CAF America
CAF America is a 501(c)(3) public charity enabling U.S. cross-border philanthropy through Donor Advised Funds, a vetted 1.9M-charity global database, and regulatory-compliance services, operating as the U.S. arm of UK-based Charities Aid Foundation.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersAlexandru Vlahuta, Romania
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What CAF America does
CAF America (legally Charities Aid Foundation America) is a 501(c)(3) public charity incorporated in Virginia (EIN 43-1634280) that operates as the U.S. arm of the UK-based Charities Aid Foundation (CAF). Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, the organization was established over 30 years ago to enable cross-border philanthropy from U.S. donors, with cumulative throughput of $4.6 billion in grants distributed to date across 135 countries. Its mission centers on removing the regulatory, due-diligence, and tax-compliance friction that otherwise impedes international giving.
The organization operates a cloud-based philanthropic services platform anchored by a Global Charity Database of over 1.9 million vetted charitable organizations and two proprietary validation protocols — Enhanced Expenditure Responsibility (EER) and Equivalency Determination (ED) — that establish charitable-purpose and IRS-eligibility compliance for foreign grantees. The product portfolio comprises Donor Advised Funds (DAFs), Donor Advised Gifts, Legacy Giving vehicles, Employee Engagement Funds (corporate matching and volunteer programs), Friends Funds (allowing foreign charities to receive U.S. tax-deductible donations without forming a 501(c)(3)), Grant Management Services, a Validation/Compliance service, the dual-qualified CAF American Donor Fund (CADF) for U.S./U.K. taxpayers using Gift Aid, and a Global Relief Navigator for real-time disaster-response giving. Payments flow through a PCI DSS-certified stack supporting cards, PayPal, wires, and cryptocurrency.
CAF America generates revenue through fee-based advisory, recurring DAF/CADF administration, and professional services for grant management and corporate grant programs. Go-to-market combines a sales-led motion through financial advisers, wealth managers, and family offices; a direct-to-consumer online portal for individual donors; and a channel partnership motion embedding the compliance stack and charity database into third-party giving platforms. Customers span high-net-worth individuals and families, financial advisers and wealth managers, corporate foundations, U.S. nonprofits expanding abroad, foreign nonprofits seeking U.S. donor access, and giving platforms; the organization is led by President & CEO Jessie Krafft and is wholly owned by parent Charities Aid Foundation.
CAF America firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CAF America
- Legal name
- Charities Aid Foundation America
- Website
- https://cafamerica.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- CAF America is a 501(c)(3) public charity enabling U.S. cross-border philanthropy through Donor Advised Funds, a vetted 1.9M-charity global database, and regulatory-compliance services, operating as the U.S. arm of UK-based Charities Aid Foundation.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where CAF America is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Alexandru Vlahuta
- HQ country
- Romania
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
CAF America business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donor Advised Fund Management: CAF America offers fee-based advisory services for Donor Advised Funds, including grantmaking advice, research, and customized giving strategies. The organization charges fees for managing funds and facilitating international philanthropy.
- Grant Management Services: Customized grants management services for corporate and foundation clients, handling application processes, due diligence reviews, and compliance administration on behalf of grantmaking organizations.
- CAF American Donor Fund: Fee-based dual-qualified Donor Advised Fund for U.S. and U.K. taxpayers, enabling tax-efficient transatlantic giving with Gift Aid optimization.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
CAF America product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CAF America is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that helps individuals, families, corporations, and foundations make tax-effective charitable gifts to vetted nonprofit organizations outside the United States. It administers Donor Advised Funds, processes international grants, performs charity due diligence (Equivalency Determination and Enhanced Expenditure Responsibility), and provides grant management services for corporate and family foundations. It is the U.S. arm of the global Charities Aid Foundation (CAF).
Product overview
CAF America offers a comprehensive suite of philanthropic services organized around cross-border charitable giving. The core portfolio includes Donor Advised Funds (DAF) and Donor Advised Gifts (DAGs) as the primary giving vehicles, supplemented by Legacy Giving for estate planning, Employee Engagement Funds for corporate matching programs, and Friends Funds for foreign nonprofits seeking U.S. donations. Supporting infrastructure includes Grant Management Services for foundations, Validation/Due Diligence services (Enhanced Expenditure Responsibility and Equivalency Determination) to vet international charities, and the Global Charity Database covering 1.9M+ organizations in 135 countries. A key differentiator is the CAF American Donor Fund for dual U.S./U.K. taxpayers, and the Global Relief Navigator for disaster response giving. The service suite is built on regulatory compliance, risk mitigation, and reputation protection principles.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CAF American Donor Fund (CADF): A dual qualified Donor Advised Fund for U.S. and U.K. taxpayers, enabling them to increase their U.S. tax deduction and boost their U.K. giving through Gift Aid. The business name is Southampton Row Trust Ltd, a U.K.-based charitable company.
Quantifiable outcome
- $4.6 billion in grants distributed to date
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use CAF America
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
CAF America technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
CAF America partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- AfriLabscoreIn 2024, AfriLabs received an unrestricted grant of $150,000 from CAF America at the recommendation of a U.S.-based corporate foundation. This partnership enabled AfriLabs to improve operations, enhance internal systems, and expand its digital platforms including AfriLabs Connect, AfriLabs Academy, and the Deal Room for investor-startup matching.
- Delhi Council for Child Welfare (DCCW)coreCAF America has partnered with DCCW since 2018, granting over $240,000 to support programs including Palna (shelter for abandoned children), Palna WeeKids (preschool education), Supervised Homework Scheme, Bal Chetna (rehabilitation for children with disabilities), Vocational Training Programme, and Educational Sponsorship Programme. DCCW serves over 3,000 children daily across 15 centers in Delhi, India.
- El Maíz Más Pequeño A.C.coreCAF America has facilitated over $220,000 in grants to support El Maíz Más Pequeño's climate adaptation education programs in rural Mexico. The Learning and Transition Laboratory for Climate Change Adaptation (labAT) program trains teachers to integrate climate literacy into curricula, reaching 1,470 students and 655 parents in 26 rural communities.
- Hope for HaitiminorCAF America is monitoring the humanitarian crisis in Haiti and collaborating with Hope for Haiti to provide essential support during escalating violence and unrest affecting millions of people.
- Fondation Enfant JesusminorCAF America partners with Fondation Enfant Jesus to provide essential humanitarian support in Haiti during the ongoing crisis affecting 5.5 million people including 3 million children.
- SeawildingminorCAF America grants supported three summer 2023 interns at Seawilding, a Scotland-based nonprofit pioneering the UK's first community-led seagrass and native oyster restoration projects.
- PS KenyaminorCAF America supports PS Kenya's work to increase access to clean and safe water in communities across Kenya, where 9.9 million people rely on contaminated water sources.
- Social AlphaminorCAF America partnered with Social Alpha in India to run an accelerator program for early-stage startups working on electric bicycles and mobility solutions, providing over 500 people from underserved communities with access to clean motorized personal transport.
- Save the Children ColombiacoreCAF America works with Save the Children Colombia, who has provided field insights on the displacement crisis affecting over 56,000 people in Catatumbo region. More than 46,000 children have had schooling interrupted due to violence, and Madres del Catatumbo (a network of displaced women) has rescued 420 children at risk of recruitment by armed groups.
- Mercy CorpscoreCAF America partners with Mercy Corps, who provides field insights on the Colombian displacement crisis. Mercy Corps supports families from their first steps in Colombia through long-term integration, providing access to food, healthcare, psychosocial support, and pathways to stable livelihoods.
- Madres del CatatumbocoreA network of displaced women in northern Colombia that has helped rescue 420 children at risk of recruitment by armed groups, demonstrating community-led action creating pathways to safety.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
CAF America competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CAF America social profiles
Digital presenceCAF America compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
CAF America financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CAF America leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
CAF America funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CAF America M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CAF America
What does CAF America do?
CAF America is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that helps individuals, families, corporations, and foundations make tax-effective charitable gifts to vetted nonprofit organizations outside the United States. It administers Donor Advised Funds, processes international grants, performs charity due diligence (Equivalency Determination and Enhanced Expenditure Responsibility), and provides grant management services for corporate and family foundations. It is the U.S. arm of the global Charities Aid Foundation (CAF).
Is CAF America a public or private company?
CAF America is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was CAF America founded?
CAF America was founded in 1993. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is CAF America based?
CAF America is headquartered in Alexandru Vlahuta, Romania, in the Europe region.
How does CAF America make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donor Advised Fund Management is the primary driver. The others are grant Management Services and CAF American Donor Fund.
Does CAF America have an API?
No public API is recorded for CAF America.