Smithsonian Institution
Funding Overview
From IRS Form 990 filings · 2024–2025
Total received
$103.6M
Foundation funders
161
Grants recorded
200
Years covered
2024–2025
Who funds Smithsonian Institution?
Smithsonian Institution is funded by 161 grantmakers, led by Lilly Endowment Inc ($57.1M), Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation ($16.4M), The Andrew W Mellon Foundation ($6.2M). In total, IRS Form 990 filings record $103.6M in grants to Smithsonian Institution between 2024–2025.
Show all 161 funders
Funding over time
Grant dollars and counts received per year
What grants has Smithsonian Institution received?
Individual grants from IRS Form 990 filings, newest first
| Year | Funder | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz | ARTS AND HUMANITIES | $1,200,000 |
| 2025 | Munger Charitable Trust Number Six | GENERAL SUPPORT | $100,000 |
| 2025 | T Rowe Price Program for Charitable | MULTIPLE | $86,250 |
| 2025 | Northern Piedmont Community | GENERAL SUPPORT | $13,000 |
| 2025 | The Ilex Foundation | GENERAL | $11,500 |
| 2025 | Erving & Joyce Wolf Foundation | GENERAL FUND | $10,000 |
| 2025 | The Commonwealth Fund | Matching gifts for general operating support | $9,000 |
| 2025 | Rita Neergaard Hansen Charitable Trust | GENERAL SUPPORT | $5,418 |
| 2025 | The Hacker and Kitty Caldwell | GENERAL OPERATIONS | $2,500 |
| 2025 | Barrie and Deedee Wigmore Foundation | GENERAL SUPPORT | $2,000 |
| 2025 | David M Schwarz Architects | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE PURPOSE | $1,500 |
| 2025 | Owen M Johnson Family Foundation | DONATION | $500 |
| 2025 | The Arthur F and Isadora Dellheim | CHARITABLE | $500 |
| 2025 | The Rubin - Ladd Foundation | GENERAL PURPOSE | $250 |
| 2024 | Lilly Endowment Inc | CELEBRATING AMERICAS 250TH PROJECT | $40,000,000 |
| 2024 | Lilly Endowment Inc | STUDY OF AFRICAN AMER REL LIFE CTR | $12,000,000 |
| 2024 | Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation | TO SUPPORT LAUNCH OF THE GLOBAL GEO-TREES INITIATIVE FOR TROPICAL FORESTS, WHICH WILL CREATE A HIGH-RESOLUTION CARBON BIOMASS VERIFICATION SYSTEM BASED ON A WORLDWIDE NETWORK OF FOREST RESEARCH SITES. | $8,000,000 |
| 2024 | Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation | TO SUPPORT THE CONSTRUCTION OF A PROTOTYPE RADIO-TELESCOPE DISH FOR THE NEXT-GENERATION EVENT HORIZON TELESCOPE AT THE TEIDE OBSERVATORY IN THE CANARY ISLANDS, ENABLING IMPROVED IMAGING OF SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTS. | $3,400,000 |
| 2024 | The Andrew W Mellon Foundation | TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT AND INITIAL WORK OF THE NEW OFFICE OF HUMAN DIGNITY | $3,000,000 |
| 2024 | Lilly Endowment Inc | RELIGION & CULTURAL INST INITIATIVE | $2,500,000 |
| 2024 | Lilly Endowment Inc | RELIGION & CULTURAL INST INITIATIVE | $2,500,000 |
| 2024 | Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation | TO SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT OF ULTRAFAST LASER DATA LINK TECHNOLOGY THAT WILL ENABLE MILLIMETER-WAVE ASTRONOMY FROM MEDIUM EARTH ORBIT, ADVANCING KNOWLEDGE ABOUT SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES AND MECHANISMS OF STAR FORMATION. | $2,000,000 |
| 2024 | Thomas W Haas Foundation | CHARITABLE | $2,000,000 |
| 2024 | Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation | IN SUPPORT OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND DISSEMINATION OF ONLINE COMMUNITY RESEARCH GUIDES FOR YOUTH TO LEARN ABOUT WATER AND AGRICULTURE AND APPLY THIS KNOWLEDGE TO INFORM LOCAL COMMUNITY ACTION. | $1,753,656 |
| 2024 | The Andrew W Mellon Foundation | TO ESTABLISH ENDOWMENTS AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE IN SUPPORT OF THE MUSEUM'S DIRECTORSHIP AND CURATORIAL RESEARCH CENTERS | $1,500,000 |
| 2024 | Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation | TO SUPPORT EXPANSION OF THE TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES OF THE EVENT HORIZON TELESCOPE AND ENABLE HIGH-RESOLUTION, HIGH-SPEED IMAGING OF SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES. | $1,260,257 |
| 2024 | The Hillside Foundation Inc | TO SUPPORT THE NASH INNOVATIONS GALLERY | $1,166,667 |
| 2024 | The Hillside Foundation Inc | TO SUPPORT THE NASH INNOVATIONS GALLERY | $1,166,667 |
| 2024 | The Ford Foundation | CORE SUPPORT FOR THE SMITHSONIAN RURAL INITIATIVE | $1,000,000 |
| 2024 | Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program | FOR RECIPIENT'S EXEMPT PURPOSE | $857,751 |
Showing 30 most recent of 200 recorded grants.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who funds Smithsonian Institution?
Smithsonian Institution is funded by 161 grantmakers, led by Lilly Endowment Inc ($57.1M), Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation ($16.4M), The Andrew W Mellon Foundation ($6.2M). In total, IRS Form 990 filings record $103.6M in grants to Smithsonian Institution between 2024–2025.
Who is Smithsonian Institution's largest funder?
Lilly Endowment Inc is the largest recorded funder of Smithsonian Institution, with $57.1M across 5 grants (2024).
How much grant funding has Smithsonian Institution received?
IRS 990 filings record $103.6M in grants to Smithsonian Institution across 200 grants from 161 funders between 2024–2025. 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.