Washington, D.C. · Public charity
The Better Angels Society Inc
The better angels society supports outstanding american history documentaries to inspire lifelong learning, promote civic engagement, and encourage civil discourse.the organization advances this mission by raising funds to support individual documentary films focused on u.s. History and characterized by thorough archival research and…
- $9.5M
- Granted FY2025(still arriving)
- 9
- Itemized grants FY2025
- 8
- Organizations funded FY2024
- 38%
- First-time grantees FY2024
- Itemized, FY2025
- $9.1M
- The rest is grants the schedule does not break out
- Median grant, FY2025
- $40,000
- Largest grant, FY2025
- $8,632,443
- Organizations funded a year
- 2 to 11
- FY2018 to FY2024
- States reached, FY2025
- 8
- Total assets, FY2025
- $20M
How open it is to new grantees
In FY2024, 38% of the organizations The Better Angels Society Inc funded were first-time grantees, receiving 2% of its grant dollars.
New vs renewed · share of each year
In FY2024, 98% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $251k 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025still arriving | 9 | $9.1M | 22% |
| FY2024 | 8 | $12M | 38% |
| FY2023 | 6 | $11M | 17% |
| FY2022 | 10 | $9.3M | 60% |
| FY2021 | 11 | $9.7M | 64% |
| FY2020 | 10 | $12M | 70% |
| FY2019 | 4 | $8.0M | 50% |
| FY2018 | 2 | $12M | 0% |
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 FY2025, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.
| Grantee | Total granted | Years | Share of their budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association Inc | $83,470,301 | 9 | 10% |
| Skiff Mountain Films | $1,826,044 | 4 | n/a |
| Friends of the Library of Congress | $1,000,000 | 4 | n/a |
| WGBH Educational Foundation | $904,750 | 5 | 0% |
| Wnet | $650,350 | 4 | 0% |
| Pbs Foundation | $431,046 | 3 | 3% |
| Lincoln Presidential Foundation | $256,000 | 2 | 3% |
| National History Day Inc | $210,000 | 6 | 3% |
| Central Park Film Project Inc | $205,500 | 2 | n/a |
| Chol Soo Lee Documentary LLC | $50,000 | 1 | n/a |
Show all 28 grantees
| Grantee | Total granted | Years | Share of their budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association Inc | $83,470,301 | 9 | 10% |
| Skiff Mountain Films | $1,826,044 | 4 | n/a |
| Friends of the Library of Congress | $1,000,000 | 4 | n/a |
| WGBH Educational Foundation | $904,750 | 5 | 0% |
| Wnet | $650,350 | 4 | 0% |
| Pbs Foundation | $431,046 | 3 | 3% |
| Lincoln Presidential Foundation | $256,000 | 2 | 3% |
| National History Day Inc | $210,000 | 6 | 3% |
| Central Park Film Project Inc | $205,500 | 2 | n/a |
| Chol Soo Lee Documentary LLC | $50,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Middleburg Film Festival | $30,000 | 2 | 1% |
| Tallgrass Educational Films Co Joseph Winston | $25,000 | 1 | 31% |
| The Adams County Historical Society | $25,000 | 2 | 1% |
| Story Center Films LLC | $25,000 | 1 | n/a |
| History Making Productions | $25,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Moniker LLC | $25,000 | 1 | n/a |
| The Gardyn LLC | $25,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Picture Taker LLC | $25,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Ray Lew Doc LLC | $25,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Inside Out Media | $25,000 | 1 | 11% |
| The Ciesla Foundation | $25,000 | 1 | 3% |
| The Reel Blues Fest Inc | $25,000 | 1 | 22% |
| Jezebel Productions Inc | $25,000 | 1 | 33% |
| Shoes in the Bed Productions LLC | $25,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Farm Pond Pictures LLC | $11,210 | 1 | n/a |
| The Film Collaborative Inc | $10,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Philadelphia Film Society | $10,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Hindsight Film Festival | $9,398 | 1 | n/a |
Plus 3 recipients with no EIN on record ($225k), not named here.
Where it is load-bearing
The Better Angels Society Inc supplied at least a quarter of the budget for 2 of its grantees at some point. The chart plots its 14 largest grantees; load-bearing ones sit top left.
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: Greater Washington Community Foundation · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile Foundation
How this is measured
About The Better Angels Society Inc
- How much does The Better Angels Society Inc give?
- The Better Angels Society Inc reported 9 itemized grants totaling $9,131,941, out of $9,516,941 in total grant expense reported on the return in its FY2025 IRS filing. It funded between 2 and 11 organizations a year over FY2018 to FY2024.
- What does The Better Angels Society Inc fund?
- By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2025, its largest causes are Arts & Culture (100%), Science & Tech (0%).
- Who are The Better Angels Society Inc's largest grantees?
- By total granted over FY2017 to FY2025: Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association Inc ($83M), Skiff Mountain Films ($1.8M), Friends of the Library of Congress ($1.0M).
- Does The Better Angels Society Inc fund new organizations?
- In FY2024, 38% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
- Which funders back the same organizations as The Better Angels Society Inc?
- Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include Greater Washington Community Foundation, Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc, Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program.
- Where is The Better Angels Society Inc based?
- The Better Angels Society Inc is based in DC.
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