Defense Against Thought Control
Defense Against Thought Control is a private foundation based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Its 2025 filing reports 41 grants totaling $759,000 to charitable organizations.
Defense Against Thought Control at a glance
In short: Defense Against Thought Control gave $759K across 41 grants in 2025 (avg $19K), top state Massachusetts. 5% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $759,000
- -65.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 41
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $18,512
- -65.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $1,117,565
- +55.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 5% first-time grantees (2 of 41, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (31% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Defense Against Thought Control
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 678 Massachusetts Ave 6Th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02139
Phone: (617) 492-8473
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Defense Against Thought Control funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was National Lawyers Guild ($125K). Together the top 10 received $545K.
Grant Size Distribution
216 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 191 grants of 216 (88%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in Massachusetts (31%), California (27%), North Carolina (11%), Colorado (8%), and Florida (7%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 41 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Defense Against Thought Control open to new grantees?
5%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 41 grantees (5%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $35K; repeat grants $18K. How we count
Medians: $35K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 95% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 28% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $594K (2020) to $2.2M (2024). In 2025 it made 41 grants totaling $759K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| National Lawyers Guild Boston, MA | Support for Constitutional Rights | $125,000 |
| Counter Punch Petrolia, CA | Educate the general public about journalism and current events | $100,000 |
| Western States Legal Foundation Oakland, CA | International Cooperation for Peace | $75,000 |
| Human Rights Defense Center Lake Worth, FL | Support for Prisoner Rights | $50,000 |
| Survivors Inc Boston, MA | Education for economic justice, welfare rights and human right | $50,000 |
| Repairers of the Breach Goldsboro, NC | Support Social Change | $50,000 |
| North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP Raleigh, NC | Education for Non Discrimination | $30,000 |
| Greenpeace Washington, DC | Protect Our Environment from Toxic Pollution. | $25,000 |
| American Indian College Fund Denver, CO | Support for Native Americans | $20,000 |
| Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting New York, NY | Advocates for greater diversity of perspectives in news reporting | $20,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Defense Against Thought Control?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,117,565 | $1,172,761 | $772,957 | $759,000 | 41 | $759,000 | $387,751 | $39,510 |
| 2024 | $717,761 | $295,268 | $2,228,671 | $2,207,000 | 41 | $2,207,000 | $830,144 | $71,421 |
| 2023 | $2,651,164 | $502,422 | $735,564 | $725,000 | 45 | $725,000 | $79,552 | $135,205 |
| 2022 | $2,884,306 | $-507,000 | $623,319 | $595,000 | 45 | $595,000 | $147,651 | $159,028 |
| 2021 | $4,014,625 | $705,360 | $611,731 | $594,000 | 44 | $594,000 | $118,622 | $184,960 |
| 2020 | $3,920,996 | $1,310,379 | $614,706 | $594,000 | 44 | — | $64,219 | $241,573 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Defense Against Thought Control reported a distributable amount of $40K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No foundation mission is stated in the available information. Its grants include legal, civil rights, media, environmental, Native American, and community organizations. For example, the National Lawyers Guild describes its mission as providing legal support to advance human and civil rights. Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting says it monitors and documents media reporting for inaccuracies and bias. The American Indian College Fund says it invests in Native students and tribal college education, while the Native American Rights Fund describes its work as protecting Native American rights, resources, and lifeways through legal advocacy.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 41 grants totaling $759,000. Awards ranged from $1,000 to $125,000, with a median grant of $10,000.
The largest reported grants included $125,000 to the National Lawyers Guild for constitutional rights; $100,000 to CounterPunch to educate the general public about journalism and current events; $75,000 to Western States Legal Foundation for international cooperation for peace; and $50,000 each to Human Rights Defense Center for prisoner rights, Survivors Inc. for education related to economic justice and human rights, and Repairers of the Breach for social change.
Other reported grants included $30,000 to the North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP for education for nondiscrimination, and $25,000 to Greenpeace for environmental protection from toxic pollution.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Jay Scheide as president and director, Jeffrey M. Feuer as treasurer and director, and Lee D. Goldstein as clerk and director.
Defense Against Thought Control is led by Jay Scheide, President & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Jay Scheide
President & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Jeffrey M. Feuer
Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Lee D. Goldstein
Clerk & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 Defense Against Thought Control
How much does Defense Against Thought Control give each year?
Defense Against Thought Control gave $759K across 41 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $2.2M across 41 grants.
What is Defense Against Thought Control's typical grant size?
Defense Against Thought Control's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $18,512, across 41 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Defense Against Thought Control that year got $35K on average.
Where does Defense Against Thought Control give grants?
Defense Against Thought Control's top state is Massachusetts, with 31% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were California (27%) and North Carolina (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (9 grants), New York, NY (5 grants), Washington, DC (4 grants) and Denver, CO (2 grants).
Does Defense Against Thought Control give general operating support?
Occasionally: 2% of Defense Against Thought Control's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 41) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Education on Media" (4 grants) and "Education for Non Discrimination" (3 grants).
Who are Defense Against Thought Control's largest grantees?
Defense Against Thought Control's largest 2025 grantees include National Lawyers Guild ($125,000), Counter Punch ($100,000) and Western States Legal Foundation ($75,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 40% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Defense Against Thought Control?
Defense Against Thought Control reported $1.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $759K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $40K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Defense Against Thought Control fund?
No foundation mission is stated in the available information. Its grants include legal, civil rights, media, environmental, Native American, and community organizations. For example, the National Lawyers Guild describes its mission as providing legal support to advance human and civil rights. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Defense Against Thought Control?
The foundation states that it 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 Defense Against Thought Control's EIN?
Defense Against Thought Control's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-4712449. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Defense Against Thought Control 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 18, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Defense Against Thought Control's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Defense Against Thought Control funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/defense-against-thought-control-morg_269fc0d80aac42d1994b7818ea0763b7
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_814712449_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Defense Against Thought Control funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/defense-against-thought-control-morg_269fc0d80aac42d1994b7818ea0763b7},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Defense Against Thought Control'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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