North Carolina · Nonprofit
RURAL ADVANCEMENT FOUNDATION INTERNATION
RURAL ADVANCEMENT FOUNDATION INTERNATION (North Carolina) receives grants from 64 organizations whose IRS filings report $12,907,540 to it, the largest being THE DUKE ENDOWMENT ($2,060,500). 41 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2025
- $8.0M
- Funders on record
- 64
- Grants received
- $13M
- Net assets
- $6.8M
What Rural Advancement Foundation Internation does
Mission
Rafi challenges the root causes of unjust food systems, supporting and advocating for economically, racially and ecologically just farm communities.
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Programs
On its FY2025 return the organization reported a significant change in how it conducts a program.
Our climate smart commodities grant was terminated in 2025, leading to a significant reduction in that programming.
Its own explanation, from Schedule O of that return (Part III, line 3).
Farm sustainability: rafi provides multiple services to small and mid-scale farmers to improve farm viability. Our resources for resilient farms project provides plain-language information, farmer trainings, and one-on-one assistance for usda programs that would support greater farm resilience for farmers' operations.
$1,186,674 spentof which $648,445 as grants30% of program spendingFarm advocacy: farm advocacy provides assistance, develops tools and resources, and promotes policies that help farmers attain greater financial stability and encourage thriving and sustainable small and mid-scale family farms. The program educates farmers about managing risk and equips them to navigate federal farm programs. The program provides individual counseling and assistance to farmers facing financial crisis and who stand to lose their farms without immediate support.
$616,585 spentof which $1,000 as grants15% of program spendingFarmers of color network: in 2017, rafi founded the farmers of color network (focn) to more intentionally support black, indigenous, and people of color (bipoc) farmers in the southeast. In 2022, focn expanded our service reach to puerto rico and the u.s. Virgin islands. Focn provides farmer-led technical assistance, market access opportunities, webinars, farm tours, networking events, and gatherings to highlight ancestral traditions and knowledge.
$512,962 spentof which $295,442 as grants$3,000 earned by the program13% of program spendingPolicy: rafi develops policy recommendations and public comments and advocates on both the legislative and regulatory levels that are essential for creating a fairer, more just agriculture and food system that works for all. Our policy work is directly informed by stakeholders and the lessons we learn as we provide farm advocacy, technical assistance and other services to farmers and community members. Challenging corporate power is a project of the policy team.
$510,848 spent$256 earned by the program13% of program spendingStrategic programming: strategic programming includes new and innovative projects that rafi is piloting with the intention that they spin off into their own programs or become integrated into other program areas and for addressing emerging issues.
$505,687 spentof which $76,563 as grants$34,000 earned by the program13% of program spendingCome to the table: come to the table is a multi-faceted program that empowers faith communities to participate in the creation of a just food system through collaboration, capacity building, and advocacy. The program works with faith communities, hunger relief advocates and farmers and delivers conferences and events, technical assistance, training focused on building equity in the food system, and collaborative networks and resources.
$377,806 spentof which $26,000 as grants$6,557 earned by the program9% of program spendingDisaster response: rafi provides technical assistance and resources to help farmers access disaster assistance programs when major disasters, especially natural (or climate) disasters such as hurricanes, devastate farms in the southeast united states of america.rafi also engages in special fundraising to secure funds for providing emergency relief payments and other support to impacted farmers.
$202,484 spentof which $163,620 as grants5% of program spendingFiscal sponsorships: rafi provides fiscal sponsorship services to help facilitate the mission-related work of partner initiatives that lack the legal status or administrative capacity necessary to receive grants or donations rafi serves as fiscal sponsor for the following groups: campaign for contract agriculture reform - ccar is a national alliance of organizations working to provide a voice for members and ranchers involved in contract agriculture, as well as the communities in which they live.
$55,680 spent1% of program spendingJust foods: from promoting meaningful standards for organic agriculture, to pioneering new standards for social justice in the food system, just foods projects seek to make fair, sustainable farming a viable choice. Protecting agricultural genetic diversity is also essential to the viability of family farms. Therefore, just foods advocates for funding for classical breeding programs and support publicly-held seeds and breeds. Within the just foods program are the projects: southern farmers seed cooperative and nc seed stewards.
$49,367 spent1% of program spending
The 9 programs described on its FY2025 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $4,018,093.
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 2024 to 2025, from $4.1M to $7.2M (+77%).
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: 2017 12% · 2018 19% · 2019 18% · 2020 14% · 2021 9% · 2022 32% · 2023 30% · 2024 53% · 2025 23%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
88% of RURAL ADVANCEMENT FOUNDATION INTERNATION’s revenue is contributions — about as donation-reliant as the typical peer (97% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 3 of the last 9 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.
Board chair
Claire Kelloway
Chair and treasurer
As listed on its FY2025 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 16 funders to 22 funders, grant income rose $796k → $2.2M.
19 of 64 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 29% 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 RURAL ADVANCEMENT FOUNDATION INTERNATION’s funders (the co-funder graph). Top 30 of 64 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
RURAL ADVANCEMENT FOUNDATION INTERNATION has a broad base — no single funder exceeds 16% of grant income, and it takes 5 funders to reach half.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 5 funders to its left
39% 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 RURAL ADVANCEMENT FOUNDATION INTERNATION.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 38% · 2018 45% · 2019 29% · 2020 30% · 2021 20% · 2022 25% · 2023 18% — 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
47% of RURAL ADVANCEMENT FOUNDATION INTERNATION's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 64% 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
RURAL ADVANCEMENT FOUNDATION INTERNATION draws 72% of its grant income from funders outside North Carolina, across 20 states in all.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $3.8M arriving through sponsors registered in 12 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
RURAL ADVANCEMENT FOUNDATION INTERNATION runs a healthier operating margin than three-quarters of the 718 international nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 718 international nonprofits $1M–$10M, FY2025
Government funding RURAL ADVANCEMENT FOUNDATION INTERNATION receives
Grants and contracts to this organization from federal (USASpending) and state checkbooks, reconciled to its EIN. $15.5M on record.
- Department of Agriculture$15.5M
Federal grants vs contracts are distinguished; state line items keep their reported category. Matched by name + geography (the BMF), so coverage is partial and precision-first.
Organizations like RURAL ADVANCEMENT FOUNDATION INTERNATION
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 North Carolina
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
86% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
64%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 7 states
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for RURAL ADVANCEMENT FOUNDATION INTERNATION: 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 RURAL ADVANCEMENT FOUNDATION INTERNATION?
- RURAL ADVANCEMENT FOUNDATION INTERNATION (North Carolina) receives grants from 64 organizations whose IRS filings report $12,907,540 to it, the largest being THE DUKE ENDOWMENT ($2,060,500). 41 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does RURAL ADVANCEMENT FOUNDATION INTERNATION have?
- IRS filings report 64 organizations giving $12,907,540 in grants to RURAL ADVANCEMENT FOUNDATION INTERNATION, 41 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of RURAL ADVANCEMENT FOUNDATION INTERNATION?
- THE DUKE ENDOWMENT is the largest funder on record, with $2,060,500 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like RURAL ADVANCEMENT FOUNDATION INTERNATION find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in North Carolina. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2025 (financials across 2017–2025), and the filings of 64 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 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing