Luminate Foundation Inc
Invitation OnlyWashington, District of Columbia · EIN 82-3941326 · Private foundation · Website
Grants paid (2024)$22.5M
Organizations funded91
Typical grant$200,000
Total assets$11M
Half of its grants to organizations were between $150,000 and $300,000.
From the return
How to apply
On its return for tax year 2024 the foundation checked the box saying it only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
What it funds
Share of grant lines on the latest return, classified from the purpose each grant states.
Where it gives
70% of grants went outside District of Columbia.
Grants paid in tax year 2024
| Recipient | Location | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amalgamated Charitable Foundation | Washington, DC | To meaningfully resource black feminist movements globally. | $1,000,000 |
| East West Management Institute | New York, NY | Support Freedom of Expression cluster, via core institutional, capacity building | $860,673 |
| Data and Society Research Institute | New York, NY | Support social implications of data-centric technologies & automation. | $650,000 |
| Red en Defensa de los Derechos Digitales (R3D) | Mexico City, MX | Protects digital rights and civic space against surveillance and AI. | $650,000 |
| Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) | Washington, DC | Promoting racial action plans and protecting human rights in Americas. | $600,000 |
| Tifa Foundation | South Jakarta, ID | Protects digital rights and civic space against surveillance and AI. | $550,000 |
| CalMatters | Sacramento, CA | Supports global AI reporting consortium, sharing expertise with newsrooms worldwide. | $500,000 |
| Inter-American Foundation | Washington, DC | To strengthen the countrys civic space | $500,000 |
| Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) | New York, NY | General Operating Grant. | $500,000 |
| International Women's Media Foundation | Washington, DC | Supports safety of women and non-binary journalists, anti-online violence. | $480,000 |
| Agencia Publica | Sao Paulo, BR | Supports Agencia Publicas development, global influence, and Big Tech investigation | $450,550 |
| Access Now | Brooklyn, NY | Support digital rights of world users at risk. | $450,000 |
| Privacy International (PI) | London, UK | Support Grantee's work on right to privacy for everyone, everywhere | $450,000 |
| Lighthouse Reports | Utrecht, NL | Advances accountability journalism, GenAI, and surveillance technology newsroom. | $432,750 |
| Human Dignity Trust | London, UK | Supports legal reform and protection for LGBT people worldwide. | $405,300 |
| Global Investigative Journalism Network - GIJN | Washington, DC | Supports advanced investigations and safe tech infrastructure in newsrooms. | $400,000 |
| CLIP - Centro Latinoamericano de Investigacion Periodistica | Nicoya, CS | To support achieving institutional objective of fostering public debate | $395,000 |
| Association for Progressive Communications (APC) | San Francisco, CA | Building cohort organisations in Asia working on Big Tech accountability | $355,000 |
| Freedom Voices Network | Paris, FR | To secure data of threatened journalists and publish their reporting. | $330,000 |
| Engage Media | Melbourne, AS | Supports Indonesia's AI governance, youth activism, and tech surveillance research | $327,184 |
| Media Monitoring Africa | Johannesburg, SF | Supports healthy information ecosystems and informed citizenry in South Africa. | $310,000 |
| Atlantic Council | Washington, DC | To benefit democracy and human rights in Colombia. | $300,000 |
| Katiba Institute | Nairobi, KE | To entrench a culture and practice of constitutionalism in Kenya | $300,000 |
| School of Politics Policy and Governance | Abuja, NI | Builds new, skilled political class to solve Africas development. | $300,000 |
| Digital Freedom Fund (DFF) | Amsterdam, NL | Support digital rights in Europe through strategic litigation | $275,000 |
| Baraza Media Lab | Nairobi, KE | Improve resilience, coordination and support media, journalism and creative spaces. | $270,000 |
| Instituto de Liderazgo Simone de Beauvoir | Mexico City, MX | To support to Indigenous, Afro-Mexican, youth, and LBT+ women leaders | $267,000 |
| TechHer | Abuja, NI | Supports combating online gender violence and womens digital rights. | $260,000 |
| BudgIT | Lagos, NI | Supports BudgITs advocacy, civil society, and civic tech participation | $250,000 |
| Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (formerly Premium Times Ce | Abuja, NI | To improve the media and information ecosystem in Nigeria. | $250,000 |
| Digital Rights Foundation (DRF) | Lahore, PK | Investigates and campaigns against online and real-world harms in Pakistan. | $250,000 |
| Global Witness | London, UK | Advocacy work in the areas of socioenvironmental and climate justice | $250,000 |
| Instituto Incube | Sao Paulo, BR | To support Grantee's project, More in Common Brazil | $250,000 |
| Namati | Washington, DC | Promoting paralegal outreach and awareness raising among communities facing discrimination | $250,000 |
| Media Defence | London, UK | Supports free speech, journalists, litigation, and internal operations. | $240,000 |
| Accountability Counsel | San Francisco, CA | Supporting communities via communities, Policy Advocacy and Research programme. | $230,000 |
| Phandeeyar | Walnut, CA | Core funding/reserve to grow their resilience to pursue organisational objectives. | $230,000 |
| Hadis Foundation | Abuja, NI | Improves young peoples responsible tech use and civic participation. | $210,000 |
| Caribe Afirmativo | Barranquilla, CO | support fostering LGBTIQ+ and public policy in Colombia | $204,000 |
| East West Management Institute | New York, NY | To implement Indigenous Knowledge and Data Sovereignty (IKDS) framework | $202,500 |
| Afrobarometer | Accra, GH | Training youth organisations in data collection, management and story telling. | $200,000 |
| Canvas | Belgrade, RI | General operating support renewal grant | $200,000 |
| Futurelect | Johannesburg, SF | Design/deliver non-partisan, intensive and interdisciplinary young leadership development and training. | $200,000 |
| Hashtag Generation | Colombo, CE | To build know-how and capacity to hold tech platforms accountable | $200,000 |
| Manos Visibles | Bogota, CO | Promotes rights for marginalised groups in Colombia through media. | $200,000 |
| Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF) | New York, NY | to help independent media thrive and safeguard editorial independence. | $200,000 |
| Open Institute International | Nairobi, KE | Improves public services for marginalised Kenyan communities using technology. | $200,000 |
| Paradigm Initiative | Lagos, NI | Core grant to Paradigm Initiative in support of their work. | $200,000 |
| Reporters Without Borders | Paris, FR | Promotes global democratic principles in information and communication space. | $200,000 |
| Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA) | New York, NY | Resourcing, documenting and potentially scaling methods to tackle harmful narratives | $200,000 |
| Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) | Lagos, NI | support strategic litigation work and civic participation space in Nigeria. | $200,000 |
| Front Line Defenders | Blackrock, EI | Supports and trains human rights defenders against digital and surveillance threats. | $196,700 |
| Friends of Majal | Laguna Beach, CA | Supports project mapping surveillance industrys hidden connections and employment. | $180,000 |
| The Engine Room | New York, NY | Support Safe, responsible and strategic technology use while mitigating vulnerabilities | $179,600 |
| Victory Institute | Washington, DC | To strengthening network and skills of LGBTQI+ leaders across Latam | $176,766 |
| Association for Progressive Communications (APC) | San Francisco, CA | Generate diligence rules, transparency standards around social media monetisation programs. | $170,020 |
| SAFEnet | Denpasar, ID | Support digital rights monitoring, capacity building and civic space protection | $160,816 |
| Africa's Voices Foundation (AVF) | Nairobi, KE | Amplify citizens' voices in decision-making, policy responses, and development planning. | $150,000 |
| amandlamobi | Johannesburg, SF | To support organisation's growth, assists with fundraising and communications capacity. | $150,000 |
| Article 19 Eastern Africa | Nairobi, KE | To support core operations and program work. | $150,000 |
Showing the 60 largest of 91 grants to organizations.
Grants approved for future payment
| Recipient | Location | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front Line Defenders | Blackrock, | Supports and trains human rights defenders against digital and surveillance threats. | $403,300 |
| Manos Visibles | Bogota, | Promotes rights for marginalised groups in Colombia through media. | $400,000 |
| Agencia Publica | Sao Paulo, | Supports Agencia Publicas development, global influence, and Big Tech investigation | $300,000 |
| Katiba Institute | Nairobi, | To entrench a culture and practice of constitutionalism in Kenya | $300,000 |
| Engage Media | Melbourne, | Supports Indonesia's AI governance, youth activism, and tech surveillance research | $270,000 |
| Amalgamated Charitable Foundation | Washington, DC | Supports Black feminist movements global grant making, especially Africa, Latin America. | $250,000 |
| BudgIT | Lagos, | Supports BudgITs advocacy, civil society, and civic tech participation | $250,000 |
| Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA) | New York, NY | Supporting more accurate, nuanced and diverse storytelling by narrative shifts. | $250,000 |
| Fundacion para la Libertad de Prensa (FLIP) | Bogota, | Protection of journalists, reactivating independent journalism networks, and strengthening organization | $200,000 |
| Instituto de Liderazgo Simone de Beauvoir | Mexico City, | Delivers training and skill-building for diverse women political leaders. | $200,000 |
| InternetLab | Sao Paulo, | Developing longer-term plan, with stronger emphasis on democracy and platforms. | $200,000 |
| Open Institute International | Nairobi, | Improves public services for marginalised Kenyan communities using technology. | $200,000 |
| Conectas | Sao Paulo, | To combating misinformation and hate speech in Brazil | $196,000 |
| ELA - Equipo Latinoamericano de Justicia y Genero | Ciudad de Buenos Aires, | Promoting women's political participation in Argentina and address challenges | $182,200 |
| Extituto - Politica Abierta | Bogota DC, | Trains leaders in transparency, collaboration, and citizen involvement in elections. | $180,000 |
| Luchadoras | Mexico City, | Develops accountability journalism, GenAI focus, and surveillance newsroom. | $170,000 |
| Association for Progressive Communications (APC) | San Francisco, CA | Connects Asian organisations for Big Tech accountability and knowledge exchange. | $150,000 |
| Association for Progressive Communications (APC) | San Francisco, CA | Supporting Myanmar Internet Project, combat disinformation and mitigate digital risks. | $150,000 |
| Victory Institute | Washington, DC | To strengthening network and skills of LGBTQI+ leaders across Latam | $117,878 |
| Haki Africa | Mvita, | Empowers communities to hold power accountable and uplift underrepresented voices. | $110,000 |
| Radio Workshop | New York, NY | Grant supports African youth podcast collaboration for nuanced storytelling. | $100,000 |
| International Lawyers Project (ILP) | London, | Advancing economic and environmental justice and the rule of law | $90,000 |
| Haki Yetu | Mombasa, | Builds internal governance and effective community-focused programming. | $75,000 |
| Community Partners | Los Angeles, CA | Guides responsible portrayal of technology and social media on screen. | $50,000 |
| Yaaj Mexico | Mexico City, | Enhancing the political and civic participation of the Mexican LGBTI+ | $50,000 |
| Fundacion Mi Sangre (FMS) | Medellin, | Building civic and political capacities in youth to shape decision-making | $40,000 |
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants paid | Grant lines |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $22,499,637 | 117 |
| 2023 | $28,511,511 | 184 |
Sources
- IRS Form 990-PF, tax year 2024, filed Nov 15, 2025 - IRS e-file batch, object ID 202503189349101745
- IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search for EIN 82-3941326
- Profile updated Nov 4, 2026
Facts on this page come from the foundation's own IRS Form 990-PF filings as published by the IRS. Grantvello does not know whether a foundation is accepting proposals right now: a past grant is not an open opportunity. Always confirm current guidelines with the funder before applying.