Heterodox Academy
Heterodox Academy (HxA) is a New York City–based public charity, formed in 2017, that works to improve research and education in universities by advancing open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement. Its website describes it as a nonpartisan membership organization supporting faculty, administrators, staff, and graduate students who seek to build cultures of open inquiry within higher education.
Heterodox Academy at a glance
- Total assets
- $7,350,153
- -3.2% vs 2024
- Revenue (2025)
- $5,686,403
- -39.5% vs 2024
- Net investment income (2025)
- $95,300
- +42.7% vs 2024
- Expenses (2025)
- $5,742,561
- +17.4% vs 2024
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to Heterodox Academy
- How to Apply
-
Past HxA funding opportunities have invited applications from HxA members, including members participating in HxCommunities. HxA’s Open Inquiry Awards recognize individuals, groups, and institutions; the stated 2026 nomination deadline was April 6, 2026, and has passed.
- Contact
Mailing address: 82 Nassau Street 646, New York, NY 10038
Phone: (347) 860-1206
Website: https://heterodoxacademy.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Heterodox Academy
Who Heterodox Academy funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
18 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 18 grants of 18 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
HxA’s website describes members at more than 2,000 institutions. The listed 2022 recipients were based in Washington, DC; San Antonio, Texas; Riverside, California; and New York, New York. The cited grant-program descriptions do not state a general geographic restriction.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
How Heterodox Academy gives
- 20% of 2022 grantees were also funded in 2021. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2022). 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 2021 to 2022, annual grant giving ranged from $164K (2022) to $209K (2021). In 2022 it made 10 grants totaling $164K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| WMU Foundation Kalamazoo, MI | Civic Discourse | $30,000 |
| Urban Rural Action Washington, DC | Skill Building Workshop | $26,397 |
| University of Delaware Newark, DE | Civic Engagement | $22,319 |
| Brigham Young University Provo, UT | Social Identity | $20,166 |
| Bradley Study Center Blacksburg, VA | Campus Free Speech | $15,325 |
| Trinity University San Antonio, TX | Community Read | $15,100 |
| Seven Acres Montessori Wilton, CT | Programming | $11,772 |
| University of California Riverside Riverside, CA | Staff Grant | $8,368 |
| Let Grow New York, NY | Diversity Without Diversion | $8,310 |
| The Program for Public Discourse at UNC Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC | Public Discourse Seminar | $6,650 |
Ready to take the next step with Heterodox Academy?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The filing states that HxA had 24 employees who received W-2s through a professional employer organization.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $7,350,153 | $5,686,403 | $5,742,561 | — | — | $95,300 |
| 2024 | $7,593,845 | $9,404,575 | $4,890,560 | — | — | $66,775 |
| 2023 | $2,673,674 | $2,980,573 | $2,395,669 | — | — | $9,010 |
| 2022 | $1,639,784 | $4,173,377 | $3,916,641 | $164,407 | 10 | $141 |
| 2021 | $1,652,564 | $2,832,778 | $2,859,589 | $208,516 | 8 | $162 |
| 2020 | $1,686,018 | $2,133,664 | $1,992,194 | — | — | $14,351 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
HxA’s stated mission is to improve the quality of research and education in universities by increasing open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement. Its program description emphasizes raising public awareness, providing tools and resources, and supporting communities of practice that advance those values on college and university campuses.
Past funding has supported research on open inquiry, campus interventions, and member projects promoting HxA’s core values. The organizations listed among its 2022 recipients illustrate a range of grantees: Urban Rural Action describes its mission as strengthening relationships between rural and urban communities and promoting constructive dialogue and joint community action; Trinity University describes its mission as excellence in teaching, research, and service; the University of California Riverside recipient describes its mission as supporting the relationship between UCR and its alumni; and Let Grow describes its mission as helping children gain independence.
Grantmaking
HxA’s website reports that its HxCommunities Flexible Funding Opportunity invested $380,000 across 24 grants during 2021–22. The program supported projects by members active in HxCommunities and was funded through support from the John Templeton Foundation. In a separate 2021 announcement, HxA said it had awarded more than $228,000 through the initial rounds of the program.
The 2024 filing lists four 2022 recipients and amounts: Urban Rural Action, $26,397; Trinity University, $15,100; University of California Riverside, $8,368; and Let Grow Inc, $8,310. HxA’s website also described a 2021 campus research program that funded five intervention studies at $30,000 each. A 2023 request for proposals invited HxA members to apply for 5–10 small grants on open inquiry in STEM disciplines, with up to $50,000 expected to be awarded; this was a past funding call.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Officers and directors listed on the 2025 filing are Frank Laukien, trustee; Jeffrey Flier, trustee; Jonathan Haidt, chair of the board and trustee; Jonathan Rauch, trustee; Kate Smith, trustee; Kathleen O’Connor, trustee; Liz Joyner, trustee; Steven Laub, treasurer and trustee; Tony Banout, trustee; and John Tomasi, president.
Heterodox Academy is led by John Tomasi, President since 2024 (on filings since 2022); 6 of 15 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
John Tomasi
President
Chief Executive Officer → President, 2024
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$82K (2022) → $536K (2025)
Michael Regnier
Executive Director & Board Secretary
Executive Director → Executive Director & Board Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$81K (2023) → $255K (2025)
Jonathan Haidt
Chair of the Board & Trustee
Board Chair → Chair of the Board & Trustee, 2021
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nicole Barbaro Simovski
Director of Communications
Director of Communications, Marketing & Events → Director of Communications, 2025
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$146K (2024) → $140K (2025)
Alexander R. Arnold
Director of Research
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$120K (2025)
Martha McCaughey
Director of Member & Campus Engagement
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$126K (2025)
Jeffrey Flier
Trustee
Trustees → Trustee & Chair of the Executive Search Committee, 2021
Trustee & Chair of the Executive Search Committee → Trustee, 2022
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kathleen O'Connor
Trustee
Trustees → Trustee, 2023
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Steven Laub
Treasurer & Trustee
Treasurer → Treasurer & Trustee, 2021
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kate Smith
Trustee
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tony Banout
Trustee
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Frank Laukien
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jonathan Rauch
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Liz Joyner
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Malik Peacock
Advancement Manager
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$104K (2025)
Former officers (8)
- Former: Kyle Sebastian Vitale (2023) — Director of Programs
- Former: Manon Loustaunau (2020–2022) — Interim Executive Director
- Former: Anthony Banout (2020–2021) — Trustees
- Former: Debra Mashek (2020–2021) — Former Executive Director
- Former: Elijah Diamond (2020–2021) — Trustees
- Former: Cory Clark (2021) — Director of Academic Engagement
- Former: Joel Winton (2020) — Outgoing Trustee
- Former: Zachary Wood (2020) — Outgoing Trustee
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $536K, to John Tomasi (President). 6 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Heterodox Academy
How large is Heterodox Academy?
Heterodox Academy reported $7.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $5.7M.
What does Heterodox Academy fund?
HxA’s stated mission is to improve the quality of research and education in universities by increasing open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Heterodox Academy?
Past HxA funding opportunities have invited applications from HxA members, including members participating in HxCommunities. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
Where does Heterodox Academy make grants?
HxA’s website describes members at more than 2,000 institutions. The listed 2022 recipients were based in Washington, DC; San Antonio, Texas; Riverside, California; and New York, New York. The cited grant-program descriptions do not state a general geographic restriction.
What is Heterodox Academy's EIN?
Heterodox Academy's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 82-2903153. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
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
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS July 17, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS July 11, 2022)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 15, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Heterodox Academy's focus areas in our free grants database
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Heterodox Academy down — hundreds of funders to go?