Think Tanks Supported by Millions of Dollars From Open Philanthropy

The grantmaking foundation Open Philanthropy has only been around for several years but it has already given millions of dollars to more than a dozen think tanks for a variety of projects.  Facebook co-founder Dustin Muskowitz and wife Cari Tuna are the main funders of the entity, which is based in San Francisco, California.

Here is a look at the think tanks that have received money from Open Philanthropies as well as some of the projects that the foundation has funded:

• Center for Global Development (CGD): Research on the net health impacts of COVID-19 on various countries (here)
• RAND Corporation: Research on the state of AI assurance methods (here); legalizing marijuana in Vermont (here)
• Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP): To support the Full Employment Project (here)
• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Chinese and Indian perspectives on biotech security risks (here)
• Urban Institute: History of Philanthropy Project (here)
• Niskanen Center: Research on immigration policy (here)
• Center for American Progress (CAP): Macroeconomic stabilization (here)
• Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE): Macroeconomic research projects (here)
• Roosevelt Institute: Macroeconomic policy research (here)
• Economic Policy Institute (EPI): Macroeconomic policy research (here)
• Center for a New American Security (CNAS): Outreach on technological risk (here)
• Wilson Center: AI policy seminar series (here)
• Washington Center for Equitable Growth: Macroeconomic policy research (here)

Muskowitz's net worth is estimated to be $14.9 billion, so it looks like he will have plenty of funds to continue funding think tanks for many years to come.

Rise of Philanthropy Creating Ultra-Rich Think Tanks

As philanthropy both in the US and abroad continues to grow, think tanks are increasingly becoming the beneficiaries of that generosity, often times raking in tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

Here is more about the state of philanthropy from Scott Sherman in Lapham's Quarterly:

Seventy thousand individuals have assets of $30 million or more, and five thousand households have assets of over $100 million. The superwealthy have a choice: they can allow the IRS to tax their money at 40 percent, or they can dispose of their fortunes via philanthropy. Consequently, in the past fifteen years, thirty thousand new private foundations have been established. There are now more than ninety thousand private foundations, whose assets total $700 billion. These foundations supply money to more than a million tax-exempt, nonprofit organizations. Some of these nonprofits are financially secure, but many chafe under immense anxiety as they await annual grants from their masters in the foundation suites.

Of the top eighty American foundations, only twenty-six post detailed information about their current grant making on public databases.

But while money is flowing to think tanks from philanthropic organizations and foundations, many have begun to question the motives behind that money, which is often used as a tool to buy influence and power and to steer political debate in a particular direction.