Character.org

Character.org (formerly the Character Education Partnership) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that advocates for character, which it defines as the “core values that shape our hearts, minds, and choices.” Character.org collaborates with organizations and communities and recognizes those who it sees as champions for character. 1

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At-A-Glance

Type: Non-profit, 501(c)(3)
Website: www.character.org
Formation:

1993

President & CEO:

Douglas Karr

Location: Washington, DC View on map
Tax ID: 54-1657505
Most Recent Filing: 2024
Budget (2024): Assets: $352,532 Revenue: $833,515 Expenses: $924,144

Contents

    Character.org’s priorities include families, schools, sports and after-school programs, and workplaces in the U.S. and abroad. 1

    Activities

    Character.org describes character as “goodness-in-action” and envisions a society where people are honest, respectful, and trustworthy, and treat others as such. To this end, Character.org claims that character needs to be taught, especially to young people, in a way that encourages them to establish their own moral compass. 2

    Character.org encourages schools to become Schools of Character, which are recognized for following its 11 Principles Framework for Schools: A Guide to Cultivating a Culture of Character, and serve as models for other schools in the U.S. and abroad. Character.org claims that Schools of Character have positively impacted over three million students, educators, parents, and community members by establishing core values that define school culture, guide school life, and guide behaviors not only in school, but at home and in the community. 3

    Character.org advocates for character in the workplace and for hiring employees based on character over skill, as employers can train new hires with necessary skills. Character.org points to research showing that workplaces where integrity and respect are emphasized tend to have higher levels of productivity, job satisfaction, and employee loyalty. 4

    Funding

    Character.org is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. While Character.org does not disclose other donors, tax filings confirm donations from the John Templeton Foundation ($227,000 in 2016), 5 the Character Training Institute ($15,000 in 2020), 6 and the Hamlin Family Foundation ($15,000 in 2017). 7

    Character.org also receives funding through individual and group memberships, with rates currently starting at $50 per year. 8

    People

    Arthur Schwartz is the president of Character.org and a former executive at the John Templeton Foundation. 9

    Clay Hamlin is the chair of the board of Character.org, the president of the Hamlin Family Foundation, a member of the Pennsylvania Character Consortium, and a co-founder and CEO of CITRS. 10

    Linda McKay is the founding executive director and programming chair of CharacterPlus. 11

    Michael Dutton is the vice chair of the board of Character.org and a senior communications consultant at the Executive Leadership Council. 12

    Rich Bagin is the former executive director of the National School Public Relations Association. 13

    Joe Carvin is the founder of One World. 14

    Peter Donovan is the chair of the School for Ethical Education. 13

    Suhail Farooqui is the CEO of K12 Insight. 13

    Robert Fisicaro is the superintendent of the Haddon Township School District. 13

    Liz Huntley is the president and a co-founder of the Hope Institute. 13

    Scarlett Lewis is the founder of the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Foundation. 15

    Glenn Wilke is the executive director of the Midtown Educational Foundation. 15

    Other members of the board include Jennie Carreon, John Liporace, Andy Miller, Rich Previdi, and Scott Sillers. 15

    Financial Statistics

    Total Assets

    Total Revenue

    Total Expenses

    YearTotal AssetsTotal RevenueTotal ExpensesFiling
    2024 $352,532 $833,515 $924,144 View
    2023 $500,822 $1,214,967 $1,295,754 View
    2022 $468,346 $1,013,831 $988,849 View
    2021 $410,157 $964,006 $818,896 View
    2020 $383,715 $806,709 $756,576 View

    Prior year filings: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010

    Revenue Detail

    Expenses Detail

    Employee Compensation

    • Number of Employees: 7

    Highest Earning Employees

    EmployeeTitleTotal Compensation
    Dr ARTHUR SCHWARTZPresident$143,881

    Grant Activity

    All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $7,671,210
    • Number of Grants: 134
    • Number of Funders: 37

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

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $234,8002022 John Templeton FoundationFOR GENERAL SUPPORT
    $200,0002020 Mr & Mrs Sanford N Mcdonnell FoundationFOR GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES OF THE ORGANIZATION
    $191,0002024 The School for Ethical Education IncTO INCREASE ETHICALAWARENESS AND BEHAVIOR IN SOCIETYBY ADVANCING THE ETHICAL EDUCATION OF CHILDREN.
    $185,0002020 Greater Milwaukee FoundationA SPECIAL DISTRIBUTION FOR SUSTAINING SUPPORT
    $159,0002022 The School for Ethical Education IncTO INCREASE ETHICAL AWARENESS AND BEHAVIOR IN SOCIETY BY ADVANCING THE ETHICAL EDUCATION OF CHILDREN. THIS INCLUDES OFFERING PROGRAMS FOR PRESCHOOL AND ELEMENTARY TEACHERS ON HOW VALUES EDUCATION AND CHARACTER FORMATION CAN BE INCORPORATED INTO THEIR CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION AND ACTIVITIES.
    $150,0002023 The School for Ethical Education IncTO INCREASE ETHICALAWARENESS AND BEHAVIOR IN SOCIETYBY ADVANCING THE ETHICAL EDUCATION OF CHILDREN.
    $125,0002024 John Templeton FoundationFOR GENERAL SUPPORT
    $109,8192021 Character Training Institute IncGENERAL ASSISTANCE
    $100,0002024 Mr & Mrs Sanford N Mcdonnell FoundationFOR GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES OF THE ORGANIZATION.
    $100,0002023 Mr & Mrs Sanford N Mcdonnell FoundationFOR GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES OF THE ORGANIZATION.
    $100,0002022 Mr & Mrs Sanford N Mcdonnell FoundationFOR GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES OF THE ORGANIZATION
    $42,9702022 Character Training Institute IncGENERAL ASSISTANCE
    $20,0002020 John Templeton FoundationGENERAL DONATION
    $5,0002021 Donor Advised Charitable Giving, Inc.EDUCATION
    $2,5002020 Wheeler Family Foundation IncSupport & promotion of social, emotional & ethical youth development
    $1,5002020 Thompson Family FoundationCHARITABLE PURPOSES
    $1,0002021 Thompson Family FoundationCHARITABLE PURPOSES
    $1,0002021 The Hamlin Family Foundation IncGeneral & Unrestricted
    $1,0002020 The Hamlin Family Foundation IncGeneral & Unrestricted
    $5002022 The Hamlin Family Foundation IncGeneral & Unrestricted

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

    Mentioned in this Article

    References

    1. “Home.” Character.org. 2022. Accessed November 14, 2022. https://character.org/.
    2. “What We Stand For.” Character.org. 2022. Accessed November 14, 2022. https://character.org/what-we-stand-for/.
    3. “Schools of Character.” Character.org. 2022. Accessed November 14, 2022. https://character.org/schools-of-character/.
    4. “Character in the Workplace.” Character.org. 2022. Accessed November 14, 2022. https://character.org/our-priorities/workplace/.
    5. John Templeton Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2016, Part XV, Line 3.
    6. Character Training Institute, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2020, Schedule I, Part II.
    7. Hamlin Family Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2017, Part XV, Line 3.
    8. “Membership.” Character.org. 2022. Accessed November 10, 2022. https://character.org/membership/.
    9. “Dr. Arthur Schwartz.” Character.org. 2022. Accessed November 10, 2022. https://character.org/arthur-schwartz/.
    10. “Clay W. Hamlin, III.” Pennsylvania Character Consortium. 2023. Accessed November 10, 2022. https://www.pacharacterconsortium.org/clay-w-hamlin-iii.
    11. “CharacterPlus Board.” CharacterPlus. Accessed November 10, 2022. https://www.characterplus.org/board-members.
    12. Michael Dutton.” LinkedIn. 2022. Accessed November 10, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-dutton-1638a91/.
    13. “Board of Directors.” Character.org. 2022. Accessed November 10, 2022. https://character.org/board/.
    14. “Joe Carvin.” Oneworld United & Virtuous, 2022. Accessed November 10, 2022. https://oneworlduv.com/staff/joe-carvin/
    15. “Scarlett Lewis.” Choose Love Movement. 2021. Accessed November 10, 2022. https://chooselovemovement.org/board-of-directors/scarlett-lewis/.