Tyler Cowen, professor of economics at George Mason University, has been named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in philanthropy.
Cowen was lauded for his work with Emergent Ventures, a fellowship and grant program that supports entrepreneurs and brilliant minds with highly scalable, zero to one ideas for meaningfully improving society. Grants are awarded to applicants around the world, with dedicated support available for projects with a focus on India, Africa and the Caribbean, or Ukraine.
“Tyler's vision for Emergent Ventures is to do philanthropy differently,” said economics professor and department chair Daniel Houser. “He created a highly effective and influential approach to broad-based giving that includes rapid decisions and taking an occasional risk. Tyler supports leading established scholars and also helps to develop prodigies at earlier stages of their career, sometimes as early as high school.”
Cowen has led Emergent Ventures since 2018 and is also the director of George Mason’s Mercatus Center. He is also a faculty member of the economics department’s The Center for Study of Public Choice. A nationally renowned economist, he is a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion and contributes daily to the Marginal Revolution blog.
The inaugural TIME100 Philanthropy recognized philanthropists from 28 countries, including Warren Buffet, Michael Bloomberg, and Oprah Winfrey. Cowen was recognized in the innovators category along with Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince William, skateboarder Tony Hawk, actor Michael Sheen, and more.
Read more about Cowen’s work with Emergent Ventures here and see the full list here.
May 28, 2025