Funding directory

Who pays for civic experiments.

The most common reason a city or agency doesn't run a pilot is not capacity. It's budget. This directory lists 20 funders — foundations, federal agencies, multilateral programs, and academic intermediaries — that pay for civic-experiment design, delivery, and evaluation. Each entry includes typical grant size, application cadence, eligibility, and focus areas, with a note on why a civic-experiment team should consider them.

The directory is curated from public sources. Confirm details on the funder's site before applying — priorities shift, deadlines move. If you know a funder we should add, let us know.

Jump to type

Private foundation (9)
Government agency (5)
Multilateral / IGO (2)
Academic / nonprofit program (3)
Corporate / mission-aligned (1)

Private foundation · 9

Arnold Ventures ↗
One of the most prolific funders of rigorous evaluation in US civic and criminal-justice policy.
Grant size
$100k–$5M+, with smaller exploratory grants available
Cadence
Rolling; some RFPs by initiative
Geography
United States
Focus
Criminal justice · Health care · Education · Public finance · Pretrial / court reform
Eligibility
Universities, research nonprofits, public agencies (typically via a research partner). Prior evidence-and-evaluation track preferred.
Why applyArnold has been the single most consistent funder of randomized evaluation in US civic policy over the last decade — pretrial reform, kidney exchange, charter schools, prescription drug pricing. If the project has a defensible RCT or quasi-experimental design, they should be on the list.
Bloomberg Philanthropies ↗
Funds city-level innovation and capacity-building, with several programs that explicitly support pilot experimentation.
Grant size
$50k–$1M+ depending on program
Cadence
Programmatic — multi-month application windows
Geography
Global, with major US-city emphasis
Focus
City innovation · Public health · Climate · Arts & culture · Government performance
Eligibility
Cities, city departments, and academic / nonprofit partners
Why applyBloomberg's What Works Cities, Mayors Challenge, and Innovation Teams programs have a long track record of seeding civic experimentation. The application infrastructure is set up to favor cities that can articulate a measurable pilot.
Program page ↗
Schmidt Futures (now Schmidt Sciences) ↗
Funds high-leverage applied science, including evaluation-heavy social-science initiatives.
Grant size
$100k–$10M+
Cadence
Mostly invitation / network-based; some open calls
Geography
Global, with US emphasis
Focus
AI for science · Education · Climate · Talent / human capital
Eligibility
Academic institutions, research nonprofits, public agencies via partner
Why applyHas funded a number of practitioner-researcher projects bridging data science and civic policy — a fit if the project includes a measurement or analytics innovation component.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation ↗
Largest US health-focused philanthropy; long history funding evaluation of public-health and social-determinants programs.
Grant size
$50k–$2M+
Cadence
Multiple RFP windows annually; rolling for some programs
Geography
United States
Focus
Public health · Social determinants of health · Health policy · Health equity
Eligibility
501(c)(3) nonprofits, universities, public agencies. Has explicit programs for partnership grants with cities.
Why applyIf the pilot has a credible public-health outcome — even at one or two steps' remove (housing, transportation, education, food) — RWJF is one of the deepest available pools of evaluation funding.
MacArthur Foundation ↗
Big-bet US foundation with active criminal-justice, climate, and journalism evaluation portfolios.
Grant size
$100k–$5M+
Cadence
Programmatic windows
Geography
United States and select international
Focus
Criminal justice · Climate solutions · Local news · Civic engagement
Eligibility
Nonprofits and universities; cities via partner
Why applyMacArthur's Safety and Justice Challenge has funded county-level criminal-justice pilots with explicit evaluation requirements — a model that translates to other domains.
Ford Foundation ↗
Equity-focused global foundation funding rights, governance, and economic-mobility evaluation work.
Grant size
$50k–$3M+
Cadence
Programmatic windows; some rolling
Geography
Global
Focus
Civil society · Economic mobility · Gender and racial justice · Democratic participation
Eligibility
Nonprofits, universities, advocacy organizations
Why applyFord's portfolio favors pilots that center equity outcomes alongside efficiency outcomes. A natural home for experiments testing whether benefits or services reach historically under-served populations.
Pew Charitable Trusts ↗
Public policy research organization that funds and conducts evidence-based program evaluation across multiple US domains.
Grant size
$50k–$2M typical for partner work
Cadence
Programmatic windows
Geography
United States
Focus
Public-sector finance · Criminal justice · Health systems · Civic infrastructure
Eligibility
State agencies, research partners, advocacy organizations
Why applyPew's state-policy programs have an unusually strong track record of converting evaluation findings into legislation. A fit if the pilot has a clear policy-change pathway.
Charles Stewart Mott Foundation ↗
Civil-society foundation funding community-level interventions and the evaluations that underpin them.
Grant size
$50k–$1M typical
Cadence
Rolling and programmatic
Geography
United States, Eastern Europe, South Africa
Focus
Civil society · Education (afterschool) · Environment · Community development
Eligibility
Nonprofits and civic institutions
Why applyMott has an unusually long horizon (multi-decade commitments to specific places). Good fit for pilots in afterschool, civic infrastructure, or community development.
Open Philanthropy ↗
Major US-based grantmaker oriented to high-leverage causes, with active US-policy and global-development portfolios.
Grant size
$10k–$50M across grant types
Cadence
Rolling; many grants come from active scouting
Geography
Global
Focus
Global health and development · US criminal-justice reform · Farm animal welfare · Effective altruism / longtermism
Eligibility
Researchers and nonprofits with a clear theory of impact
Why applyOpen Phil is explicit about funding rigorous evaluation and is unusually willing to consider unconventional projects. Reach out with a short writeup before submitting a full application.

Government agency · 5

Institute of Education Sciences (US Department of Education) ↗
The primary federal funder of US education research, with a portfolio dominated by RCT and quasi-experimental evaluations.
Grant size
$500k–$5M typical
Cadence
Annual RFPs; multi-year awards
Geography
United States
Focus
K-12 education · Postsecondary · Special education · Education statistics
Eligibility
Universities, school districts (typically via a research partner), evaluation firms
Why applyIES has set the standard for evaluation rigor in US social policy and pays for the design + delivery + analysis of the trial. If the experiment is in or adjacent to education, this is the largest single funder available.
US Department of Labor — Chief Evaluation Office ↗
Federal agency dedicated to evaluating workforce, training, and unemployment programs.
Grant size
Contracted (typically $1M–$10M)
Cadence
Annual evaluation plan; competed contracts
Geography
United States
Focus
Workforce development · Job training · Unemployment insurance · Apprenticeship
Eligibility
Evaluation contractors via federal procurement; agency partnerships
Why applyDOL's Chief Evaluation Office runs an annual evaluation portfolio in workforce policy — a strong match for pilots in employment, training, and benefits.
National Institute of Justice (US DOJ) ↗
Federal research and evaluation arm of the US Department of Justice; funds criminal-justice pilots and replication studies.
Grant size
$200k–$2M
Cadence
Annual solicitations
Geography
United States
Focus
Policing · Courts · Corrections · Reentry · Crime prevention
Eligibility
Universities, research nonprofits, state and local agencies
Why applyNIJ explicitly funds replication of promising criminal-justice interventions. Open replication trials in this space have a clear funding pathway.
Federal Evaluation Officers Council (Evidence Act implementation) ↗
Each major US federal agency now has a designated Evaluation Officer with budget for randomized and quasi-experimental program evaluation.
Grant size
Variable; embedded in agency budgets
Cadence
Agency-specific (annual evaluation plans)
Geography
United States
Focus
Across all federal program domains
Eligibility
Agency-internal evaluations and contracted external partners; access via the Evaluation Officer at the relevant agency.
Why applyThe Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act (2018) created a designated Evaluation Officer at every major federal agency, each with a public Learning Agenda and an annual Evaluation Plan. These plans now explicitly list studies the agency wants done and is willing to fund.
Corporation for National & Community Service — AmeriCorps research ↗
Federal national-service agency that has funded evaluation of community-based interventions.
Grant size
$100k–$1M typical
Cadence
Annual RFPs
Geography
United States
Focus
National service · Volunteer programs · Community development
Eligibility
501(c)(3) nonprofits, public agencies
Why applyAmeriCorps and its predecessors have funded a wave of community-pilot evaluations. Smaller scale than IES or NIJ, but a good match for community-organization-led trials.

Multilateral / IGO · 2

World Bank — Development Impact Evaluation (DIME) ↗
The World Bank's flagship impact-evaluation unit; embeds researchers in large-scale operations across 60+ countries.
Grant size
$50k–$3M+; often co-funded with operations
Cadence
Rolling; tied to operational lending cycles
Geography
World Bank borrowing countries
Focus
All World Bank lending sectors · Government effectiveness
Eligibility
Researchers in active partnership with a World Bank task team; LMIC government counterparts
Why applyDIME pairs operational dollars with evaluation capacity. If the pilot is in an LMIC and a World Bank operation touches the same sector, the path to funding is short.
Global Innovation Fund ↗
Public-private impact-investing fund that supports evidence-generation in early-stage development innovations.
Grant size
$50k–$15M across stages
Cadence
Rolling
Geography
LMICs
Focus
Health · Education · Agriculture · Governance · Climate adaptation
Eligibility
Implementing organizations with a measurable theory of change
Why applyGIF's tiered structure (pilot → test-and-transition → scale) explicitly funds evaluation at each stage. A good fit for pilots that have a clear potential to scale.

Academic / nonprofit program · 3

J-PAL Innovation in Government Initiative ↗
Funds randomized evaluations co-designed with government partners; provides matching funds and methodological support.
Grant size
$50k–$500k typical
Cadence
Annual RFPs
Geography
Global
Focus
Government service delivery · Benefits enrollment · Tax compliance · Health systems · Education delivery
Eligibility
J-PAL-affiliated researchers in partnership with a government counterpart
Why applyDesigned exactly for the use case: a government wants to test something, an academic team brings methods, J-PAL provides the funding to bridge the gap. Strong fit for any pilot with both a public-sector implementer and a research partner.
Program page ↗
Innovations for Poverty Action — competitive RFPs ↗
Issues regular research-funding RFPs in poverty alleviation and government effectiveness in LMICs.
Grant size
$50k–$500k typical
Cadence
Multiple RFPs annually by program
Geography
LMICs, with country presence in 20+ countries
Focus
Financial inclusion · Health · Education · Peace and recovery · Governance
Eligibility
Researchers in partnership with implementing organizations
Why applyIPA does both the funding and the operational support, which is unusual. Especially valuable in countries where building the research infrastructure from scratch would otherwise eat the grant.
Results for America ↗
Nonprofit that funds and accompanies cities, states, and federal agencies to embed evidence and evaluation in operations.
Grant size
Varies; many engagements are capacity-building rather than cash
Cadence
Programmatic
Geography
United States
Focus
Evidence-based policymaking · Government performance · Workforce · Education
Eligibility
City, state, and federal agencies
Why applyRFA's What Works Cities, Economic Mobility Catalog, and Federal Policy work all connect government teams to evaluation capacity. Not always direct cash, but unlocks downstream funding.

Corporate / mission-aligned · 1

Google.org ↗
Google's philanthropic arm; funds technology-leveraged interventions and the evaluation behind them.
Grant size
$100k–$10M
Cadence
Programmatic windows and rolling
Geography
Global
Focus
Education · Workforce · Crisis response · Climate · Accessibility
Eligibility
Nonprofits and public agencies, often with a tech component
Why applyIf the pilot involves digital tools or data infrastructure as part of its theory of change, Google.org's appetite is higher than a typical foundation's. They also bring in-kind product and engineering support.

Not seeing a fit?

We help pilot teams identify and approach funders as part of our partnership work. If you have a pilot in mind and want help locating funding, get in touch. Many partnerships start with no money and find it together.

If you fund civic experimentation and aren't listed, please reach out — we'd love to include you.