Luminate Foundation Inc
Luminate Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Washington, DC. Luminate describes itself as a global foundation working to help ensure that everyone—especially underrepresented people—has the information, rights, and power to influence decisions affecting their lives. It supports work intended to enable participation in civic and political life, safe challenges to power, and access to accurate, trustworthy information.
Key facts about Luminate Foundation Inc
In short: Luminate Foundation Inc gave $22.5M across 91 grants in 2024 (avg $247K), top state District of Columbia. 26% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 82-3941326
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024
- Annual giving (2024)
- $22,499,637
- Grants made (2024)
- 91
- Average grant
- $247,249
- Median grant
- $200,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 26% first-time grantees (23 of 87, 2024)
- Total assets
- $11,032,337
- Primary geography
- District of Columbia (17% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to apply
- The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. Full details ↓
- Deadline
- Rolling
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). 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-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$11.0M
-66.2% YoY
Annual Giving
$22.5M
-21.1% YoY
Grant Count
91
-27.8% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$247K
+9.3% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Luminate Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $1.1M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is Luminate Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
26%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 23 of 87 grantees (26%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $300K; repeat grants $244K. How we count
Medians: $250K first-time, $200K repeat.
- 68% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving fell 42% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF 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
Luminate’s stated aim is for technology to serve people and their wellbeing. Its website describes work on sustainable technology; data dignity and privacy; a healthy public square; protections for people working across digital supply chains and platforms; and digital markets and economic power. Luminate says that by 2026 all its work will challenge the unchecked harms and outsized power of Big Tech, social platforms, and AI companies, especially where those harms disproportionately affect marginalised people.
In its 2024 filing, Luminate described direct charitable activity in Information Ecosystems—supporting investigative journalism, work against misinformation, freedom of expression, and accountability for digital media platforms—and Participation & Dissent, which includes increasing participation in civic and political life, removing systemic barriers, and supporting people who dissent.
Luminate supports organizations working through approaches including policy advocacy, strategic litigation, investigative journalism, storytelling, research, and field building. Examples of grantee missions, as described by the grantees themselves, include Access Now’s work to defend and extend the digital rights of people and communities at risk; the International Women’s Media Foundation’s work to advance women journalists and press freedom; and CalMatters’ journalism to inform Californians about the people and interests shaping issues affecting their lives.
Grantmaking
In 2024, Luminate reported **91 grants totaling $22,499,637**. Grant amounts ranged from **$5,500 to $1,000,000**, with a median of **$200,000**.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Luminate states that it has a regional focus in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Its Luminate Strategic Initiatives work is primarily focused on Europe, and its Global Programmes team seeks to drive transregional change and strengthen regional activity. In 2024, its grants included recipients in Washington, DC, New York, California, and North Carolina, as well as organizations whose locations were not specified in the grant listing.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 91 itemized grants.
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $22.5M (2024) to $49.1M (2020). In 2024 it made 91 grants totaling $22.5M.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was East West Management Institute ($1.2M across 3 grants). Together the top 10 received $6.8M.
Grant Size Distribution
749 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $100–250K range: 326 grants of 749 (44%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Amalgamated Charitable Foundation Washington, DC | To meaningfully resource black feminist movements globally. | $1,000,000 |
| East West Management Institute New York, NY | Support Freedom of Expression cluster, via core institutional, capacity building | $860,673 |
| Data and Society Research Institute New York, NY | Support social implications of data-centric technologies & automation. | $650,000 |
| Red en Defensa de los Derechos Digitales (R3D) | Protects digital rights and civic space against surveillance and AI. | $650,000 |
| Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) Washington, DC | Promoting racial action plans and protecting human rights in Americas. | $600,000 |
| Tifa Foundation | Protects digital rights and civic space against surveillance and AI. | $550,000 |
| CalMatters Sacramento, CA | Supports global AI reporting consortium, sharing expertise with newsrooms worldwide. | $500,000 |
| Inter-American Foundation Washington, DC | To strengthen the countrys civic space | $500,000 |
| Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) New York, NY | General Operating Grant. | $500,000 |
| International Women's Media Foundation Washington, DC | Supports safety of women and non-binary journalists, anti-online violence. | $480,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grant total | Grant count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $11,032,337 | $874,305 | $16,041,732 | $22,499,637 | 91 |
| 2023 | $32,670,058 | $2,044,374 | $19,662,309 | $28,511,511 | 126 |
| 2022 | $59,650,635 | $34,892,954 | $35,491,193 | $34,322,931 | 153 |
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $11,032,337 | $32,670,058 | $59,650,635 |
| Revenue | $874,305 | $2,044,374 | $34,892,954 |
| Expenses | $16,041,732 | $19,662,309 | $35,491,193 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $22,499,637 | $28,511,511 | $34,322,931 |
| Net Investment Income | $874,305 | $2,044,374 | $34,892,942 |
| Distributable Amount | $1,123,903 | $2,152,319 | $1,607,041 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Stephen King as CEO and Director; Jeffrey R. Alvord as Director and Vice Chair; Hoodo Mohamed as Secretary; Shaila Gupta as Treasurer; Patricia Christen as Chair; and Tabitha Goldstaub, Latanya Mapp Frett, Alessandra Orofino Poubel, and Theodosia Sowa as Directors.
Luminate Foundation Inc is led by Stephen King, CEO & Director since 2022 (on filings since 2020); none of the 9 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Stephen King
CEO & Director
CEO → CEO & Director, 2022
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Patricia Christen
Chair
Vice Chair → Vice Chair & Chair, 2021
Vice Chair & Chair → Chair, 2022
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jeffrey R Alvord
Director & Vice Chair
Director → Director & Vice Chair, 2022
On filings since 2020
2.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Alessandra Orofino Poubel
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Latanya Mapp Frett
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tabitha Goldstaub
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Theodosia Sowa
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Hoodo Mohamed
Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Shaila Gupta
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Pierre Omidyar (2020–2021) — Chairman
- Former: Jeffrey Hom (2020) — Secretary
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.
Contact
Mailing address: 1200 17Th Street Nw 501, Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 630-9991
Website: https://luminategroup.com/
Frequently asked questions about Luminate Foundation Inc
How much does Luminate Foundation Inc give each year?
Luminate Foundation Inc gave $22.5M across 91 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $28.5M across 126 grants.
What is Luminate Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Luminate Foundation Inc's median grant in 2024 was $200,000, and its average grant was $247,249, across 91 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Luminate Foundation Inc that year got $300K on average.
Where does Luminate Foundation Inc give grants?
Luminate Foundation Inc's top state is District of Columbia, with 17% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (16%) and California (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (9 grants), New York, NY (9 grants), San Francisco, CA (4 grants) and Los Angeles, CA (2 grants).
Does Luminate Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Occasionally: 4% of Luminate Foundation Inc's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (4 of 91) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Luminate Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Luminate Foundation Inc's largest 2024 grantees include East West Management Institute ($1,213,173 across 3 grants), Amalgamated Charitable Foundation ($1,000,000) and Association for Progressive Communications (APC) ($675,020 across 3 grants), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 13% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Luminate Foundation Inc?
Luminate Foundation Inc reported $11.0M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $22.5M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.1M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Luminate Foundation Inc fund?
Luminate’s stated aim is for technology to serve people and their wellbeing. Its website describes work on sustainable technology; data dignity and privacy; a healthy public square; protections for people working across digital supply chains and platforms; and digital markets and economic power. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Luminate Foundation Inc?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Luminate Foundation Inc's EIN?
Luminate Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 82-3941326. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Luminate Foundation Inc 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-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
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