Business Education Fund
Business Education Fund is a public charity based in North Bethesda, Maryland, that supports Main Street Alliance, its flagship project. The organization says its work centers on small businesses and the communities that sustain them.
Business Education Fund at a glance
In short: Business Education Fund reported $131 in grants paid in 2024 (a total; its filing lists no individual grants). Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Grants paid (2024)
- $131 — reported as a total on the IRS filing, without an itemized list
- Total assets
- $954,655
- -26.5% vs 2023
- Revenue (2024)
- $700,286
- -32.4% vs 2023
- Net investment income (2024)
- $27,543
- +1240.3% vs 2023
- Expenses (2024)
- $1,046,891
- -28.2% vs 2023
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026.
How to apply to Business Education Fund
- Contact
Mailing address: 909 Rose Ave Ste 400, North Bethesda, MD 20852
Phone: (301) 965-0280
Website: https://businesseducationfund.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Business Education Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
68 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 67 grants of 68 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
How Business Education Fund gives
- 2% of 2021 grantees were also funded in 2020. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2021). 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 $131 (2024) to $435K (2021). In 2024 it reported $131 in grants paid, as a total without an itemized list.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Maine People's Alliance Portland, ME | general support | $35,000 |
| Antigua Latin Restaurant LLC West Allis, WI | general support | $10,000 |
| Armageddon Beachparty Detroit, MI | general support | $10,000 |
| Atlantic Sands Inc Norfolk, VA | general support | $10,000 |
| Berliner Pub Renton, WA | general support | $10,000 |
| Black and Blues Music and Brews Loveland, CO | general support | $10,000 |
| Blue Moon Cafe Inc Baltimore, MD | general support | $10,000 |
| Dangerously Delicious DC LLC DBA Pie Shop Washington, DC | general support | $10,000 |
| Elm Street Lounge Greensboro, NC | general support | $10,000 |
| Friends and Lovers Inc Brooklyn, NY | general support | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Business Education Fund?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $954,655 | $700,286 | $1,046,891 | $131 | Total only | $27,543 |
| 2023 | $1,298,417 | $1,035,739 | $1,457,509 | — | — | $2,055 |
| 2022 | $1,725,500 | $1,999,588 | $1,367,112 | $3,550 | Total only | — |
| 2021 | $1,151,024 | $2,174,881 | $2,467,154 | $435,000 | 41 | — |
| 2020 | $1,576,100 | $2,747,199 | $1,377,794 | $342,500 | 27 | — |
"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
Business Education Fund’s mission is to support Main Street Alliance in ensuring small business owners—including those with fewer connections—can help define problems and inform policy solutions; share stories about small-business needs; and shift the narrative about Main Street priorities among media, decision-makers, and mainstream business groups.
A documented recipient is Maine People’s Alliance, which received $35,000 in 2021. The grantee describes its mission as creating a world where everyone has what they need, contributes what they can, and no one is left behind.
Grantmaking
The filing data lists zero grants for each of 2022, 2023, and 2024. Separately, Maine People’s Alliance received $35,000 in 2021. No typical grant size is stated. Business Education Fund says grants are awarded with the understanding that recipients will use the funds toward the purpose of their mission.
The organization’s described Main Street Alliance program trains and develops small business owners; the available information does not identify payments to participants as grants to outside organizations.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Richard Trent as executive director from April 2024 and Chanda Causer as executive director until February 2024. It also lists Chris Collins as the highest compensated employee; J Kelly Conklin as treasurer; David Borris as president; and Thomas Lee Johnson and Isral DeBruin as board members.
Business Education Fund is led by Chanda Causer, Executive Director since 2023 (on filings since 2021); 3 of 7 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Chanda Causer
Executive Director
Co-Executive Director → Executive Director, 2023
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$92K (2021) → $31K (2024)
Richard Trent
Executive Director Since April
New on the 2024 filing
40 hrs/week
$132K (2024)
David Borris
President
Treasurer → President, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Chris Collins
Highest Compensated Employee
New on the 2024 filing
40 hrs/week
$117K (2024)
J. Kelly Conklin
Treasurer
President → Treasurer, 2024
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Isral Debruin
Board Member
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Thomas Lee Johnson
Board Member
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (10)
- Former: Josie Kalipeni (2023) — Board Member
- Former: Tim Lampkin (2023) — Board Member
- Former: Brian Kettenring (2020–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Jim Houser (2020–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Reshonda Young (2020–2022) — Secretary
- Former: Stephen Michael (2020–2022) — Co-Executive Director
- Former: Natasha Crosby (2021–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Davis Senseman (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Amanda Ballantyne (2020) — Co-Executive Director
- Former: Kelly Conklin (2020) — Chair
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 $132K, to Richard Trent (Executive Director Since April 2024). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Business Education Fund
How much does Business Education Fund give each year?
Business Education Fund reported $131 in grants paid in 2024 on its 2024 IRS Form 990, as a total without an itemized list of grants.
How large is Business Education Fund?
Business Education Fund reported $955K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $700K.
What does Business Education Fund fund?
Business Education Fund’s mission is to support Main Street Alliance in ensuring small business owners—including those with fewer connections—can help define problems and inform policy solutions; share stories about small-business needs; and shift the narrative about Main Street priorities among media, decision-makers, and mainstream business groups. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Business Education Fund?
Business Education Fund has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check businesseducationfund.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Business Education Fund's EIN?
Business Education Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 84-2969730. 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
(5)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 21, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 21, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS October 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 3, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Business Education Fund's focus areas in our free grants database
Similar Funders
Funders that support many of the same organizations
Sixteen Thirty Fund
Washington, DC
SIXTEEN THIRTY FUND supports social-change projects focused on areas including racial justice, voting access, health care, climate, and democracy, with work across the United States. In 2024, its grants ranged from $5,700 to $27.85 million, with a median of $115,000. It generally requires a written application, but the profile does not say whether it accepts unsolicited requests.
Assets
$106.5M
Grants
318
Total Given
$236.4M
Rockefeller Family Fund Inc
New York, NY
Rockefeller Family Fund supports advocacy and strategic initiatives focused on climate and the environment, democracy, and economic justice for women. Its 2024 grants ranged from $7,000 to $9.7 million, with a median of $75,000, and went to organizations in multiple states; it does not accept unsolicited requests, though organizations may email staff a brief description of aligned work.
Assets
$216.8M
Grants
203
Total Given
$36.7M
Freedom Together Foundation
New York, NY
The foundation funds work to strengthen multiracial democracy and build community and worker power, racial and gender justice, movement infrastructure, reproductive health, medical research, and community institutions. In 2024, its grants ranged from $5,000 to $14 million, with a median of $500,000; its largest shares went to organizations in Washington, DC, New York, California, Massachusetts, and Illinois. It funds only preselected organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
Assets
$3.4B
Grants
595
Total Given
$470.0M
Rockefeller Brothers Fund Inc
New York, NY
The Rockefeller Brothers Fund supports work on democracy, sustainable development and climate, and peacebuilding, as well as place-based efforts in China, Central America, and the Western Balkans and arts and culture in New York City. Its 2024 grants had a median of $60,000, though awards varied widely. It accepts unsolicited requests, but rarely funds them—fewer than 1 percent result in funding.
Assets
$1.4B
Grants
646
Total Given
$60.4M
State Democracy Action Fund
Washington, DC
Provide the education and skills needed to connect everyday people with their state government and work to help state governments represent the diverse population of their communities and advance policies that promote inclusion, equality, and opportunity for all.
Assets
$679K
Grants
7
Total Given
$1.2M
Proteus Action League
Waltham, MA
Proteus Action League funds legislative advocacy, issue-focused reform campaigns, civil rights, and efforts to strengthen democracy and human rights. Its 2024 grants ranged from $10,000 to $150,000, with a median of $15,000, and went to organizations in multiple states, with the largest shares in New York, Florida, and Washington, D.C. The profile does not state whether it accepts unsolicited requests.
Assets
$1.9M
Grants
42
Total Given
$1.3M
More similar funders
More Funders in Maryland
The filing figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0. About GrantGraph Open
Figures come from Business Education Fund'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.
Business Education Fund down — hundreds of funders to go?