: Louise Bertini (2019–2024) — Director
- Former: Maureen Marshall (2019–2024) — Director
- Former: Jeanne Marecek (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Sharika Thiranagama (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: William Fitzhugh (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Judith Justice (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Richard Spees (2019–2022) — Executive Director
- Former: Sabrina Motley (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Dan Varisco (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Frederick A. Winter (2019–2021) — Vice Chairman
- Former: Jonathan Smolin (2019–2021) — Treasurer
- Former: Mbye Cham (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Philip Lutgendorf (2019–2021) — Secretary
- Former: Allen Fromherz (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Charles Schmitz (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Edward Gnehm (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Franklin Lewis (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Golam Mathbor (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Andrew Mertha (2019) — Director
- Former: Farhat Haq (2019) — Director
- Former: Nancy Micklewright (2019) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $207K, to Heidi Wiederkehr (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about Council of American Overseas Research Centers
How much does Council of American Overseas Research Centers give each year?
Council of American Overseas Research Centers gave $6.3M across 23 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $4.5M across 23 grants.
What is Council of American Overseas Research Centers's typical grant size?
Council of American Overseas Research Centers's median grant in 2025 was $206,274, and its average grant was $275,254, across 23 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Council of American Overseas Research Centers that year got $41K on average.
Where does Council of American Overseas Research Centers give grants?
Council of American Overseas Research Centers's top state is Massachusetts, with 21% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were Virginia (16%) and New York (15%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (5 grants), Alexandria, VA (3 grants), Philadelphia, PA (3 grants) and Boston, MA (2 grants).
Does Council of American Overseas Research Centers give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 23 grants with a stated purpose on Council of American Overseas Research Centers's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Pass-through subgrants" (23 grants).
Who are Council of American Overseas Research Centers's largest grantees?
Council of American Overseas Research Centers's largest 2025 grantees include West African Research Association ($868,182), American Inst for Maghrib Studies ($579,531) and American Inst Iranian Studies ($541,073), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 31% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Council of American Overseas Research Centers?
Council of American Overseas Research Centers reported $5.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $7.8M.
What does Council of American Overseas Research Centers fund?
CAORC’s mission is to promote research that advances knowledge of the world outside the United States. Its 2024 filing describes three program areas: Overseas Research Center Support, Special Projects, and International Academic Development. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Council of American Overseas Research Centers?
Council of American Overseas Research Centers has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Council of American Overseas Research Centers's EIN?
Council of American Overseas Research Centers's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 52-1395971. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS July 29, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS July 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS August 11, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS August 12, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS August 7, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS August 12, 2020)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 13, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Council of American Overseas Research Centers funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/council-of-american-overseas-research-centers-morg_07ba86de32fa443c903a3c314e93e631
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_521395971_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Council of American Overseas Research Centers funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/council-of-american-overseas-research-centers-morg_07ba86de32fa443c903a3c314e93e631},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-05. 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 Council of American Overseas Research Centers'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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