International giving · Asia
Which US foundations give to Sri Lanka?
US foundations sent $21M to organizations in Sri Lanka across 334 grants, from 76 different funders. Read from IRS 990 filings.
The short version
- 76 US foundations have made grants to Sri Lanka, totaling $21M across 334 grants on record.
- THE FORD FOUNDATION (NY) is the largest US funder of Sri Lanka organizations, with $5M.
- That is about $0.95 per resident across all years on file, for a country the World Bank classes as lower middle income.
- TRUTH TO POWER FOUNDATION is the most Sri Lanka-focused funder, directing 41% of its overseas giving here.
- US giving to Sri Lanka has fallen over the filing years on record.
The biggest funders, year by year
Each top funder of Sri Lanka with its total, and how that giving falls across the filing years — darker means more.
| '17 | '18 | '19 | '20 | '21 | '22 | '23 | '24 | '25* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE FORD FOUNDATION$5M | |||||||||
| THE LEONA M AND HARRY B HELMSLEY$3M | |||||||||
| WIJERAMA FAMILY FOUNDATION INC$2M | |||||||||
| The Coca-Cola Foundation Inc$2M | |||||||||
| GATES FOUNDATION$2M | |||||||||
| FOUNDATION FOR A JUST SOCIETY$1M | |||||||||
| THE WILLIAM & FLORA HEWLETT FOUNDATION$525k | |||||||||
| TRUTH TO POWER FOUNDATION$497k | |||||||||
| SJV AND EJ CHELVANAYAKAM FOUNDATION INC$339k | |||||||||
| HELA BIMA WORLD$326k | |||||||||
| THE KARUNYAN & INPAMANI ARULANANTHAM$297k | |||||||||
| OPEN SOCIETY INSTITUTE$259k |
* 2025 onward is still arriving — 990s lag 12–24 months, so the most recent years under-report.
Top US funders of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka's dedicated funders
Foundations that send most of their overseas money to Sri Lanka — 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.
2 recipients
2 recipients
18 recipients
5 recipients
7 recipients
2 recipients
2 recipients
10 recipients
Largest recipients in Sri Lanka
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.
2 US funders · 5 grants
1 US funder · 6 grants
1 US funder · 8 grants
3 US funders · 10 grants
1 US funder · 3 grants
1 US funder · 2 grants
A further $20k 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 Sri Lanka.
Where the funders are
The US states home to the foundations giving to Sri Lanka, shaded by dollars granted. Click a state.
Notable grants
The largest individual grants to Sri Lanka on record.
Questions and answers
- Which US foundation gives the most to Sri Lanka?
- THE FORD FOUNDATION is the largest US funder of Sri Lanka organizations on record, with $5M across 31 grants.
- How much do US foundations give to Sri Lanka?
- 76 US foundations have granted a combined $21M to organizations in Sri Lanka across 334 grants in the IRS filings on record, about $0.95 per resident.
- What do US foundations fund in Sri Lanka?
- The largest areas are food, water & agriculture, economic & community development, education & schools, by the kind of organization receiving the money.