Institute for Humane Studies
The Institute for Humane Studies (IHS) is a public charity based in Arlington, Virginia. Founded in 1961, it supports students, scholars, and intellectuals working on ideas related to the classical liberal tradition and a free and open society.
Institute for Humane Studies at a glance
In short: Institute for Humane Studies gave $1.8M across 71 grants in 2025 (avg $25K), top state Virginia. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,758,569
- +50.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 71
- +69.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $24,769
- -11.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $19,975
- Total assets
- $33,037,779
- -6.8% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Virginia (10% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Institute for Humane Studies
- How to Apply
-
Apply through the relevant IHS funding opportunity or RFP. Applicants should write for an interdisciplinary audience while including context that helps specialists assess the project.
- Review Cycle
- The Agentic AI and the Future of News and Information and Nature of Liberal Civic Virtue RFPs are listed as closed. The AI and the Workforce RFP has a December 15, 2026 deadline.
- Deadline
- The Agentic AI and the Future of News and Information and Nature of Liberal Civic Virtue RFPs are listed as closed.
- Contact
Mailing address: 3434 Washington Blvd Ms 1C5, Arlington, VA 22201-4508
Phone: (703) 993-4880
Website: https://theihs.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
7 open opportunities from Institute for Humane Studies
Academic Mentorship Grant
Institute for Humane Studies
Amount
Up to US $8,000
Deadline
Deadline not published
Flexible Research Grants for Scholars: Educational Entrepreneurship Grants
Institute for Humane Studies
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Flexible Research Grants for Scholars: Event Support
Institute for Humane Studies
Amount
US $500 - US $5,000
Deadline
Deadline not published
Who Institute for Humane Studies funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was University of Rochester ($93K). Together the top 10 received $553K.
Organizations only. It also paid 5 grants to individuals ($106,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
181 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 167 grants of 181 (92%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
IHS welcomes eligible applicants from outside the United States. In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars by recipient state went to Virginia and New York, at 10% each, followed by California and Pennsylvania at 8% each and Michigan at 6%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 71 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Institute for Humane Studies gives
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $234K (2021) to $1.8M (2025). In 2025 it made 71 grants totaling $1.8M.
Hatched bars: grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| University of Rochester Rochester, NY | Student development & education/research grants | $93,000 |
| George Mason University Fairfax, VA | Student development & education/research grants | $61,500 |
| Cairn University-Langhorne Langhorne, PA | Student development & education/research grants | $60,000 |
| Hillsdale College Hillsdale, MI | Student development & education/research grants | $55,000 |
| Florida State University Tallahassee, FL | Student development & education/research grants | $50,000 |
| Grove City College Grove City, PA | Student development & education/research grants | $49,500 |
| Hampden-Sydney College HampdenSydney, VA | Student development & education/research grants | $48,500 |
| Washington College Chestertown, MD | Student development & education/research grants | $45,550 |
| Christopher Newport University Newport News, VA | Student development & education/research grants | $45,000 |
| The Regents of the University of California - Berkley Berkeley, CA | Student development & education/research grants | $44,655 |
Ready to take the next step with Institute for Humane Studies?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $33,037,779 | $21,127,707 | $20,443,149 | $1,758,569 | 71 | $939,413 |
| 2024 | $35,458,810 | $31,057,023 | $18,205,179 | $1,170,788 | 42 | $1,019,525 |
| 2023 | $25,514,779 | $17,158,040 | $18,258,109 | $643,408 | 31 | $360,942 |
| 2022 | $19,221,469 | $20,882,389 | $17,067,802 | $422,200 | 23 | $63,392 |
| 2021 | $15,952,921 | $17,706,428 | $16,509,635 | $234,258 | 14 | $96,886 |
| 2020 | $15,087,210 | $21,122,878 | $17,003,146 | $371,669 | Total only | $67,256 |
| 2019 | $10,576,746 | $19,122,769 | $18,124,605 | $304,107 | 22 | $147,119 |
"Total only": grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
IHS’s stated mission is to discover, develop, and support students, scholars, and other intellectuals who pursue academic excellence and share an interest in the principles of the classical liberal tradition. Its programs include developing intellectual talent, strengthening foundational and applied research, and connecting scholars with opportunities beyond academia.
IHS funding supports research, academic development, teaching, and events. Its 2025 grant purposes included student development and education or research grants. Among the grantees, the University of Rochester describes its mission as providing higher education and conducting research; Cairn University describes its mission as educating students for service in the church, society, and the world; and Washington College describes its mission as challenging and inspiring emerging citizen leaders. These are the grantees’ own descriptions.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, IHS reported 71 grants totaling $1,758,569. Grants ranged from $5,430 to $93,000, with a median of $19,975. The largest listed awards included $93,000 to the University of Rochester, $61,500 to George Mason University, $60,000 to Cairn University-Langhorne, $55,000 to Hillsdale College, and $50,000 to Florida State University. These awards were reported for student development and education or research grants.
Current opportunities described by IHS include Residency Funding, Humane Studies Fellowships, and Expense Support. Residency Funding offers up to $10,000 for eligible full-time PhD students who have advanced to candidacy or postdoctoral fellows conducting research at an external institution. The fellowship offers up to $10,000 for PhD students and postdoctoral fellows. Expense Support offers $500–$5,000 for eligible faculty research expenses. IHS also issues topic-specific requests for proposals, with awards generally up to $20,000 and larger awards possible for exceptional projects.
IHS states that applications are open to eligible scholars at accredited colleges or universities, including applicants outside the United States; prior IHS support is not required. Master’s students are not eligible for the funding described in its FAQ. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis for some programs, with decisions generally within six to eight weeks, depending on the program. RFP applications are considered separately for each proposal. Eligible RFP costs can include research travel, research assistance, datasets, and publishing expenses; ineligible costs include living expenses, hardware, retroactive expenses, conference travel without a scheduled presentation, and institutional overhead. Grant recipients must complete grant paperwork before funds are distributed, acknowledge IHS support in published work, and complete a follow-up survey.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Emily Chamlee-Wright as President and Chief Executive Officer and Gary Leff as Chief Financial Officer. Listed directors and officers also include Chairman Ryan Stowers, Vice Chairman Tyler Cowen, and directors Brian Hooks, Chris Rufer, Christopher Coyne, James Arthur Pope, Todd Zywicki, and Virgil Storr.
Institute for Humane Studies is led by Emily Chamlee-Wright, President & Chief Executive Officer since 2025 (on filings since 2019); 9 of 17 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Emily Chamlee-Wright
President & Chief Executive Officer
President & CEO → President & Chief Executive Officer, 2025
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$456K (2019) → $537K (2025)
Courtney Derr
Executive Director
Managing Director of Programs → Chief Operating Officer, 2022
Chief Operating Officer → Executive Director, 2025
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$161K (2019) → $344K (2025)
Ryan Stowers
Chairman
Director → Chairman, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Caroline Phelps
Managing Director of Programs & Partnerships
Managing Director of Programs → Managing Director of Programs & Partnerships, 2025
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$143K (2024) → $175K (2025)
Michael Tolhurst
Managing Director of Bus Intelligence & Academic Relati
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$153K (2025)
Christopher Coyne
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$10K (2021) → $0 (2025)
Virgil Storr
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
$10K (2021) → $0 (2025)
Lindsey Jennings
Director of Development
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$135K (2025)
Sharifa Ahmed
Director of Human Resources
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$139K (2025)
Brian Hooks
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Chris Rufer
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James Arthur Pope
Director
Director → Chairman, 2020
Chairman → Director, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Todd Zywicki
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gary Leff
Chief Financial Officer
Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer → Secretary & Treasurer, 2024
Secretary & Treasurer → Chief Financial Officer, 2025
On filings since 2019
10 hrs/week
$82K (2019) → $100K (2025)
Sarah Straw
Chief of Staff
Chief of Programs & Operations → Chief of Staff, 2025
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$167K (2023) → $202K (2025)
Adam Wolter
Senior Application Development Engineer
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$141K (2024) → $146K (2025)
Tyler Cowen
Vice Chairman
Vice Chair → Vice Chairman, 2020
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (18)
- Former: David Humphreys (2019–2024) — Chairman
- Former: Shane Courtland (2022–2024) — Managing Director Academic Relations
- Former: Matthew Needham (2024) — Director of Crm Architecture
- Former: Mike Hopper (2024) — Senior Director of Marketing
- Former: Kyle Hartz (2019–2023) — Managing Director of Info & Community St
- Former: Scott Beaulier (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Amanda Brand (2022–2023) — Managing Director Human Resources
- Former: Christopher Grozev (2022–2023) — Director of Major & Planned Giving
- Former: Ronald Chad Thevenot (2019–2022) — Former Executive Director
- Former: Todd Hathaway (2019–2022) — Chief Operating Officer
- Former: Kurt Kehl (2020–2022) — Managing Director Committee & Marketing
- Former: Leigh McAfee (2020–2021) — Senior Director of Development
- Former: Daniel Butler (2021) — Senior Director of Development
- Former: Grace Terzian (2019–2020) — Director of Marketing & Development
- Former: Charles G Koch (2019) — Chair
- Former: Dan Butler (2019) — Senior Director & Development
- Former: Kristina Kendall (2019) — Director
- Former: Marty Zupan (2019) — President Emiratus
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 $537K, to Emily Chamlee-Wright (President & Chief Executive Officer). 9 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Institute for Humane Studies
How much does Institute for Humane Studies give each year?
Institute for Humane Studies gave $1.8M across 71 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $1.2M across 42 grants.
What is Institute for Humane Studies's typical grant size?
Institute for Humane Studies's median grant in 2025 was $19,975, and its average grant was $24,769, across 71 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does Institute for Humane Studies give grants?
Institute for Humane Studies's top state is Virginia, with 10% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were New York (10%) and California (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (2 grants), New York, NY (2 grants) and New Orleans, LA (2 grants).
Does Institute for Humane Studies give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 71 grants with a stated purpose on Institute for Humane Studies's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Student development & education/research grants" (70 grants).
Who are Institute for Humane Studies's largest grantees?
Institute for Humane Studies's largest 2025 grantees include University of Rochester ($93,000), George Mason University ($61,500) and Cairn University-Langhorne ($60,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. It also paid 5 grants to individuals ($106,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 12% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Institute for Humane Studies?
Institute for Humane Studies reported $33.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $21.1M.
What does Institute for Humane Studies fund?
IHS’s stated mission is to discover, develop, and support students, scholars, and other intellectuals who pursue academic excellence and share an interest in the principles of the classical liberal tradition. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Institute for Humane Studies?
Apply through the relevant IHS funding opportunity or RFP. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Institute for Humane Studies's EIN?
Institute for Humane Studies's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-1623852. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 11, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 8, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 9, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 27, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 26, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 17, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 11, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Institute for Humane Studies funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/institute-for-humane-studies-morg_f3bd94cd58174a038154ee9fa8d803ea
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_941623852_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Institute for Humane Studies funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/institute-for-humane-studies-morg_f3bd94cd58174a038154ee9fa8d803ea},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Institute for Humane Studies'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.
Institute for Humane Studies down — hundreds of funders to go?