Washington, D.C. · Public charity
Cato Institute
The mission of the CATO INSTITUTE is to keep the principles, ideas, and moral case for liberty alive for future generations, while moving public policy in the direction of individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace.
- $136k
- Granted FY2026(still arriving)
- 4
- Itemized grants FY2026
- 8
- Organizations funded FY2025
- 50%
- First-time grantees FY2025
- Itemized, FY2026
- $106k
- The rest is grants the schedule does not break out
- Median grant, FY2026
- $20,000
- Largest grant, FY2026
- $66,000
- Organizations funded a year
- 1 to 8
- FY2019 to FY2025
- States reached, FY2026
- 4
- Total assets, FY2026
- $214M
How open it is to new grantees
In FY2025, 50% of the organizations Cato Institute funded were first-time grantees, receiving 45% of its grant dollars.
New vs renewed · share of each year
In FY2025, 55% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $103k went to new ones.
Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant
How this is measured
The numbers by year
| Fiscal year | Organizations funded | To those organizations | First-time grantees |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026still arriving | 4 | $106k | 0% |
| FY2025 | 8 | $227k | 50% |
| FY2024 | 5 | $170k | 0% |
| FY2023 | 5 | $83k | 40% |
| FY2022 | 4 | $320k | 75% |
| FY2021 | 2 | $32k | 50% |
| FY2020 | 2 | $36k | 100% |
| FY2019 | 1 | $250k | 100% |
What it funded, over time
Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.
Where its grants go
Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.
Which US states its grants reach
Top grantees
Largest recipients by total granted, FY2017 to FY2026, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.
| Grantee | Total granted | Years | Share of their budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Innocence Project Inc | $250,000 | 1 | 1% |
| Cuban American National Foundation Inc | $250,000 | 1 | 24% |
| America's Future Foundation | $190,500 | 5 | 5% |
| Free to Choose Network Inc | $155,000 | 2 | 2% |
| The Brookings Institution | $85,000 | 4 | 0% |
| York College of Pennsylvania | $82,500 | 2 | 0% |
| American Legislative Exchange Council | $81,000 | 4 | 0% |
| Moral Courage Project F/K/A Project Ijtihad | $60,000 | 2 | 4% |
| The Roots of Progress | $60,000 | 2 | n/a |
| Students for Liberty Inc | $53,800 | 4 | 0% |
Show all 17 grantees
| Grantee | Total granted | Years | Share of their budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Innocence Project Inc | $250,000 | 1 | 1% |
| Cuban American National Foundation Inc | $250,000 | 1 | 24% |
| America's Future Foundation | $190,500 | 5 | 5% |
| Free to Choose Network Inc | $155,000 | 2 | 2% |
| The Brookings Institution | $85,000 | 4 | 0% |
| York College of Pennsylvania | $82,500 | 2 | 0% |
| American Legislative Exchange Council | $81,000 | 4 | 0% |
| Moral Courage Project F/K/A Project Ijtihad | $60,000 | 2 | 4% |
| The Roots of Progress | $60,000 | 2 | n/a |
| Students for Liberty Inc | $53,800 | 4 | 0% |
| Liberty Fund Inc | $28,494 | 1 | 0% |
| Center for Civil Society | $25,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Young Americans for Liberty Inc | $25,000 | 2 | n/a |
| Young Americans for Liberty Foundation | $22,000 | 2 | n/a |
| American Institute for Economic Research | $20,000 | 1 | 0% |
| The One America Movement | $12,500 | 1 | 0% |
| Internet Education Foundation | $10,000 | 1 | 1% |
Where it is load-bearing
Each grantee by its size and the share of its budget Cato Institute supplied at peak.
Tap a dot to name the grantee.
How this is measured
Co-funders
Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.
Open a dossier: Donors Trust Inc · Charles Koch Institute · The Seminar Network Inc · Triad Foundation Inc · Charles Koch Foundation · JP Humphreys Foundation · The Armstrong Foundation · Atlas Economic Research Foundation · John Templeton Foundation · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · National Philanthropic Trust · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc
How this is measured
About Cato Institute
- How much does Cato Institute give?
- Cato Institute reported 4 itemized grants totaling $106,000, out of $136,000 in total grant expense reported on the return in its FY2026 IRS filing. It funded between 1 and 8 organizations a year over FY2019 to FY2025.
- What does Cato Institute fund?
- By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2026, its largest causes are Arts & Culture (24%), Crime & Legal (19%), Education (16%).
- Who are Cato Institute's largest grantees?
- By total granted over FY2017 to FY2026: The Innocence Project Inc ($250k), Cuban American National Foundation Inc ($250k), America's Future Foundation ($191k).
- Does Cato Institute fund new organizations?
- In FY2025, 50% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
- Which funders back the same organizations as Cato Institute?
- Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include Donors Trust Inc, Charles Koch Institute, The Seminar Network Inc.
- Where is Cato Institute based?
- Cato Institute is based in DC.
Play a game based on Cato Institute’s filings →