Rethink Charity
Rethink Charity was a public charity based in Mineral, Virginia, formed in 2018. Its 2023 filing is marked as a final return, so the organization appears to have wound down or stopped grantmaking.
Rethink Charity at a glance
In short: Rethink Charity gave $1.1M across 11 grants in 2023 (avg $103K), mostly in California. 45% of 2023 grantees were new. Source: 2023 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2023)
- $1,136,502
- -41.0% vs 2022
- Grants made (2023)
- 11
- +37.5% vs 2022
- Average grant
- $103,318
- -57.1% vs 2022
- Median grant
- $28,564
- New grantees (estimate)
- 45% first-time grantees (5 of 11, 2023; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (83% of itemized 2023 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2023 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2023; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Rethink Charity
- Contact
Mailing address: 2379 Pendleton Road, Mineral, VA 23117
Phone: (424) 242-8810
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Rethink Charity funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2023
The largest 2023 recipient was Nonlinear Inc ($527K). Together the top 10 received $1.1M.
Grant Size Distribution
77 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 42 grants of 77 (55%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2023 grant dollars went to recipients in California (83%), North Carolina (12%), Massachusetts (3%), Connecticut (1%), and Colorado (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2023 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Rethink Charity open to new grantees?
45%
first-time grantees, 2023
In 2023, 5 of 11 grantees (45%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $75K; repeat grants $127K. How we count
Medians: $7K first-time, $37K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2023). 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 2023, annual grant giving ranged from $482K (2019) to $2.7M (2021). In 2023 it made 11 grants totaling $1.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Nonlinear Inc Irvine, CA | Ai Safety | $527,325 |
| Tsinghua Education Foundation Milpitas, CA | Education | $320,000 |
| Malaria Consortium US Raleigh, NC | Malaria Treatments | $138,794 |
| Centre for Effective Altruism US San Francisco, CA | Research Ways to Help the World | $45,555 |
| Securebio Inc Cambridge, MA | Research to Prevent Future Pandemics | $36,922 |
| Animal Charity Evaluators Walnut, CA | Animal Advocacy | $28,564 |
| Vida Plena East Hartford, CT | Mental Health | $11,027 |
| Rethink Priorities San Francisco, CA | General Giving | $8,285 |
| Animal Ethics Oakland, CA | Animal Ethics | $7,386 |
| Allfed Institutes Lafayette, CO | Food Assistance | $7,352 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | — | $43,350 | $1,271,153 | $1,136,502 | 11 |
| 2022 | $1,207,505 | $7,614,193 | $7,200,417 | $1,924,890 | 8 |
| 2021 | $1,112,987 | $5,137,197 | $5,195,050 | $2,729,185 | 28 |
| 2020 | $178,528 | $3,021,757 | $3,415,499 | $2,564,397 | 18 |
| 2019 | $562,010 | $1,396,437 | $976,126 | $481,927 | 12 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
Rethink Charity stated that its mission was to encourage effective altruism by creating initiatives that facilitate interpersonal engagement, expose the wider public to altruism projects, and energize people already involved.
Its 2023 grants included support for AI safety, education, malaria treatments, research on ways to help the world, pandemic prevention, animal advocacy and ethics, mental health, food assistance, and general giving. These purposes describe the listed grants, not necessarily the organization’s full range of activities.
Among the supported organizations, Tsinghua Education Foundation described its mission as fostering educational exchanges and collaboration involving Tsinghua University and institutions in the United States and other countries. SecureBio described its work as reducing catastrophic risks from novel biotechnologies through research on pandemic prevention, detection, and mitigation. Animal Ethics described its work as education and outreach about antispeciesism and the moral consideration of sentient beings, with a focus on animals living in the wild. Allfed described its mission as building resilience to global catastrophic food-system failure. Rethink Priorities described its mission as supporting organizations, researchers, and changemakers seeking significant charitable impact in the present and long-term future.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2023, Rethink Charity reported 11 grants totaling $1,136,502. Grant amounts ranged from $5,292 to $527,325, with a median of $28,564.
The largest listed grants were $527,325 to Nonlinear Inc. for AI safety, $320,000 to Tsinghua Education Foundation for education, and $138,794 to Malaria Consortium US for malaria treatments. Other listed grants included $45,555 to Centre for Effective Altruism US for research on ways to help the world, $36,922 to SecureBio Inc. for research to prevent future pandemics, and $28,564 to Animal Charity Evaluators for animal advocacy.
The filing says grantees must provide documentation to monitor grant use. This may include activity reports, financial reports, a signed attestation of funds received and compliance with grant terms, and other requested materials such as original invoices.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2023 filing listed Soon Khen Ow Yong as Executive Director and President, Baxter Bullock as Treasurer, and Edward Prokop as Secretary. It also listed Thomas Barnett, Kalista Barter, Ozzie Gooen, Alexander Gordon-Brown, and Travis Cooper as directors.
Rethink Charity is led by Soon Khen Ow Yong, Executive Director & President on every filing since 2022; none of the 8 officers listed in 2023 report compensation.
Officers on the 2023 filing
Soon Khen Ow Yong
Executive Director & President
On filings since 2022
20 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Thomas Barnett
Director
On filings since 2019
20 hrs/week
$62K (2019) → $0 (2023)
Alexander Gordon-Brown
Director
On filings since 2019
20 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kalista Barter
Director
On filings since 2019
20 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ozzie Gooen
Director
On filings since 2019
20 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Travis Cooper
Director
On filings since 2019
20 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Baxter Bullock
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2022
On filings since 2019
20 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Edward Prokop
Secretary
On filings since 2019
20 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (4)
- Former: Colm O Riain (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Jessica Marcus (2019–2021) — Treasurer
- Former: Peter Hurford (2019–2021) — President
- Former: Paul Robert Hughes (2020–2021) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2023. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2022 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2022 filing was $19K, to Thomas Barnett (Director).
Frequently asked questions about Rethink Charity
How much does Rethink Charity give each year?
Rethink Charity gave $1.1M across 11 grants in 2023, according to its 2023 IRS Form 990. In 2022 it gave $1.9M across 8 grants.
What is Rethink Charity's typical grant size?
Rethink Charity's median grant in 2023 was $28,564, and its average grant was $103,318, across 11 grants on its 2023 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Rethink Charity that year got $75K on average.
Where does Rethink Charity give grants?
Rethink Charity gives mostly in California: 83% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2023 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest state was North Carolina (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (3 grants).
Does Rethink Charity give general operating support?
Yes: 18% of Rethink Charity's 2023 grants with a stated purpose (2 of 11) were for general or operating support, per its 2023 IRS Form 990.
Who are Rethink Charity's largest grantees?
Rethink Charity's largest 2023 grantees include Nonlinear Inc ($527,325), Tsinghua Education Foundation ($320,000) and Malaria Consortium US ($138,794), according to its 2023 IRS Form 990. Together they received 87% of its itemized 2023 grant dollars.
What does Rethink Charity fund?
Rethink Charity stated that its mission was to encourage effective altruism by creating initiatives that facilitate interpersonal engagement, expose the wider public to altruism projects, and energize people already involved. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Rethink Charity?
Rethink Charity has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Rethink Charity's EIN?
Rethink Charity's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 82-5325150. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2023.
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
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS August 24, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 9, 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 14, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2023
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The filing figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0. About GrantGraph Open
Figures come from Rethink Charity'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.
Rethink Charity down — hundreds of funders to go?