Virginia · Public charity
Mercatus Center Inc
The Center builds and maintains a vibrant community of scholars dedicated to market-oriented thinking and classical liberal principles. We mentor and train up-and-coming scholars and thinkers who will generate ideas and influence society's key institutions.
- $11M
- Granted FY2025(still arriving)
- 50
- Itemized grants FY2025
- 50
- Organizations funded FY2024
- 70%
- First-time grantees FY2024
- Itemized, FY2025
- $2.9M
- The rest is grants the schedule does not break out
- Median grant, FY2025
- $25,000
- Largest grant, FY2025
- $1,100,000
- Organizations funded a year
- 2 to 65
- FY2018 to FY2024
- States reached, FY2025
- 16
- Total assets, FY2025
- $44M
How open it is to new grantees
In FY2024, 70% of the organizations Mercatus Center Inc funded were first-time grantees, receiving 33% of its grant dollars.
New vs renewed · share of each year
In FY2024, 67% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $1.1M went to new ones.
RenewedFirst-time
Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant
EducationHealthScience & TechPublic BenefitInternationalSocial ScienceOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.
The numbers by year
| Fiscal year | Organizations funded | To those organizations | First-time grantees |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025still arriving | 49 | $2.8M | 69% |
| FY2024 | 50 | $3.5M | 70% |
| FY2023 | 65 | $6.5M | 74% |
| FY2022 | 57 | $7.8M | 81% |
| FY2021 | 34 | $9.3M | 26% |
| FY2020 | 61 | $19M | 95% |
| FY2019 | 2 | $125k | 50% |
| FY2018 | 3 | $294k | 33% |
100% classified
What it funded, over time
Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.
Science & Tech$25MEducation$20MHealth$8.3MInternational$1.1MSocial Science$1.1MFood & Nutrition$1.0MCommunity Improvement$765kArts & Culture$160kOther$0
Where its grants go
Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.
Which US states its grants reach
NH
WA
ID
MT
MN
IL
WI
MI
NY
MA
OR
WY
IA
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
UT
CO
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
AZ
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
DC
HI
LA
AL
GA
TX
FL
Top grantees
Largest recipients by total granted, FY2017 to FY2025, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.
| Grantee | Total granted | Years | Share of their budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Washington | $5,895,000 | 3 | n/a |
| Regents of the University of California at Berkeley | $3,753,000 | 4 | n/a |
| Kyiv School of Economics | $3,300,000 | 4 | 2% |
| University of California San Francisco | $2,915,900 | 3 | n/a |
| George Mason University | $2,484,822 | 6 | n/a |
| Children's Hospital Corporation | $1,600,000 | 2 | 0% |
| Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai | $1,300,000 | 2 | 0% |
| Washington University | $1,246,786 | 2 | 0% |
| Emory University | $1,180,000 | 2 | 0% |
| Cornell University | $1,095,226 | 4 | 0% |
Show all 235 grantees
| Grantee | Total granted | Years | Share of their budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Washington | $5,895,000 | 3 | n/a |
| Regents of the University of California at Berkeley | $3,753,000 | 4 | n/a |
| Kyiv School of Economics | $3,300,000 | 4 | 2% |
| University of California San Francisco | $2,915,900 | 3 | n/a |
| George Mason University | $2,484,822 | 6 | n/a |
| Children's Hospital Corporation | $1,600,000 | 2 | 0% |
| Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai | $1,300,000 | 2 | 0% |
| Washington University | $1,246,786 | 2 | 0% |
| Emory University | $1,180,000 | 2 | 0% |
| Cornell University | $1,095,226 | 4 | 0% |
| George Mason University Foundation Inc | $1,079,887 | 9 | 0% |
| Essential Impact Inc | $1,000,000 | 1 | 36% |
| The Rockefeller University | $990,000 | 2 | 0% |
| The Scripps Research Institute | $975,000 | 2 | 0% |
| The Administrators of the Tulane Educational Fund | $850,000 | 2 | 0% |
| California Institute of Technology | $836,219 | 4 | 0% |
| University of California Berkeley Foundation | $800,000 | 2 | 0% |
| University of Minnesota Foundation | $500,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory | $500,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Trustees of Boston University | $500,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Ukraine Defense Fund Inc | $500,000 | 1 | 6% |
| Progressive Learning Inc | $500,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Caribbean Progress Studies Institute Inc | $475,300 | 3 | n/a |
| Lsu Health Sciences Center - New Orleans | $400,000 | 2 | n/a |
| Regents Univ of California | $400,000 | 2 | n/a |
| Mass General Brigham Incorporated | $368,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Trustees of Tufts College | $350,000 | 2 | 0% |
| Development Data Lab Inc | $350,000 | 2 | 57% |
| Mass General Brigham Incorporated | $350,000 | 2 | n/a |
| University of Wisconsin Madison | $310,000 | 2 | n/a |
| 1day Sooner Inc | $300,000 | 1 | n/a |
| University of California Davis | $300,000 | 1 | n/a |
| The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Public Health Foundation Inc | $280,000 | 1 | 7% |
| Arizona State University Foundation for a New American University | $258,000 | 3 | 0% |
| John Sealy Hospitalutmb | $225,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center | $222,000 | 2 | 0% |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | $208,500 | 3 | n/a |
| Ukraine Global Scholars Foundation | $200,000 | 2 | 22% |
| University of Washington Foundation | $200,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Addgene Inc | $200,000 | 1 | 1% |
| Regents of the University of Michigan | $200,000 | 2 | n/a |
| Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute | $200,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc | $200,000 | 1 | 0% |
| University of California San Francisco Foundation | $200,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Duke University | $191,000 | 3 | 0% |
| University of Utah | $191,000 | 2 | n/a |
| VLP Therapeutics LLC | $180,000 | 1 | n/a |
| University of Maryland College Park | $170,000 | 2 | n/a |
| Digital Harbor Foundation | $150,000 | 2 | 0% |
| The Trustees of Princeton University | $150,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Vanderbilt University Medical Center | $150,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Covid Watch | $150,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Nucleate Bio Inc | $148,000 | 4 | 3% |
| University of Kansas Center for Research Inc | $140,466 | 2 | 0% |
| Public Health Institute | $130,000 | 2 | 0% |
| Idaho State University | $124,829 | 1 | n/a |
| University of Georgia | $120,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Federation of American Scientists | $120,000 | 2 | 0% |
| University of Pittsburgh | $109,406 | 1 | 0% |
| Johns Hopkins University | $108,000 | 2 | 0% |
| Capitol Court Ventures | $100,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Rhodus Inc | $100,000 | 2 | n/a |
| ReadTrellis Inc | $100,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Center for Innovative Governance Research | $100,000 | 2 | 4% |
| Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation Inc | $100,000 | 1 | 0% |
| The Argument Inc | $100,000 | 1 | n/a |
| The J David Gladstone Institutes | $100,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research | $100,000 | 1 | 0% |
| University of Colorado Foundation | $100,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Gaspard LLC | $100,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Norn Group | $100,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Aavishkaar USA | $100,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Heart Hope for KidsInc | $100,000 | 1 | n/a |
| The Miami Native Inc | $100,000 | 2 | n/a |
| University of California Irvine Foundation | $100,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Panorama Global | $100,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Drizzle Health LLC | $100,000 | 1 | n/a |
| La Jolla Institute for Immunology | $100,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Social Science Research Council | $100,000 | 1 | 1% |
| Property and Environment Research Center | $100,000 | 1 | 2% |
| Institute for Progress | $100,000 | 1 | 10% |
| ChinaTalk Group LLC | $100,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Ohio University | $100,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Curious Cases Inc | $100,000 | 1 | 4% |
| New York University | $89,449 | 2 | 0% |
| Mediators Foundation Inc | $85,000 | 1 | 4% |
| New Kite Data Labs Inc | $80,000 | 2 | n/a |
| Council for Christian Colleges and Universities | $80,000 | 1 | 1% |
| Catherine Project Inc | $80,000 | 1 | 56% |
| Le Sallay and Marabou International Studies Inc | $80,000 | 2 | 13% |
| America's Future Foundation | $74,773 | 5 | 1% |
| The Mill Institute | $73,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Rutgers University Foundation | $70,000 | 1 | 0% |
| University of Kentucky Research Foundation | $68,900 | 1 | 0% |
| Doleac Initiatives | $65,000 | 2 | 33% |
| The Econ Of LLC | $65,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Nomos AI Inc | $65,000 | 1 | n/a |
| The Hack Foundation D/B/A Hack Club | $61,000 | 3 | 1% |
| Airbound | $61,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Dirac Labs Inc | $60,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Internet Activism Inc | $60,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Neighborly Faith Inc | $60,000 | 1 | 15% |
| Constructive Dialogue Institute Inc | $60,000 | 1 | 2% |
| Archbridge Institute | $60,000 | 2 | 8% |
| University of North Texas | $58,366 | 1 | n/a |
| The Curious Maverick | $56,000 | 2 | n/a |
| 10 Academy Corp | $55,000 | 2 | 4% |
| International Policy Network US Inc | $54,000 | 2 | 1% |
| Moth Minds Inc | $50,000 | 1 | n/a |
| mmon Co | $50,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Michigan State University | $50,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Texas Biomedical Research Institute | $50,000 | 1 | 0% |
| The Institute for Family Studies | $50,000 | 1 | 3% |
| VMind Technologies Inc | $50,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Edge Institute Inc | $50,000 | 1 | n/a |
| vibecamp LLC | $50,000 | 2 | n/a |
| The David Network | $50,000 | 1 | 6% |
| Womens Health Fund | $50,000 | 1 | n/a |
| ComplyAI | $50,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology | $50,000 | 1 | 5% |
| Lankenau Institute for Medical Research | $50,000 | 1 | 1% |
| Speculative Technologies Inc | $50,000 | 1 | 7% |
| Institute for the Study of Modern Authoritarianism | $50,000 | 1 | 7% |
| Arc Prize Foundation | $50,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Gelles Inc | $50,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Seren Labs LLC | $50,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Leverage Research Inc | $50,000 | 1 | 14% |
| John Paul II Preparatory School | $50,000 | 2 | 2% |
| Quantitative Health Group LLC | $50,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Teachergimbel | $50,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Saint Mary's College of California | $43,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Ethical Compass Consulting DBA Compass Ethics | $42,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Yes in My Back Yard | $42,000 | 1 | 2% |
| The Energy for Growth Hub Inc | $40,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Melagen Labs Corp | $40,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Art of the Rural | $40,000 | 1 | 6% |
| Zero Billion Inc | $40,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Radian Placematters Inc | $39,757 | 1 | 7% |
| Suffolk University | $38,115 | 1 | 0% |
| Plymouth Street | $36,135 | 2 | n/a |
| Charmaine Lee | $35,000 | 2 | n/a |
| Braver AngelsInc | $35,000 | 1 | 1% |
| The Research Foundation for The State University of New York | $32,663 | 2 | 0% |
| Center for Building in North America Inc | $32,000 | 1 | n/a |
| The Florida State University Foundation Inc | $31,000 | 2 | 0% |
| Saint Anselm College | $31,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Georgia State University Research Foundation Inc | $30,636 | 1 | 0% |
| EquiTech Futures LLC | $30,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Pan-American Lidar Initiative | $30,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Jhana Inc | $30,000 | 1 | n/a |
| The University of North Carolina at Charlotte | $30,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Wear Organ Inc | $30,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Deveillance Inc | $30,000 | 1 | n/a |
| University of Minnesota | $30,000 | 1 | n/a |
| IncQuery LLC | $30,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Normal Information Company | $30,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Swiftink LLC | $30,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Faith Action for Community Equity | $28,750 | 1 | 19% |
| Iowa State University Foundation | $27,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Maiv Health | $27,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Frontier Institute Inc | $26,500 | 1 | 8% |
| Pause Bio Inc | $25,750 | 1 | n/a |
| Xlogic Labs Inc | $25,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Seabird Inc | $25,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Urban Rural Action | $25,000 | 1 | 12% |
| ACE Services LLC | $25,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Beacon Center of Tennessee | $25,000 | 1 | 1% |
| Housing Virginia Campaign Inc | $25,000 | 1 | 2% |
| Sentience Institute Inc | $25,000 | 1 | 13% |
| 500 Startups Incubator LLC | $25,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Stephen Voss Photography Inc | $25,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Fedmin Inc | $25,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Naijacoder Inc | $25,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Dognosis Inc | $25,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Airstrip AI Inc | $25,000 | 1 | n/a |
| The Catholic University of America | $25,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Vimes Inc | $25,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Biotein Inc | $25,000 | 2 | n/a |
| Diaspora Health LLC | $20,750 | 1 | n/a |
| Positive Sum Inc | $20,500 | 1 | n/a |
| EconAI LLC | $20,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Regional Plan Association Inc | $20,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Stego Ventures Inc | $20,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Prophecy CRE Inc | $20,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Amaterra Tech | $20,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Civilization Works | $20,000 | 1 | 4% |
| Purple Hydrogen Corp | $20,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Arch Rift | $20,000 | 1 | n/a |
| University of Denver | $20,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Mawazo Institute | $20,000 | 1 | 1% |
| Faces and Voices of Recovery Tri-County Inc | $20,000 | 1 | 3% |
| Biocompute Inc | $20,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Octavia Technologies Inc | $20,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Accelerate SF Inc | $20,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Western Carolina University | $20,000 | 1 | n/a |
| The Counteroffensive Media Worldwide | $20,000 | 1 | n/a |
| American Press Institute Inc | $20,000 | 1 | 1% |
| Mediacom Inc | $20,000 | 1 | n/a |
| American Governance Foundation Inc | $20,000 | 1 | 3% |
| The Residency Inc | $18,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Wabash College | $17,500 | 1 | 0% |
| FormToFile Inc dba TrovBase | $17,000 | 2 | n/a |
| University of Illinois Foundation | $16,467 | 1 | 0% |
| Microvessel Inc | $15,750 | 1 | n/a |
| Center for Open Science Inc | $15,132 | 1 | 0% |
| Emittance Inc | $15,000 | 1 | n/a |
| ChatARV Inc | $15,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Glc Empowerment Center | $15,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Nasiyah Isra-Ui Canary Academy Online Inc | $15,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Center for Strange Works Inc | $15,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Biolyth Technology LLC | $15,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Jade Hosting Corp | $12,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Rochester Institute of Technology | $11,111 | 1 | 0% |
| Kura Technologies Inc | $10,625 | 1 | n/a |
| Xheladin and Xhufe Morina Foundation | $10,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Ctdata Collaborative | $10,000 | 1 | 1% |
| Pareto Works LLC | $10,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Hispanic Leadership Foundation | $10,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Associated Students of the University of California at Berkeley | $10,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Good Kid Production | $10,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation | $10,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Chinese Reconciliation Project Foundation | $10,000 | 1 | 7% |
| Panacea Worldwide Technologies Inc | $10,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Symbia Co | $10,000 | 1 | n/a |
| ArticleIP Inc | $10,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Climate Equity Partners LLC | $10,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Epoch Artificial Intelligence Inc | $10,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Pink Inference Co | $10,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Atlas Network | $10,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Tholos Foundation | $10,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Lee University | $10,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Minertti | $8,600 | 1 | n/a |
| Young Voices | $8,000 | 1 | 0% |
| West Virginia University Foundation Inc | $7,500 | 1 | 0% |
| State Policy Network | $7,500 | 1 | 0% |
Where it is load-bearing
Mercatus Center Inc supplied at least a quarter of the budget for 4 of its grantees at some point. The chart plots its 112 largest grantees; load-bearing ones sit top left.
Tap a dot to name the grantee.
How this is measured
Share of budget is the funder’s grant in a year over the grantee’s total revenue that year, at its highest across the years we hold; revenue is from all sources. Only grantees confirmed against their own filings, whose grants do not exceed their revenue, are plotted: the largest 112.
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.
The Seminar Network IncVA24.5× affinity10 shared granteesties to 9 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →
Open a dossier: The Seminar Network Inc · Charles Koch Foundation · Good Ventures Foundation · Donors Trust Inc · Atlas Economic Research Foundation · Charles Koch Institute · Founders Pledge Inc · John Templeton Foundation · The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation Inc · John William Pope Foundation · Yale University · Sarah Scaife Foundation Incorporated
How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.
About Mercatus Center Inc
- How much does Mercatus Center Inc give?
- Mercatus Center Inc reported 50 itemized grants totaling $2,850,041, out of $10,877,082 in total grant expense reported on the return in its FY2025 IRS filing. It funded between 2 and 65 organizations a year over FY2018 to FY2024.
- What does Mercatus Center Inc fund?
- By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2025, its largest causes are Science & Tech (42%), Education (35%), Health (14%).
- Who are Mercatus Center Inc's largest grantees?
- By total granted over FY2017 to FY2025: University of Washington ($5.9M), Regents of the University of California at Berkeley ($3.8M), Kyiv School of Economics ($3.3M).
- Does Mercatus Center Inc fund new organizations?
- In FY2024, 70% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
- Which funders back the same organizations as Mercatus Center Inc?
- Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include The Seminar Network Inc, Charles Koch Foundation, Good Ventures Foundation.
- Where is Mercatus Center Inc based?
- Mercatus Center Inc is based in VA.
Play a game based on Mercatus Center’s filings →
More from the funding graph
The unnamed billions
grants reported with no recipient in the public record
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
The endowment market
who holds foundation money, and what just moved
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home