Washington, D.C. · Nonprofit
FRIENDS OF THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL INC
FRIENDS OF THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL INC (Washington, D.C.) receives grants from 33 organizations whose IRS filings report $2,066,740 to it, the largest being THE CRAWFORD TAYLOR FOUNDATION ($1,000,000). 15 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2024
- $8.3M
- Funders on record
- 33
- Grants received
- $2.1M
- Net assets
- $11M
What Friends of the National World War II Memorial Inc does
Mission
Friends of the national world war ii memorial (friends), based in washington, d.c., is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to teaching the lessons of yesterday to unite the generations of tomorrow. Founded in 2007 by the creators of the national world war ii memorial, friends brings together individuals of all backgrounds and ages for national ceremonies and experiences at the memorial and for educational programs centered around the themes of unity, shared values and ideals, and the spirit of community.
As stated on its FY2024 Form 990.
Programs
Education:in 2024, friends continued to provide educational programs and resources. To this end, friends hosted its ninth annual friends of the world war ii memorial teachers network and conference. It was a very full and productive week, attended by 30 educators representing 14 states. Conference highlights included daily presentations and tours by engaging presenters and guides, including friends' resident historian alex kershaw, and a remembrance ceremony at the wwii memorial. Dozens more educators were able to participate virtually, and videos of the presentations and tours are archived on friends' website (www.wwiimemorialfriends.org).in 2024, friends continued to host a monthly virtual education conference series to teach the lessons of yesterday to unite the generations of tomorrow. The series, featuring discussions with world war ii veterans, educators, published authors, and other experts on a range of topics, is held on the third saturday of the month. Friends held eight monthly virtual education conferences in 2024 (january-april and september-december).friends continued to coordinate in-person high school presentations by author, historian, and storyteller alex kershaw…
$1,290,530 spent$355,064 earned by the program82% of program spendingCommemorative:in cooperation with the national park service, friends has the lead responsibility in planning, staging, and funding five major national commemorative events at the world war ii memorial on ve day, memorial day, vj day, veterans day, and pearl harbor remembrance day. In addition, friends annually hosts a d-day commemoration. The 2024 commemorations included a special ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the dedication of the world war ii memorial and special programs marking the 80th anniversaries of the battle of normandy and the battle of the bulge. As part of the 80th commemorations, names of all those killed during those battles were read by volunteers at the newly restored circle of remembrance, next to the newly installed fdr d-day prayer. The ceremonies are free and open to the public.friends presented the 2024 brigadier general charles e. Mcgee unity award to congresswoman kaptur, the longest-serving woman in congressional history, for her unwavering commitment to establishing the world war ii memorial on the national mall and her continued efforts to preserve the national memory of world war ii. The annual award is named for the late retired air force…
$227,374 spent14% of program spendingLegacy lecture:on november 13th, friends held the twelfth annual haydn williams world war ii memorial legacy lecture at the national defense university. Wwii historian and author john c. Mcmanus delivered a lecture, titled to the end of the earth: the u.s. Army and the downfall of japan, which explored the cost of victory over japan and the long-term legacies that still resonate today. The haydn williams world war ii memorial legacy lecture is an annual public lecture series that features preeminent historians and other experts speaking on the lasting significance and impact of world war ii on america and the world.this program is supported by the haydn williams world war ii memorial legacy lecture seriesendowment.
$50,669 spent3% of program spending
The 3 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $1,568,573.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2023 to 2024, from $4.7M to $11M (+135%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2021 23%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
94% of FRIENDS OF THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL INC’s revenue is contributions — more reliant on donations than three-quarters of its peers (63% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 2 of the last 8 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Chief executive
Holly Rotondi
Executive director
Board chair
Jane Wi Droppa
Chairman
As listed on its FY2024 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 7 funders to 18 funders, grant income rose $95k → $462k.
9 of 33 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 32% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
From the IRS filings of FRIENDS OF THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL INC’s funders (the co-funder graph). Top 30 of 33 funders by total. Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
FRIENDS OF THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL INC leans on a few funders — its largest provides 48% of grant income and the top three 69%; half comes from just 2 funders.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 2 funders to its left
32% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund FRIENDS OF THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL INC.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 26% · 2018 98% · 2019 37% · 2020 33% · 2021 68% · 2022 32% · 2023 22% — diversifying over time.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How long its funders stay
44% of FRIENDS OF THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL INC's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 45% give in more than one year at all.
Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.
Where its funders are
FRIENDS OF THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL INC draws 100% of its grant income from funders outside Washington, D.C., across 14 states in all.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $665k arriving through sponsors registered in 7 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
FRIENDS OF THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL INC runs a healthier operating margin than three-quarters of the 5,136 arts & culture nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 5,136 arts & culture nonprofits $1M–$10M, FY2024
Organizations like FRIENDS OF THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL INC
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In Washington, D.C.
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
84% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
41%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 30 states
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for FRIENDS OF THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL INC: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds FRIENDS OF THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL INC?
- FRIENDS OF THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL INC (Washington, D.C.) receives grants from 33 organizations whose IRS filings report $2,066,740 to it, the largest being THE CRAWFORD TAYLOR FOUNDATION ($1,000,000). 15 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does FRIENDS OF THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL INC have?
- IRS filings report 33 organizations giving $2,066,740 in grants to FRIENDS OF THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL INC, 15 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of FRIENDS OF THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL INC?
- THE CRAWFORD TAYLOR FOUNDATION is the largest funder on record, with $1,000,000 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like FRIENDS OF THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL INC find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Washington, D.C.. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
Play a game about who funds Friends of the National World War II Memorial →
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2024 (financials across 2017–2024), and the filings of 33 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 22, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing