NEW YORK, September 8, 2026 /3BL/ – Idealist has received a $220,000 philanthropic grant from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation to strengthen participation in volunteering and community service throughout the United States. This investment comes at a pivotal time, following the 2025 merger of Idealist and VolunteerMatch.
Idealist, founded in 1995, serves millions of people looking for ways to build a better world, through full-time jobs, internships, volunteerism, and connecting with neighbors to address local problems.
Carnegie previously made early investments in both Idealist and VolunteerMatch, helping the nonprofits become essential engines for the social sector, leveraging $3 million in philanthropic support into more than $100 million of earned income.
This new grant will help the merged organization, Idealist, support nonprofits in their volunteer recruitment and retention efforts. It will also aid individuals who want to participate in service but don’t know how to get started. Combining technology, education, and storytelling initiatives, Idealist will ensure that the volunteerism sector is stronger and ready to adapt.
“We are so thrilled to partner with Carnegie on this work. Focusing on volunteerism and service is so close to my heart, and one of the big reasons why Idealist was founded in the first place,” said Idealist’s Founder and Executive Director Ami Dar. “We’re looking forward to unveiling the first of many of these initiatives over the course of the next year.”
Find volunteer opportunities or resources for leaders of volunteers on idealist.org.
About Idealist
For 30 years, Idealist has worked to bridge the gap between intention and action by connecting organizations and people who want to do good. With the 2025 merger with VolunteerMatch, Idealist has connected 200,000+ organizations with tens of millions of people. Over the years, the combined organizations facilitated posting of over a million jobs and over a million volunteer opportunities. Additionally, Idealist empowers businesses to make a difference through volunteering via API technology and other means. Find out more at idealist.org and on LinkedIn and Instagram.
About the Andrew Carnegie Foundation
The Andrew Carnegie Foundation was established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding. Today the foundation works to reduce political polarization through philanthropic support for the issues that Carnegie considered most important: education, democracy, and peace.
Media Contact
Kevin Kennedy media@idealist.org