Fight for Children Inc
Fight For Children Inc is a Washington, DC-based public charity that supports youth development through sports in the DC metropolitan area. Its work includes grants and capacity-building for youth-serving organizations, along with direct-service and community initiatives.
Fight for Children Inc at a glance
In short: Fight for Children Inc gave $107K across 15 grants in 2024 (avg $7K), mostly in District of Columbia. 27% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $106,893
- -59.5% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 15
- +66.7% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $7,126
- -75.7% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $5,750
- Total assets
- $1,341,064
- -43.8% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 27% first-time grantees (4 of 15, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- District of Columbia (70% 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 Fight for Children Inc
- How to Apply
-
The FFC Youth Sports Fund is for Youth Sports Collaborative member organizations. Fight For Children’s website directs organizations to sign up for its newsletter to learn when applications open.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1250 Connecticut Avenue Nw 700, Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 772-0417
Website: https://fightforchildren.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Fight for Children Inc
Who Fight for Children Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Cloverleaf Equine Center ($20K). Together the top 10 received $79K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($5,750), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
66 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 57 grants of 66 (86%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Fight For Children’s stated mission and programs focus on the DC metropolitan area. The 2024 grant list shows awards to organizations in DC, Virginia, and Maryland; grant dollars were distributed 70% to DC, 24% to Virginia, and 6% to Maryland.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Fight for Children Inc open to new grantees?
27%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 4 of 15 grantees (27%) were first-time recipients. With only 15 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $8K. How we count
Medians: $6K first-time, $6K repeat.
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 $107K (2024) to $3.4M (2022). In 2024 it made 15 grants totaling $107K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Cloverleaf Equine Center Clifton, VA | Unrestricted Operating Support (UOS) Grant | $20,000 |
| Leveling the Playing Field Inc Washington, DC | Unrestricted Operating Support (UOS) Grant | $10,000 |
| So Kids Soar Washington, DC | Unrestricted Operating Support (UOS) Grant | $6,750 |
| City Kids DC Washington, DC | Unrestricted Operating Support (UOS) Grant | $6,625 |
| Girls on the Run DC Washington, DC | Unrestricted Operating Support (UOS) Grant | $6,050 |
| Junior Tennis Champions Center College Park, MD | Unrestricted Operating Support (UOS) Grant | $6,000 |
| Student-Athletes Organized to Understand Leadership Washington, DC | Unrestricted Operating Support (UOS) Grant | $6,000 |
| Alexandria Soccer Association Alexandria, VA | Unrestricted Operating Support (UOS) Grant | $5,750 |
| Dance Institute of Washington Washington, DC | Unrestricted Operating Support (UOS) Grant | $5,750 |
| DC Scores Washington, DC | Unrestricted Operating Support (UOS) Grant | $5,750 |
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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 | $1,341,064 | $1,223,221 | $1,243,942 | $106,893 | 15 | $50,341 |
| 2023 | $2,386,776 | $1,302,468 | $1,567,632 | $264,000 | 9 | $10,502 |
| 2022 | $3,678,411 | $2,156,848 | $4,571,758 | $3,354,210 | 19 | $52,124 |
| 2021 | $3,624,372 | $1,693,220 | $2,851,760 | $1,490,500 | 13 | $74,021 |
| 2020 | $4,521,665 | $856,660 | $1,699,766 | $660,000 | 10 | $172,279 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
Fight For Children’s 2024 filing describes the Youth Development Institute as its largest investment and central to its systems-level impact. It supports a coalition of local nonprofits with grant funding, capacity-building, and research and evaluation services. The filing also describes Youth Sports Day, a community event promoting sport-based youth development, and Early Access to Sports, a direct-service initiative introducing elementary students to sports and aiming to support attendance and social-emotional learning.
The organization’s website also describes the Youth Sports Collaborative, Early Access to Sports, the Fight For Children Sports Medicine Center at Children’s National Hospital, and the FFC Youth Sports Fund. Its stated approach emphasizes equitable access, whole-child development, youth voice, and community connection.
Grantees in the 2024 filing include organizations whose own missions describe work such as equine-assisted services for people with disabilities and youth from marginalized communities (Cloverleaf Equine Center); providing sports equipment to programs and schools serving low-income communities (Leveling the Playing Field); and creating accessible sports programs in Alexandria (Alexandria Soccer Association). Other grantees describe work in youth soccer, tennis, dance, and programming for youth with physical and developmental disabilities.
Grantmaking
In 2024, Fight For Children reported 15 grants totaling $106,893. Grant amounts ranged from $5,368 to $20,000, with a median of $5,750. The listed purposes were unrestricted operating support.
Notable 2024 grants included $20,000 to Cloverleaf Equine Center, $10,000 to Leveling the Playing Field Inc, $6,750 to So Kids Soar, $6,625 to City Kids DC, and $6,050 to Girls on the Run DC. Other listed awards included $6,000 each to Junior Tennis Champions Center and Student-Athletes Organized to Understand Leadership, and $5,750 each to Alexandria Soccer Association, Dance Institute of Washington, DC SCORES, Grassroots Health, and Open Goal Project.
The FFC Youth Sports Fund is described as making direct grants to Youth Sports Collaborative member organizations in the DC metro area. The program information identifies youth sports programming expansion, serving more youth, reducing financial barriers, and supporting quality access as focus areas. The funder’s website directs organizations to sign up for its newsletter for application announcements and describes an application process involving review criteria and an online application. The 2024 filing says Fight For Children gives grants to organizations that meet its purpose of helping children in need, keeps records of grants, and requests annual reports and, when applicable, interim reports.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists G David Fensterheim as chairman; Keith Gordon as secretary and board member; Daniel Radek, Michela English, Ernie Jarvis, and Kurt Newman MD as board members; James Kallusky as president; and Andrea M Hernandez as controller. Teri Smith is listed as a board member until July 15, 2024, and Joe Robert III as a board member from May 1, 2024.
Fight for Children Inc is led by James Kallusky, President since 2024 (on filings since 2021); 2 of 10 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
James Kallusky
President
Chief Program Officer → President, 2024
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$196K (2021) → $227K (2024)
G. David Fensterheim
Chairman
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Keith Gordon
Secretary & Board Member
President, CEO & Secretary → Secretary & Board Member, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$257K (2020) → $0 (2024)
Andrea M. Hernandez
Controller
New on the 2024 filing
40 hrs/week
$77K (2024)
Daniel Radek
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kurt Newman MD
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michela English
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ernie Jarvis
Board Member
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Teri Smith
Board Member
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Joe Robert III
Board Member
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (4)
- Former: Adrian M. Fenty (2020–2023) — Board Member -
- Former: Anthony Lewis (2020–2023) — Board Member -
- Former: Aaron Hyland (2021–2023) — Board Member -
- Former: Judy Wrench (2023) — Controller -
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 $227K, to James Kallusky (President). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Fight for Children Inc
How much does Fight for Children Inc give each year?
Fight for Children Inc gave $107K across 15 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $264K across 9 grants.
What is Fight for Children Inc's typical grant size?
Fight for Children Inc's median grant in 2024 was $5,750, and its average grant was $7,126, across 15 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Fight for Children Inc that year got $6K on average.
Where does Fight for Children Inc give grants?
Fight for Children Inc gives mostly in District of Columbia: 70% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest states were Virginia (24%) and Maryland (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (11 grants).
Does Fight for Children Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Fight for Children Inc's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (15 of 15) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990.
Who are Fight for Children Inc's largest grantees?
Fight for Children Inc's largest 2024 grantees include Cloverleaf Equine Center ($20,000), Leveling the Playing Field Inc ($10,000) and So Kids Soar ($6,750), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($5,750), which are not listed by name. Together they received 34% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Fight for Children Inc?
Fight for Children Inc reported $1.3M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $1.2M.
What does Fight for Children Inc fund?
Fight For Children’s 2024 filing describes the Youth Development Institute as its largest investment and central to its systems-level impact. It supports a coalition of local nonprofits with grant funding, capacity-building, and research and evaluation services. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Fight for Children Inc?
The FFC Youth Sports Fund is for Youth Sports Collaborative member organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Fight for Children Inc's EIN?
Fight for Children Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 52-1706059. 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 September 10, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 8, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 13, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 26, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Fight for Children Inc funds
Human Services Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Fight for Children Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Fight for Children Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/fight-for-children-inc-morg_815a29caa1264aa5b55d2ea29ec9206a
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_521706059_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Fight for Children Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/fight-for-children-inc-morg_815a29caa1264aa5b55d2ea29ec9206a},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-18. 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 Fight for Children 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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