Free Press
Funding Overview
From IRS Form 990 filings · 2018–2025
Total received
$36.8M
Foundation funders
49
Grants recorded
157
Years covered
2018–2025
Who funds Free Press?
Free Press is funded by 49 grantmakers, led by The Ford Foundation ($14.8M), Democracy Fund Inc ($6.6M), John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation ($2.1M). In total, IRS Form 990 filings record $36.8M in grants to Free Press between 2018–2025.
Show all 49 funders
| Levi Strauss Foundation | $150,000 | 1 | 2022 |
| The Battery Foundation | $147,951 | 1 | 2024 |
| Walton Family Foundation Inc | $130,000 | 2 | 2021–2024 |
| Rose Community Foundation | $125,000 | 1 | 2020 |
| Chicago Instructional Technology Foundation Inc | $115,000 | 2 | 2023–2024 |
| Warsh-Mott Legacy | $105,000 | 4 | 2019–2024 |
| The Joyce Foundation | $100,000 | 1 | 2024 |
| National Philanthropic Trust | $100,000 | 1 | 2021 |
| Amalgamated Charitable Foundation Inc | $85,000 | 2 | 2022–2024 |
| CS Fund | $75,000 | 4 | 2020–2025 |
| North Carolina Community Foundation Inc | $30,000 | 2 | 2021–2022 |
| JKW Foundation Tr UA 092597 | $25,000 | 1 | 2024 |
| Archewell Foundation | $25,000 | 1 | 2022 |
| Holthues Trust | $20,000 | 2 | 2020–2021 |
| The Dunn Foundation | $10,000 | 1 | 2023 |
| Foundation for the Carolinas | $10,000 | 1 | 2020 |
| Honeybee Foundation | $5,940 | 5 | 2021–2025 |
| Benton Institute for Broadband & Society | $5,000 | 1 | 2025 |
| James G Hart Foundation | $5,000 | 3 | 2023–2025 |
| North Star Collaborative Foundation | $5,000 | 2 | 2022–2023 |
| The Kalan Foundation | $3,000 | 1 | 2021 |
| Leonard Family Charitable Foundation | $1,000 | 1 | 2022 |
| Gorlitz Foundation Ltd | $500 | 1 | 2023 |
| JPMorgan Chase Foundation | $200 | 2 | 2020–2021 |
Funding over time
Grant dollars and counts received per year
From 2018 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $120K (2019) to $8.9M (2023). In 2025 it made 8 grants totaling $177K.
What grants has Free Press received?
Individual grants from IRS Form 990 filings, newest first
| Year | Funder | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Surdna Foundation Inc | GENERAL SUPPORT | $50,000 |
| 2025 | Solidaire Network Inc | General support of Media 2070 Project -- Making Media Reparations Real | $50,000 |
| 2025 | The Steve & Paula Child Foundation | EDUCATION | $33,000 |
| 2025 | CS Fund | SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM | $30,000 |
| 2025 | MGDC Apgar Foundation | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL AND CHARITABLE USES AND PURPOSES | $5,000 |
| 2025 | Benton Institute for Broadband & Society | PUBLIC MEDIA | $5,000 |
| 2025 | James G Hart Foundation | GENERAL FUND | $2,500 |
| 2025 | Honeybee Foundation | CHARITABLE/CIVIC | $1,800 |
| 2024 | The Ford Foundation | GENERAL SUPPORT AND CORE SUPPORT FOR INSTITUTIONAL STRENGTHENING | $1,150,000 |
| 2024 | John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation | IN SUPPORT OF ITS FUTURE OF CIVIC MEDIA PROJECT TO ADVANCE STATE-BASED POLICIES THAT NURTURE HEALTHY LOCAL MEDIA ECOSYSTEMS | $1,000,000 |
| 2024 | Democracy Fund Inc | General support | $700,000 |
| 2024 | Democracy Fund Inc | General support | $700,000 |
| 2024 | John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation | IN SUPPORT OF GENERAL OPERATIONS | $500,000 |
| 2024 | Park Foundation Inc | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT | $350,000 |
| 2024 | Democracy Fund Inc | Program support for Media 2070 | $350,000 |
| 2024 | Democracy Fund Inc | Program support for Media 2070 | $350,000 |
| 2024 | Woodcock Foundation | GENERAL SUPPORT | $275,000 |
| 2024 | New Venture Fund | CIVIL RIGHTS, SOCIAL ACTION, ADVOCACY | $250,000 |
| 2024 | The Henry Luce Foundation Inc | Support for media advocacy and strengthening of local news coverage | $200,000 |
| 2024 | Kaphan Foundation | GENERAL SUPPORT | $157,293 |
| 2024 | Rockefeller Brothers Fund Inc | FOR GENERAL SUPPORT | $150,000 |
| 2024 | Lumina Foundation for Education Inc | To provide general operating support for a nonpartisan nonprofit that strengthens local news through public policy education. | $150,000 |
| 2024 | Mitchell Kapor Foundation | TO SUPPORT POLLING AND DISINFO DEFENSE LEAGUE PROJECTS | $150,000 |
| 2024 | Surdna Foundation Inc | General Support | $150,000 |
| 2024 | The Battery Foundation | GENERAL SUPPORT | $147,951 |
| 2024 | Policylink | CROSSCUTTING STRATEGIES | $127,500 |
| 2024 | Geraldine R Dodge Foundation Inc | PROJECT SUPPORT OF NEW VOICES: NEW JERSEY | $125,000 |
| 2024 | Fiduciary Charitable Foundation DBA Fiduciary Trust Charitable | DONATIONS | $118,000 |
| 2024 | Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr Fund | FOR FREE PRESS TO COMBAT MIS- AND DISINFORMATION IN NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGES, ORGANIZE CIVIL SOCIETY LEADERS AND PUBLIC INTEREST GROUPS, AND RAISE AWARENESS OF HOW PEOPLE ARE BEING TARGETED WITH MANIPULATION EFFORTS. FOR ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION. | $100,500 |
| 2024 | The Joyce Foundation | MISSION FUND | $100,000 |
Showing 30 most recent of 157 recorded grants.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who funds Free Press?
Free Press is funded by 49 grantmakers, led by The Ford Foundation ($14.8M), Democracy Fund Inc ($6.6M), John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation ($2.1M). In total, IRS Form 990 filings record $36.8M in grants to Free Press between 2018–2025.
Who is Free Press's largest funder?
The Ford Foundation is the largest recorded funder of Free Press, with $14.8M across 11 grants (2020–2024).
How much grant funding has Free Press received?
IRS 990 filings record $36.8M in grants to Free Press across 157 grants from 49 funders between 2018–2025. Filings are published on a delay, so recent grants may not appear yet.
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Grant data is drawn from IRS Form 990 filings via Grantable's GrantGraph™. Filings are published on a delay; recent grants may not appear yet.
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