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AARP at a glanceAlso receives grants: funding profile →

· Public charity

AARP

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization empowering people to choose how they live as they age.

$40M
Granted FY2024still arriving
688
Grants FY2024still arriving
53
States reached
$7.4M
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2018 to 2024.

Human Services$251MCrime & Legal$83MEducation$28MArts & Culture$24MHealth$21MCommunity Improvement$18MRecreation & Sports$13MPublic Benefit$9.5MOther$0
02FY2024 · 688 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 688 grants below total $35,827,451, the rows itemized in this filing. The $39,872,182 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $4,044,731 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k137 grants · $982k
  • $10k–50k451 grants · $8.0M
  • $50k–250k82 grants · $6.8M
  • $250k+18 grants · $20M
$15,000
Median grant
53
States reached
$13.1B
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Older Adults Technology Services$7,400,596
Wish of a Lifetime$3,362,720
Legal Counsel for the Elderly$2,978,685
The Creative Coalition$995,077
United Way Worldwide$819,000
AARP Foundation$514,383
America'S Charities$508,493
Regents of the University of Michigan$440,000
John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts$424,000
Massachusetts Institute of Technology$360,000
Aspen Institute$325,000
US Library of Congress$320,000
The Links Foundation Incorporated$286,500
National Coalition on Black Civic Participation$275,000
The Cleveland Clinic Foundation$257,500
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY18–24, $15.4M) land where the poverty rate runs at 12%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 97% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%Elaine Inc: $31k → 11%La Collaborative Inc: $170k → 16%Knowbility Inc: $50k → 13%Bridge of Grace Inc: $30k → 12%Southwestern Indiana Regional Council: $35k → 15%Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging: $53k → 17%Connect Our Kids: $50k → 4%Honor Flight Inc: $55k → 7%Boulder Crest Foundation: $50k → 7%Age Friendly Saco: $46k → 9%Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley: $50k → 10%Deaf Seniors of America Inc: $65k → 11%Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio: $35k → 16%Honor Flight Inc: $53k → 7%Poderistas Community Fund: $175k → 28%St Ann Center For Intergenerational Care: $60k → 17%Honor Flight Inc: $50k → 7%African Womens Cancer Awareness Association: $50k → 11%Illumination Foundation: $60k → 10%Honor Flight Inc: $50k → 7%CBE-Pride: $43k → 14%Honor Flight Inc: $37k → 7%Molo Village Community Development Corp: $50k → 15%Gold House Foundation Inc: $53k → 10%Wish of a Lifetime: $3.4M → 12%Wish of a Lifetime: $2.4M → 12%American Society on Aging: $123k → 10%Wish of a Lifetime: $2.1M → 12%American Society on Aging: $110k → 10%Wish of a Lifetime: $2.0M → 12%American Society on Aging: $65k → 10%Wish of a Lifetime: $1.9M → 12%American Society on Aging Inc: $36k → 10%American Society on Aging Inc: $36k → 10%Tides Center: $60k → 10%Tides Center: $60k → 10%National Cares Mentoring Movement Inc: $110k → 17%National Cares Mentoring Movement Inc: $75k → 17%National Cares Mentoring Movement Inc: $50k → 17%National Cares Mentoring Movement Inc: $50k → 17%National Cares Mentoring Movement: $50k → 17%National Urban League Inc: $90k → 17%National Urban League Inc: $75k → 17%National Urban League Inc: $60k → 17%National Urban League Inc: $50k → 17%National Urban League Inc: $50k → 17%Cura Foundation: $50k → 17%National Cares Mentoring Movement Inc: $50k → 14%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.

Which US states its grants reach

AK
ME
VT
NH
WA
ID
MT
ND
MN
IL
WI
MI
NY
MA
OR
NV
WY
SD
IA
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
UT
CO
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
AZ
NM
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
DC
HI
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
TX
FL
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

94%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$443M · 647 repeat orgs$27M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +32% since the first grant, against +21% for those funded once.

647 repeat relationships: 328 still active in FY2024, 319 since wound down; 271 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

647
1051

Total granted

$443M
$21M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+32%
+21%

Still filing today

81%
63%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 82% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $6.2M went to new ones.

50%100%’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
Human ServicesArts & CultureCommunity ImprovementEducationHealthCivil RightsOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • LC
    LEGAL COUNSEL FOR THE ELDERLY
    7× · 2018–2024 · $82M · revenue +58% · 95% of their budget
  • OA
    Older Adults Technology Services
    4× · 2021–2024 · $24M · revenue +51% · 49% of their budget
  • WO
    Wish of a Lifetime
    5× · 2020–2024 · $12M · revenue +93% · 85% of their budget

Funded once

  • LA COLABORATIVA INCgraduated
    one grant, 2023 · $170k · revenue +277%
  • CC
    Central City Productions Inc
    one grant, 2019 · $167k
  • NV
    NEW VOICES FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2023 · $165k · revenue -99%
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Association of Washington Cities

The association of washington cities builds connections between our state's diverse cities and towns, while providing our members with the support needed to thrive through delivery of data-driven education, nationally recognized pooling…

—
2
Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and Industry

The minnesota chamber of commerce proactively leads the business community statewide to: advance pro-business, responsible minnesota public policy that creates jobs and grows the econony; provde member services to address evolving business…

—
3
Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce

Creating powerful advocacy to enhance economic vitality in the minneapolis-st. paul region.

—
4
American Gas Association

American gas association's (the association) mission is to develop and advocate for informed, innovative, and durable policy that fulfills our nation's energy needs, environmental aspirations and economic potential. we are committed to…

—
5
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

Create a more accessible, sustainable, prosperous and livable national capital region by being a discussion forum, expert resource, issue advocate, and catalyst for action.

Public Benefit
6
National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care Inc

To enable the access and choice of america's seniors in their housing and care by providing data, analytics and connections that bring together investors and providers in the sector.

Human Services
7
National Association of Clean Water Agencies

Nacwa is the national voice of public clean water utilities, shaping water policy, convening a vibrant peer network, and empowering water leaders.

—
8
Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Inc

The corporation is a voluntary association of individuals and organizations the purposes of which are to upgrade and advance the atlanta metropolitan area in population, commerce and finance; to effect civic and social improvements; to…

—
9
Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation

The neighborhood reinvestment corporation (d.b.a neighborworks america) is a congressionally chartered public non-profit corporation that creates opportunities for people to live in affordable homes, improve their lives, and strengthen…

—
10
Greater Washington Partnership

We identify shared opportunities and core challenges and offer solutions to the region's most critical issues including skills and talent, regional mobility, infrastructure and inclusive economic growth.

Recreation & Sports
11
Washington Area Community Investment Fund Inc

The washington area community investment fund (wacif) is a nonprofit community loan fund focused on increasing equity and economic opportunity in the washington, dc area's underserved communities. wacif's mission is driven is driven by…

—
12
Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation

Visit philadelphia is our name and our mission. as the region's official tourism marketing agency, we build greater philadelphia's image, drive visitation and boost the economy.

Community Improvement
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Meals On Wheels America; the most unlike its peers is Madison Art Gallery. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

1439 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 1439 of the 2,000 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

52
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
343
Early backer (in before they grew)
1390/1439
Grantees still filing
933/1439
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

AARP FOUNDATION: $226,978,395 · Human ServicesAARP FOUNDATIONWish of a Lifetime: $11,798,960 · Human Services+9 more: $2,207,488 · Human ServicesLEGAL COUNSEL FOR THE ELDERLY: $81,673,116 · OtherLEGAL COUNSEL FOR THE ELDERLY+118 more: $44,644,762 · Other+118 moreOlder Adults Technology Services: $23,722,155 · EducationMassachusetts Institute of Technology: $2,010,000 · Education+9 more: $1,970,000 · EducationSMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION: $3,542,500 · Arts & CultureJOHN F KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS: $3,449,501 · Arts & CultureNATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM: $1,400,000 · Arts & CultureNATIONAL ARCHIVES FOUNDATION: $850,000 · Arts & CultureSTORYCORPS INC: $722,000 · Arts & CultureMOTOWN HISTORICAL MUSUEM INC: $700,000 · Arts & Culture+19 more: $3,656,738 · Arts & CultureFitLot: $10,088,253 · Recreation & SportsAmerica Walks Inc: $852,740 · Recreation & SportsCICLAVIA INC: $600,000 · Recreation & Sports+2 more: $246,882 · Recreation & SportsNATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TRUST: $5,000,000 · PhilanthropyUNITED WAY WORLDWIDE: $2,793,700 · PhilanthropyHENRY J KAISER FAMILY FOUNDATION: $670,000 · Philanthropy+6 more: $962,400 · PhilanthropyMASSCHALLENGE INC: $1,625,000 · Community ImprovementHISPANIC FEDERATION INC: $781,786 · Community ImprovementFINANCIAL HEALTH NETWORK INC: $620,000 · Community ImprovementCONSUMER TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION: $350,000 · Community ImprovementNATIONAL HISPANIC MEDICAL ASSOCIATION: $236,000 · Community Improvement+15 more: $2,250,000 · Community Improvement
Human Services$240,984,843Other$126,317,878Education$27,702,155Arts & Culture$14,320,739Recreation & Sports$11,787,875Philanthropy$9,426,100Community Improvement$5,862,786

Showing the 200 largest grantees by grant value.

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetAARP FOUNDATION: $226,978,395 over 7y, 36% of budgetLEGAL COUNSEL FOR THE ELDERLY: $81,673,116 over 7y, 95% of budgetOlder Adults Technology Services: $23,722,155 over 4y, 49% of budgetWish of a Lifetime: $11,798,960 over 5y, 85% of budgetFitLot: $10,088,253 over 4y, 100% of budgetNATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TRUST: $5,000,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetAMERICA'S CHARITIES: $3,579,348 over 7y, 1.9% of budgetSMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION: $3,542,500 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetJOHN F KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS: $3,449,501 over 7y, 0.6% of budgetUNITED WAY WORLDWIDE: $2,793,700 over 5y, 2.1% of budgetMassachusetts Institute of Technology: $2,010,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetMASSCHALLENGE INC: $1,625,000 over 4y, 4.0% of budgetTHE CREATIVE COALITION: $1,576,743 over 2y, 44% of budgetNational Coalition on Black Civic Partic: $1,475,000 over 7y, 12% of budgetNATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM: $1,400,000 over 7y, 5.5% of budgetUNIDOSUS: $1,272,941 over 7y, 0.7% of budgetTHE LINKS FOUNDATION INCORPORATED: $1,073,500 over 7y, 2.3% of budgetCARING FOR MILITARY FAMILIES THE ELIZABETH DOLE FOUNDATION: $1,031,000 over 6y, 4.4% of budgetNational Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare: $963,890 over 4y, 2.9% of budgetMEALS ON WHEELS AMERICA: $922,500 over 5y, 1.1% of budgetAsian & Pacific Islander American Vote: $913,400 over 5y, 7.7% of budgetTHE ASPEN INSTITUTE INC: $910,000 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetAmerica Walks Inc: $852,740 over 3y, 22% of budgetNATIONAL ARCHIVES FOUNDATION: $850,000 over 7y, 3.0% of budgetHISPANIC FEDERATION INC: $781,786 over 7y, 0.5% of budgetNATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES: $779,575 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetSTORYCORPS INC: $722,000 over 5y, 2.3% of budgetCIVIC VENTURES DBA COGENERATE: $710,500 over 6y, 6.9% of budgetMOTOWN HISTORICAL MUSUEM INC: $700,000 over 6y, 2.5% of budgetHENRY J KAISER FAMILY FOUNDATION: $670,000 over 7y, 0.2% of budgetGERONTOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA: $659,000 over 6y, 3.2% of budgetThe National Press Foundation Inc: $630,000 over 6y, 18% of budgetFINANCIAL HEALTH NETWORK INC: $620,000 over 4y, 1.7% of budgetTHE URBAN INSTITUTE: $600,000 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetCICLAVIA INC: $600,000 over 7y, 7.4% of budgetPRIDE LIVE INC: $600,000 over 3y, 9.9% of budgetSEARCHING FOR SOLUTIONS INSTITUTE INC: $600,000 over 7y, 25% of budgetNATIONAL HISPANIC COUNCIL ON AGING: $595,500 over 7y, 16% of budgetBLACK WOMENS AGENDA: $590,000 over 7y, 11% of budgetHILARITY FOR CHARITY INC: $580,000 over 4y, 16% of budgetHispanic Heritage Foundation: $575,000 over 7y, 2.4% of budgetNATIONAL COALITION ON HEALTH CARE: $530,000 over 4y, 49% of budgetALZHEIMER'S DISEASE & RELATED DISORDERS ASSOCIATION INC: $528,525 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetEXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP COUNCIL: $483,000 over 6y, 1.2% of budgetCoalition To Transform Advanced Car: $475,000 over 5y, 6.9% of budgetSKINNER LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE INC: $462,000 over 7y, 14% of budgetAMERICAN SOCIETY ON AGING: $426,988 over 7y, 4.0% of budgetNational Council of Negro Women Inc: $425,000 over 6y, 3.0% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

  • Who funds AARP FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds LEGAL COUNSEL FOR THE ELDERLY ↗
  • Who funds Older Adults Technology Services ↗
  • Who funds Wish of a Lifetime ↗
  • Who funds FitLot ↗
  • Who funds NATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TRUST ↗
  • Who funds AMERICA'S CHARITIES ↗
  • Who funds SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION ↗
  • Who funds JOHN F KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS ↗
  • Who funds UNITED WAY WORLDWIDE ↗
  • Who funds Massachusetts Institute of Technology ↗
  • Who funds MASSCHALLENGE INC ↗
  • Who funds THE CREATIVE COALITION ↗
  • Who funds National Coalition on Black Civic Partic ↗
  • Who funds NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM ↗
  • Who funds UNIDOSUS ↗
  • Who funds THE LINKS FOUNDATION INCORPORATED ↗
  • Who funds CARING FOR MILITARY FAMILIES THE ELIZABETH DOLE FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare ↗
  • Who funds MEALS ON WHEELS AMERICA ↗
  • Who funds Asian & Pacific Islander American Vote ↗
  • Who funds THE ASPEN INSTITUTE INC ↗
  • Who funds America Walks Inc ↗
  • Who funds NATIONAL ARCHIVES FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds HISPANIC FEDERATION INC ↗
  • Who funds NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES ↗
  • Who funds STORYCORPS INC ↗
  • Who funds CIVIC VENTURES DBA COGENERATE ↗
  • Who funds MOTOWN HISTORICAL MUSUEM INC ↗
  • Who funds HENRY J KAISER FAMILY FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds GERONTOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA ↗
  • Who funds The National Press Foundation Inc ↗
  • Who funds FINANCIAL HEALTH NETWORK INC ↗
  • Who funds THE URBAN INSTITUTE ↗
  • Who funds CICLAVIA INC ↗
  • Who funds PRIDE LIVE INC ↗
  • Who funds SEARCHING FOR SOLUTIONS INSTITUTE INC ↗

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

National League of Ci…Cities for Financial …AARP FoundationFitLotNational Recreation a…Ncta - the Internet &…Peopleforbikes Founda…American Cancer Socie…Ctia - the Wireless A…The Recycling Partner…Urban Sustainability …National Council on A…
National League of Cities Institute IncDC40.4× affinity46 shared granteesties to 8 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: National League of Cities Institute Inc · Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund Inc · AARP Foundation · FitLot · National Recreation and Park Association · Ncta - the Internet & Television Association · Peopleforbikes Foundation · American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Inc · Ctia - the Wireless Association · The Recycling Partnership Inc · Urban Sustainability Directors Network · National Council on Aging Inc

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization AARP funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from AARP. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 70%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 7%
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology: 35% of income from government
  • La Colaborativa Inc: 34% of income from government
  • National Black Justice Coalition Inc: 17% of income from government
  • President and Fellows of Harvard College: 7% of income from government
  • The Strathmore Hall Foundation Inc: 7% of income from government
  • Masschallenge Inc: 3% of income from government
  • The New England Council Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
7get no government money at all
44report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
typical government reliance, FY20–25
How this is measured
Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 2000 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990 e-file return for fiscal year 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on AARP’s filings →

More from the funding graph

The unnamed billions
grants reported with no recipient in the public record
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
The endowment market
who holds foundation money, and what just moved
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home