International giving · Europe
Which US foundations give to Germany?
US foundations sent $784M to organizations in Germany across 2,943 grants, from 461 different funders. Read from IRS 990 filings.
The short version
- 461 US foundations have made grants to Germany, totaling $784M across 2,943 grants on record.
- GATES FOUNDATION (WA) is the largest US funder of Germany organizations, with $286M.
- That is about $9.39 per resident across all years on file, for a country the World Bank classes as high income.
- THE IVM FOUNDATION is the most Germany-focused funder, directing 100% of its overseas giving here.
- US giving to Germany has fallen over the filing years on record.
The biggest funders, year by year
Each top funder of Germany 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$286M | |||||||||
| THE LEONA M AND HARRY B HELMSLEY$65M | |||||||||
| FOUNDATION TO PROMOTE OPEN SOCIETY$37M | |||||||||
| THE WILLIAM & FLORA HEWLETT FOUNDATION$35M | |||||||||
| GORDON E AND BETTY I MOORE FOUNDATION$34M | |||||||||
| JPMORGAN CHASE FOUNDATION$21M | |||||||||
| ANNA-MARIA AND STEPHEN KELLEN FOUNDATION$18M | |||||||||
| THE IVM FOUNDATION$17M | |||||||||
| HALL ART FOUNDATION INC$12M | |||||||||
| GOOD VENTURES FOUNDATION$12M | |||||||||
| THE ANDREW W MELLON FOUNDATION$11M | |||||||||
| THE STANTON FOUNDATION$11M |
* 2025 onward is still arriving — 990s lag 12–24 months, so the most recent years under-report.
Top US funders of Germany
Germany's dedicated funders
Foundations that send most of their overseas money to Germany — 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.
154 recipients
18 recipients
36 recipients
59 recipients
41 recipients
4 recipients
9 recipients
12 recipients
Largest recipients in Germany
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.
3 US funders · 38 grants
3 US funders · 42 grants
2 US funders · 19 grants
2 US funders · 15 grants
36 US funders · 94 grants
3 US funders · 18 grants
A further $292k across 2 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 Germany.
Where the funders are
The US states home to the foundations giving to Germany, shaded by dollars granted. Click a state.
Notable grants
The largest individual grants to Germany on record.
Questions and answers
- Which US foundation gives the most to Germany?
- GATES FOUNDATION is the largest US funder of Germany organizations on record, with $286M across 271 grants.
- How much do US foundations give to Germany?
- 461 US foundations have granted a combined $784M to organizations in Germany across 2,943 grants in the IRS filings on record, about $9.39 per resident.
- What do US foundations fund in Germany?
- The largest areas are education & schools, environment & climate, research & science, by the kind of organization receiving the money.