International giving · Europe
Which US foundations give to United Kingdom?
US foundations sent $5.7B to organizations in United Kingdom across 16,268 grants, from 2,120 different funders. Read from IRS 990 filings.
The short version
- 2,120 US foundations have made grants to United Kingdom, totaling $5.7B across 16,268 grants on record.
- GATES FOUNDATION (WA) is the largest US funder of United Kingdom organizations, with $2.1B.
- That is about $82.27 per resident across all years on file, for a country the World Bank classes as high income.
- THE LARRY ELLISON FOUNDATION is the most United Kingdom-focused funder, directing 99% of its overseas giving here.
- US giving to United Kingdom has fallen over the filing years on record.
The biggest funders, year by year
Each top funder of United Kingdom 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$2.1B | |||||||||
| GOOD VENTURES FOUNDATION$287M | |||||||||
| FOUNDATION TO PROMOTE OPEN SOCIETY$247M | |||||||||
| THE LARRY ELLISON FOUNDATION$234M | |||||||||
| THE ERIC AND WENDY SCHMIDT FUND FOR$127M | |||||||||
| THE FORD FOUNDATION$121M | |||||||||
| ESMEE FAIRBAIRN FOUNDATION$115M | |||||||||
| JOHN TEMPLETON FOUNDATION$113M | |||||||||
| THE BLOOMBERG FAMILY FOUNDATION INC$111M | |||||||||
| EBOR CHARITABLE TRUST$93M | |||||||||
| NUFFIELD FOUNDATION$87M | |||||||||
| WELLSPRING PHILANTHROPIC FUND INC$83M |
* 2025 onward is still arriving — 990s lag 12–24 months, so the most recent years under-report.
Top US funders of United Kingdom
United Kingdom's dedicated funders
Foundations that send most of their overseas money to United Kingdom — 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.
556 recipients
267 recipients
207 recipients
373 recipients
109 recipients
128 recipients
161 recipients
67 recipients
Largest recipients in United Kingdom
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.
248 US funders · 1,892 grants
4 US funders · 13 grants
3 US funders · 43 grants
28 US funders · 180 grants
3 US funders · 36 grants
1 US funder · 6 grants
A further $3M across 4 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 United Kingdom.
Where the funders are
The US states home to the foundations giving to United Kingdom, shaded by dollars granted. Click a state.
Notable grants
The largest individual grants to United Kingdom on record.
Questions and answers
- Which US foundation gives the most to United Kingdom?
- GATES FOUNDATION is the largest US funder of United Kingdom organizations on record, with $2.1B across 2,017 grants.
- How much do US foundations give to United Kingdom?
- 2,120 US foundations have granted a combined $5.7B to organizations in United Kingdom across 16,268 grants in the IRS filings on record, about $82.27 per resident.
- What do US foundations fund in United Kingdom?
- The largest areas are education & schools, health & medicine, research & science, by the kind of organization receiving the money.