Forward Action Fund
Forward Action Fund is a public charity based in Concord, New Hampshire, formed in 2018. It reports that it promotes social welfare through policy advocacy, public education, research, and civic engagement, and makes grants to eligible domestic organizations working on issues aligned with its mission.
Forward Action Fund at a glance
In short: Forward Action Fund gave $25.7M across 16 grants in 2024 (avg $1.6M), mostly in District of Columbia. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $25,689,974
- +2698.4% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 16
- +220.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $1,605,623
- +774.5% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $360,000
- Total assets
- $4,272,772
- +11.2% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- District of Columbia (68% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026.
How to apply to Forward Action Fund
- Contact
Mailing address: 114 North Main Street 201, Concord, NH 03301
Phone: (603) 573-9661
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Forward Action Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Majority Forward ($8.8M). Together the top 10 received $24.7M.
Grant Size Distribution
40 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $100–250K range: 10 grants of 40 (25%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2024 grant dollars were reported as distributed among recipients in Washington, DC (68%), New Hampshire (17%), Utah (7%), Delaware (4%), and Ohio (2%). Other listed recipients included organizations in North Carolina and Maryland.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Forward Action Fund gives
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (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 $350K (2021) to $25.7M (2024). In 2024 it made 16 grants totaling $25.7M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Majority Forward Washington, DC | Primary Purpose, Non-Lobbying Activities | $8,800,000 |
| Somos Pac Washington, DC | General Operating/Unrestricted | $5,813,205 |
| Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy Pac Concord, NH | General Operating/Unrestricted | $2,228,320 |
| Map USA Washington, DC | Primary Purpose/Lobbying Restricted | $2,200,000 |
| Ohio Families for Democracy Concord, NH | General Purpose/Lobbying Allowable | $2,083,713 |
| Stop Political Corruption Inc Salt Lake City, UT | Promote Social Welfare; Lobbying Allowed | $1,500,000 |
| Promoting American Values for Everyone Inc Wilmington, DE | General Operating/Unrestricted | $1,000,000 |
| Make North Carolina First Raleigh, NC | Primary Purpose, Non-Lobbying Activities | $400,000 |
| Freedom and Accountability Project Washington, DC | Activities That Promote Social Welfare; Lobbying Permissable | $320,000 |
| Ohio Citizen Action Cleveland, OH | Activities That Promote Social Welfare | $310,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Amounts below are as reported for each filing year.
The 2024 filing reports a $450,000 loss from a fraudulent wire payment following a vendor email account takeover; $50,000 was recovered from the receiving bank. The fund reported adopting email monitoring, regular staff cybersecurity training, and a policy requiring verbal vendor confirmation before wire transfers.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $4,272,772 | $72,292,778 | $72,956,269 | $25,689,974 | 16 | $130,088 |
| 2023 | $3,841,909 | $9,292,642 | $8,404,240 | $918,026 | 5 | $39,930 |
| 2022 | $2,972,772 | $16,824,765 | $15,640,515 | $2,932,150 | 9 | $5,242 |
| 2021 | $1,761,761 | $2,818,396 | $2,745,749 | $350,000 | 2 | $805 |
| 2020 | $2,071,166 | $24,247,964 | $22,724,803 | $2,738,058 | 8 | — |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The fund’s stated mission includes economic, gender, climate, racial, health, and social justice. Its filing describes grantmaking focused on organizations building support for family-friendly economic policies and local community-building efforts.
Examples of grantee missions illustrate the range of organizations it supported in 2024. MAP USA says its mission is to encourage economic development and protect healthcare amid economic and public-health crises. Ohio Citizen Action says it organizes people to advocate for public interests, including public health, environmental quality, consumer interests, and democracy. Communities United Action Fund says it works to educate and support diverse communities about the democratic process and increase engagement. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own missions.
Grantmaking
In 2024, Forward Action Fund reported 16 grants totaling $25,689,974. Grant amounts ranged from $12,000 to $8,800,000, with a median of $360,000.
Its largest reported grants included $8,800,000 to Majority Forward, $5,813,205 to Somos PAC, $2,228,320 to Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy PAC, and $2,200,000 to MAP USA. Other reported grants included $2,083,713 to Ohio Families for Democracy, $1,500,000 to Stop Political Corruption Inc., and $1,000,000 to Promoting American Values for Everyone Inc.
The fund’s filing states that grant requirements are set out in executed agreements and that grantee reports and financial statements are used to track deliverables.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Deborah Butler as chair, Mary Schuh as treasurer, Monica Ciolfi as secretary, and Courtney Jones and Anthony Lopez as directors. The filing also states that management duties were delegated to Civix Strategy Group under an agreement negotiated at arm’s length.
Forward Action Fund is led by Deborah Butler, Chair on every filing since 2020; none of the 5 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Deborah Butler
Chair
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Courtney Jones
Director
Member → Director, 2022
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Anthony Lopez
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mary Schuh
Treasurer
Secretary → Treasurer, 2024
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Monica Ciolfi
Secretary
Member → Director, 2022
Director → Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Esther Dickinson (2020–2023) — Treasurer
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 Forward Action Fund
How much does Forward Action Fund give each year?
Forward Action Fund gave $25.7M across 16 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $918K across 5 grants.
What is Forward Action Fund's typical grant size?
Forward Action Fund's median grant in 2024 was $360,000, and its average grant was $1,605,623, across 16 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990.
Where does Forward Action Fund give grants?
Forward Action Fund gives mostly in District of Columbia: 68% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest states were New Hampshire (17%) and Utah (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (5 grants), Concord, NH (3 grants) and Salt Lake City, UT (2 grants).
Does Forward Action Fund give general operating support?
Yes: 25% of Forward Action Fund's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (4 of 16) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990. Recurring purposes include "Primary Purpose; Non Lobbying Activities" (4 grants).
Who are Forward Action Fund's largest grantees?
Forward Action Fund's largest 2024 grantees include Majority Forward ($8,800,000), Somos Pac ($5,813,205) and Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy Pac ($2,228,320), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 66% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Forward Action Fund?
Forward Action Fund reported $4.3M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $72.3M.
What does Forward Action Fund fund?
The fund’s stated mission includes economic, gender, climate, racial, health, and social justice. Its filing describes grantmaking focused on organizations building support for family-friendly economic policies and local community-building efforts. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Forward Action Fund?
Forward Action Fund has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Forward Action Fund's EIN?
Forward Action Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 83-1806898. 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 10, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS October 29, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 14, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Forward Action Fund funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/forward-action-fund-morg_e51396c3e2534538b39bcae99592d802
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_831806898_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Forward Action Fund funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/forward-action-fund-morg_e51396c3e2534538b39bcae99592d802},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Forward Action 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.
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