Stiefel Freethought Foundation
The Stiefel Freethought Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private grantmaking foundation based in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded in 2009, the foundation fosters a world based on love and reason by supporting organizations and initiatives that promote freethought, secular values, and evidence-based public policy.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$1.4M
-32.3% YoY
Annual Giving
$695K
+144.7% YoY
Grant Count
19
+0.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$37K
+144.7% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Stiefel Freethought Foundation reported a distributable amount of $114K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Mission & Focus Areas
Mission: The Stiefel Freethought Foundation's mission is to secure humanity's future by ensuring public policy decisions are based on love and reason rather than bias and dogma.
Vision: The foundation envisions a peaceful world where science and freedom flourish.
Core Values: Love, integrity, reason, and freedom.
Strategic Focus Areas
The foundation pursues its mission through four primary strategies:
Increase the Influence of People Who Base Decisions on Love and Reason
- End false stereotypes by helping people become openly secular
- End stigma against nonreligious government officials and candidates
- Build a reason-based voting bloc actively courted by political candidates
- Encourage secular communities to demonstrate ethics without religion
- Contrast fundamentalist values with secular values
- Grow communities for the nonreligious
Promote Rational Thinking
- Invest in resources for those questioning their beliefs
- Educate about factual and moral imperfections in sacred texts
- Bolster teaching comparative religions through the historical-critical method
- Improve critical thinking and skepticism skills
- Counter science-denialism on issues like global warming and evolution
- Push for evidence-based medicine over alternative medicine
- Help the population overcome bias and misinformation
Support Organizations That Work to Secularize American Public Policy
- Weaken the influence of the American fundamentalist "Religious Right"
- Raise awareness about laws based primarily on religious grounds
- End legal privileges given to religious groups not given to secular groups
Grantmaking
Grant Range
s:** Typical awards range from $1,000 to $225,000.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation has funded organizations and initiatives in the District of Columbia, New York, and North Carolina.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of 2024:
- Total Assets: $1,376,905
- Total Giving: $695,000
- Revenue: $59,800
- Expenses: $718,000
- Total Liabilities: $0
Historical Giving: Todd Stiefel has gifted over $8.7 million to charitable causes, including $7.7 million to nonprofit organizations in the secular movement.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $1,376,905 | $2,034,626 | $1,827,845 |
| Revenue | $59,821 | $510,058 | $2,022,634 |
| Expenses | $717,542 | $303,277 | $638,747 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $712,746 | $298,933 | $633,285 |
| Net Investment Income | $71,523 | $46,769 | $25,464 |
| Distributable Amount | $114,187 | $122,235 | $70,983 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
126 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Public Concern Foundation Inc ($225,000), Americans United for Separation of Church and Stat ($107,000), Religion News Llc ($100,000).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| AMERICAN ATHEISTS INC CRANFORD, NJ | General & Unrestricted | $1,000 |
| AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION INC NEW YORK, NY | Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief | $1,000 |
| AMERICAN VALUES PROJECT SACRAMENTO, CA | General & Unrestricted | $75,000 |
| AMERICANS UNITED FOR SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STAT WASHINGTON, DC | General & Unrestricted | $107,000 |
| BLACK NONBELIEVERS FAYETTEVILLE, GA | General & Unrestricted | $1,000 |
| CAMP QUEST INC STAUNTON, VA | General & Unrestricted | $1,000 |
| CENTER FOR INQUIRY INC AMHERST, NY | General & Unrestricted | $20,000 |
| COMMON CAUSE EDUCATION FUND RALEIGH, NC | General & Unrestricted | $1,000 |
| COMMON CAUSE EDUCATION FUND WASHINGTON, DC | General & Unrestricted | $1,000 |
| FREEDOM FROM RELIGION FOUNDATION INC MADISON, WI | General & Unrestricted | $1,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Todd Stiefel — Founder and President
Todd Stiefel lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, and serves as founder and president of the Stiefel Freethought Foundation. He is also president of Heretical Reason Productions and founder and chair of the ScienceSaves campaign. In 2009, he transitioned from Chief Strategy Officer of Stiefel Laboratories to become an activist and philanthropist.
Stiefel graduated cum laude from Duke University and worked for 14 years at Stiefel Laboratories in positions including marketing, sales operations, and strategy. During his tenure, the company's revenues quadrupled. He served as Chief Strategy Officer, Enterprise Leadership Team chair, and member of the Board's executive committee, overseeing 250 people across finance, strategy, risk, facilities, administration, and program management. He co-led teams that sold equity to Blackstone and the company to GlaxoSmithKline.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Todd Stiefel | Pres, Dir, Sec | 1 | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
In 2022, the foundation awarded Religion News Service a $300,000 grant to fund a three-year investigative reporting project exploring the origins and aims of the white Christian nationalist movement and the dangers it poses to democracy. The grant supports investigative stories, a website featuring sources and experts for journalists, and distribution of stories to subscribing and partner news outlets including The Associated Press and The Washington Post.
Religion News Service awarded grant from Stiefel Freethought ...Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Stiefel Freethought Foundation fund?
**Mission:** The Stiefel Freethought Foundation's mission is to secure humanity's future by ensuring public policy decisions are based on love and reason rather than bias and dogma. **Vision:** The foundation envisions a peaceful world where science and freedom flourish. **Core Values:** Love, integrity, reason, and freedom. The foundation pursues its mission through four primary strategies: **Increase the Influence of People Who Base Decisions on Love and Reason** • End false stereotypes by he…
How do I apply for a grant from Stiefel Freethought Foundation?
**Grant Sizes:** Typical awards range from $1,000 to $225,000. **Recent Grants:** • $300,000 to Religion News Service (2022) for a three-year investigative reporting project on white Christian nationalism and its threat to democracy • $25,000 to American Humanist Association (2018) for research on public opinion of nontheists, plus an additional $1,000 matching gift for each new elected official who identifies as humanist, atheist, or nontheist at federal and state levels • $10,000 to Center fo…
Where does Stiefel Freethought Foundation make grants?
The foundation has funded organizations and initiatives in the District of Columbia, New York, and North Carolina.
What size grants does Stiefel Freethought Foundation award?
In 2024, Stiefel Freethought Foundation awarded 19 grants totaling $695K — an average of about $37K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
How much is Stiefel Freethought Foundation required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Stiefel Freethought Foundation reported a distributable amount of $114K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is Stiefel Freethought Foundation's EIN?
Stiefel Freethought Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 27-0858715. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
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Data last updated June 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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