Foundations That Fund International Affairs in District of Columbia

4,246 foundations reported 16,847 grants worth $1.8B to international affairs organizations in District of Columbia on their most recent tax filings. Here is who they are — and which ones actually accept applications.

21%accept unsolicited requests (899 of 4,246)
$7Kmedian grant
4,246funders
$1.8Btotal granted
67%of grantees funded again next year
Why the first number matters. Most private foundations state on their tax return that they give only to organizations they select themselves. Applying to those is wasted effort. The figure above counts only the foundations in this group that did not check that box.

Repeat funding in international affairs, District of Columbia

Across 494 funder-year observations in this group, a typical foundation funded 67% of the same organizations again the following year. That is why a record of past giving is worth reading before writing to a foundation. It describes the organizations a foundation already supports, not whether it would add yours.

Foundations that fund international affairs in District of Columbia and accept requests

These are the funders worth your time first: each one granted to this cause in this state, and none of them told the IRS it only funds organizations it picks itself. Ordered by how many grants they made, not by dollars. That shows how widely each one gives, not whether any one of them would take a new applicant. Typical grant is the median, so you can judge whether you are their size.

FoundationBased inTypical grantGrants madeGranted here
Gates FoundationSeattle, WA$634K320$306.3M
The Bank of America CharitableCharlotte, NC$270318$3.2M
The William & Flora Hewlett FoundationMenlo Park, CA$200K204$73.4M
The Ford FoundationNew York, NY$150K194$53.3M
Carnegie Corporation of New YorkNew York, NY$200K169$44.5M
American Express FoundationNew York, NY$306151$551K
Smith Richardson Foundation IncGreensboro, NC$150K138$21.1M
Chubb Charitable FoundationPhiladelphia, PA$250118$2.3M
Rockefeller Brothers Fund IncNew York, NY$75K117$10.2M
Gannett Foundation IncNew York, VA$10090$32K
889 more foundations in District of Columbia fund international affairs and accept requests. The weekly email works through the funders that gave to international affairs in District of Columbia, up to five at a time, and never sends the same one twice. The weekly email has not started yet.

The largest funders — for reference

These give the most money to this cause in this state, but most do not accept unsolicited requests, and their grants are usually far larger than a small organization would seek. Useful context, not a target list.

FoundationTypical grantGranted hereApplications
Gates Foundation$634K$306.3MAccepts requests
The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation$200K$73.4MAccepts requests
Foundation to Promote Open Society$250K$66.2MPreselected only
The Ford Foundation$150K$53.3MAccepts requests
Ford Philanthropy$656K$53.0MPreselected only

Get the rest of the District of Columbia international affairs funders by email

We email you funders that gave to organizations in your state and cause, up to five at a time each week and never the same one twice, from their own IRS filings. Free. The weekly email has not started yet.

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Where the money actually goes in District of Columbia

Total granted to organizations in each city. Funding is usually far more concentrated than people expect, which matters when you are judging your own odds.

Washington
$1.8B
Washington DC
$30.8M
Alexandria
$1.1M
Washingotn
$504K
Wahington
$278K
Washinton
$231K

How to use this list

  1. Start with the foundations that accept requests. The rest almost never respond to unsolicited approaches.
  2. Check whether they fund organizations your size. The median grant here is $7K — a funder writing $7K checks is unlikely to write you a six-figure one.
  3. Look for a local connection. Foundations concentrate their giving geographically, and repeat the same grantees year after year.
  4. Read their recent grants before writing. Past giving tells you what they actually fund, which is often narrower than their stated mission.
What this data can and cannot tell you. These figures come from foundations' own IRS filings, which are published about a year after the tax year ends. This is a record of who each foundation has funded, not a list of open application deadlines. It is a strong predictor — most foundations repeat most of their grantees — but it is history, not a live feed. Full methodology.