Charleys Kids Foundation
Charleys Kids Foundation is a private foundation based in Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 2010 by Charley Shin, it is the philanthropic arm of Charleys Cheesesteaks and supports children and communities through education, mentorship, and access to healthy food.
Charleys Kids Foundation at a glance
In short: Charleys Kids Foundation gave $597K across 46 grants in 2024 (avg $13K), top state Ohio. 9% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $597,202
- +1.8% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 46
- -2.1% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $12,983
- +4.0% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $10,192
- Total assets
- $11,708,061
- +9.0% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 9% first-time grantees (4 of 46, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Ohio (21% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Charleys Kids Foundation
- How to Apply
-
Complete and submit the foundation’s grant application through its website. Applications are subject to the eligibility and award restrictions above.
- Review Cycle
- Application cycles open in October annually.
- Deadline
- Application cycles open in October annually.
- Contact
Application contact: Helena Dameron
Mailing address: 5500 Arlington Centre Blvd Ste 5300, Columbus, OH 43220
Phone: (614) 923-4700
Email: charleyskids@charleys.com
Website: https://charleyskids.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Charleys Kids Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was CASA Hogar Friends of ($51K). Together the top 10 received $211K.
Grant Size Distribution
257 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 254 grants of 257 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s filing reports that its 2024 grant dollars went to recipients in multiple states, with the largest shares going to Ohio (21%), the District of Columbia (9%), California (9%), Nevada (9%), and Missouri (8%). The filing describes its partner network as spanning 16 states and five countries. The foundation’s website currently reports active partnerships in 14 states and supported programming in five countries.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 46 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Charleys Kids Foundation open to new grantees?
9%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 4 of 46 grantees (9%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $13K; repeat grants $13K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 91% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−2%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 318% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF 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 $401K (2020) to $730K (2022). In 2024 it made 46 grants totaling $597K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| CASA Hogar Friends of Boulder City, NV | Mentoring: Life Skills | $50,958 |
| Central Ohio Youth for Christ Inc Columbus, OH | Mentoring: Life Skills | $20,383 |
| Kid Power Inc Washington, DC | Mentoring: Afterschool | $20,383 |
| Recource Cleveland (FKA Refugee Response) Cleveland, OH | Mentoring: Life Skills | $20,383 |
| Young Life Columbus Columbus, OH | Mentoring: Life Skills | $20,383 |
| Asian-American Community Services Upper Arlington, OH | Mentoring: Afterschool | $17,483 |
| Asia's Hope Columbus, OH | Education: College and Career | $15,287 |
| Children at Risk Houston, TX | Education: Tutoring | $15,287 |
| College Bound DC Washington, DC | Education: College and Career | $15,287 |
| Elevate Orlando Maitland, FL | Education: College and Career | $15,287 |
Ready to take the next step with Charleys Kids Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $11,708,061 | $1,591,914 | $998,071 | $597,202 | 46 | $963,054 | $400,524 | $302,626 |
| 2023 | $10,742,599 | $1,695,403 | $874,999 | $586,625 | 47 | $861,899 | $277,460 | $259,600 |
| 2022 | $9,441,827 | $2,004,463 | $950,211 | $729,670 | 60 | $948,658 | $183,686 | $309,554 |
| 2021 | $8,837,244 | $1,307,196 | $727,956 | $609,150 | 67 | $725,656 | $344,492 | $340,896 |
| 2020 | $8,262,926 | $1,053,102 | $516,925 | $401,341 | 37 | — | $282,743 | $376,328 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Charleys Kids Foundation reported a distributable amount of $303K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated focus areas are foundational literacy education, consistent mentorship relationships, and access to healthy food. Its direct programs include the Children’s Tutoring Initiative, which places trained community volunteers with elementary students for reading support, and Leaders Arise, which trains high school students to mentor younger readers. Its partner programs extend its support nationally and globally. The foundation says it supports partner organizations but does not operate or oversee their programming directly.
Examples of supported organizations illustrate the range of work among its grantees. Kid Power Inc. describes its mission as helping youth build confidence and skills for academic success, social-emotional wellness, and self-advocacy. Children At Risk describes itself as a statewide nonprofit working to improve children’s quality of life through research, policy analysis, education, collaboration, and advocacy. Asia’s Hope describes its mission as providing long-term care for orphaned children at high risk of exploitation.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the foundation reported 46 grants totaling $597,202. Grants ranged from $6,115 to $50,958, with a median of $10,192. Its largest reported award was $50,958 to CASA HOGAR FRIENDS OF for mentoring and life skills. Other notable awards included $20,383 each to Central Ohio Youth for Christ, Kid Power Inc., Resource Cleveland, and Young Life Columbus; and $17,483 to Asian-American Community Services.
The foundation’s filing says applicants must be registered 501(c)(3) organizations providing education, food, and/or mentorship to children in need at least twice a week, and must apply for a program that has existed for at least three years. Awards are one-year donations, with the option to reapply; the foundation does not fund the entire program cost and states that awards range from $500 to $10,000. When possible, it prefers monthly rather than one-time donations. The filing says the grant application can be completed and submitted through the foundation’s website.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Charley M. Shin as president/executive director, Candra Alisiswanto as treasurer/director, and Kyu Chang Han as secretary/director.
Charleys Kids Foundation is led by Charley M. Shin, President & Executive Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Charley M. Shin
President & Executive Director
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Candra Alisiswanto
Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kyu Chang Han
Secretary & Director
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
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.
Frequently asked questions about Charleys Kids Foundation
How much does Charleys Kids Foundation give each year?
Charleys Kids Foundation gave $597K across 46 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $587K across 47 grants.
What is Charleys Kids Foundation's typical grant size?
Charleys Kids Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $10,192, and its average grant was $12,983, across 46 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Charleys Kids Foundation that year got $13K on average.
Where does Charleys Kids Foundation give grants?
Charleys Kids Foundation's top state is Ohio, with 21% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were District of Columbia (9%) and California (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (4 grants), Columbus, OH (3 grants), Cleveland, OH (2 grants) and Houston, TX (2 grants).
Does Charleys Kids Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 46 grants with a stated purpose on Charleys Kids Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Education: Tutoring" (11 grants), "Education: College and Career" (11 grants) and "Mentoring: Life Skills" (11 grants).
Who are Charleys Kids Foundation's largest grantees?
Charleys Kids Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include CASA Hogar Friends of ($50,958), Central Ohio Youth for Christ Inc ($20,383) and Kid Power Inc ($20,383), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 15% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Charleys Kids Foundation?
Charleys Kids Foundation reported $11.7M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $963K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $303K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Charleys Kids Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated focus areas are foundational literacy education, consistent mentorship relationships, and access to healthy food. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Charleys Kids Foundation?
Complete and submit the foundation’s grant application through its website. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Charleys Kids Foundation's EIN?
Charleys Kids Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 82-2589532. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Charleys Kids Foundation funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Charleys Kids Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/charleys-kids-foundation-morg_41d32cbb6ac74116baef74c35a3d8e23
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_822589532_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Charleys Kids Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/charleys-kids-foundation-morg_41d32cbb6ac74116baef74c35a3d8e23},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 Charleys Kids Foundation'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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