Project Liberty Institute
To create a new civic architecture for the digital world that returns the ownership and control of personal data to individuals, embeds ethical values into technology, and expands economic opportunities for web users and developers alike.
Project Liberty Institute at a glance
In short: Project Liberty Institute gave $1.9M across 12 grants in 2025 (avg $159K), mostly in District of Columbia. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,905,000
- +786.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 12
- +300.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $158,750
- +121.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $62,500
- Total assets
- $4,869,327
- -34.9% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- District of Columbia (62% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated November 2026.
How to apply to Project Liberty Institute
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from Project Liberty Institute
Who Project Liberty Institute funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Global Impact ($1.0M). Together the top 10 received $1.8M.
Grant Size Distribution
24 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $50–100K range: 6 grants of 24 (25%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
Cities
How Project Liberty Institute 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 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $215K (2024) to $15.3M (2022). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $1.9M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Global Impact Washington, DC | Supports the robust open online safety tools trust and safety hub initiative. | $1,000,000 |
| ETH Zurich Foundation (USA) Inc New York, NY | Supports research on evaluating the ethical development, design and deployment of ai, with particular emphasis on assessing the potential for ai governance tools to enhance human rights and individual agency. | $200,000 |
| Berkeley Existential Risk Initiative Covina, CA | Supports the greenearth research project to evaluate the appeal and economic viability of an ai-driven, prosocial recommender by building the required infrastructure and testing its application among active users and communities on an open social media platform. | $150,000 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA | Supports advanced network architecture group's research to develop a better understanding of how internet applications with a structure based on decentralized control can be viable in a market place dominated by large actors that hold centralized control over their system. | $120,000 |
| The German Marshall Fund of the United States Washington, DC | Supports a transatlantic tech exchange which analyzes the specific drivers of democratic values and competitiveness in ai and data, including infrastructure, investment, policy frameworks, and innovation ecosystems. | $100,000 |
| Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Inc New York, NY | Supports the initiative for digital public interests project liberty institute global fellows program to strengthen digital public infrastructure. | $75,000 |
| Consumer Reports Inc Yonkers, NY | Supports the mapping, creation and adoption of standards and protocols necessary to foster agentic ai systems that are beneficial and loyal to consumers by design. | $50,000 |
| IDI Las Vegas, NV | Supports the development of a user-friendly, open-source data integrity & governance toolkit. | $50,000 |
| Techfreedom Washington, DC | Supports the exploration of legal and policy frameworks for user data control and decentralized agentic ai as fundamental free expression infrastructure. | $50,000 |
| University of Colorado Foundation Denver, CO | Supports the advancement of dispute protocols to enable critical conversations and innovative practices in online communities. | $50,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $4,869,327 | $11,425,472 | $4,886,388 | $1,905,000 | 12 | — |
| 2024 | $7,474,351 | $26,552,436 | $6,068,091 | $215,000 | 3 | $-196 |
| 2023 | $6,240,925 | $15,048,195 | $9,401,973 | $770,000 | 3 | $-6,722 |
| 2022 | $1,261,127 | $13,800,000 | $39,098,768 | $15,326,162 | 4 | — |
| 2021 | $300,000 | $5,000,000 | $4,700,000 | $4,700,000 | 2 | — |
About Project Liberty Institute
Based on IRS filings
Project Liberty Institute is a public charity focused on Science & Technology, based in New York, NY. IRS filing data is available from 2021 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $4.9M in total assets. In 2025, it awarded 12 grants totaling $1.9M.
Focus Areas
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Project Liberty Institute is led by Sheila Warren, President & CEO on the 2025 filing; 3 of 10 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Sheila Warren
President & CEO
New on the 2025 filing
20 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Frank McCourt
Chair
President → President & Board Member, 2022
President & Board Member → Chair, 2023
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Alberto Beeck
Director
On filings since 2023
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tomicah Tillemann
Director
President & CEO → Director, 2025
On filings since 2024
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
James Bell
Head of Strategic Insights
Head of Strat. Insights → Head of Strategic Insights, 2024
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$259K (2023) → $361K (2025)
Kila Englebrook
Officer
Head of Operations → Officer, 2025
On filings since 2023
10 hrs/week
$257K (2023) → $0 (2025)
Jessica Theodule
Research Mngr of Strategic Insights
Research Manager of Strat. Insights → Research Mngr of Strategic Insights, 2025
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$137K (2024) → $135K (2025)
Sara Wekselblatt
Finance & Hr Senior Manager
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$135K (2024) → $126K (2025)
Joseph Riley
Treasurer
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Maria Cancian
Secretary
On filings since 2023
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (8)
- Former: Erik Suhonen - Head (2024) — Of Ecosystem Growth
- Former: Kila Englebrook - Head Of (2024) — Ops & Officer
- Former: Joseph White (2021–2023) — Secretary
- Former: Elizabeth Caputo (2023) — Head of Strat. Initiat.
- Former: Erik Suhonen (2023) — Head of Ecosystem Growth
- Former: Lara Galinsky (2023) — Head of Partnerships
- Former: Martina Larkin (2023) — CEO
- Former: Sheherazade Semsar-De Boisseson (2021) — Executive Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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 $361K, to James Bell (Head of Strategic Insights). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Project Liberty Institute
How much does Project Liberty Institute give each year?
Project Liberty Institute gave $1.9M across 12 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $215K across 3 grants.
What is Project Liberty Institute's typical grant size?
Project Liberty Institute's median grant in 2025 was $62,500, and its average grant was $158,750, across 12 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does Project Liberty Institute give grants?
Project Liberty Institute gives mostly in District of Columbia: 62% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (17%) and California (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (4 grants) and New York, NY (2 grants).
Does Project Liberty Institute give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 12 grants with a stated purpose on Project Liberty Institute's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support.
Who are Project Liberty Institute's largest grantees?
Project Liberty Institute's largest 2025 grantees include Global Impact ($1,000,000), ETH Zurich Foundation (USA) Inc ($200,000) and Berkeley Existential Risk Initiative ($150,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 71% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Project Liberty Institute?
Project Liberty Institute reported $4.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $11.4M.
What is Project Liberty Institute?
Project Liberty Institute is a public charity focused on Science & Technology, based in New York, NY. It holds $4.9M in total assets as of 2025.
What is Project Liberty Institute's EIN?
Project Liberty Institute's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 87-3213298. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Data last updated November 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS September 4, 2026)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS October 3, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 10, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 12, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2024
Live grants for the work Project Liberty Institute funds
Science & Technology Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Project Liberty Institute's focus areas in our free grants database
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