Sunlight Foundation

Sunlight Foundation historically funded technology-forward approaches to government transparency — open source software, civic data tools, and public-facing datasets. Their OpenGov Grants program ($5,000–$10,000 one-time) targeted individuals and US-based nonprofits building tools that expanded public access to government data. Applicants needed to demonstrate a clear, publicly accessible output (website, app, or dataset). Strategic approach: lead with the technology artifact and its public accessibility, show how it extends existing open government data infrastructure, and be explicit about open-source licensing and public disclosure.

Grants ranged from micro-grants ($1,600–$5,000) for state/local transparency projects up to $1.2M for major infrastructure like the Center for Responsive Politics money-in-politics databases. The OpenGov Grants program was capped at $5,000–$10,000 as one-time awards. Larger multi-year grants ($125K–$1.2M) went to established organizations with proven track records (CRP, MAPLight, NIMSP, EPIC). The foundation disbursed $419,816 in FY2024 despite being operationally inactive since 2020, suggesting ongoing commitments or wind-down distributions. Total assets: $4.7M with no liabilities.

The Sunlight Foundation occupied a niche alongside Knight Foundation (civic tech), Mozilla Foundation (open internet/civic data), and Omidyar Network (government transparency). Unlike Knight, Sunlight focused exclusively on US government accountability rather than journalism broadly. Unlike Mozilla, Sunlight was government-data-specific rather than internet freedom generally. The Hewlett Foundation and MacArthur Foundation also fund government transparency work but at much larger scale. For organizations previously aligned with Sunlight, Knight Foundation Prototype Fund and Luminate Group (spun from Omidyar) are the closest active alternatives.

The Sunlight Foundation ceased programmatic operations in September 2020 after 14+ years of pioneering civic technology grantmaking. The website is maintained as an archive. In FY2024, the foundation reported $452,992 in revenue (primarily dividends and asset sales) and $500,442 in expenses, with $419,816 in charitable disbursements — suggesting the foundation is in a structured wind-down phase, continuing to deploy remaining assets. Leadership (Deborah Sherman, President; Timothy Siktberg, Secretary) reported $0 compensation. The foundation is no longer accepting grant applications.

No new applications are being accepted as of September 2020. For historical reference: applications were submitted via online form on a rolling basis, with ~2-month turnaround. Key requirements: (1) US-based applicants only; (2) open source or publicly accessible output required; (3) not for academic research, conferences, or media content; (4) one application per organization at a time; (5) grantees must publicly acknowledge Sunlight support on their website/app; (6) all grants publicly disclosed within 30 days. For active alternatives, consider Knight Foundation Prototype Fund, Omidyar Network/Luminate, or Mozilla Foundation for civic technology work.