Soros Economic Development Fund
The Soros Economic Development Fund (SEDF) is the impact investment arm of the Open Society Foundations, based in New York, NY. Founded in 1997, it supports the Foundations’ work globally through investments and, sometimes, grant support. SEDF is classified as a private foundation and says it deploys patient, risk-tolerant, catalytic capital to advance democracy, justice, and human rights.
Soros Economic Development Fund at a glance
In short: Soros Economic Development Fund gave $6.5M across 16 grants in 2024 (avg $406K), mostly in New York. 81% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $6,490,000
- +239.5% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 16
- +100.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $405,625
- +69.7% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $197,500
- Total assets
- $174,941,278
- -16.6% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 81% first-time grantees (13 of 16, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (72% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Soros Economic Development Fund
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
SEDF makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 224 West 57Th St 9Th Floor, New York, NY 10019
Phone: (212) 548-0600
Website: https://soroseconomicdevelopmentfund.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Soros Economic Development Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Acumen Fund ($3.0M). Together the top 10 received $5.8M.
Grant Size Distribution
41 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $100–250K range: 16 grants of 41 (39%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
SEDF works globally and reports investments in more than 60 countries, with 92% invested in fragile, frontier, and emerging market countries. These figures are stated as of January 2024. Its 2024 grants included recipients in New York, Washington, DC, Massachusetts, California, and other locations.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Soros Economic Development Fund open to new grantees?
81%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 13 of 16 grantees (81%) were first-time recipients. With only 16 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $465K; repeat grants $148K. How we count
Medians: $250K first-time, $150K repeat.
- 6% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 518% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 963% of 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.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $1.0M (2020) to $6.5M (2024). In 2024 it made 16 grants totaling $6.5M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Acumen Fund New York, NY | To support clean, renewable energy access to communities in 16 least developed african countries. | $3,000,000 |
| Abortion Coalition of Telemedicine New York, NY | To provide malpractice insurance for shield providers enabling telehealth abortion access. | $1,000,000 |
| Scroll Media Inc Action, MA | The primary goals are to diversify and deepen three existing revenue streams: membership; ground events and advertising. | $270,000 |
| Indiegraf Media Inc | To support an innovative saas platform that supports independent media outlets in North America. | $250,000 |
| Free Democracy Foundation Washington, DC | Project support to help lay the groundwork for commercial actors to scale the mobile voting and broader voter access landscape, leveraging technology to enhance civic engagement and participation. | $250,000 |
| Reproductive Health Investors Alliance Inc San Francisco, CA | General support for rhia ventures and targeted support for rhia's corporate engagement strategy. | $250,000 |
| The Reimagination Lab Brooklyn, NY | General support (2024-26) for the reimagination lab to develop consumer-facing digital products to expand access to reproductive healthcare. | $250,000 |
| The Global Steering Group for Impact Investment | To Provide General Support | $200,000 |
| National Women's Health Network Washington, DC | To examine the feasibility of creating a new kind of medical malpractice insurance product/pool/company modeled on planned parenthoods own insurance company, to cover the independent providers of telehealth-related abortion services to those in states where abortion is not legal | $195,000 |
| The International Center for Tropical Agriculture | To supplement the amazon biodiversity funds (ABF) impact data. | $150,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $174,941,278 | $-17,780,034 | $17,152,427 | $6,490,000 | 16 | $30,209,706 | $339,975 | $3,137,427 |
| 2023 | $209,698,195 | $46,856,690 | $8,470,220 | $1,911,895 | 8 | $21,904,067 | — | $2,989,918 |
| 2022 | $171,335,557 | $-4,614,191 | $15,187,204 | $1,625,000 | 5 | $25,703,909 | $2,278,455 | $8,012,036 |
| 2021 | $190,503,205 | $61,273,314 | $5,677,211 | $1,050,950 | 7 | $44,818,023 | $1,154,080 | $215,237 |
| 2020 | $134,958,782 | $50,083,902 | $2,094,744 | $1,032,554 | 5 | — | — | $453,453 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Soros Economic Development Fund reported a distributable amount of $3.1M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
SEDF works globally to support the programmatic strategies of the Open Society Foundations. Its investment approach aims to support measurable impact and longer-term systemic change, including influencing public- and private-sector practices, shaping policy, and strengthening local market infrastructure. The fund also identifies climate and inclusive development, economic and financial inclusion, gender equity, and health equity among its areas of work.
The 2024 grants illustrate support for organizations working in areas including renewable energy, reproductive health, independent media, civic engagement, impact investing, and biodiversity. For example, the Reproductive Health Investors Alliance describes its mission as working at the intersection of racial equity, women’s health, and capital; the National Women’s Health Network says it focuses on health care that meets diverse women’s needs; and the Global Impact Investing Network describes its mission as increasing the scale and effectiveness of impact investing. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not SEDF’s.
Grantmaking
In 2024, SEDF reported 16 grants totaling $6,490,000. Grant amounts ranged from $25,000 to $3,000,000, with a median of $197,500. The largest grants included $3,000,000 to Acumen Fund for renewable energy access in 16 least-developed African countries and $1,000,000 to Abortion Coalition of Telemedicine for malpractice insurance for telehealth abortion providers. Other grants included $270,000 to Scroll Media Inc. to diversify and deepen revenue streams, and $250,000 to Free Democracy Foundation for work on mobile voting and voter access.
Additional 2024 grants included $250,000 to The Reimagination Lab, $250,000 to Reproductive Health Investors Alliance, $195,000 to the National Women’s Health Network, and $150,000 to the Global Impact Investing Network. The Reimagination Lab describes its mission as making AI-driven products, services, and expertise available to nonprofits at low or no cost. Reproductive Health Investors Alliance describes its work as seeking systems change, innovation, and financial and social returns; the National Women’s Health Network describes its focus as meeting diverse women’s health care needs; and the Global Impact Investing Network says it works to increase impact investing’s scale and effectiveness.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Georgia Keohane as CEO; Catherine Cax as Director of Investment; James Beaver as Treasurer; Nicole Stallworth as Secretary; and Maija Arbolino and Leonard Benardo as Directors.
Soros Economic Development Fund is led by Georgia Keohane, CEO on every filing since 2022; none of the 6 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Georgia Keohane
CEO
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Catherine Cax
Director of Investment
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Leonard Benardo
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Maija Arbolino
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James Beaver
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nicole Stallworth
Secretary
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Gregory Taylor (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Sean Hinton (2020–2022) — CEO
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.
Frequently asked questions about Soros Economic Development Fund
How much does Soros Economic Development Fund give each year?
Soros Economic Development Fund gave $6.5M across 16 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $1.9M across 8 grants.
What is Soros Economic Development Fund's typical grant size?
Soros Economic Development Fund's median grant in 2024 was $197,500, and its average grant was $405,625, across 16 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Soros Economic Development Fund that year got $465K on average.
Where does Soros Economic Development Fund give grants?
Soros Economic Development Fund gives mostly in New York: 72% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was District of Columbia (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (6 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does Soros Economic Development Fund give general operating support?
Yes: 19% of Soros Economic Development Fund's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (3 of 16) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Soros Economic Development Fund's largest grantees?
Soros Economic Development Fund's largest 2024 grantees include Acumen Fund ($3,000,000), Abortion Coalition of Telemedicine ($1,000,000) and Scroll Media Inc ($270,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 66% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Soros Economic Development Fund?
Soros Economic Development Fund reported $174.9M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $30.2M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $3.1M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Soros Economic Development Fund fund?
SEDF works globally to support the programmatic strategies of the Open Society Foundations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Soros Economic Development Fund?
SEDF makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Soros Economic Development Fund's EIN?
Soros Economic Development Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-3965896. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Soros Economic Development Fund accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Soros Economic Development Fund funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 23, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/soros-economic-development-fund-morg_ccbe4c1f3deb4810aeb8ca25712fa7f3
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_133965896_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Soros Economic Development Fund funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/soros-economic-development-fund-morg_ccbe4c1f3deb4810aeb8ca25712fa7f3},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-23. 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 Soros Economic Development Fund'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.
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