Innovations for Poverty Action a Nonprofit Corporation
Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a public charity based in Washington, DC, formed in 2002. It discovers and promotes effective solutions to global poverty through rigorous research, policy engagement, and support for using evidence. Its research funding supports competitive projects on policy-relevant and understudied topics, including evaluations, pilots, research methods, and evidence-use activities.
Key facts about Innovations for Poverty Action a Nonprofit Corporation
In short: Innovations for Poverty Action a Nonprofit Corporation gave $1.8M across 32 grants in 2024 (avg $57K), top state California. 33% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 06-1660068
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,833,777
- Grants made (2024)
- 32
- Average grant
- $57,306
- Median grant
- $24,898
- New grantees (estimate)
- 33% first-time grantees (7 of 21, 2024)
- Total assets
- $33,431,493
- Primary geography
- California (20% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990 · View filing
Total Assets
$33.4M
+4.3% YoY
Annual Giving
$1.8M
+13.6% YoY
Grant Count
32
+10.3% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$57K
+3.0% YoY
Is Innovations for Poverty Action a Nonprofit Corporation open to new grantees?
33%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 7 of 21 grantees (33%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $89K; repeat grants $86K. How we count
Medians: $27K first-time, $90K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2024). 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
IPA’s stated mission is to discover and promote effective solutions to global poverty. Its research funding supports rigorous research on topics of global policy interest. The organization describes funding a range of work, from seed funding and pilot studies to full impact evaluations, add-ons to existing studies, meta-analyses, policy outreach, and research infrastructure such as panel datasets. Its research funds cover topics including financial inclusion, human trafficking, intimate partner violence, peace and recovery, and small and medium enterprises.
Current initiatives include the Consumer Protection Research Initiative, focused on evaluating interventions to reduce consumer risks and build trust in digital payments and credit products, and the Peace & Recovery Initiative, which supports research on social and political violence and humanitarian emergencies. IPA’s 2024 filing also describes work on education, conflict- and crisis-affected populations, childhood immunization, and consumer protection in digital finance.
Recipients in 2024 included universities and research institutions as well as organizations working on issues such as modern slavery, humanitarian crises, and community-based support. The Freedom Fund describes its mission as investing in frontline efforts to eradicate modern slavery. Community Partners International says it works with local community-based organizations in Myanmar and along its borders. The International Rescue Committee describes its work as responding to humanitarian crises and helping people affected by conflict and disaster.
Grantmaking
IPA reported 32 grants totaling **$1,833,777** in 2024. Grants ranged from **$5,432 to $360,457**, with a median of **$24,898**. The largest awards included **$360,457 to Northwestern University** for evidence syntheses and meta-analysis on capital and women’s livelihoods; **$207,542 to The Freedom Fund** for work identified as “The Freedom Fund (Brazil)”; and **$174,485 to Yale University** for a panel database on Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar. Other substantial awards included **$127,091 to the University of Pennsylvania trustees** for “Disrupted Aid Displaced Lives,” **$115,673 to Community Partners International** for mental health and psychosocial support services in Myanmar, and **$95,056 to the International Rescue Committee** for “REBUILD.”
Open Grants
6 open opportunities from Innovations for Poverty Action a Nonprofit Corporation
Citizen Security Research Initiative Grant
Innovations for Poverty Action a Nonprofit Corporation
Amount
US $75,000 - US $400,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Consumer Protection Research Initiative Grant
Innovations for Poverty Action a Nonprofit Corporation
Amount
Up to US $300,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Peace & Recovery Initiative
Innovations for Poverty Action a Nonprofit Corporation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Ready to take the next step with Innovations for Poverty Action a Nonprofit Corporation?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
IPA describes a long-term presence through country offices in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Its website lists offices or country programs in Zambia, Uganda, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Nigeria, Kenya, Malawi, Liberia, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, the Philippines, Peru, Mexico, and Colombia.
In 2024, grant dollars were distributed among recipient organizations in multiple U.S. states: California and Illinois each received 20% of grant dollars, New York 18%, Connecticut 10%, and Pennsylvania 9%. Grant purposes also identify work in places including Brazil, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Uganda, Nigeria, India, and Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 32 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $1.2M (2021) to $1.8M (2024). In 2024 it made 32 grants totaling $1.8M.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Northwestern University ($368K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $1.6M.
Grant Size Distribution
113 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 69 grants of 113 (61%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Northwestern University Chicago, IL | Evidence Syntheses and Meta-Analysis- Capital and Women's Livelihoods | $360,457 |
| The Freedom Fund Brooklyn, NY | The Freedom Fund (Brazil) | $207,542 |
| Yale University New Haven, CT | Creating a panel database on rohingya refugees - cox's bazar panel survey (CBPS) | $174,485 |
| Univ of Penn Truste Philadelphia, PA | Disrupted Aid Displaced Lives | $127,091 |
| Community Partners International San Francisco, CA | Mental health & psychosocial support services (MHPSS) in myanmar | $115,673 |
| The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University Stanford, CA | Stanford University (Bangladesh) | $110,972 |
| The Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL | HTRI-Hart Uganda | $104,138 |
| International Rescue Committee New York, NY | Rebuild | $95,056 |
| The College of William and Mary Williamsburgh, VA | The effects of mobile technology cash grants and couples training | $60,000 |
| Busara Center for Behavioral Economics Inc Princeton, NJ | Strategies for Reducing Non-Institutional Fraud and Building Trust-Nigeria | $51,429 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $33,431,493 | $52,795,464 | $57,894,421 | $1,833,777 across 32 grants |
| 2023 | $32,068,016 | $53,278,625 | $54,430,966 | $1,613,925 across 29 grants |
| 2022 | $38,831,283 | $54,859,211 | $49,275,784 | $1,308,815 across 24 grants |
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $33,431,493 | $32,068,016 | $38,831,283 |
| Revenue | $52,795,464 | $53,278,625 | $54,859,211 |
| Expenses | $57,894,421 | $54,430,966 | $49,275,784 |
| Net Investment Income | $340,106 | $327,895 | $17,368 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 11, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS December 22, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 12, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 12, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists the following directors: Agnieszka Zieminska Yank, Ankur Vora (outgoing), Benjamin Appen, Colin Teichholtz, David Wells, Heather Woodruff Grizzle, Jane Kabubo-Mariara, Janet Zhou, Jyotsna Puri, and Karen Levy.
Innovations for Poverty Action a Nonprofit Corporation is led by Annie Duflo, Executive Director since 2021 (on filings since 2020); 8 of 24 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Annie Duflo
Executive Director
Chief Executive Officer → Executive Director, 2021
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$188K (2020) → $249K (2024)
Russell Siegelman
Chairman
On filings since 2022
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Pace Phillips
Director Business & Program Development
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$141K (2021) → $158K (2024)
Nathanael Goldberg
Senior Director of Sector Programs
New on the 2024 filing
40 hrs/week
$156K (2024)
Ankur Vora
Director
Director & Trustee → Director, 2021
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Benjamin Appen
Director
Director & Trustee → Director, 2021
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David Wells
Director
Director & Trustee → Director, 2021
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Heather Woodruff Grizzle
Director
Director & Trustee → Director, 2021
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kentaro Toyama
Director
Director & Trustee → Director, 2021
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Laura Hattendorf
Director
Director & Trustee → Director, 2021
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Trey Beck
Director
Chairman → Director, 2022
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mushfiq Mobarak
Director
On filings since 2021
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Karen Levy
Director
On filings since 2022
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Agnieszka Zieminska Yank
Director
On filings since 2023
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Colin Teichholtz
Director
On filings since 2023
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Janet Zhou
Director
On filings since 2023
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jyotsna Puri
Director
On filings since 2023
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Vineet Bewtra
Director
On filings since 2023
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jane Kabubo-Mariara
Director
New on the 2024 filing
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Stacey Daves-Ohlin
General Counsel
General Counsel & Secretary → General Counsel, 2021
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$180K (2020) → $235K (2024)
Steven Glazerman
Chief Rsrch & Methodology
Chief Research & Methodolo → Chief Rsrch & Methodology, 2021
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$202K (2020) → $236K (2024)
Eric Fullilove
CFO
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$258K (2021) → $274K (2024)
Faran Nadir
Controller
Senior Director → Controller, 2024
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$150K (2023) → $167K (2024)
Sarah De Tournemire
Chief Philanthropy Officer
Chief Partner. & Philanthropy Officer → Chief Philanthropy Officer, 2024
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$245K (2023) → $254K (2024)
Former officers (16)
- Former: Rakesh Rajani (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Wendy Abt (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Cina Lawson (2022–2023) — Director
- Former: Jane Mariara (2022–2023) — Director
- Former: Meseret Ansebo (2022–2023) — Chief People Officer
- Former: David Andrew Berry (2023) — Senior Director
- Former: Dean Karlan (2020–2022) — Founder & President
- Former: Elliott M. Collins (2020–2022) — Director Poverty Measurement
- Former: Radha Rajkotia (2020–2022) — Chief Rsrch & Policy Officer
- Former: Susan Athey (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Carin Mirowitz (2021–2022) — Country Director
- Former: Alexia Latortue (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Lucy Berkowitz (2020–2021) — Cfao & Treasurer
- Former: Stephen Toben (2020–2021) — Vice Chair
- Former: Aroon Balani (2020) — Director & Trustee
- Former: John M. Palien (2020) — Global Hr Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 $274K, to Eric Fullilove (CFO). 8 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Contact
Mailing address: 1701 Rhode Island Ave Nw 3-124, Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (203) 672-9507
Website: https://poverty-action.org
Frequently asked questions about Innovations for Poverty Action a Nonprofit Corporation
How much does Innovations for Poverty Action a Nonprofit Corporation give each year?
Innovations for Poverty Action a Nonprofit Corporation gave $1.8M across 32 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $1.6M across 29 grants.
What is Innovations for Poverty Action a Nonprofit Corporation's typical grant size?
Innovations for Poverty Action a Nonprofit Corporation's median grant in 2024 was $24,898, and its average grant was $57,306, across 32 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Innovations for Poverty Action a Nonprofit Corporation that year got $89K on average.
Where does Innovations for Poverty Action a Nonprofit Corporation give grants?
Innovations for Poverty Action a Nonprofit Corporation's top state is California, with 20% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were Illinois (20%) and New York (18%). The most frequent recipient cities were Berkley, CA (5 grants), Philadelphia, PA (3 grants), New York, NY (3 grants) and Chicago, IL (2 grants).
Does Innovations for Poverty Action a Nonprofit Corporation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 32 grants with a stated purpose on Innovations for Poverty Action a Nonprofit Corporation's 2024 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support.
Who are Innovations for Poverty Action a Nonprofit Corporation's largest grantees?
Innovations for Poverty Action a Nonprofit Corporation's largest 2024 grantees include Northwestern University ($368,006 across 2 grants), The Freedom Fund ($207,542) and Yale University ($174,485), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 41% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Innovations for Poverty Action a Nonprofit Corporation?
Innovations for Poverty Action a Nonprofit Corporation reported $33.4M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $52.8M.
What does Innovations for Poverty Action a Nonprofit Corporation fund?
IPA’s stated mission is to discover and promote effective solutions to global poverty. Its research funding supports rigorous research on topics of global policy interest. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Innovations for Poverty Action a Nonprofit Corporation?
Innovations for Poverty Action a Nonprofit Corporation has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check poverty-action.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Innovations for Poverty Action a Nonprofit Corporation's EIN?
Innovations for Poverty Action a Nonprofit Corporation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 06-1660068. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Here's the math on researching Innovations for Poverty Action a Nonprofit Corporation by hand.
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