American Bankers Association
The American Bankers Association (ABA) is a Washington, DC–based organization that represents banks of different sizes and charter types. Its filing describes a member-focused mission centered on advocacy, education, business solutions, and forums that help members provide financial services in a complex regulatory environment.
American Bankers Association at a glance
In short: American Bankers Association gave $488K across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $29K), top state District of Columbia. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $487,956
- +177.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- +70.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $28,703
- +63.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $22,500
- Total assets
- $958,402,157
- +6.1% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- District of Columbia (41% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to American Bankers Association
- Contact
Mailing address: 1333 New Hampshire Ave Nw, Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 663-5054
Website: https://aba.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who American Bankers Association funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Tax Foundation ($58K). Together the top 10 received $406K.
Grant Size Distribution
41 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 33 grants of 41 (80%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in multiple states. The largest reported shares by recipient state were DC (41%), MA (10%), NC (10%), TN (10%), and FL (10%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How American Bankers Association gives
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $43K (2021) to $488K (2025). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $488K.
Hatched bars: grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Tax Foundation Washington, DC | General Support for 2025 | $58,250 |
| Committee on Capital Markets Regulation Inc Cambridge, MA | Support Nonpartisan Financial Research and Public Education | $50,000 |
| North Carolina Bankers Association Foundation Raleigh, NC | Support hurricane helene relief fund through the ncba foundation | $50,000 |
| The Heritage Foundation Washington, DC | Support Policy Research and Educational Activities | $50,000 |
| TN Bankers Association Disaster Relief Fund Nashville, TN | Support the Relief Efforts of Hurricane Helene | $50,000 |
| Volunteer Florida Foundation Inc Tallahassee, FL | Support Hurricane Milton Relief | $50,000 |
| National Governors Association Center for Best Practices Washington, DC | Support bipartisan policy research and education for state governors | $30,000 |
| Abacef Disaster Relief Washington, DC | Support 2025 California Fires | $25,000 |
| Children's Hospital Foundation Silver Spring, MD | Support Annual Children's Ball | $22,500 |
| Alec Arlington, VA | Support New Legislator Academy | $20,000 |
Ready to take the next step with American Bankers Association?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $958,402,157 | $176,137,760 | $168,926,469 | $487,956 | 17 | $28,835,093 |
| 2024 | $903,374,225 | $175,420,605 | $149,109,118 | $175,900 | 10 | $31,486,288 |
| 2023 | $782,282,636 | $150,659,083 | $137,635,007 | $285,000 | 7 | $15,304,336 |
| 2022 | $708,168,992 | $592,825,072 | $118,785,976 | $156,901 | 4 | $13,154,778 |
| 2021 | $263,742,289 | $140,712,476 | $105,749,195 | $43,459 | 3 | $28,110,779 |
| 2020 | $233,390,410 | $136,163,926 | $121,443,987 | $137,319 | Total only | $16,384,176 |
| 2019 | $224,230,935 | $135,325,103 | $119,965,861 | $352,887 | 10 | $15,410,316 |
"Total only": grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The ABA’s filing states that its mission is to provide advocacy, education, business solutions, and forums for exchanging views and information to assist members in serving their communities while complying with laws and regulations. The filing describes programs including conferences, professional education and certifications, member communications, publications, products, and services.
The ABA Foundation says its mission is to inspire, equip, and empower banks to build thriving, resilient, and equitable communities. It describes work to build financial capability across age groups, promote revitalized and resilient communities, and advance homeownership and wealth generation.
The 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations and purposes. The Tax Foundation describes its mission as improving lives through tax policies that lead to greater economic growth and opportunity; the Heritage Foundation says it promotes conservative public policies; and the Committee on Capital Markets Regulation describes work related to the competitiveness of US capital markets and policy research. Grants also supported hurricane and wildfire relief, state policy research and education, and charitable events. These are the recipients’ stated missions or the purposes listed for individual grants, not stated ABA-wide focus areas.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the ABA reported 17 grants totaling $487,956. Grant amounts ranged from $6,150 to $58,250, with a median of $22,500.
Among the largest grants were $58,250 to the Tax Foundation for general support; $50,000 to the Committee on Capital Markets Regulation for nonpartisan financial research and public education; $50,000 to the North Carolina Bankers Association Foundation for Hurricane Helene relief; $50,000 to the Heritage Foundation for policy research and educational activities; $50,000 to the TN Bankers Association Disaster Relief Fund for Hurricane Helene relief; and $50,000 to Volunteer Florida Foundation for Hurricane Milton relief. Other listed grants included $30,000 to the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices for bipartisan policy research and education for state governors, and $25,000 to ABACEF Disaster Relief to support the 2025 California fires.
Separately, ABA’s Office of the Chief Economist offers a $40,000 Banking Research Dissertation Grant for one academic year to a doctoral student conducting research on the US banking industry. The published 2026–2027 cycle required applicants to be enrolled in an eligible economics or finance PhD program at an accredited college or university and to have completed required preliminary coursework. Applicants were to submit a research prospectus of no more than five pages, a transcript, and an advisor’s endorsement letter. Independent research was required, with a preference for quantitative work; first-degree relatives and household members of current ABA employees were ineligible. ABA stated that it places no restrictions on research results or publication outlet and claims no intellectual property rights in funded research. The application deadline of April 30, 2026, has passed.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Officers and directors listed on the 2025 filing include Robert S. Nichols, President and CEO; John C. Asbury, Chair; Catherine Owen, Vice Chair; Kenneth Kelly, Chair Elect; K. Wayne Wicker, Treasurer; Julieann M. Thurlow, Chair, Nominating Committee; Rick Clayburgh, Chair, ABA/State Association Alliance; Michael Adelman, Vice Chair, ABA/State Association Alliance; Kenneth W. Clayton, Chair, Government Relations Council; and Mary Kay Bates, Director.
American Bankers Association is led by Robert S. Nichols, President & CEO on every filing since 2019; 13 of 37 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Robert S. Nichols
President & CEO
On filings since 2019
36.5 hrs/week
$2.8M (2019) → $4.1M (2025)
Kenneth W. Clayton
Chair & Government Relations Council
Executive Vice President → Former Highest Compensated Employee, 2023
Former Highest Compensated Employee → Chair & Government Relations Council, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$492K (2019) → $0 (2025)
John C. Asbury
Chair
Vice Chair → Chair Elect, 2024
Chair Elect → Chair, 2025
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Julieann M. Thurlow
Chair & Nominating Committee
Chair Elect → Chair, 2024
Chair → Chair & Nominating Committee, 2025
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rick Clayburgh
Chair, Aba & State Associatiation Alliance
Vice Chair, Aba & State Association Alliance → Chair, Aba & State Associatiation Alliance, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Brent Beardall
Director
Board Member → Director, 2025
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Cheryl D. Bowers
Director
Board Member → Director, 2025
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John R. Ciulla
Director
Board Member → Director, 2025
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Larry W. Myers
Director
Board Member → Director, 2025
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Simon Cruz
Director
Board Member → Director, 2025
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Christie Huber Obenauer
Director
Board Member → Director, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Saleem Iqbal
Director
Board Member → Director, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Timothy Marshall
Director
Board Member → Director, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Curtis J. Myers
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
David Osborn
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
George Leis
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James Ryan
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jennifer T. Jones
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Marianne Lake
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mary Kay Bates
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Thomas J. Fraser
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alethia Baggett
Chief Hr Officer
On filings since 2019
37.5 hrs/week
$429K (2019) → $583K (2025)
Naomi Camper
Chief Policy Officer
On filings since 2019
37.5 hrs/week
$357K (2019) → $976K (2025)
Peter C. Cook
Chief Communication Officer
On filings since 2019
36.5 hrs/week
$484K (2019) → $672K (2025)
Karin Petersen Flynn
Cheif Finance & Administrator Officer
Chief Financial Officer → Cheif Finance & Aministration Officer, 2024
Cheif Finance & Aministration Officer → Cheif Finance & Administrator Officer, 2025
On filings since 2020
33.5 hrs/week
$58K (2020) → $657K (2025)
Jess Sharp
Executive Vice President
On filings since 2021
37.5 hrs/week
$636K (2021) → $699K (2025)
Thomas Pinder
General Counsel & Corp. Secretary
General Counsel & Corp. Secretary → General Counsel & Corp. Se, 2024
General Counsel & Corp. Se → General Counsel & Corp. Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2021
37.5 hrs/week
$485K (2022) → $631K (2025)
Virginia O'Neill
Executive Vice President & Regulatory Compliance
Executive Vice President & Regulatory Compliance Policy → Executive Vice President & Regulatory Compliance, 2023
On filings since 2022
37.5 hrs/week
$488K (2022) → $590K (2025)
Laena F. Pomeroy
Chief of Staff
Senior Advisor → Chief of Staff, 2024
On filings since 2023
37.5 hrs/week
$380K (2023) → $450K (2025)
Sayee Srinivasan
Chief Economist
On filings since 2023
37.5 hrs/week
$434K (2023) → $522K (2025)
Kirsten Sutton
Executive Vice President & Congressional Relation
Executive Vice President & Congressional Relatio → Executive Vice President & Congressional Relation, 2025
On filings since 2024
37.5 hrs/week
$533K (2024) → $555K (2025)
Russell Davis
Executive Vice President & Member Experience
On filings since 2024
37.5 hrs/week
$484K (2024) → $585K (2025)
Joanna Shapiro
Cmeo
New on the 2025 filing
37.5 hrs/week
$477K (2025)
Catherine Owen
Vice Chair
Chair & Government Relation → Board Member -, 2024
Board Member - → Vice Chair, 2025
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kenneth Kelly
Chair Elect
Board Member → Vice Chair, 2024
Vice Chair → Chair Elect, 2025
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
K. Wayne Wicker
Treasurer
Board Member → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michael Adelman
Vice Chair, Aba & State Association Alliance
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (71)
- Former: Daniel D. Robb (2019–2024) — Chair & Nominating Committee
- Former: James G. Edrington (2019–2024) — Executive Vice President -
- Former: A. Scott Anderson (2020–2024) — Board Member -
- Former: Carissa Rodeheaver (2020–2024) — Treasurer
- Former: Andrew Anderson (2021–2024) — Board Member -
- Former: Bryan D. Bruns (2021–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Ira Robbins (2021–2024) — Board Member -
- Former: James J. McQuade (2021–2024) — Board Member
- Former: James S. Mahan III (2021–2024) — Board Member -
- Former: Jennifer Piepszak (2021–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Kevin Sabin (2021–2024) — Board Member -
- Former: David D. Nelson (2022–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Fred L. Green III (2022–2024) — Board Member -
- Former: Sarah A. Long (2023–2024) — Chair, Aba & State Association Alliance
- Former: Gary R. Shook (2024) — Chair & Government Relations Council
- Former: Jim Ryan (2024) — Board Member
- Former: John F. Hall (2024) — Board Member
- Former: Michael Rauh Jr. (2024) — Board Member -
- Former: James Ballentine (2019–2023) — Former Highest Compensated Employee
- Former: Jeffrey Owen (2019–2023) — Former Key Employee
- Former: B. Michael Rauh Jr. (2021–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Gary Sundel (2023) — Chief Information Officer
- Former: Kristen Sutton (2023) — Executive Vice President & Congressional Relations
- Former: Daniel C. Yates (2019–2022) — Board Member
- Former: James A. Reuter (2019–2022) — Board Member
- Former: James J. Edwards Jr. (2019–2022) — Chair & Nominating Committee
- Former: Louise A. Walker (2019–2022) — Treasurer
- Former: Michael L. Scudder (2020–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Shan L. Hanes (2020–2022) — Board Member
- Former: J. Duncan Campbell III (2021–2022) — Chair, Aba & State Association Alliance
- Former: Paul Benda (2022) — Senior Vice President, Operational Risk & Cybersecurity
- Former: Dawn Causey (2019–2021) — General Counsel · Filing note: Thru 111520
- Former: Jim Chessen (2019–2021) — Executive Vice President · Filing note: Thru 4120
- Former: Robert G. Eady (2019–2021) — Former Chief Financial Officer
- Former: Robert R. Davis (2019–2021) — Executive Vice President · Filing note: Thru 3220
- Former: Robert Schmermund (2019–2021) — Executive Vice President
- Former: Wayne Abernathy (2019–2021) — Executive Vice President · Filing note: Thru 3220
- Former: Dave D. Nelson (2021) — Board Member
- Former: James Kisch (2021) — Board Member
- Former: Rose Oswald Poels (2021) — Board Member
- Former: Bradford C. Paige (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Bryan Luke (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: D. Bryan Jordan (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Douglas B. Petno (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Greg D. Carmichael (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Howard M. Headlee (2019–2020) — Chair, Aba & State Associate Alliance
- Former: Jeffrey M. Szyperski (2019–2020) — Chair & Nominating Committee
- Former: Jill Castilla (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Kristie Holoch (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Laurie Stewart (2019–2020) — Chair
- Former: Luanne Cundiff (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Luther Deaton Jr. (2019–2020) — Treasurer
- Former: Matt C. Packard (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Patricia W. Weigel (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Richard M. Adams Jr. (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Stacey J. Bentley (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: W. Wesley Hoskins (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Daniel D. Robb Dan (2020) — Chair & Government Relations Council
- Former: Howard A. Jaffe (2020) — Board Member
- Former: James H. Rieniets Jr. (2020) — Vice Chair & Govt. Relations Council
- Former: Peter Gwaltney (2020) — Vice Chair, Aba & State Association Alliance
- Former: Andrea B. Smith (2019) — Board Member
- Former: Christine Walika (2019) — Former Executive Vice President
- Former: Christopher W. Pinkham (2019) — Board Member
- Former: Daniel J. Schrider (2019) — Board Member
- Former: E. Philip Wenger (2019) — Board Member
- Former: H. McCall Wilson Jr. (2019) — Board Member
- Former: Kenneth L. Burgess (2019) — Board Member
- Former: Patricia A. Husic (2019) — Board Member
- Former: Paul Katz (2019) — Former Executive Vice President
- Former: Pedro A. Bryant (2019) — Board Member
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $4.1M, to Robert S Nichols (President and CEO). 13 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about American Bankers Association
How much does American Bankers Association give each year?
American Bankers Association gave $488K across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $176K across 10 grants.
What is American Bankers Association's typical grant size?
American Bankers Association's median grant in 2025 was $22,500, and its average grant was $28,703, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does American Bankers Association give grants?
American Bankers Association's top state is District of Columbia, with 41% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were Massachusetts (10%) and North Carolina (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (7 grants) and Silver Spring, MD (2 grants).
Does American Bankers Association give general operating support?
Occasionally: 6% of American Bankers Association's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 17) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Who are American Bankers Association's largest grantees?
American Bankers Association's largest 2025 grantees include Tax Foundation ($58,250), Committee on Capital Markets Regulation Inc ($50,000) and North Carolina Bankers Association Foundation ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 32% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is American Bankers Association?
American Bankers Association reported $958.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $176.1M.
What does American Bankers Association fund?
The ABA’s filing states that its mission is to provide advocacy, education, business solutions, and forums for exchanging views and information to assist members in serving their communities while complying with laws and regulations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from American Bankers Association?
American Bankers Association has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check aba.com for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is American Bankers Association's EIN?
American Bankers Association's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 52-1001304. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 15, 2026)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 12, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS July 12, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS July 14, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS July 11, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS July 9, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS July 12, 2021)
Other open foundation grants in District of Columbia
District of Columbia Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in American Bankers Association's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). American Bankers Association funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/american-bankers-association-morg_bed1c5711cf34b71808c79fc6209081a
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_521001304_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{American Bankers Association funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/american-bankers-association-morg_bed1c5711cf34b71808c79fc6209081a},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-21. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from American Bankers Association's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
American Bankers Association down — hundreds of funders to go?