Omidyar Network

The Omidyar Network comprises a 501(c)(3) and a Limited Liability Company (LLC), and part of The Omidyar Group.^[10][11] It was established in 2004 by Pierre Omidyar and his wife, Pam^[12] as a continuation of earlier philanthropic efforts of General Mahmud Mir-Djalali, Omidyar's grandfather and a former Vice Chairman of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Imperial Iran, widely regarded as the "Father" of Iran's Military Industries and Tank Forces. General Mir-Djalali was also a close associate of the Station Chief of the GRU Residency in Tehran, Rashid Qurbanbekov and General Paul Grossin [fr]. Grossin assured admission for Omidyar's mother Elahe into the Sorbonne, where she became a follower of the Islamist ideologies of Ali Shariati, Ayatollah Taleghani, and Jalal Al-e Ahmad, and involved in political activities against the Pahlavi Dynasty.^[13][14]

Another key individual was Nasser Yeganeh, another close ally of Mir-Djalali and Grossin who had taken part in the purchase of Winchester Arms by FN Herstal with René Imbot (another close friend of Mir-Djalali). He later committed suicide under suspicious circumstances in 1993.^[13][14]

By 2025, Omidyar Network had awarded almost $2 billion to more than 700 organizations, encompassing spending on grants to nonprofits and investments in for-profit companies.^[15]

Since 2018, Mike Kubzansky has been the CEO of Omidyar Network.^[5] Its board of directors include co founder Pam Omidyar^[16] and the managing directors of the Omidyar Group, Jeff Alvord and Pat Christen.^[17] In 2023, In 2023, Marta L. Tellado and Mona Sutphen were added to the board.^[18]

Michele Jawando was senior vice president for programs in 2023.^[19] Jawando became president of the organization in 2025.^[20]

Omidyar Network invested in the microfinance sector, including Unitus Inc.^[21]

In 2009, the Omidyar Network donated $2 million over two years to the Wikimedia Foundation, and during that same time, Matt Halprin of Omidyar Network was appointed to Wikimedia's board of directors.^[22][23]

From 2012, Omidyar Network has been a partner of Better Than Cash Alliance.^[24][25]

In 2017, Omidyar Network together with AVINA Americas and Avina Foundation founded the Latin American Alliance for Civic Technology (ALTEC) to invest in and support the development in Latin America of civic technology platforms and related scalable technologies.^[26]

In 2020, it invested $150,000 in the legal assistance organization Whistleblower Aid.^[27]

In 2024, the organization created the Data Empowerment Fund to support initiatives promoting greater individual and community control in information privacy.^[28]

The Reporters in Residence program was launched in 2022 and is designed to give freelance reporters financial support (in the form of a monthly stipend) in an effort to increase coverage of deeper and more pressing economic issues.^[29][30]

In 2011, Democracy Fund was established as an Omidyar Network initiative; three years later, it became an independent foundation.^[31] Omidyar Network spun out Spero Ventures, a venture capital fund, in March 2018.^[32]

In 2018, Omidyar Network spun off its Governance & Citizen Engagement initiative.^[33] The group now operates as Luminate, a global philanthropic organization that invests in civic empowerment, data and digital rights, financial transparency, and independent media.^[33] Melanie Hui is its CEO.^[34] In 2019, Omidyar Network spun off its Financial Inclusion initiative.^[35] The group now operates as Flourish and is led by Tilman Ehrbeck, Arjuna Costa, and Emmalyn Shaw. A year later, the organization spun off its education portfolio as Imaginable Futures.^[35]

In January 2020, Omidyar Network spun out its property rights initiative as a new nonprofit organization called PlaceFund.^[36]

• Acumen Fund
• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
• Blue Haven Initiative
• Jasmine Social Investments
• Mulago Foundation
• Mahmud Mir-Djalali
• Peery Foundation
• Philanthrocapitalism
• Skoll Foundation