The Omid Foundation is a women’s activist organization which works to reduce traumatic experiences for women between 15 and 25-years-old in areas of the world that speak Persian (also known as Farsi). This is achieved by training parents, educators, psychologists, and university students to consider communities’ mental health.

The group claims to focus its efforts on Iran, since its founder was originally from Iran, but the group’s tax return shows that it donates money to countries in Europe as well. These countries include the United Kingdom, Austria, Albania, Andorra, and Belgium. The foundation claims to work beyond political and religious affiliations to reduce those influences on its work. ¹

Founder

Omid foundation was formed in 2008 by Marjaneh Halati. Halati was born in Iran and left when she was 12. She received her undergraduate degree in the United States, received a master’s degree in social psychology from the London School of Economics, then received her Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge. ^{2 3}

Financials

The Omid Foundation is an international foundation, and it donates money from its U.S. branch to its other branches. In 2021, it granted Omid Foundation UK $75,000 and $4,349 to Omid Foundation Greece. ⁴ These grants totaling $79,439 were given to their other foundations to provide education, support, and assistance to disadvantaged young women in Albania, Andorra, Austria, and Belgium. ⁵

Funding

Omid Foundation USA received nearly $3 million in grants from various groups between 2017 and 2021.  Two notable groups it received money from are the PRBB Foundation and the American Online Giving Foundation.  ⁶

The PRBB Foundation is a grantmaking foundation which supports left-wing racial and environmental activism. In 2021 it granted Omid foundation $12,000. It also granted money to the BlackOUT Collective, a black liberation activist organization connected with Black Lives Matter, and Louisiana Bucket Brigade, a women-led environmental activism group based in Louisiana. ^{7 8}

The American Online Giving Foundation is an online grantmaking organization which has total revenue in excess of $1 billion. It donated $12,181 to Omid Foundation in 2021. The American Online Giving Foundation is supported by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF), a United States-based foundation with over $10 billion in assets. The SVCF supports abortion, criminal justice, immigration law reform, and environmental movements. The American Online Giving Foundation gave more than $1.6 billion in grants in 2021 with some of its larger grants being over $5 million to the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation and over $1 million to the Sierra Club Foundation. ^{9 10 11}

1.  “Our Programs.” Omid Foundation, February 28, 2022. https://omidfoundation.com/about-us/programs/.
2. “Who We Are.” Omid Foundation, November 20, 2021. https://omidfoundation.com/about-us/who-we-are/.
3. “Omid Foundation.” Omid Foundation | North Bethesda, MD | Cause IQ. Accessed November 3, 2023. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/omid-foundation,900406873/.
4. Omid Foundation, Form 990, 2021, Part III 4a.
5. Omid Foundation, Form 990, 2021, Schedule F Part I.
6. “Omid Foundation.” Omid Foundation | North Bethesda, MD | Cause IQ. Accessed November 3, 2023. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/omid-foundation,900406873/.
7. “PRBB Foundation.” PRBB Foundation | Bozeman, MT | Cause IQ. Accessed November 3, 2023. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/prbb-foundation,204186644/.
8. “Grant Partners.” PRBB Foundation. Accessed November 3, 2023. https://www.prbbfoundation.org/grant-partners/.
9. American Online Giving Foundation, Form 990, 2021, Schedule I.
10. “Omid Foundation.” Omid Foundation | North Bethesda, MD | Cause IQ. Accessed November 3, 2023. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/omid-foundation,900406873/.
11. “American Online Giving Foundation.” American Online Giving Foundation | Newark, DE | Cause IQ. Accessed November 3, 2023. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/american-online-giving-foundation,810739440/