Association of American Educators Foundation (AAE Foundation)

The Association of American Educators Foundation (AAE Foundation) is an organization that supports the activities of the Association of American Educators, a national non-union teacher association. The AAE Foundation intends to provide public educators and the general public with education, opportunities, and funding to improve American education through policy reform. ¹

At-A-Glance

Type: Non-profit, 501(c)(3)

Issue Areas: Education Policy

Website: www.aaeteachers.org/index.php/aae-foundation

Formation:

1994

Executive Director:

Colin Sharkey

Location: Mission Viejo, CA

Tax ID: 33-0623003

Most Recent Filing: 2024

Budget (2024): Assets: $472,531 Revenue: $575,000 Expenses: $305,730

Contents

The Association of American Educators Foundation is an associate member of the State Policy Network, a coalition of free-market state-level policy organizations. ²

Activities

The Association of American Educators Foundation aims to support education reform and improvement efforts alongside the Association of American Educators, a national non-union teacher association. The AAE Foundation supports teachers with scholarships and grants allowing them to continue their education, advance student learning, and fund classroom projects. The Foundation also supports educators with workshops about education reform, curriculum, and leadership. ³ The AAE Foundation annually conducts a survey of its members in order to collect educators’ opinions on reforms, which it disseminates to elected officials and policy makers. ¹

The Association of American Educators Foundation acts as a resource for school boards and school districts, especially as it regards alternative forms of teacher representation to labor unions and collective bargaining and individual workplace rights. ¹

Funding

The Association of American Educators Foundation is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. While the AAE Foundation does not disclose its donors, tax filings confirm donations from the Walton Family Foundation ($549,300 in 2019), ⁴ the William E. Simon Foundation ($125,000 in 2012), ⁵ and the Snider Foundation ($65,000 in 2018). ⁶

People

Colin Sharkey is executive director of the Association of American Educators and the AAE Foundation. Sharkey formerly worked as a project coordinator at the Heritage Foundation and as a program officer at the Collegiate Network, a program of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. ⁷

Becky Norton Dunlop is the secretary and treasurer of the board and is the Ronald Reagan Distinguished Fellow at the Heritage Foundation. Dunlop formerly worked as secretary of natural resources for the Commonwealth of Virginia, a senior official in the Reagan Administration, and as senior special assistant to the Attorney General in the Department of Justice. ⁸

Kris Enright formerly sat on the boards of the Professional Association of Colorado Educators, the Colorado Cyberschool Association, and the Colorado League of Charter Schools Membership Council. ⁸

Karen Kay Harvey formerly worked as coordinator at the New Mexico National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and as an assessment specialist at the New Mexico Public Education Department. ⁸

Kevin Ryan is the founding director of the Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character at Boston University. ⁸

DeLaina Tonks formerly sat on the Utah Immigration Commission and the board of the Utah Association of Public Charter Schools. ⁸

Gary Beckner is the chair and co-founder of the Association of American Educators and the AAE Foundation. Beckner is the former executive director of the Coalition of Independent Education Associations and former participant at the White House Conference on Character and Community. ⁸

Other members of the board include Gary Abud, Jr., Lewis Hodge, and Tracy J. Valentine. ⁸

Financial Statistics

Total Assets

Total Revenue

Total Expenses

Year	Total Assets	Total Revenue	Total Expenses	Filing
2024	$472,531	$575,000	$305,730	View
2023	$216,334	$491,475	$482,166	View
2022	$195,645	$643,276	$629,853	View
2021	$291,702	$838,749	$835,357	View
2020	$203,572	$1,015,276	$1,007,656	View

Prior year filings: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011

Revenue Detail

Expenses Detail

Employee Compensation

Number of Employees: 3

Highest Earning Employees

Employee	Title	Total Compensation
Colin Sharkey	Executive Director	$25,971
Christina Mazzanti	Sr. Director of Communicat	$25,134
Allison Greenwood	Executive Director, Arkansas	$16,898
Alicia Huntsman	Sr. Director of Membership Services, Finance & Ope	$14,370

Grant Activity

All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:

Total Grant Value: $7,405,054
Number of Grants: 60
Number of Funders: 19

Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years:

Amount	Year	Funder	Subject
$500,000	2024	Walton Family Foundation	To support efforts to recruit and retain educators, provide high-quality training and professional growth opportunities, build meaningful partnerships between schools and communities, and advocate on behalf of the children and youth of Arkansas
$300,000	2020	Charles Koch Institute	Education
$235,000	2021	Walton Family Foundation	To support the operations of the Arkansas chapter of the AAEF.
$200,000	2021	Walton Family Foundation	Elevate the voices of teachers and equip educators.
$195,000	2022	Walton Family Foundation	To support the operations of the Arkansas chapter of the AAEF, known as the Arkansas State Teachers Association ("ASTA"). ASTA's supported work includes expanded teacher supports (e.g., professional development, mentoring programs), outreach, and membership growth. This work will lead to a membership base that supports a more sustainable business model and more visibility for ASTA both for teachers and for those making teacher policy decisions.
$175,000	2022	Walton Family Foundation	Elevate the voices of teachers and equip educators.
$157,500	2023	Walton Family Foundation	to Serve and support educators, Access and serve rural schools, Impact teacher effectiveness, and Deploy initiative efforts and programs.
$150,000	2022	Sarah Scaife Foundation Incorporated	GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
$150,000	2021	Sarah Scaife Foundation Incorporated	GENERAL OPERATING AND PROJECT SUPPORT
$125,000	2023	Sarah Scaife Foundation Incorporated	GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
$100,000	2020	Gleason Family Foundation	General support
$49,500	2020	Donors Trust Inc	for general operations
$15,000	2020	STATE POLICY NETWORK	ECONOMIC FREEDOM RESEARCH
$10,000	2022	Triad Foundation Inc	general operating support during 2022
$7,000	2021	Network for Good, Inc.	UNRESTRICTED
$4,000	2023	Albert & Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation	TOWARDS SUPPORT OF TEACHER FREEDOM.

All-time grants given statistics from Candid dataset:

Total Grant Value: $47,375
Number of Grants: 3
Number of Recipients: 1

Contact InfluenceWatch to report errors, suggest edits, or provide tips for additional profiles.

Financials, employee compensation, and grant information provided by Candid.

Mentioned in this Article

References

1. “AAE Foundation.” Association of American Educators, 2021. Accessed June 14, 2022. https://www.aaeteachers.org/index.php/aae-foundation.

2. “The Network: Virginia.” State Policy Network, 2022. Accessed June 14, 2022. https://spn.org/directory/#VA.

3. “Support AAE Foundation.” Association of American Educators, 2021. Accessed June 14, 2022. https://www.aaeteachers.org/index.php/aae-foundation/support-aae-foundation.

4. Walton Family Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2019, Schedule I, Part II.

5. William E. Simon Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2012, Schedule I, Part II.

6. Snider Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2018, Schedule I, Part II.

7. “Contact and Key Staff.” Association of American Educators, 2021. Accessed June 14, 2022. https://www.aaeteachers.org/index.php/about-us/contact-and-key-staff.

8. “AAE Foundation Board of Directors.” Association of American Educators, 2021. Accessed June 14, 2022. https://www.aaeteachers.org/index.php/aae-foundation/aaef-board-of-directors.