Pat Tillman Foundation

What Pat Tillman Foundation does

The Pat Tillman Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated on April 30, 2004 in Illinois and headquartered in Chicago. Founded in the wake of Pat Tillman's death in Afghanistan while serving as an Army Ranger, the foundation's mission is to identify and empower exceptional military service members, veterans, and spouses through a highly selective scholarship and leadership development program. Operating as a private charitable foundation, it is governed by a board chaired by co-founder Marie Tillman Shenton, with Dr. Katherine Steele as CEO, and is sustained entirely by charitable contributions — not equity capital. Across three primary beneficiary segments (active duty service members, veterans, and military spouses), the foundation selects up to 60 new Tillman Scholars each year from approximately 2,000 applicants, a less than 3% acceptance rate that places the program among the most selective academic fellowships in the country.

The foundation's core product is the Tillman Scholar Program, which combines financial scholarships (averaging $10,000 per academic year, with total support reaching up to $40,000) with leadership development, executive mentorship (the Leaderboard track pairs scholars with C-suite mentors), career architecture, and a lifelong community of nearly 1,000 alumni scholars across 160+ universities. Programmatic outcomes are strong: 98% graduation rate, 3.6 average GPA. The foundation has invested more than $40 million since 2009. There is no proprietary technology platform; operations are supported by standard nonprofit SaaS (Stripe, Shopify, Qgiv, Survey Monkey Apply, FormAssembly, Race Roster, Google Analytics, Cookiebot) and a community platform called Tillman Connect.

The revenue model is donation-driven and event-led. Fundraising flows through four primary streams: individual donations (including monthly giving), the annual Tillman Honors Gala in Chicago (raising $1M+ in 2025 with 350+ supporters), Pat's Run in Tempe, Arizona (a 4.2-mile race honoring Tillman's jersey number 42, raising $1M+ annually with ~30,000 runners), and corporate and foundation sponsorships (NFL, Arizona Cardinals, TEKsystems, Amazon Military, Thompson Family Foundation, CLEAR, Verizon, USAA, among others). Ancillary revenue comes from Team Tillman endurance fundraising, the Pints for Pat grassroots program, the 42,000 Acts of Service campaign, and PTF Shop merchandise. The foundation does not publicly disclose annual financials but has received Charity Navigator's four-star rating and BBB Wise Giving Alliance accreditation, indicating strong financial accountability.

Name

Pat Tillman Foundation

Legal name

Pat Tillman Foundation

Website

https://pattillmanfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Pat Tillman Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that awards highly selective scholarships (less than 3% acceptance) and leadership development programming to military service members, veterans, and spouses, serving nearly 1,000 Tillman Scholars across 160+ universities through donation-driven fundraising and signature events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Military Scholarship Programs

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Military scholarships
• Veteran education programs
• Leadership development programs
• Nonprofit foundation services
• Military spouse support

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Personal and monthly giving from individual donors supporting scholarships and leadership development for military service members, veterans, and spouses
2. Tillman Honors Gala: Annual fundraising gala that raised over $1 million in 2025 to invest in Tillman Scholar programming
3. Pat's Run Event: Annual road race raising more than $1 million each year to support the Tillman Scholar community. Grew from 5,000 participants in 2005 to 30,000 runners in 2026
4. Corporate and Foundation Partnerships: Sponsorships and grants from partners including NFL, Arizona Cardinals, TEKsystems, Thompson Family Foundation, Amazon Military, and others that fund scholarships and programming

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Pat Tillman Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides multi-year scholarships and structured leadership development programming to U.S. military service members, veterans, and military spouses pursuing higher education. Its flagship Tillman Scholar Program covers tuition, living expenses, books, and health insurance and pairs scholars with a lifelong leadership development curriculum and alumni network. The foundation also operates signature community events such as Pat's Run, the Tillman Honors Gala, Team Tillman, and Pints for Pat to fundraise and engage supporters.

Product overview

The Pat Tillman Foundation operates a unified nonprofit platform centered on the Tillman Scholar Program—a highly selective scholarship and leadership development initiative for military service members, veterans, and spouses. The core program provides academic funding and ongoing development through interconnected components: the annual application process, the Leadership Summit for networking and skill-building, the Leaderboard executive mentorship track, and the Tillman Connect online community platform. Fundraising and engagement are driven through signature events including Pat's Run (annual 4.2-mile race), the Tillman Honors Gala, Pints for Pat grassroots events, and Team Tillman athletic fundraising. Additional programs include the 42,000 Acts of Service volunteer campaign and Regional Council ambassador network. The foundation maintains a merchandise shop (PTF Shop) for branded goods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tillman Scholar Program: The core scholarship and leadership development program for military service members, veterans, and spouses. Selects up to 60 scholars annually with less than 3% acceptance rate.
• Pat's Run
• Tillman Honors
• Pat Tillman Leadership Summit
• Team Tillman
• Pints for Pat
• 42,000 Acts of Service
• Leaderboard
• Champion Award
• Make Your Mark Award
• Tillman Connect

Products and services

• Tillman Scholar Program Multi-year scholarship program that covers tuition, living expenses, books, and health insurance for selected U.S. military service members, veterans, and military spouses, paired with a structured leadership development curriculum and a lifelong scholar community.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% graduation rate among Tillman Scholars
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

27 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NFLcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 6 November 2025Presenting sponsor of Tillman Honors annual gala; provides Salute to Service grant funding; co-sponsor of 42,000 Acts of Service campaign; participates in NFL Draft tradition of announcing Pat Tillman selection
• Arizona CardinalscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal team partner supporting scholarships and foundation events; Team President Michael Bidwill serves on Board of Directors
• TEKsystemscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor of Pat's Run annual event; major supporter of foundation's flagship fundraising race
• XPOminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFreight transportation company sponsoring Pat's Run for the third consecutive year in 2026; over 75 XPO employees volunteering and participating
• CLEARcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerChairman & CEO Caryn Seidman Becker serves as Leaderboard mentor, providing executive mentorship to Tillman Scholars
• VerizonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor supporting foundation initiatives
• Gila RiverminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Pat's Run annual event
• USAAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMilitary-focused financial services company sponsoring Leadership Summit
• ScheelsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Pat's Run annual event
• Planet FitnessminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Pat's Run annual event
• Arizona State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding university partner where Pat Tillman attended; ASU logo appears in Pat's Run sponsors; University Partnered application process for scholars
• Columbia UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor university partner hosting significant number of Tillman Scholars (38 scholars mentioned); contact listed for university partner coordination
• Harvard UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPremier university partner with 64 Tillman Scholars attending including Harvard Business School, Harvard Law School, and Harvard Kennedy School
• Georgetown UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner with 21 Tillman Scholars
• Stanford UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner with 34 Tillman Scholars
• Texas A&M UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner with 20 Tillman Scholars
• Massachusetts Institute of TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner with 21 Tillman Scholars including MIT Sloan and MIT IDEA Lab programs
• University of California - Los AngelescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner with 23 Tillman Scholars
• University of ArizonacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner with 25 Tillman Scholars; in-state partner school
• Duke UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner with 16 Tillman Scholars
• University of ArkansascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner with 18 Tillman Scholars
• Indiana UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner with 9 Tillman Scholars
• Syracuse UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner with 15 Tillman Scholars
• Veterans in PoliticsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner (VetTheVote) focused on veteran civic engagement
• Service to SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner helping service members transition to higher education
• Warrior Scholar ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner preparing veterans for academic success
• The ESPYScoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual awards ceremony where Pat Tillman Award for Character in Sports is presented

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Ford Foundation: Large private foundation providing grants across education, social justice, and other areas. Comparable as a peer grantmaking foundation with similar governance, endowment-based funding, and accountability structure, though far larger in scale.

Broad incumbents

• Wounded Warrior Project: One of the largest and best-known veteran-services nonprofits in the U.S. While broader in scope (physical/mental health, employment, long-term support), it competes for the same pool of veteran-focused donors and corporate sponsorships.
• Scholarship America: Largest nonprofit scholarship administrator in the U.S., managing scholarship programs for students including military-affiliated populations. Comparable in the scholarship administration function and corporate/foundation partnership model.

Direct peers

• Team Rubicon: Veteran-led disaster response organization that provides service-based leadership opportunities and community engagement to post-9/11 veterans. Comparable in mission-aligned veteran empowerment and community programming.
• The Mission Continues: Nonprofit that empowers veterans to serve as community leaders through fellowships and leadership development programs. Highly comparable in its blend of veteran transition, leadership programming, and paid fellowship model.
• Student Veterans of America: National nonprofit supporting military-connected students in higher education through chapters on university campuses. Most directly comparable peer given the overlapping mission of helping veterans and military spouses succeed in college and develop leadership skills.
• Horatio Alger Association: National scholarship organization providing need-based scholarships and leadership programming to high-achieving students facing adversity. Comparable in selective scholarship model, leadership development, and corporate/foundation sponsorship structure.
• The Jackie Robinson Foundation: Highly selective scholarship and leadership development program for minority students with a values-based selection process. Comparable in selective fellowship model, multi-year scholarship support, leadership development programming, and lifelong scholar community.
• Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA): Leading post-9/11 veteran advocacy and services organization serving the same target population of military service members, veterans, and spouses. Comparable in mission focus on the post-9/11 generation and in providing career/transition programming.
• Got Your 6: Veteran advocacy nonprofit that promotes veteran reintegration through research, campaigns, and partnerships with media/entertainment. Comparable in working with the same post-9/11 veteran demographic and building bridges to civilian leadership opportunities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pat-tillman-foundation
• Xx.com/pattillmanfnd
• Facebookfacebook.com/pattillmanfnd

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Pat Tillman Foundation