International giving · Asia
Which US foundations give to Afghanistan?
US foundations sent $114M to organizations in Afghanistan across 2,469 grants, from 432 different funders. Read from IRS 990 filings.
The short version
- 432 US foundations have made grants to Afghanistan, totaling $114M across 2,469 grants on record.
- GATES FOUNDATION (WA) is the largest US funder of Afghanistan organizations, with $57M.
- That is about $2.67 per resident across all years on file, for a country the World Bank classes as low income.
- AMERICAN FOUNDATION OF THE IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM INC is the most Afghanistan-focused funder, directing 94% of its overseas giving here.
- US giving to Afghanistan has fallen over the filing years on record.
The biggest funders, year by year
Each top funder of Afghanistan with its total, and how that giving falls across the filing years — darker means more.
| '17 | '18 | '19 | '20 | '21 | '22 | '23 | '24 | '25* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GATES FOUNDATION$57M | |||||||||
| FK Morrow Foundation$7M | |||||||||
| EXXONMOBIL FOUNDATION$5M | |||||||||
| MACDONALD STEWART FOUNDATION$4M | |||||||||
| AMERICAN FOUNDATION OF THE IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM INC$3M | |||||||||
| Conflict and Development Research Fund$2M | |||||||||
| EVERY ORG$2M | |||||||||
| ARNULF REICHERT FOUNDATION INC$2M | |||||||||
| PVH FOUNDATION INC$1M | |||||||||
| AMERICAN FRIENDS OF BLACK STORK$1M | |||||||||
| TURIMIQUIRE FOUNDATION INC$1M | |||||||||
| THE JC ANDERSON FAMILY FOUNDATION$1M |
* 2025 onward is still arriving — 990s lag 12–24 months, so the most recent years under-report.
Top US funders of Afghanistan
Afghanistan's dedicated funders
Foundations that send most of their overseas money to Afghanistan — the specialists, not just the biggest checks.
What the money funds
By the kind of organization receiving the money — universities, hospitals, research institutes, and so on.
103 recipients
50 recipients
131 recipients
153 recipients
14 recipients
29 recipients
56 recipients
20 recipients
Largest recipients in Afghanistan
Spelling, accent, abbreviation, and language variants of the same organization are merged into one recipient. Organizations abroad have no US EIN, so this resolution is best-effort.
1 US funder · 2 grants
1 US funder · 7 grants
1 US funder · 2 grants
1 US funder · 2 grants
1 US funder · 2 grants
1 US funder · 3 grants
A further $837k across 9 grants went to recipients the filings name only in the aggregate (“various”, “multiple organizations”, and the like), so they can’t be attributed to a single organization.
Who funds whom
The largest funder-to-recipient ties — which US foundation backs which organization in Afghanistan.
Where the funders are
The US states home to the foundations giving to Afghanistan, shaded by dollars granted. Click a state.
Notable grants
The largest individual grants to Afghanistan on record.
Questions and answers
- Which US foundation gives the most to Afghanistan?
- GATES FOUNDATION is the largest US funder of Afghanistan organizations on record, with $57M across 17 grants.
- How much do US foundations give to Afghanistan?
- 432 US foundations have granted a combined $114M to organizations in Afghanistan across 2,469 grants in the IRS filings on record, about $2.67 per resident.
- What do US foundations fund in Afghanistan?
- The largest areas are health & medicine, arts & culture, religion & faith, by the kind of organization receiving the money.