Air Charity Network
Air Charity Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1997 that coordinates free air transportation to medical and humanitarian destinations for people in need, using 7,500+ volunteer pilots across all 50 US states through a federation of regional member organizations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersNational Network (All 50 States), United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Air Charity Network does
Air Charity Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1997 that coordinates free air transportation for individuals in medical, humanitarian, and crisis-related need across all 50 US states plus Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and the Bahamas. The organization operates as a federation of eight autonomous regional member organizations — Angel Flight Central, Angel Flight NE, Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic, Angel Flight South Central, Angel Flight Southeast, Angel Flight West, Mercy Flight Southeast, Mercy Medical Angels, and Airlift Hope NC-TN — each with its own staff and board, governed collectively through a national board with rotating officer positions. Air Charity Network represents over 90% of charitable aviation non-emergency flights flown in the United States, coordinating 50,000+ missions in 2024 through a network of more than 7,500 volunteer general aviation pilots who donate their aircraft, fuel, and time.
The coordination stack is built on a regional flight-coordination model backed by a national web-based flight coordination database (currently in development) and integrated with the AOPA Flight Planner for mission routing and GPS navigation tools. Regional flight coordinators screen passengers, match them with volunteer pilots, and arrange logistics; Mercy Medical Angels separately coordinates free commercial airline tickets for missions exceeding 600 miles and negotiates low-cost air ambulance services. The platform is mission-critical infrastructure for medical transportation referrals flowing from partner healthcare and charitable organizations including the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Ronald McDonald Houses, Shriners Hospitals, and the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation.
Revenue is generated entirely through donations — individual contributions, corporate gifts, foundation grants, and workplace giving campaigns — with over 94% of distributed funds directed to program services and roughly $3 to $4 of flight services delivered per $1 donated. The service is provided at no cost to passengers. Primary users are medically needy individuals (including cancer, cardiac, transplant, dialysis, and clinical-trial patients), supplemented by domestic abuse victims seeking relocation, special-needs children traveling to camp programs, adoption and foster care travel, wounded veterans and military families, and disaster-response deployments. The customer is effectively the healthcare- and charity-referral ecosystem plus the donating public, not the passenger.
Air Charity Network firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Air Charity Network
- Legal name
- Air Charity Network
- Website
- https://aircharitynetwork.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Air Charity Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1997 that coordinates free air transportation to medical and humanitarian destinations for people in need, using 7,500+ volunteer pilots across all 50 US states through a federation of regional member organizations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Air Charity Network industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Charitable Aviation Services
- NAICS
- Nonscheduled Chartered Passenger Air Transportation (481211), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)
- SIC
- Air Transportation, Nonscheduled (4522), Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Air Ambulance & Medical Passenger Charter Operators (THABADAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Humanitarian Health & Emergency Medical Relief NGOs (HLAJAKAE), Humanitarian / Relief Airlift Operators (TLADAAAM)
Keywords
Where Air Charity Network is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- National Network (All 50 States)
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Air Charity Network business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Cash donations from individuals supporting the organization's mission to make life-saving connections between volunteer pilots and passengers in need.
- Corporate Donations: Financial contributions from corporations and organizations.
- Foundation Grants: Grants from foundations supporting charitable aviation and medical transportation missions.
- Workplace Giving Campaigns: Employee workplace giving program contributions.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels10 records
Marketing channels7 records
Air Charity Network product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Air Charity Network is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization that coordinates free air transportation for people in medical, humanitarian, and disaster-related need through a national network of regional volunteer pilot organizations covering all 50 U.S. states. Volunteer pilots donate their aircraft, fuel, and time to fly patients to specialized healthcare facilities, transplant centers, clinical trials, chemotherapy and other repetitive treatments, special-needs camps, and disaster response operations. All flights are free to passengers and funded entirely by individual, corporate, and foundation donations.
Product overview
Air Charity Network is a coordination platform composed of regional member organizations (Angel Flight Central, Angel Flight NE, Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic, Angel Flight South Central, Angel Flight Southeast, Angel Flight West, Mercy Flight Southeast, Airlift Hope NC-TN) that together form the nation's largest unified volunteer pilot organization. The network coordinates free air transportation for patients needing medical care, with Mercy Medical Angels providing commercial airline ticket coordination for longer distances (over 600 miles). Services include medical missions, transplant missions, special needs camp transportation, and disaster response flights. Ground support volunteers assist with operations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Air Charity Network Coordination Platform National coordination platform that connects patients in need with volunteer pilots providing free air transportation to specialized medical facilities across all 50 U.S. states, covering medical, transplant, special-needs, abuse-relocation, veteran, and disaster-response missions.
- Angel Flight Central Regional member organization providing free medical and compassion flights for patients in the central United States needing specialized healthcare transportation.
- Angel Flight Northeast (Angel Flight NE) Regional member organization providing free medical flights for patients in the northeastern United States needing transportation to specialized healthcare facilities.
- Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic Regional member organization providing free medical flights for patients in the mid-Atlantic region needing transportation to specialized healthcare facilities.
- Angel Flight South Central Regional member organization providing free medical flights for patients in the south central United States needing transportation to specialized healthcare facilities.
- Angel Flight Southeast Regional member organization providing free medical and compassion flights for patients needing specialized healthcare transportation in Florida, the Bahamas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.
- Angel Flight West Regional member organization providing free medical flights for patients in the western United States including Alaska and Hawaii needing transportation to specialized healthcare facilities.
- Mercy Flight Southeast Regional member organization providing free medical flights for patients in the southeastern United States needing transportation to specialized healthcare facilities.
- Mercy Medical Angels Coordinates free commercial airline tickets for flights over 600 miles and negotiates low-cost air ambulance service for individuals and families in need of long-distance medical transportation.
- Airlift Hope NC-TN Regional member organization providing free medical flights for patients in North Carolina and Tennessee needing transportation to specialized healthcare facilities.
- Medical Missions Free air transportation for patients traveling to and from medical appointments including evaluation, clinical trial participation, treatment, and follow-up care.
- Transplant Missions Coordinated flights for organ transplant recipients, often flown in the middle of the night with advance planning.
- Special Needs Camps Transportation Transportation for children with special needs or children with parents/siblings with special needs to and from summer camp programs.
- Homeland Security / Disaster Response Missions First responder missions supporting natural or manmade disasters including flying survivors, relief personnel, and supplies during hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, and floods.
- Ground Support Volunteer Services Non-flying volunteer opportunities including passenger screening, flight coordination, phone answering, event organization, and airport transportation for Air Charity Network mission operations.
Quantifiable outcome
- 40,000+ requests for assistance handled annually
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Air Charity Network
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Air Charity Network technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Air Charity Network partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- First Class AerospaceminorCorporate partner/supporter featured in the valued partners and supporters section of the Air Charity Network website.
- Signature AviationminorCorporate partner/supporter featured in the valued partners and supporters section of the Air Charity Network website.
- Aircraft GuysminorCorporate partner/supporter featured in the valued partners and supporters section of the Air Charity Network website.
- SheltairminorCorporate partner/supporter featured in the valued partners and supporters section of the Air Charity Network website.
- PilotMall.comminorInnovative Internet pilot supply retailer extending a 10% discount to active Air Charity Network members. Available on nearly all merchandise with verification through www.pilotmall.com/military.
- American Cancer SocietycoreHealthcare charity that refers financially needy patients to Air Charity Network for transportation to medical facilities for cancer treatment.
- American Heart AssociationcoreHealthcare charity that refers financially needy patients to Air Charity Network for transportation to cardiac care facilities.
- Make-A-Wish FoundationcoreCharitable organization that refers children with life-threatening illnesses for transportation to medical facilities and special wish trips.
- Alisa Ann Ruch Burn FoundationcoreBurn foundation that refers patients, particularly children, for transportation to burn treatment centers and survivor camps.
- Ronald McDonald HousescoreCharitable organization whose families receive help with medical transportation through Air Charity Network.
- Shriners Hospitals for ChildrencoreHealthcare system whose patients receive transportation assistance through Air Charity Network for specialized treatments.
- Corporate Angel Network (CAN)coreRelated aviation-oriented charity that works with Air Charity Network for patient transportation referrals.
- AirLifeLinecoreRelated aviation-oriented charity that works with Air Charity Network for patient transportation referrals.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Air Charity Network competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Miracle Flights: Provides free commercial airline tickets for children to reach distant medical care. Direct peer in charitable medical aviation, focused on pediatric patients using commercial rather than private aircraft.
- Patient AirLift Services (PALS): Volunteer pilot organization arranging free flights for medical patients in the Northeast US. Direct peer in charitable aviation with similar volunteer-pilot coordination model for medical transport.
- Air Care Alliance: National umbrella organization representing public-benefit aviation charities. Direct peer as a coordinating/listing entity for charitable aviation groups, with overlap in the patient transport mission.
- Veterans Airlift Command: Provides free flights for wounded veterans, active duty military, and their families. Direct peer in volunteer-pilot-coordinated charitable aviation, focused on a narrower veteran/military segment.
- AirLifeLine: Volunteer pilot network providing free medical flights, listed as a core referral partner of ACN. Direct peer operating the same model, generally as a complementary rather than overlapping service.
- Corporate Angel Network: Provides free plane transportation for cancer patients using empty seats on corporate jets. Direct peer in charitable medical aviation, listed as a core partner of Air Charity Network but operates an independent program focused on cancer patients.
- LifeLine Pilots: Volunteer pilot organization providing free medical transport in the Midwest. Direct peer operating the same volunteer-pilot model for medical patients, with smaller geographic scope than ACN.
Broad incumbents
- American Red Cross: Large-scale humanitarian organization that ACN directly supported in post-9/11 operations. Broad incumbent in disaster relief and emergency response with overlapping mission area but vastly larger scope and government contracting capability.
Emerging players
- Pilots For Patients: Smaller volunteer pilot organization focused on medical transport in the Gulf South region. Emerging/niche peer with similar volunteer model but significantly smaller scale and narrower geographic footprint than ACN.
Regional players
- Angel Flight Australia: Volunteer pilot organization providing free medical and compassion flights in Australia. Regional peer with identical volunteer-pilot-coordination model, comparable to ACN in structure but serving a different geography.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Air Charity Network social profiles
Digital presenceAir Charity Network financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Air Charity Network leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Air Charity Network subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries9 records
Air Charity Network funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Air Charity Network 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 Air Charity Network
What does Air Charity Network do?
Air Charity Network is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization that coordinates free air transportation for people in medical, humanitarian, and disaster-related need through a national network of regional volunteer pilot organizations covering all 50 U.S. states. Volunteer pilots donate their aircraft, fuel, and time to fly patients to specialized healthcare facilities, transplant centers, clinical trials, chemotherapy and other repetitive treatments, special-needs camps, and disaster response operations. All flights are free to passengers and funded entirely by individual, corporate, and foundation donations.
Is Air Charity Network a public or private company?
Air Charity Network is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Air Charity Network founded?
Air Charity Network was founded in 1997.
Where is Air Charity Network based?
Air Charity Network is headquartered in National Network (All 50 States), United States, in the North America region.
How does Air Charity Network make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate Donations, foundation Grants and workplace Giving Campaigns.
Who are Air Charity Network's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Miracle Flights, Patient AirLift Services (PALS), Air Care Alliance, Veterans Airlift Command, AirLifeLine, Corporate Angel Network and LifeLine Pilots. American Red Cross is listed as a broad incumbent. Pilots For Patients is listed as an emerging player. Angel Flight Australia is listed as a regional player.
Does Air Charity Network have an API?
No public API is recorded for Air Charity Network.
What industry is Air Charity Network in?
Air Charity Network's product category is Charitable Aviation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THABADAK, Air Ambulance & Medical Passenger Charter Operators, with a secondary code of HLAJAKAE, Humanitarian Health & Emergency Medical Relief NGOs. Its NAICS code is 481211 and its SIC code is 4522.