Third Way
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Key facts about Third Way
- EIN
- 20-1734070
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,676,000
- Grants made (2024)
- 10
- Average grant
- $167,600
- Median grant
- $137,500
- New grantees (estimate)
- 80% first-time grantees (8 of 10, 2024)
- Total assets
- $65,953,090
- Primary geography
- Utah (28% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
Who Third Way funds
By grant dollars, the top recipient states for Third Way's 10 itemized 2024 grants were Utah (28%), District of Columbia (23%) and New York (15%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (4 grants). None of its 10 grants with a stated purpose were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Moderate Power Venture Fund" (4 grants).
Is Third Way open to new grantees?
80%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 8 of 10 grantees (80%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $169K; repeat grants $161K. How we count
Medians: $138K first-time, $161K repeat.
Estimate from itemized IRS Form 990-PF grant lists (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Next steps with Third Way
- How to evaluate Third Way as a funder
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Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$66.0M
+14.5% YoY
Annual Giving
$1.7M
+264.3% YoY
Grant Count
10
+233.3% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$168K
+9.3% YoY
About Third Way
Based on IRS filings
Third Way is a nonprofit organization focused on Civil Rights, Social Action & Advocacy, based in Washington, DC. IRS filing data is available from 2020 through 2024. As of 2024, the organization holds $66.0M in total assets. In 2024, it awarded 10 grants totaling $1.7M. Net investment income was $2.2M.
Focus Areas
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 10 itemized 2024 grant dollars.
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $65,953,090 | $57,624,634 | $48,609,569 |
| Revenue | $31,698,898 | $27,152,185 | $27,422,767 |
| Expenses | $24,538,373 | $21,266,704 | $23,095,434 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $2,237,945 | $1,669,331 | $24,932 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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
27 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest recipients include Protect Our Families Inc ($475,000), National Urban League Inc ($256,000), Young People's Alliance Education Fund ($200,000).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| PROTECT OUR FAMILIES INC Salt Lake City, UT | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION TO SUPPORT WORK FIGHTING RIGHT-WING EXTREMISM AND ANTI-DEMOCRATIC FORCES. | $475,000 |
| NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE INC New York, NY | TO FURTHER THE GOALS OF THE ALLIANCE FOR ENTREPRENEURIAL EQUITY INITIATIVE TO START AND EXPAND SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSES | $256,000 |
| YOUNG PEOPLE'S ALLIANCE EDUCATION FUND Raleigh, NC | MODERATE POWER VENTURE FUND | $200,000 |
| CIVIC ATTENTION INC Midlothian, VA | MODERATE POWER PROJECT | $180,000 |
| FOR FACTS SAKE Washington, DC | MODERATE POWER VENTURE PROJECT | $150,000 |
| THE WELCOME PARTY INC Boston, MA | MODERATE POWER VENTURE FUND | $125,000 |
| THE NEXT 50 NETWORK LLC Washington, DC | MODERATE POWER VENTURE FUND | $100,000 |
| FOR FACTS SAKE ACTION Washington, DC | MODERATE POWER VENTURE PROJECT | $75,000 |
| THE NEWDEAL FORUM Washington, DC | TO SUPPORT EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION ACTIVITIES ON CLEAN ENERGY INVESTMENTS | $65,000 |
| COMMON SENSE COALITION Arlington, MA | MODERATE POWER VENTURE FUND | $50,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 IRS filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Cowan | President and CEO | 36 | $413,118 |
| John L Vogelstein | Chair Emeritus | 3 | — |
| Rachel Pritzker | Chair | 2 | — |
| Georgette Bennett | Trustee | 2 | — |
| William Budinger | Trustee | 2 | — |
| David Coulter | Trustee | 2 | — |
| William Daley | Trustee | 2 | — |
| John Dyson | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Mike Edwards | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Brian Frank | Trustee | 2 | — |
| David Heller | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Peter Joseph | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Derek Kaufman | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Derek Kirkland | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Daniel Lewis | Trustee Until December | 2 | — |
| Thurgood Marshall Jr | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Susan McCue | Trustee | 2 | — |
| David Horvitz | Trustee | 2 | — |
| William Reeves | Trustee Until December | 2 | — |
| Bernard Schwartz | Trustee Until February | 2 | — |
| Alix Burns | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Christine Varney | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Marc Spilker | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Ted Trimpa | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Barbara Manfrey Vogelstein | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Douglas Lawrence | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Joseph Zimlich | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Bob Goodman | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Ray Rothrock | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Steven Galbraith | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Alison Kay | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Graves Tompkins | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Raj Date | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Strauss Zelnick | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Joyce Aboussie | Trustee as of June | 2 | — |
| Matthew Bennett Secretary and | Exe. VP of Public Affairs | 38 | $379,453 |
| Steve J Dieterle CFO | Board Treasurer | 38 | $181,205 |
| James Kessler | Exe. VP of Policy | 40 | $377,021 |
| Joshua Freed Senior VP | Of Clean Energy | 40 | $294,687 |
| Gabriel a Horwitz Senior | VP of Econ Program | 40 | $296,343 |
| Lanae M Erickson Sr VP for | Social Policy & Politics | 40 | $299,942 |
| Xiavian Rommell Brown | Senior Director | 40 | $178,811 |
| Emily Sternfeld Senior VP | Of Dev. & External Affairs | 40 | $230,542 |
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Third Way?
Third Way is a nonprofit organization focused on Civil Rights, Social Action & Advocacy, based in Washington, DC. It holds $66.0M in total assets as of 2024.
How large is Third Way?
As of 2024, Third Way holds $66.0M in total assets with $31.7M in annual revenue. It awarded 10 grants totaling $1.7M in 2024.
Where does Third Way operate?
Third Way has awarded grants in California, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, New York, Utah, Virginia.
What size grants does Third Way award?
In 2024, Third Way awarded 10 grants totaling $1.7M — an average of about $168K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
What is Third Way's EIN?
Third Way's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-1734070. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
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Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings.