U.S. Foundation Grants by Cause Area:
Where the Money Goes
In tax year 2023, U.S. nonprofits distributed $127.5 billion across 726,877 grants to nearly 290,000 recipient organizations. Healthcare and education each captured over $18 billion — together accounting for 28% of all grant dollars. Here is where the money went.
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Total Grant Dollars (2023)
$127.5B
Grants Reported (2023)
726,877
Unique Recipients (2023)
289,768
Median Grant Size (2023)
$20,000
Data covers 726,877 organization-to-organization grants reported on IRS Form 990 Schedule I for tax year 2023. Grants are categorized by recipient NTEE code via the IRS Business Master File. Individual grants to persons are excluded. Approximately 81% of grants with EINs were successfully matched to cause areas.
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U.S. Foundation Grants by Cause Area (2023)
Total grant dollars flowing to each cause area, based on the recipient organization's NTEE classification. Healthcare and education dominate in total dollars, while human services and education lead in grant volume.
| Cause Area | Total Grants | # Grants | Avg Grant | Median Grant | Unique Recipients |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | $18.1B | 36,817 | $492,858 | $25,000 | 10,158 |
| Education | $17.8B | 83,532 | $213,320 | $23,257 | 23,348 |
| Philanthropy & Voluntarism | $11.4B | 28,892 | $394,682 | $21,542 | 8,051 |
| Human Services | $7.5B | 74,758 | $100,029 | $19,716 | 24,875 |
| Arts & Culture | $4.1B | 45,468 | $90,707 | $16,000 | 18,010 |
| International | $3.9B | 20,230 | $194,504 | $21,231 | 5,377 |
| Community Improvement | $3.2B | 16,003 | $202,540 | $25,000 | 6,836 |
| Religion | $3.1B | 35,186 | $87,531 | $17,600 | 16,872 |
| Environment | $2.9B | 19,178 | $151,610 | $21,494 | 5,326 |
| Crime & Legal | $2.0B | 10,180 | $194,472 | $22,986 | 3,011 |
| Science & Technology | $1.9B | 2,042 | $916,773 | $30,000 | 761 |
| Public & Societal Benefit | $1.7B | 7,124 | $244,173 | $22,525 | 2,645 |
| Civil Rights | $1.7B | 10,977 | $153,214 | $25,768 | 2,666 |
| Housing & Shelter | $1.7B | 12,578 | $131,229 | $22,000 | 4,001 |
| Recreation & Sports | $1.6B | 13,435 | $118,583 | $15,000 | 6,680 |
| Mental Health | $1.5B | 9,640 | $158,043 | $20,000 | 3,883 |
| Youth Development | $1.5B | 19,123 | $77,705 | $18,970 | 6,297 |
| Medical Research | $1.3B | 4,298 | $298,156 | $21,900 | 1,093 |
| Food & Agriculture | $1.1B | 12,140 | $89,664 | $16,930 | 3,406 |
| Animal-Related | $943M | 20,360 | $46,315 | $12,000 | 8,248 |
| Diseases & Medical | $807M | 9,995 | $80,723 | $15,000 | 2,623 |
| Employment | $798M | 4,810 | $165,960 | $25,000 | 1,739 |
| Social Science | $259M | 1,229 | $210,596 | $38,260 | 320 |
| Public Safety | $247M | 3,075 | $80,214 | $15,000 | 1,687 |
Source: IRS Form 990 Schedule I (Grants and Other Assistance to Organizations), Tax year 2023. IRS Form 990 Schedule I grants matched to recipient NTEE codes via BMF. Excludes individual grants and unmatched EINs.. 24 categories shown.
Get more data →Largest U.S. Grant-Making Organizations (2023)
The 15 largest grantors by total Schedule I grant dollars in tax year 2023. Donor-advised fund sponsors dominate the list, reflecting the massive flow of grant dollars through DAF intermediaries.
| Organization | State | Total Giving | Grants Made | Unique Recipients |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schwab Charitable Fund | CO | $6.4B | 55,292 | 55,291 |
| National Philanthropic Trust | PA | $5.1B | 18,182 | 18,170 |
| Silicon Valley Community Foundation | CA | $4.9B | 3,287 | 3,269 |
| Vanguard Charitable | PA | $3.0B | 24,269 | 24,268 |
| Mayo Clinic Group Return | MN | $2.3B | 283 | 283 |
| Goldman Sachs DAF | NY | $2.0B | 6,245 | 6,126 |
| National Christian Charitable Foundation | GA | $2.0B | 14,548 | 14,548 |
| Benevity (American Online Giving) | DE | $1.7B | 39,022 | 38,655 |
| NYU Langone Hospitals | NY | $1.7B | 5 | 5 |
| The Chicago Community Trust | IL | $1.4B | 3,873 | 3,873 |
| American Endowment Foundation | OH | $1.2B | 11,914 | 11,829 |
| Morgan Stanley Global Impact | IN | $1.1B | 16,057 | 13,524 |
| Jewish Communal Fund | NY | $953M | 4,673 | 4,671 |
| Mayo Clinic | MN | $903M | 276 | 276 |
| Servant Foundation | KS | $885M | 2,633 | 2,633 |
Source: IRS Form 990 Schedule I (Grants and Other Assistance to Organizations), Tax year 2023. Total giving based on Schedule I grant records with valid recipient EINs.. 15 categories shown.
Get more data →Top Recipients of U.S. Foundation Grants (2023)
The 15 organizations that received the most grant dollars in tax year 2023. Mayo Clinic leads with $3.2 billion from 213 different funders. Several top recipients are themselves DAF sponsors or philanthropic intermediaries.
| Organization | State | Sector | Total Received | Grants Received | Unique Funders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayo Clinic | MN | Healthcare | $3.2B | 287 | 213 |
| New York University | NY | Education | $1.8B | 253 | 213 |
| Navigation Charitable Fund | CA | Science & Tech | $1.3B | 1 | 1 |
| University of Florida | FL | Education | $1.2B | 189 | 172 |
| Mass General Brigham | MA | Healthcare | $958M | 613 | 323 |
| Johns Hopkins University | MD | Education | $904M | 386 | 306 |
| Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund | MA | Community | $874M | 114 | 100 |
| National Philanthropic Trust | PA | Philanthropy | $665M | 59 | 54 |
| Stanford University | CA | Education | $541M | 392 | 308 |
| Donor Advised Charitable Giving | CA | Philanthropy | $476M | 116 | 100 |
| UC Berkeley | CA | Education | $473M | 138 | 120 |
| ImpactAssets Inc | MD | Philanthropy | $460M | 39 | 37 |
| Renaissance Charitable Foundation | IN | Philanthropy | $424M | 42 | 38 |
| Silicon Valley Community Foundation | CA | Philanthropy | $405M | 25 | 25 |
| Jewish Federations of North America | NY | Philanthropy | $367M | 171 | 152 |
Source: IRS Form 990 Schedule I (Grants and Other Assistance to Organizations), Tax year 2023. Recipients matched via grantee EIN to IRS Business Master File.. 15 categories shown.
Get more data →U.S. Foundation Grants by Recipient State (2023)
The 15 states receiving the most grant dollars. California and New York together account for over $28 billion — 22% of all tracked grant funding. Washington D.C. punches well above its size, ranking 7th despite having the smallest population of any listed jurisdiction.
| State | Total Grants | # Grants | Unique Recipients | Avg Grant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $15.1B | 72,283 | 23,814 | $208,735 |
| New York | $13.2B | 54,305 | 15,299 | $243,956 |
| Florida | $7.1B | 30,870 | 10,599 | $230,816 |
| Texas | $5.2B | 36,662 | 13,693 | $142,437 |
| Massachusetts | $5.2B | 21,537 | 5,959 | $239,679 |
| Minnesota | $5.1B | 16,603 | 5,834 | $307,380 |
| Washington D.C. | $4.8B | 18,080 | 3,404 | $264,653 |
| Pennsylvania | $3.8B | 24,140 | 9,251 | $155,524 |
| Virginia | $3.7B | 18,014 | 5,898 | $202,981 |
| Illinois | $3.6B | 24,551 | 8,217 | $146,773 |
| Ohio | $2.9B | 22,537 | 8,493 | $130,352 |
| Colorado | $2.7B | 19,225 | 5,833 | $140,032 |
| Georgia | $2.6B | 16,892 | 5,822 | $152,769 |
| Maryland | $2.5B | 12,634 | 4,366 | $199,364 |
| North Carolina | $2.4B | 18,171 | 6,715 | $132,281 |
Source: IRS Form 990 Schedule I (Grants and Other Assistance to Organizations), Tax year 2023. Recipient state based on BMF registered address.. 15 categories shown.
Get more data →Grant Size Distribution (2023)
Most grants are modest in size — 55% of all grants are under $25,000. But 2% of grants ($1M+) account for 68% of all grant dollars, revealing extreme concentration at the top.
| Grant Size | # Grants | % of Grants | Total Dollars | % of Dollars |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under $1K | 2,379 | 0.3% | $1.0M | 0.0% |
| $1K - $5K | 5,541 | 0.8% | $12.3M | 0.0% |
| $5K - $10K | 152,646 | 21.0% | $1.1B | 0.8% |
| $10K - $25K | 248,220 | 34.1% | $3.6B | 2.8% |
| $25K - $50K | 117,458 | 16.2% | $3.9B | 3.0% |
| $50K - $100K | 82,232 | 11.3% | $5.4B | 4.3% |
| $100K - $500K | 89,853 | 12.4% | $17.9B | 14.1% |
| $500K - $1M | 13,567 | 1.9% | $9.1B | 7.1% |
| $1M+ | 14,981 | 2.1% | $86.4B | 67.8% |
Source: IRS Form 990 Schedule I (Grants and Other Assistance to Organizations), Tax year 2023. All Schedule I grants with valid recipient EINs.. 9 categories shown.
Get more data →Healthcare and Education Dominate Grant Funding (2023)
Healthcare organizations received $18.1 billion across 36,817 grants — the highest total of any cause area. But education received more than twice as many grants (83,532) for a nearly identical total ($17.8 billion), suggesting healthcare grants are larger but fewer while education funding is more widely distributed.
$35.9B
Healthcare + Education Combined (2023)
Together, these two sectors captured 28% of all grant dollars tracked in Schedule I filings.
Philanthropy & voluntarism ranks third at $11.4 billion, but this figure is somewhat misleading. Much of this funding represents transfers between philanthropic intermediaries — donor-advised fund sponsors, community foundations, and fiscal sponsors moving money through the system rather than to end-use charities.
The Grant Size Paradox (2023)
The typical grant is modest: the median grant size across all cause areas is $20,000, and over half of all grants (55%) are under $25,000. But the distribution is extremely top-heavy.
2% of Grants Control 68% of Dollars
Just 14,981 grants of $1 million or more account for $86.4 billion — 68% of all tracked grant dollars. Meanwhile, the 400,000+ grants under $25,000 represent less than 3% of total funding. The philanthropic sector is a power law: a small number of large grants drive the vast majority of capital allocation.
Science & technology has the highest average grant ($916,773) and highest median ($30,000), reflecting the capital-intensive nature of research funding. Animal-related causes have the lowest median ($12,000) and smallest average ($46,315), consistent with a sector dominated by smaller local organizations.
DAF Sponsors Dominate the Grantor Rankings (2023)
The largest grantors are not traditional private foundations — they are donor-advised fund (DAF) sponsors. Schwab Charitable leads with $6.4 billion in grants to 55,291 unique recipients, followed by National Philanthropic Trust ($5.1 billion) and Silicon Valley Community Foundation ($4.9 billion).
What This Means for Grant-Seekers
DAF-sponsored grants are donor-directed, meaning the sponsoring organization does not decide which nonprofits receive funding. Grant-seekers cannot apply directly to these intermediaries. Instead, DAF grants reflect the individual giving decisions of thousands of account holders, which is why these sponsors distribute to such a high number of unique recipients.
Mayo Clinic appears on both the largest grantor and recipient lists — its group return structure distributes $2.3 billion internally while also receiving $3.2 billion from external funders, making it the single largest grant recipient tracked in 2023.
Geographic Concentration of Grant Funding (2023)
Grant dollars are heavily concentrated on the coasts. California ($15.1B) and New York ($13.2B) together capture 22% of all tracked grant funding — more than the bottom 35 states combined. Washington D.C. ranks 7th despite its tiny population, reflecting the concentration of national advocacy organizations and policy nonprofits in the capital.
Highest Avg Grant
Minnesota leads at $307,380 per grant, driven largely by Mayo Clinic's massive grant flows. Massachusetts ($239,679) and New York ($243,956) also have outsized averages due to their concentration of research hospitals and universities.
Most Recipients
California has the most unique grant recipients at 23,814, followed by education ($23,348 recipients) and human services (24,875). Texas (13,693) and Florida (10,599) round out the top states by recipient count.
Underrepresented Causes (2023)
Several cause areas receive disproportionately less grant funding relative to the scale of the problems they address. Public safety ($247 million), employment ($798 million), and food & agriculture ($1.1 billion) each receive less than 1% of total grant dollars.
Smallest Cause Areas by Total Grants (2023)
Public Safety: $247M across 3,075 grants to 1,687 recipients
Social Science: $259M across 1,229 grants — but the highest median grant at $38,260
Employment: $798M across 4,810 grants — $25,000 median, a high-floor sector
Diseases & Medical: $807M across 9,995 grants to 2,623 recipients
Animal-Related: $943M in total — highest grant count (20,360) among smaller sectors
How This Data Is Calculated
Transparency in methodology builds trust.
Sample Size
726,877 grants from 37,972 grantmaking organizations
Data Source
IRS Form 990 Schedule I (Grants and Other Assistance to Organizations)
Period
Tax year 2023
Includes only organization-to-organization grants (individual grants excluded). Grant amounts are derived from electronically filed returns. Cause-area categorization uses recipient NTEE codes from the IRS Business Master File, with ~81% match rate on grants with valid EINs. DAF sponsor grants (donor-directed) are included alongside discretionary grants from community foundations and other public charities.
Data Source
IRS Form 990 Schedule I requires organizations to report grants of $5,000 or more to other domestic organizations, including recipient name, EIN, grant amount, and purpose. This is the most comprehensive public dataset of U.S. nonprofit grant flows.
Cause Area Classification
Each recipient's EIN is matched to the IRS Business Master File (BMF) to retrieve their NTEE code. The first letter of the NTEE code determines the cause area (26 categories from Arts to Religion). Organizations without NTEE codes or without BMF matches are excluded from the cause breakdown but included in overall totals.
What's Included
All electronically filed Form 990 Schedule I grant records for tax year 2023 where the recipient has a valid EIN and the grant amount is greater than zero. Individual grants (scholarships, fellowships, etc.) are excluded.
Limitations
This data covers public charities filing Form 990, not private foundations (Form 990-PF). Some large funders (e.g., the Gates Foundation) file 990-PFs and are not included in these totals. DAF grants are included, which means some dollars are counted as both granted (by the DAF sponsor) and received (by the end charity) if both report on Schedule I.
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