Founders Pledge Inc
Founders Pledge Inc is a public charity based in New York, NY. Founded in 2015, it facilitates charitable giving by entrepreneurs and investors, advising members and researching ways to direct donations toward effective solutions.
Founders Pledge Inc at a glance
In short: Founders Pledge Inc gave $26.3M across 102 grants in 2024 (avg $257K), top state Massachusetts. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $26,259,981
- -20.5% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 102
- +34.2% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $257,451
- -40.8% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $77,500
- Total assets
- $117,609,621
- +1435.9% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (37% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026.
How to apply to Founders Pledge Inc
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- Yes
- How to Apply
-
The organization accepts unsolicited requests through expressions of interest for eligible education and training programs in low- and middle-income countries. Its stated criteria include annual budgets above $1 million and evidence of measurable impact and substantial reach; education and training programs have the specific evidence expectations described above. The request page directs eligible organizations to submit an expression of interest.
- Contact
Mailing address: 228 Park Ave S Pmb 71081, New York, NY 10003-1502
Phone: (646) 585-9644
Website: https://founderspledge.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Founders Pledge Inc
Who Founders Pledge Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Deployus ($8.9M). Together the top 10 received $15.5M.
Grant Size Distribution
388 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 149 grants of 388 (38%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in Massachusetts (37%), California (30%), Delaware (8%), New York (7%), and Maryland (6%). The organization’s current funding invitation is for programs operating in low- and middle-income countries.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 102 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Founders Pledge Inc gives
- 19% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+6%). Method
- In 2023 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (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 2018 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $934K (2018) to $33.0M (2023). In 2024 it made 102 grants totaling $26.3M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Deployus Boston, MA | Fund Charitable Activities | $8,925,000 |
| Center for Artificial Intelligence Safety Inc San Francisco, CA | Fund Charitable Activities | $1,096,000 |
| The Rand Corporation Santa Monica, CA | Fund Charitable Activities | $1,000,000 |
| Players Philanthropy Fund Towson, MD | Fund Charitable Activities | $804,000 |
| Sangro Inc (DBA Ashgro) Newark, DE | Fund Charitable Activities | $741,500 |
| Palisade Research Dover, DE | Fund Charitable Activities | $726,000 |
| Mats Research Inc Berkeley, CA | Fund Charitable Activities | $584,000 |
| Longview Philanthropy USA Kansas City, MO | Fund Charitable Activities | $562,000 |
| Safe Artificial Intelligence Forum Institute Brooklyn, NY | Fund Charitable Activities | $540,000 |
| Johns Hopkins - Center for Health Security (CHS) Baltimore, MD | Fund Charitable Activities | $539,757 |
Ready to take the next step with Founders Pledge Inc?
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 | $117,609,621 | $144,636,466 | $34,600,883 | $26,259,981 | 102 | — | $1,787,904 | — |
| 2023 | $7,657,489 | $34,561,202 | $36,820,678 | $33,029,496 | 76 | $36,810,075 | $66,949 | $320,394 |
| 2022 | $9,810,548 | $23,352,443 | $28,065,989 | $25,054,234 | 61 | $28,059,848 | — | $580,487 |
| 2021 | $13,676,250 | $29,209,174 | $26,510,751 | $24,847,836 | 94 | $26,505,954 | — | $595,164 |
| 2020 | $11,047,486 | $10,955,941 | $4,977,021 | $3,428,699 | 55 | — | — | $316,862 |
| 2018 | $557,263 | $882,007 | $1,349,082 | $934,167 | 17 | — | $199,585 | $29,803 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The organization’s stated mission is to empower entrepreneurs and investors to do good by facilitating charitable giving. It describes its grantmaking as research-first: it identifies promising interventions through its own research and supports organizations that can deliver them at scale. Its website says its research covers areas including education, climate change, and global risks such as nuclear war. Its funding materials also identify global health and development, global catastrophic risk, and climate as areas of interest.
Its current funding invitation seeks expressions of interest from organizations running education or job, entrepreneurship, or agriculture training programs in low- and middle-income countries. It says it is most likely to consider programs with annual budgets above $1 million, measurable impact, and substantial existing reach. Education programs should show literacy or numeracy gains against a relevant comparison group; training programs should show increased participant income.
The grantees’ stated missions illustrate the range of organizations supported. DeployUs says it works to strengthen organizations advancing conservative climate leadership and bipartisan climate solutions. Palisade Research says it researches and communicates the capabilities and risks of advanced AI, with current work on cybersecurity, deception, and persuasion. The RAND Corporation says it seeks to improve policy and decision-making through research and analysis. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own work.
Grantmaking
In 2024, Founders Pledge reported 102 grants totaling $26,259,981. Grant amounts ranged from $5,250 to $8,925,000, with a median of $77,500. The largest grant was $8,925,000 to DeployUs. Other large grants included $1,096,000 to the Center for Artificial Intelligence Safety Inc., $1,000,000 to the RAND Corporation, $804,000 to Players Philanthropy Fund, $741,500 to Sangro Inc. (DBA Ashgro), and $726,000 to Palisade Research. The stated purpose for these grants was “fund charitable activities.”
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists David Jonathan Goldberg as president and treasurer, and Sabrina Pourmand as secretary. It lists Philippa Lawrence, Danielle Bayer, and David Klein as directors. Other listed personnel include Rachel Ash (US Managing Director, through August 2024), Dominic Finelli (Principal Advisor), Nate Kuerschner (Head of Philanthropic Services Operations), Matt Lerner (Research Director), and Jonathan Roncek (Finance Manager).
Founders Pledge Inc is led by David Jonathan Goldberg, President & Treasurer since 2020 (on filings since 2018); 5 of 10 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
David Jonathan Goldberg
President & Treasurer
President → President & Treasurer, 2020
On filings since 2018
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Danielle Bayer
Director
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
$80K (2022) → $0 (2024)
Matt Lerner
Research Director
New on the 2024 filing
40 hrs/week
$146K (2024)
Philippa Lawrence
Director
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David Klein
Director
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Alex Sajben
Senior Advisor
New on the 2024 filing
40 hrs/week
$124K (2024)
Dominic Finelli
Principal Advisor
New on the 2024 filing
40 hrs/week
$132K (2024)
Jonathan Roncek
Finance Manager
New on the 2024 filing
40 hrs/week
$120K (2024)
Nate Kuerschner
Head of Philanthropic Services Operations
New on the 2024 filing
40 hrs/week
$139K (2024)
Sabrina Pourmand
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2022
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (7)
- Former: Rachel Ash (2023–2024) — Us Managing Director · Filing note: Thru 82024
- Former: Blaine Vess (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Andrew McLoughlin (2018–2022) — Director
- Former: Matthew Hunter (2020) — President · Filing note: Thru April 2020
- Former: Carol Lynne Cone (2018) — Board Member
- Former: Matt Hunter (2018) — CEO
- Former: Neil Jansen (2018) — Secretary
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2018–2024. "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 $146K, to Matt Lerner (Research Director). 6 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Founders Pledge Inc
How much does Founders Pledge Inc give each year?
Founders Pledge Inc gave $26.3M across 102 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $33.0M across 76 grants.
What is Founders Pledge Inc's typical grant size?
Founders Pledge Inc's median grant in 2024 was $77,500, and its average grant was $257,451, across 102 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990.
Where does Founders Pledge Inc give grants?
Founders Pledge Inc's top state is Massachusetts, with 37% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were California (30%) and Delaware (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (14 grants), Washington, DC (10 grants), New York, NY (7 grants) and Berkeley, CA (5 grants).
Does Founders Pledge Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 102 grants with a stated purpose on Founders Pledge Inc's 2024 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Fund Charitable Activities" (102 grants).
Who are Founders Pledge Inc's largest grantees?
Founders Pledge Inc's largest 2024 grantees include Deployus ($8,925,000), Center for Artificial Intelligence Safety Inc ($1,096,000) and The Rand Corporation ($1,000,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 42% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Founders Pledge Inc?
Founders Pledge Inc reported $117.6M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $144.6M.
What does Founders Pledge Inc fund?
The organization’s stated mission is to empower entrepreneurs and investors to do good by facilitating charitable giving. It describes its grantmaking as research-first: it identifies promising interventions through its own research and supports organizations that can deliver them at scale. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Founders Pledge Inc?
The organization accepts unsolicited requests through expressions of interest for eligible education and training programs in low- and middle-income countries. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Founders Pledge Inc's EIN?
Founders Pledge Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 37-1795297. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2018–2024.
Does Founders Pledge Inc accept unsolicited proposals?
Yes, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(4)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2018 (received by the IRS December 13, 2019)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 3, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Founders Pledge Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Founders Pledge Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/founders-pledge-inc-morg_0a7613ad6a9f425d8ec145a77cb29653
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_371795297_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Founders Pledge Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/founders-pledge-inc-morg_0a7613ad6a9f425d8ec145a77cb29653},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Founders Pledge Inc'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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