American Federation for Children Growth Fund Inc
American Federation for Children Growth Fund is a public charity based in Columbia, Maryland, that supports efforts to expand K–12 educational choice. Its stated mission emphasizes empowering families, especially lower-income families, to choose the best education for their children.
American Federation for Children Growth Fund Inc at a glance
In short: American Federation for Children Growth Fund Inc gave $2.4M across 11 grants in 2024 (avg $218K), top state Ohio. 64% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $2,400,000
- +17.1% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 11
- +0.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $218,182
- +17.1% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $100,000
- Total assets
- $9,387,483
- +17.0% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 64% first-time grantees (7 of 11, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Ohio (31% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to American Federation for Children Growth Fund Inc
- Contact
Mailing address: 10440 Little Patuxent Pkwy 300-343, Columbia, MD 21044
Phone: (202) 280-1990
Website: https://afcgrowthfund.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who American Federation for Children Growth Fund Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was School Choice Ohio ($750K). Together the top 10 received $2.4M.
Grant Size Distribution
56 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 17 grants of 56 (30%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The funder says it works in states across the country. Its 2024 grants show awards to organizations in Ohio, North Carolina, Texas, Indiana, Alabama, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Iowa, and South Carolina. The filing reports that Ohio received 31% of 2024 grant dollars, North Carolina 21%, Texas 21%, Indiana 9%, and Alabama 6%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is American Federation for Children Growth Fund Inc open to new grantees?
64%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 7 of 11 grantees (64%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $127K; repeat grants $378K. How we count
Medians: $50K first-time, $363K repeat.
- 36% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−4%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2024). 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 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $1.9M (2020) to $3.5M (2022). In 2024 it made 11 grants totaling $2.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| School Choice Ohio Columbus, OH | Educational Choice Support in OH | $750,000 |
| Parents for Educational Freedom North Carolina Raleigh, NC | Educational Choice Support in NC | $500,000 |
| Empower Kentucky Parents Inc Dallas, TX | Educational Choice Support in KY | $500,000 |
| Institute for Quality Education Indianapolis, IN | Educational Choice Support in IN | $225,000 |
| Education Freedom Alabama Birmingham, AL | Educational Choice Support in AL | $150,000 |
| Opportunity Scholarships of Nebraska Lincoln, NE | Educational Choice Support in NE | $100,000 |
| Children's Scholarship Fund Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA | Educational Choice Support in PA | $50,000 |
| Iowa Association of Christian Schools Foundation Des Moines, IA | Educational Choice Support in IA | $40,000 |
| Palmetto Promise Institute Columbia, SC | Educational Choice Support in SC | $35,000 |
| Nebraska Coalition of Nonpublic Schools Seward, NE | Educational Choice Support in NE | $25,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $9,387,483 | $14,793,929 | $13,215,663 | $2,400,000 | 11 | $392,081 |
| 2023 | $8,024,821 | $12,027,528 | $12,117,751 | $2,048,700 | 11 | $76,211 |
| 2022 | $7,919,910 | $10,112,654 | $11,596,217 | $3,488,162 | 16 | $37,279 |
| 2021 | $9,265,288 | $14,325,717 | $8,813,945 | $2,506,500 | 7 | $1,461 |
| 2020 | $3,553,977 | $5,109,056 | $8,762,625 | $1,869,750 | 11 | $15,216 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The funder’s stated mission is to empower families, especially lower-income families, with the freedom to choose the best K–12 education for their children. Its filing describes funding direct grants, consultant contracts, and other expenses in selected states to develop, grow, implement, and promote school-choice programs, including efforts to raise eligible families’ awareness of available programs. It also describes research and policy materials, grassroots mobilization, media activities, and fellowship programs to train former school-choice program recipients and community leaders.
The 2024 grants include support for organizations with varied education-choice missions. For example, School Choice Ohio says its mission is to protect and expand children’s educational options in Ohio. The Institute for Quality Education describes providing tuition assistance to low-income students and conducting research and analysis on Indiana’s K–12 system. Education Freedom Alabama says it empowers families to choose schools and provides scholarships to low-income K–12 students. Opportunity Scholarships of Nebraska describes granting scholarships to help defray K–12 education costs, while Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia describes providing needs-based scholarships for Philadelphia children to attend K–8 schools.
Other 2024 grantees include the Iowa Association of Christian Schools Foundation, which says it supports nonpublic school start-ups and existing Christian schools in Iowa, and Palmetto Promise Institute, which describes itself as a nonpartisan educational organization providing research, analysis, and publications on issues affecting the common good.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the funder reported 11 grants totaling $2,400,000. Grant amounts ranged from $25,000 to $750,000, with a median of $100,000. The largest awards included $750,000 to School Choice Ohio, $500,000 to Parents for Educational Freedom North Carolina, $500,000 to Empower Kentucky Parents, and $225,000 to the Institute for Quality Education. The filing lists each grant’s purpose as educational-choice support in the recipient’s state.
The funder’s filing says grantees are requested to submit interim and financial reports on program accomplishments, in addition to financial reporting. It also describes an expenditure-authorization policy: expenditures over $250,000 require board approval; expenditures from $25,001 to $250,000 may be approved by the board chair and vice-chair, subject to stated limits; and expenditures of $25,000 or less may be approved by the CEO and COO, also subject to a stated limit.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Ann Duplessis, Lee Barfield II, Kevin P. Chavous, Edward McDermott, Sister Rosemarie Nassif, and Paul Shiverick as directors. William E. Oberndorf is listed as chairman, John Kirtley as vice-chair, and Kathy Hubbard as secretary. Hon. Joseph Lieberman is listed as a director through February 2024.
American Federation for Children Growth Fund Inc is led by Thomas Schultz, Chief Executive Officer on every filing since 2021; 1 of 13 officers listed in 2024 is compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Thomas Schultz
Chief Executive Officer
On filings since 2021
22.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
William E. Oberndorf
Chairman
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ann Duplessis
Director
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
$4K (2023) → $22K (2024)
Edward McDermott
Director
Director → Member, 2021
Member → Director, 2022
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Joseph Lieberman
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kevin P. Chavous
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lee Barfield II
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Paul Shiverick
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sister Rosemarie Nassif
Director
Director → Member, 2021
Member → Director, 2022
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jennifer Miller
CFO & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
16.6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
John Kirtley
Vice Chair
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kathy Hubbard
Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Elisa Clements Linde
Chief Operating Officer
New on the 2024 filing
24.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (5)
- Former: Scott Walker (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Elisa Clements (2021–2023) — Chief Operating Officer
- Former: Jimmy Haslam (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Gregory Brock (2020–2021) — CEO
- Former: John Schilling (2020–2021) — President
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $22K, to Ann Duplessis (Director).
Frequently asked questions about American Federation for Children Growth Fund Inc
How much does American Federation for Children Growth Fund Inc give each year?
American Federation for Children Growth Fund Inc gave $2.4M across 11 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $2.0M across 11 grants.
What is American Federation for Children Growth Fund Inc's typical grant size?
American Federation for Children Growth Fund Inc's median grant in 2024 was $100,000, and its average grant was $218,182, across 11 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from American Federation for Children Growth Fund Inc that year got $127K on average.
Where does American Federation for Children Growth Fund Inc give grants?
American Federation for Children Growth Fund Inc's top state is Ohio, with 31% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were North Carolina (21%) and Texas (21%).
Does American Federation for Children Growth Fund Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 11 grants with a stated purpose on American Federation for Children Growth Fund Inc's 2024 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support.
Who are American Federation for Children Growth Fund Inc's largest grantees?
American Federation for Children Growth Fund Inc's largest 2024 grantees include School Choice Ohio ($750,000), Parents for Educational Freedom North Carolina ($500,000) and Empower Kentucky Parents Inc ($500,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 73% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is American Federation for Children Growth Fund Inc?
American Federation for Children Growth Fund Inc reported $9.4M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $14.8M.
What does American Federation for Children Growth Fund Inc fund?
The funder’s stated mission is to empower families, especially lower-income families, with the freedom to choose the best K–12 education for their children. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from American Federation for Children Growth Fund Inc?
American Federation for Children Growth Fund Inc has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check afcgrowthfund.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is American Federation for Children Growth Fund Inc's EIN?
American Federation for Children Growth Fund Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 52-2111508. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 1, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS September 22, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in American Federation for Children Growth Fund Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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American Federation for Children Inc
Columbia, MD
To empower families, especially lower-income families, with the freedom to choose the best k-12 education for their children.
Assets
$6.3M
Grants
12
Total Given
$895K
More similar funders
More Funders in Maryland
Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). American Federation for Children Growth Fund Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 6, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/american-federation-for-children-growth-fund-inc-morg_7ae10deb39bd4a81b07b8f751833d1ba
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_522111508_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{American Federation for Children Growth Fund Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/american-federation-for-children-growth-fund-inc-morg_7ae10deb39bd4a81b07b8f751833d1ba},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-06. 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 Federation for Children Growth Fund Inc'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.
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