funder
Provides the capital
A funder is a person or organization that provides money for a project, cause, or venture.
The term appears frequently in contexts involving grants, nonprofits, and research: The project lost its primary funder.
Unlike investor, funder doesn't necessarily imply expectation of financial return—funders may support work for philanthropic or strategic reasons.
One who gives aid
- donorOne who contributes freely
- patronRegular supporter or customer
- contributorOne who provides something
- altruistSelfless benefactor of others
endower · grantor · benefactress · maecenas · major donor · gift-giver
One who assumes financial risk
- backerFinancial supporter
- corporate sponsorCompany financing an event
- event sponsorFunder of organized occasions
- title sponsorFunder given naming rights
co-sponsor · patron · subsidizer · guarantor · supporter · endorser
Startup equity investor
- angel investorIndividual funding early-stage companies
- backerFinancial supporter
- shareholderEquity owner in corporation
- stakeholderParty with an interest
seed investor · portfolio manager · speculator · limited partner · general partner · institutional investor · private equity · crowdfunder
Confidence in another
- government agencyState administrative body
- relief agencyOrganization delivering emergency assistance
- development bankInstitution financing economic growth
- endowmentPermanent donated fund
benefactor
One who gives aid
- donorOne who contributes freely
- patronRegular supporter or customer
- contributorOne who provides something
altruist · endower · grantor · benefactress · maecenas · major donor · gift-giver
underwriter
One who assumes financial risk
- backerFinancial supporter
- corporate sponsorCompany financing an event
- event sponsorFunder of organized occasions
title sponsor · co-sponsor · patron · subsidizer · guarantor · supporter · endorser
venture capitalist
Startup equity investor
- angel investorIndividual funding early-stage companies
- backerFinancial supporter
- shareholderEquity owner in corporation
stakeholder · seed investor · portfolio manager · speculator · limited partner · general partner · institutional investor · private equity · crowdfunder · silent partner
trust
Confidence in another
- government agencyState administrative body
- relief agencyOrganization delivering emergency assistance
- development bankInstitution financing economic growth
- philanthropydonations, charity work, donate, give, giving
- supportersfan, patron, supporters, backers, backer
- power brokerspowerbroker, kingpin, kingmakers, puppeteer, kingmaker
- online contributorscontributor, editor, moderator, uploader, submitter
- payerstaxpayer, bill payer, ratepayer, remitter
- college fundSavings for higher education
- rainy day fundMoney saved for emergencies
- retirement fundSavings for post-career years
- slush fundHidden discretionary money pool
- money market fundLow-risk pooled investment
- trust fund babyOne living off family money
fund, funding, fundamental, funded, fundraiser, fundamentally, refunded, refunds, funders