OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc
OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc is a public charity based in San Francisco, California. It supports charitable initiatives related to artificial intelligence, including AI alignment and safety research, economic empowerment, and programs intended to extend AI’s benefits to people and communities.
OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc at a glance
In short: OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc gave $7.6M across 22 grants in 2024 (avg $346K), top state California. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $7,610,333
- +244.4% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 22
- +69.2% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $345,924
- +103.5% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $215,000
- Total assets
- $14,665,036
- -35.3% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- California (34% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated October 2026.
How to apply to OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc
- Contact
Mailing address: 1455 3Rd St, San Francisco, CA 94158
Phone: (415) 879-9686
Website: https://openai.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
3 open opportunities from OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc
OpenAI A People-First AI Fund Grant
OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
OpenAI Cybersecurity Grant Program
OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc
Amount
US $10,000 - US $1,000,000
Deadline
Deadline not published
Superalignment Fast Grants
OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Who OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Meridian Prime Inc ($1.0M). Together the top 10 received $6.0M.
Grant Size Distribution
48 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $100–250K range: 19 grants of 48 (40%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2024 grants went to recipients in multiple states. By grant dollars, California received 34%, Pennsylvania 16%, New York 15%, Massachusetts 7%, and Colorado 7%. These figures describe the location of 2024 grant recipients.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 22 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc 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.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $75K (2021) to $10.2M (2020). In 2024 it made 22 grants totaling $7.6M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Meridian Prime Inc Brooklyn, NY | AI Safety Fund | $1,000,000 |
| Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA | Superalignment Research Grant | $950,000 |
| UC Berkeley Berkeley, CA | Superalignment Research Grant | $950,000 |
| Stanford University Redwood City, CA | Superalignment Research Grant | $524,000 |
| Harvard University Cambridge, MA | Superalignment Research Grant | $518,000 |
| Operation Hope Inc Los Angeles, CA | Research AI Economic Opportunity | $500,000 |
| Turnio PBC Denver, CO | LLMs for Education/Health/Economics | $500,000 |
| Princeton University Princeton, NJ | Superalignment Research Grant | $420,000 |
| Center for AI Safety Inc San Francisco, CA | Research to ensure AI Safety | $333,333 |
| EleutherAI Washington, DC | Superalignment Research Grant | $250,000 |
Ready to take the next step with OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The filing type is Form 990 (a public charity).
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $14,665,036 | $691,271 | $7,775,308 | $7,610,333 | 22 | $686,838 |
| 2023 | $22,678,253 | $5,363,248 | $2,866,846 | $2,209,666 | 13 | $340,089 |
| 2022 | $18,795,584 | $44,485 | $1,294,149 | $363,333 | 2 | $42,874 |
| 2021 | $19,976,363 | $11,728 | $1,389,564 | $75,000 | 1 | $8,662 |
| 2020 | $21,376,567 | $3,481,784 | $12,990,543 | $10,248,876 | 10 | $305,323 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The organization’s stated mission is to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity. Its 2024 filing describes support for AI alignment research, AI safety research, and economic empowerment initiatives, as well as earlier initiatives including economic impact research and education-centered programs.
The Foundation’s October 2025 announcement described an initial $25 billion commitment across health and curing diseases and technical solutions for AI resilience. Its March 2026 update also identified jobs and economic impact and community programs among the areas for investment. The Foundation’s grant programs include Superalignment Fast Grants and the People-First AI Fund. The latter supports U.S.-based nonprofits working on AI literacy and public understanding, community innovation, and economic opportunity.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the organization made 22 grants totaling $7,610,333. Grants ranged from $50,000 to $1,000,000, with a median of $215,000. Notable awards included $1,000,000 to Meridian Prime Inc for the AI Safety Fund; $950,000 each to Carnegie Mellon University and UC Berkeley for Superalignment Research Grants; and $524,000 to Stanford University and $518,000 to Harvard University for Superalignment Research Grants. Other awards included $500,000 to Operation Hope Inc for research on AI economic opportunity and $500,000 to Turnio PBC for LLMs for education, health, and economics.
The grantees include universities and organizations working on AI safety, research, and community or economic initiatives. For example, the Center for AI Safety describes its mission as reducing societal-scale AI risks through safety research, building the field of AI safety researchers, and promoting safety standards. Digital Green Foundation describes its mission as helping farmers use technology and data to build prosperous communities.
The People-First AI Fund’s first application window closed on October 8, 2025, and grants were to be distributed by year’s end. The funder’s program listing identifies Superalignment Fast Grants as currently open, but the available program information does not provide application instructions.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing listed Sam Altman as director, president, and CEO; Chris Clark as treasurer and secretary; and Gregory Brockman as a former director and president. It also listed Lawrence Summers, Adam D’Angelo, Susan Desmond-Hellmann, Bret Taylor, Nicole Seligman, Fidji Simo, and Ilya Sutskever as directors, with Sutskever identified as former.
OpenAI’s description of the Foundation’s board lists Bret Taylor as chair, along with Adam D’Angelo, Sue Desmond-Hellmann, Zico Kolter, Paul M. Nakasone, Adebayo Ogunlesi, Nicole Seligman, and CEO Sam Altman.
OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc is led by Sam Altman, Director, President & CEO since 2021 (on filings since 2020); 1 of 12 officers listed in 2024 is compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Sam Altman
Director, President & CEO
Director & President → Director, President & CEO, 2021
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Gregory Brockman
Director & President
Director & CTO → Director, 2022
Director → Director & President, 2024
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Adam D'Angelo
Director
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ilya Sutskever
Director
Research Director → Director, 2022
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Bret Taylor
Director
New on the 2024 filing
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Fidji Simo
Director
New on the 2024 filing
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lawrence Summers
Director
New on the 2024 filing
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nicole Seligman
Director
New on the 2024 filing
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Paul Nakasone
Director
New on the 2024 filing
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Susan Desmond-Hellmann
Director
New on the 2024 filing
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Zico Kolter
Director
New on the 2024 filing
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Chris Clark
Treasurer & Secretary
COO, Secretary & Treasurer → Secretary & Treasurer, 2021
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
$50K (2020) → $13K (2024)
Former officers (25)
- Former: Bret Taylor See Schedule O (2023) — Director & Chair
- Former: Emmett Shear See Schedule O (2023) — CEO
- Former: Greg Brockman See Schedule O (2023) — Director
- Former: Helen Toner See Schedule O (2023) — Director
- Former: Ilya Sutskever See Sched O (2023) — Director
- Former: Lawrence Summers See Sched O (2023) — Director
- Former: Reid Hoffman See Schedule O (2023) — Director
- Former: Sam Altman See Schedule O (2023) — Director, President & CEO
- Former: Shivon Zilis See Schedule O (2023) — Director
- Former: Tasha McCauley See Sched O (2023) — Director
- Former: Will Hurd See Schedule O (2023) — Director
- Former: Reid Hoffman (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Shivon Zilis (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Tasha McCauley (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Helen Toner (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Will Hurd (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Rosemary Campbell (2022) — Technical Staff
- Former: David Lansky (2020–2021) — General Counsel
- Former: Holden Karnofsky (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Reiichiro Nakano (2020–2021) — Technical Staff
- Former: Elena Chatziathanasiadou (2021) — Technical Staff
- Former: Amanda MacAskill (2020) — Policy Staff
- Former: Jacob Hilton (2020) — Technical Staff
- Former: Jerry Tworek (2020) — Technical Staff
- Former: Przemyslaw J Debiak (2020) — Technical Staff
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 $13K, to Chris Clark (Treas/Sec).
Frequently asked questions about OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc
How much does OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc give each year?
OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc gave $7.6M across 22 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $2.2M across 13 grants.
What is OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc's typical grant size?
OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc's median grant in 2024 was $215,000, and its average grant was $345,924, across 22 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990.
Where does OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc give grants?
OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc's top state is California, with 34% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were Pennsylvania (16%) and New York (15%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (2 grants), Ann Arbor, MI (2 grants) and Philadelphia, PA (2 grants).
Does OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 22 grants with a stated purpose on OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc's 2024 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Superalignment Research Grant" (14 grants).
Who are OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc's largest grantees?
OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc's largest 2024 grantees include Meridian Prime Inc ($1,000,000), Carnegie Mellon University ($950,000) and UC Berkeley ($950,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 38% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc?
OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc reported $14.7M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $691K.
What does OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc fund?
The organization’s stated mission is to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc?
OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check openai.com for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc's EIN?
OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-0861541. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- 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 November 15, 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 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 17, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc funds
Science & Technology Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
Similar Funders
Funders that support many of the same organizations
The Rockefeller Foundation
New York, NY
The Rockefeller Foundation funds initiatives in energy access, sustainable food systems, health, climate, economic opportunity, and finance in the United States and around the world. In 2024, it made 381 grants, with a median grant of about $171,000, though awards ranged widely; it does not accept unsolicited requests and funds preselected organizations only.
Assets
$6.4B
Grants
381
Total Given
$233.2M
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Mountain View, CA
Silicon Valley Community Foundation funds work in areas such as housing, economic security, education, health, the environment, arts and culture, and civic engagement, with Community Action Grants supporting local, community-led organizations in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. Its 2024 grants had a median of $51,716, though amounts varied widely; applications depend on the program, and SVCF states that it does not accept unsolicited proposals for advised funds.
Assets
$12.3B
Grants
3,576
Total Given
$3.2B
Gates Foundation
Seattle, WA
The Gates Foundation funds work to reduce disease and poverty, improve health and gender equality in lower-income countries, and support education and economic mobility in the United States, especially Washington State; it works in more than 140 countries. Its 2024 grants had a median of $500,000, with awards ranging from $1 to $350.5 million. It generally does not accept unsolicited proposals, but periodically offers opportunities through published requests for proposals.
Assets
$78.7B
Grants
4,974
Total Given
$6.3B
Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation Inc
Princeton, NJ
The Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation supports health access and stronger health systems, with a focus on adult and pediatric cancers, blood disorders, brain health, and clinical-trial participation in the United States, Brazil, India, and ten Sub-Saharan African countries. In 2024, its median grant was about $134,000, though awards varied widely; it does not state whether it accepts unsolicited requests, and advises prospective applicants to contact the Foundation about its process.
Assets
$83.3M
Grants
144
Total Given
$67.7M
The Ford Foundation
New York, NY
The Ford Foundation funds organizations and initiatives working to reduce inequality and advance social justice, including work on civic engagement, civil rights, climate justice, disability rights, and technology and society. In 2024, its grants ranged from $45 to $15 million, with a median of $100,000, supporting work in the U.S. and internationally. It says most grants are identified by the foundation and it does not accept unsolicited proposals by mail, email, or phone; limited opportunities may be offered separately.
Assets
$17.5B
Grants
4,007
Total Given
$844.7M
The Patrick J McGovern Foundation Inc
Boston, MA
The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation funds social-impact work using AI and data science, including digital health, climate, digital access, and nonprofit technology. Its 2024 grants ranged from $150 to $1.5 million, with a median of $395,000; recipients were located across the U.S. and internationally, with no stated geographic restriction. It does not accept unsolicited funding requests and supports preselected organizations through an invitation-only process.
Assets
$1.5B
Grants
165
Total Given
$66.2M
More similar funders
More Funders in California
Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/openai-foundation-fka-openai-inc-morg_bb56f78cf2ab47d9b7f34c761eaf120b
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_810861541_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/openai-foundation-fka-openai-inc-morg_bb56f78cf2ab47d9b7f34c761eaf120b},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc'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.
OpenAI Foundation fka OpenAI Inc down — hundreds of funders to go?