Stiefel Freethought Foundation
The Stiefel Freethought Foundation is a private foundation located in Wilmington, Delaware. It supports organizations and projects aligned with its aim of advancing public policy based on love and reason rather than bias and dogma, including work related to secularism, science, and public affairs.
Stiefel Freethought Foundation at a glance
In short: Stiefel Freethought Foundation gave $412K across 21 grants in 2025 (avg $20K), top state Indiana. 10% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $412,250
- -40.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 21
- +10.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $19,631
- -46.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $1,158,261
- -15.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 10% first-time grantees (2 of 20, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Indiana (24% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Stiefel Freethought Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. It makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and says unsolicited requests for grants, funding, and donations will be ignored.
- Contact
Mailing address: Foundation Source 501 Silverside Rd, Wilmington, DE 19809-1377
Phone: (800) 839-1754
Website: https://stiefelfreethoughtfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Stiefel Freethought Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Fiscal Sponsorship Allies Inc ($100K). Together the top 10 received $402K.
Grant Size Distribution
118 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 94 grants of 118 (80%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation says it focuses on national organizations and organizations local to its Raleigh, North Carolina, base of operations, and does not support local charities in other parts of the country. In 2025, the largest reported shares of grant dollars by recipient state were Indiana (24%), Missouri (24%), New York (20%), the District of Columbia (14%), and Arizona (8%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 21 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Stiefel Freethought Foundation open to new grantees?
10%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 20 grantees (10%) were first-time recipients. With only 20 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $60K; repeat grants $16K. How we count
Medians: $60K first-time, $1K repeat.
- 75% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 34% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 468% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $284K (2023) to $1.1M (2020). In 2025 it made 21 grants totaling $412K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Fiscal Sponsorship Allies Inc Indianapolis, IN | To support the Get Real News LLC | $100,000 |
| Religion News LLC Columbia, MO | General & Unrestricted | $100,000 |
| Public Concern Foundation Inc New York, NY | General & Unrestricted | $60,000 |
| People for the American Way Foundation Washington, DC | General & Unrestricted | $50,000 |
| Disarming Leviathan Ministries Inc Phoenix, AZ | General & Unrestricted | $35,000 |
| Center for Inquiry Inc Amherst, NY | General & Unrestricted | $20,250 |
| Atheists United Los Angeles, CA | To support the Freethought Fellowship Foundation | $20,000 |
| American Values Project Sacramento, CA | General & Unrestricted | $10,000 |
| Americans United for Separation of Church & State Washington, DC | General & Unrestricted | $5,000 |
| American Assoc for the Advancement of Science Washington, DC | General & Unrestricted | $1,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Stiefel Freethought Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The foundation’s 2024 filing narrative states that it made $695,000 in distributions from assets other than current income, an amount equal to at least 25% of its net assets at the beginning of that tax year. It also states that the foundation had no plans for dissolution.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,158,261 | $213,919 | $432,563 | $412,250 | 21 | $427,600 | $272,159 | $91,382 |
| 2024 | $1,376,905 | $59,821 | $717,542 | $695,000 | 19 | $712,746 | $71,523 | $114,187 |
| 2023 | $2,034,626 | $510,058 | $303,277 | $284,000 | 19 | $298,933 | $46,769 | $122,235 |
| 2022 | $1,827,845 | $2,022,634 | $638,747 | $623,000 | 29 | $633,285 | $25,464 | $70,983 |
| 2021 | $443,958 | $327,149 | $702,402 | $683,000 | 30 | $692,398 | $570,195 | $35,796 |
| 2020 | $817,211 | $1,188,597 | $1,075,437 | $1,064,000 | 29 | — | $321,056 | $52,041 |
| 2019 | $704,051 | $81 | $502,495 | $489,000 | 26 | — | $14,739 | $50,111 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Stiefel Freethought Foundation reported a distributable amount of $91K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The 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.” Its stated strategies include increasing the influence of people who base decisions on love and reason, promoting rational thinking, supporting organizations working to secularize American public policy, and encouraging foreign policy that helps create a world where reason can thrive.
Its 2025 grantees illustrate a range of supported work. The Public Concern Foundation describes itself as promoting independent media and free speech through journalism, fellowships, films, and events. People For the American Way Foundation says it conducts research, legal, and education work on First Amendment freedoms and democratic values. Center for Inquiry describes work advancing humanism and skepticism and defending a nonreligious life stance rooted in science and humanist ethics. Other 2025 grantees include organizations whose stated missions involve fiscal sponsorship, student secular communities, youth education and critical thinking, and the civil liberties of atheists.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 21 grants totaling $412,250. The grants ranged from $1,000 to $100,000, with a median grant of $1,000. Its largest grants included $100,000 to Fiscal Sponsorship Allies Inc. to support Get Real News LLC, $100,000 to Religion News LLC for general and unrestricted purposes, $60,000 to the Public Concern Foundation Inc. for general and unrestricted purposes, and $50,000 to People for the American Way Foundation for general and unrestricted purposes. Other notable grants were $35,000 to Disarming Leviathan Ministries Inc. and $20,250 to Center for Inquiry Inc., both for general and unrestricted purposes.
The foundation states that it independently selects charities and does not offer grants or scholarships to individuals.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Todd Stiefel is the foundation’s founder and president. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina. The 2025 filing lists him as president, director, and secretary. The foundation states that it has no employees.
Stiefel Freethought Foundation is led by Todd Stiefel, President, Director & Secretary on every filing since 2019 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Todd Stiefel
President, Director & Secretary
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 Stiefel Freethought Foundation
How much does Stiefel Freethought Foundation give each year?
Stiefel Freethought Foundation gave $412K across 21 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $695K across 19 grants.
What is Stiefel Freethought Foundation's typical grant size?
Stiefel Freethought Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $19,631, across 21 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Stiefel Freethought Foundation that year got $60K on average.
Where does Stiefel Freethought Foundation give grants?
Stiefel Freethought Foundation's top state is Indiana, with 24% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Missouri (24%) and New York (20%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (5 grants), New York, NY (2 grants) and Los Angeles, CA (2 grants).
Does Stiefel Freethought Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 86% of Stiefel Freethought Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (18 of 21) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Stiefel Freethought Foundation's largest grantees?
Stiefel Freethought Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Fiscal Sponsorship Allies Inc ($100,000), Religion News LLC ($100,000) and Public Concern Foundation Inc ($60,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 63% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Stiefel Freethought Foundation?
Stiefel Freethought Foundation reported $1.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $428K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $91K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Stiefel Freethought Foundation fund?
The 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.” See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Stiefel Freethought Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
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 2019–2025.
Does Stiefel Freethought Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 21, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS September 28, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS July 7, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS October 10, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 5, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 3, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Stiefel Freethought Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/stiefel-freethought-foundation-morg_7822d024de1c4a97ac39b5aea00e2fda
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_270858715_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Stiefel Freethought Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/stiefel-freethought-foundation-morg_7822d024de1c4a97ac39b5aea00e2fda},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 Stiefel Freethought Foundation'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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