CAF America

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.

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Alexandru Vlahuta

HQ country

Romania

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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

Core 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

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AfriLabscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024In 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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAF 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.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAF 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 HaitiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAF 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 JesusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAF 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.
• SeawildingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAF 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 KenyaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAF 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 AlphaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAF 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 ColombiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAF 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 CorpscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAF 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 CatatumbocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA 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

Market position

Competitive moat6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cafamerica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/charities-aid-foundation-of-america
• Instagraminstagram.com/caf_america
• Xx.com/cafamerica

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CAF America