Special Olympics Inc
Special Olympics Inc is a public charity based in Washington, DC, formed in 1968. It supports year-round sports training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, alongside health, education, and inclusion programs.
Special Olympics Inc at a glance
In short: Special Olympics Inc gave $55.2M across 68 grants in 2024 (avg $812K), top state California. 13% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $55,231,970
- +17.4% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 68
- +11.5% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $812,235
- +5.3% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $626,868
- Total assets
- $164,249,772
- +9.3% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 13% first-time grantees (9 of 68, 2024)
- Primary geography
- California (6% 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 Special Olympics Inc
- Review Cycle
- For the 2025–2026 Systems Change in Inclusive Health Subgrant, Letters of Interest were due March 21, 2025; invited full proposals were due April 11, 2025, and completed applications were due May 2, 2025.
- Deadline
- For the 2025–2026 Systems Change in Inclusive Health Subgrant, Letters of Interest were due March 21, 2025; invited…
- Contact
Mailing address: 2600 Virginia Ave Nw 11Th Flr, Washington, DC 20037
Phone: (202) 628-3630
Website: https://specialolympics.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Special Olympics Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Special Olympics Texas ($2.6M). Together the top 10 received $20.4M.
Grant Size Distribution
309 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $1–5M range: 88 grants of 309 (28%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2024 grant list shows awards to Special Olympics organizations in multiple U.S. states. California accounted for 6% of grant dollars, Texas and Massachusetts 5% each, and Florida and Michigan 4% each. The organization also reports school programming in 152 countries across seven global regions.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 68 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Special Olympics Inc open to new grantees?
13%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 9 of 68 grantees (13%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $62K; repeat grants $927K. How we count
Medians: $42K first-time, $782K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2024). 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 2019 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $31.8M (2020) to $55.2M (2024). In 2024 it made 68 grants totaling $55.2M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Special Olympics Texas San Antonio, TX | Program Assistance | $2,606,538 |
| Special Olympics Florida Clermont, FL | Program Assistance | $2,374,404 |
| Special Olympics Michigan Mt Pleasant, MI | Program Assistance | $2,181,710 |
| Special Olympics Illinois Normal, IL | Program Assistance | $2,102,162 |
| Special Olympics New York Albany, NY | Program Assistance | $2,014,206 |
| Special Olympics Pennsylvania Norristown, PA | Program Assistance | $1,994,745 |
| Special Olympics North Carolina Morrisville, NC | Program Assistance | $1,832,486 |
| Special Olympics Minnesota Minneapolis, MN | Program Assistance | $1,831,179 |
| Special Olympics Southern California Long Beach, CA | Program Assistance | $1,778,369 |
| Special Olympics Massachusetts Marlborough, MA | Program Assistance | $1,635,184 |
Ready to take the next step with Special Olympics Inc?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $164,249,772 | $186,403,463 | $168,543,160 | $55,231,970 | 68 | $6,135,174 |
| 2023 | $150,264,447 | $152,233,363 | $160,530,033 | $47,037,390 | 61 | $3,382,430 |
| 2022 | $154,610,459 | $138,307,643 | $142,283,989 | $43,470,433 | 58 | $-7,692,717 |
| 2021 | $155,208,967 | $148,321,104 | $126,020,467 | $43,018,756 | 58 | $8,767,483 |
| 2020 | $129,814,982 | $126,031,361 | $109,837,653 | $31,822,610 | 64 | $6,820,570 |
| 2019 | $108,658,001 | $135,575,691 | $128,087,216 | $36,232,025 | 67 | $6,813,504 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
Special Olympics states that its mission is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, offering opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and share skills and friendship with families, athletes, and the community.
Its health work addresses barriers to quality care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through prevention, assessment, training, and health systems strengthening. Other reported work includes Unified Champion Schools, youth leadership and innovation projects, and sports training and competition.
The organization’s 2024 grants included program assistance to state Special Olympics organizations. For example, Special Olympics Florida describes its own mission as providing year-round sports training and competition, critical health services, and leadership skills to people with intellectual disabilities, at no cost to athletes or caregivers. Special Olympics Michigan describes its mission as using sport to promote acceptance, respect, inclusion, dignity, and joy while providing year-round sports training and competition.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, Special Olympics reported 68 grants totaling $55,231,970. Awards ranged from $7,500 to $2,606,538, with a median of $626,868. The largest grants were:
The listed purposes for these grants were “program assistance.”
Special Olympics also offers project-based opportunities. Its annual Systems Change in Inclusive Health Subgrant supports organizations working to improve inclusion of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in healthcare, health promotion, and disease prevention systems. The 2025–2026 guidelines describe awards of up to $50,000 per year for state- or national-level change and up to $25,000 per year for local, city, or county-level change. Eligible applicants must be U.S.-based organizations—not individuals—with a Unique Entity ID, active SAM.gov registration, and a proposed systems-change project that meaningfully includes people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The process begins with a Letter of Interest; organizations meeting its requirements are invited to submit a full proposal.
Youth Innovation Grants support youth-led projects promoting inclusion in schools and communities. The website describes awards of $500, $1,000, $1,500, or $2,000 for eligible Youth Leaders or Unified Pairs aged 14–25, supported by an accredited Special Olympics Program. The application requests a project summary and budget, program staff support, Youth Leader photos, and completion of project-management e-learning. The application page states that grants are unavailable to youth in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean, and that applications are closed at this time.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Dr. Timothy Shriver as chairman; Anne Finucane as lead director and vice chair; and Dale Jones as treasurer. Listed directors include Seun Adigun, Yousef Al Otaiba, Jaime Aleman, Kiera Byland, Jim P. Clements, Bart Conner, and Shi Derong.
Special Olympics Inc is led by Mary Davis, CEO & President since 2023 (on filings since 2019); 10 of 50 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Mary Davis
CEO & President
CEO → CEO & President, 2023
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$458K (2019) → $534K (2024)
Timothy P. Shriver
Chairman
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Anne Finucane
Lead Director & Vice Chair
Director → Lead Director & Vice Chair, 2024
On filings since 2019
6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Bart Conner
Director
On filings since 2019
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Bobby Shriver
Director
On filings since 2019
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Carolina Picasso
Director
On filings since 2019
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David Sable
Director
On filings since 2019
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Glenn Lyon
Director
On filings since 2019
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jennifer Fortner
Director
On filings since 2019
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kim Samuel
Director
On filings since 2019
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Li Ruigang
Director
On filings since 2019
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Maria Gabriela Sigala
Director
On filings since 2019
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mark Shriver
Director
On filings since 2019
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Natalia Vodianova
Director
On filings since 2019
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ray Lane
Director
On filings since 2019
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ronak Lakhani
Director
On filings since 2019
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Satish Pillai
Director
On filings since 2019
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Shi Derong
Director
On filings since 2019
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Yang Lan
Director
On filings since 2019
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
James Quincy
Director
On filings since 2020
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jim P. Clements
Director
On filings since 2020
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Karoly Mirnics
Director
On filings since 2020
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jaime Aleman
Director
On filings since 2021
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Yousef Al Otaiba
Director
On filings since 2021
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Benita Fitzgerald Mosley
Director
On filings since 2022
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Chang-Woo Soh
Director
On filings since 2022
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Didier Drogba
Director
On filings since 2022
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Hamchetou Maiga Ba
Director
On filings since 2023
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kiera Byland
Director
On filings since 2023
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mike Zafirovski
Director
On filings since 2023
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Amadou Gall Fall
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Emanuelle Dutra Fernandes De Sou
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Eva Gazova
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Gail Hamamoto
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jim Ryan
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Laura Valverde
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mary Gu
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Piet Steel
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Seun Adigun
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tusitina Nu'uvali
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ayman Wahab
Rpmd & Mena
Regional President & Mena → Rpmd & Mena, 2023
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$200K (2019) → $209K (2024)
Freda Fung
Rpmd & Soea
Regional President & Soea → Rpmd & Soea, 2020
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$218K (2019) → $242K (2024)
John Dow Jr.
Chief, Regional & Program
Chief Regional Programs Officer → Chief, Regional & Program Operations, 2021
Chief, Regional & Program Operations → Chief, Regional & Program, 2022
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$281K (2019) → $319K (2024)
Louis Lauria
Chief of Games & Competition
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$207K (2019) → $259K (2024)
Steve Borrelli
Chief Human Resources Officer
Chief & Human Resources Officer → Chief Human Resources Officer, 2022
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$226K (2019) → $269K (2024)
James Barbee
CFO
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$195K (2021) → $274K (2024)
Brandon Fitzgerald
Chief Legal Officer & Secretary
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$229K (2022) → $305K (2024)
David Evangelista
Rpmd & Soee
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$253K (2022) → $272K (2024)
Zehra Sayin
Cmdo
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$188K (2022) → $351K (2024)
Dale Jones
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2023
On filings since 2020
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (43)
- Former: Angelo Moratti (2019–2023) — Vice Chair
- Former: Eleni Rossides (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Loretta Claiborne (2019–2023) — Vc & Chief Inspiration Officer
- Former: William Alford (2019–2023) — Lead Director & Vice Chair
- Former: Yolanda Eleta De Varela (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Alicia Bazzano (2020–2023) — Former Chief Medical Officer
- Former: Angela Ciccolo (2019–2022) — Clo & Secretary
- Former: Benjamin Haack (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Clement Chileshe (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Dikembe Mutombo (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Nyasha Derera (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Sharon Bollenbach (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Sujing Zhao (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Gloria Torruco (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Nicholas Burns (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Prianka Nandy (2021–2022) — Chief Information Officer
- Former: Ernest Z. Bower (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Kelli Seely (2019–2021) — Chief Marketing & Development Officer
- Former: Michelle Kwan (2019–2021) — Treasurer
- Former: Muhtar Kent (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Nils Kastberg (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Anthony Wylie (2020–2021) — Rpmd & Sona
- Former: Ambassador Nicholas Burns (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Ambassdor Jaime Aleman (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Arne Sorenson (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Dipak Natali (2020) — Rpmd & Soap
- Former: He Yousef Al Otaiba (2020) — Director
- Former: Michael Meenan (2020) — CFO
- Former: Ambassador Luis Gallegos (2019) — Director
- Former: Cdr Kartikay Saini (2019) — Director
- Former: Elisabeth Dykens (2019) — Director
- Former: Hamdi Ulukaya (2019) — Director
- Former: Hh Sayyid Faisal Bin Turki Al Said (2019) — Director
- Former: His Excellency Yousef Al Otaiba (2019) — Director
- Former: Kim Byeong Deok (2019) — Director
- Former: Mike Meenan (2019) — CFO
- Former: Na Kyung Won (2019) — Director
- Former: Stephen Carter (2019) — Director
- Former: Steven Keener (2019) — Corporate Counsel & Assistant Secretary
- Former: Timothy Kobosko (2019) — Chief Information Officer
- Former: Vanessa Williams (2019) — Director
- Former: Wing-Kun Tam (2019) — Director
- Former: Yao Ming (2019) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2024. "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 $534K, to Ms Mary Davis (CEO & President). 10 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Special Olympics Inc
How much does Special Olympics Inc give each year?
Special Olympics Inc gave $55.2M across 68 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $47.0M across 61 grants.
What is Special Olympics Inc's typical grant size?
Special Olympics Inc's median grant in 2024 was $626,868, and its average grant was $812,235, across 68 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Special Olympics Inc that year got $62K on average.
Where does Special Olympics Inc give grants?
Special Olympics Inc's top state is California, with 6% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990. The most frequent recipient cities were Seattle, WA (2 grants), Omaha, NE (2 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does Special Olympics Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 68 grants with a stated purpose on Special Olympics Inc's 2024 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Program Assistance" (68 grants).
Who are Special Olympics Inc's largest grantees?
Special Olympics Inc's largest 2024 grantees include Special Olympics Texas ($2,606,538), Special Olympics Florida ($2,374,404) and Special Olympics Michigan ($2,181,710), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 13% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Special Olympics Inc?
Special Olympics Inc reported $164.2M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $186.4M.
What does Special Olympics Inc fund?
Special Olympics states that its mission is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, offering opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and share skills and friendship with families, athletes, and the community. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Special Olympics Inc?
Special Olympics Inc has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check specialolympics.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Special Olympics Inc's EIN?
Special Olympics Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 52-0889518. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2024.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 17, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS August 6, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS August 8, 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 5, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 11, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Special Olympics Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Special Olympics Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/special-olympics-inc-morg_78c6901eac1a41c9ae6f603cff1d4c38
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_520889518_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Special Olympics Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/special-olympics-inc-morg_78c6901eac1a41c9ae6f603cff1d4c38},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Special Olympics 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.
Special Olympics Inc down — hundreds of funders to go?