Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC ·EIN 53-0206027 ·Grant funding profile from IRS 990 filings
Smithsonian Institution also makes grants — see its funder profile →
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.
Showing top 25 of 161 funders by total given.
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.