Future of Life Institute
Future of Life Institute (FLI) is a public charity based in Narberth, Pennsylvania. Established in 2014, it supports work intended to steer transformative technology toward benefiting life and away from extreme large-scale risks, including through grantmaking, research, policy, education, outreach, and advocacy.
Key facts about Future of Life Institute
In short: Future of Life Institute gave $6.3M across 12 grants in 2024 (avg $524K), mostly in California. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 47-1052538
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024
- Annual giving (2024)
- $6,285,957
- Grants made (2024)
- 12
- Average grant
- $523,830
- Median grant
- $208,000
- Total assets
- $6,348,222
- Primary geography
- California (76% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026. Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990 · View filing
Total Assets
$6.3M
+255.5% YoY
Annual Giving
$6.3M
-29.7% YoY
Grant Count
12
+200.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$524K
-76.6% YoY
How Future of Life Institute gives
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.
Mission & Focus Areas
FLI’s stated mission is to steer transformative technology toward benefiting life and away from extreme large-scale risks. Its grantmaking and other programs address the risks and benefits of transformative technologies, with particular attention in its published materials to AI safety and governance and the humanitarian consequences of nuclear war. Its website describes support for research, public outreach, events, and advocacy, as well as fellowships for PhD and postdoctoral students.
The 2024 grants show support for a range of work, including AI risk research, university research on nuclear war, biodiversity conservation, global governance research, and a worldbuilding course and toolbox. The grantees describe their own work in varied terms: the Federation of American Scientists says it embeds science, technology, innovation, and experience into government and public discourse; Berkeley Existential Risk Initiative says it collaborates with university research groups working to reduce existential risk; and the Institute for Law & AI describes itself as an independent think tank researching legal challenges posed by AI. Silicon Valley Community Foundation describes its work as addressing systemic inequities in the Silicon Valley region.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, FLI reported 12 grants totaling $6,285,957. Grant sizes ranged from $10,000 to $2,470,096, with a median of $208,000. The largest awards included:
FLI describes several routes for support: requests for proposals and contests announced on its website, collaborations connected to internal projects, and fellowships. Its website says it does not accept unsolicited requests. The grants process includes program-specific eligibility criteria and closing dates. FLI’s application checklist asks applicants to explain project alignment, scope, outputs, team roles, methods, timeline, and budget; it also asks applicants who used AI tools to disclose their use and the degree of assistance. The FAQ says researchers and outreach specialists at academic and other nonprofit institutions, as well as independent researchers, are eligible; it also says applications are welcomed from any country. That FAQ notes that awarded international applicants’ institutions must meet specified nonprofit-equivalency and compliance requirements.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2024 filing reports grant dollars by recipient state as CA 76%, DC 12%, VA 10%, DE 2%, and CO 1%. The listed 2024 grants also include recipients in Massachusetts. FLI’s website says it engages in policy advocacy and research in the United States, the European Union, and around the world.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $39K (2020) to $191.8M (2022). In 2024 it made 12 grants totaling $6.3M.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Silicon Valley Community Foundation ($2.5M). Together the top 10 received $6.3M.
Grant Size Distribution
26 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 7 grants of 26 (27%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Silicon Valley Community Foundation Mountain View, CA | Support sponsored projects encode, tarbell, the elders, the collective intelligence project, and university research into the consequences of nuclear war. | $2,470,096 |
| International Association for Safe and Ethical Artificial Intelligence Inc San Diego, CA | General support for addressing the risks and opportunities associated with rapid advances in ai | $1,500,000 |
| Federation of American Scientists Washington, DC | To investigate the implications of artificial intelligence on global risk. | $750,000 |
| CAF America Alexandria, VA | Support for university research into the consequences of nuclear war. | $619,861 |
| Berkeley Existential Risk Initiative Covina, CA | Support for collaboration with the center for human-compatible artificial intelligence (CHAI). | $365,000 |
| Foresight Institute San Francisco, CA | Support to design and create worldbuilding course and toolbox. | $247,000 |
| Wise Ancestors Scotts Valley, CA | Conservation of earth's biodiversity for the benefit of all. | $169,000 |
| Longview Philantrophy USA Inc Claymont, DE | Finding Solutions to Collective Action Problems. | $100,000 |
| Future Coalition Denver, CO | Advocacy for a Future with Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence. | $25,000 |
| Legal Priorities Inc Boston, MA | Research into Global Governance Institution Design. | $15,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $6,348,222 | $21,273,381 | $17,399,051 | $6,285,957 |
| 2023 | $1,785,621 | $4,717,340 | $16,317,712 | $8,938,822 |
| 2022 | $11,827,052 | -$85,626,657 | $379,048,482 | $79,257,050 |
FLI’s website says it draws its operating budget from its endowment and does not accept donations from AI companies. The 2024 filing says grants require interim reports when projects last longer than one year and final reports; larger grants are assigned a staff member and a responsible board member to oversee them. The filing says grant reports are checked for adherence to the proposal, proper use of funds, and impact per dollar granted.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $6,348,222 | $1,785,621 | $11,827,052 |
| Revenue | $21,273,381 | $4,717,340 | $-85,626,657 |
| Expenses | $17,399,051 | $16,317,712 | $379,048,482 |
| Net Investment Income | $135,893 | $-157,374 | $-85,648,555 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS November 16, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 6, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS January 30, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 23, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 7, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists:
- Anthony N. Aguirre — Executive Director/Board Secretary
- Mihaela Chita-Tegmark — Board Secretary
- Max Tegmark — President
- Jaan Tallinn — Director
- Viktoriya Krakovna — Director
- Emilie Jan Javorsky — Director, Futures Program
- Benjamin Cumming — Director of Communications
- Benjamin Asher Eisenpress — Director of Operations
- Landon Marshall Klein — Director of US Policy
- Marcus Brakel — Director of Policy
Future of Life Institute is led by Anthony N. Aguirre, Executive Director & Board Secretary since 2024 (on filings since 2019); 6 of 10 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Anthony N. Aguirre
Executive Director & Board Secretary
Board Secretary & Executive Director → Executive Director & Board Treasurer, 2023
Executive Director & Board Treasurer → Executive Director & Board Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2019
38 hrs/week
$62K (2021) → $475K (2024)
Max Tegmark
President
President → Board President, 2022
Board President → President, 2023
On filings since 2019
16 hrs/week
$466K (2022) → $0 (2024)
Benjamin Asher Eisenpress
Director of Operations
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$146K (2023) → $222K (2024)
Emilie Jan Javorsky
Director & Futures Program
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$221K (2023) → $260K (2024)
Landon Marshall Klein
Director of Us Policy
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$132K (2023) → $186K (2024)
Marcus Brakel
Director of Policy
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$153K (2023) → $183K (2024)
Benjamin Cumming
Director of Communications
New on the 2024 filing
40 hrs/week
$202K (2024)
Jaan Tallinn
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Viktoriya Krakovna
Director
Secretary → Director, 2022
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mihaela Chita-Tegmark
Board Secretary
Board Treasurer → Board Secretary, 2023
On filings since 2022
5 hrs/week
$92K (2022) → $0 (2024)
Former officers (6)
- Former: Andrea C. Berman (2023) — Grants Manager
- Former: Jared Brown (2021–2022) — Director of U.s. & International Policy
- Former: Blake Pierson (2022) — Director of Communications, Outreach & Operations
- Former: Mark Brakel (2022) — Director of Policy
- Former: Meia Chita-Tegmark (2019–2021) — Treasurer
- Former: Viktoryia Krakovna (2021) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2024. "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 $475K, to Anthony N Aguirre (Executive Director/Board Secretary). 6 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Contact
Mailing address: 933 Montgomery Ave 1012, Narberth, PA 19072
Phone: (408) 915-3222
Website: https://futureoflife.org
Frequently asked questions about Future of Life Institute
How much does Future of Life Institute give each year?
Future of Life Institute gave $6.3M across 12 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $8.9M across 4 grants.
What is Future of Life Institute's typical grant size?
Future of Life Institute's median grant in 2024 was $208,000, and its average grant was $523,830, across 12 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990.
Where does Future of Life Institute give grants?
Future of Life Institute gives mostly in California: 76% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest states were District of Columbia (12%) and Virginia (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Denver, CO (2 grants).
Does Future of Life Institute give general operating support?
Occasionally: 8% of Future of Life Institute's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 12) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990.
Who are Future of Life Institute's largest grantees?
Future of Life Institute's largest 2024 grantees include Silicon Valley Community Foundation ($2,470,096), International Association for Safe and Ethical Artificial Intelligence Inc ($1,500,000) and Federation of American Scientists ($750,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 75% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Future of Life Institute?
Future of Life Institute reported $6.3M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $21.3M.
What does Future of Life Institute fund?
FLI’s stated mission is to steer transformative technology toward benefiting life and away from extreme large-scale risks. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Future of Life Institute?
Future of Life Institute does not accept unsolicited proposals, according to Grantable's research on its published guidelines. Check futureoflife.org for any change to that policy.
What is Future of Life Institute's EIN?
Future of Life Institute's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-1052538. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2024.
Does Future of Life Institute accept unsolicited proposals?
No, 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.
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