The Above And Beyond Foundation

What The Above And Beyond Foundation does

The Above And Beyond Foundation (TAABF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2017 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The foundation operates a portfolio of award and grant programs targeting front-line workers in the hospitality industry, including the Heart of Hospitality Award ($10,000 grants for career-committed workers), the Heroes of Hospitality Award ($5,000 for extraordinary single acts of service), and the Helping Hospitality Grant ($500 urgent aid for workers impacted by catastrophic events). To date, the foundation has distributed over $1,000,000 in total grants, including more than $650,000 across 1,000+ Helping Hospitality urgent aid grants during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent disaster responses such as the Maui fires.

The foundation generates revenue through individual donations, corporate sponsorships ($7,000-$13,000 per award), and the BOOMERANG! Corporate Social Responsibility program ($7,500-$15,000 per winner, including engraved crystal awards, 'big check' presentations, and professional event coordination integrated into corporate conferences). United Airlines serves as the official partner, providing roundtrip airline tickets as winner prizes. The foundation operates through a Squarespace-based website for nominations, donations, and information dissemination, with no proprietary technology platform. Award ceremonies are conducted as surprise on-site events at winners' places of employment or at major industry conferences hosted by partners such as PCMA, IRF, SITE, and Northstar Meetings Group.

TAABF is governed by a board of directors and supported by an advisory council drawn from senior leadership at major hospitality brands and event organizations, including Hilton, Four Seasons, Marriott, Rosewood, PCMA Foundation, IRF, IMEX, and Skift Meetings. The foundation received the Events Industry Council Global Awards 2020 Social Impact Award for its pandemic-era contributions. With 1-10 employees, TAABF maintains a lean operating model focused on industry-embedded recognition programming rather than scaled direct service delivery.

Name

The Above And Beyond Foundation

Legal name

The Above And Beyond Foundation

Website

https://taabf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Above And Beyond Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that awards cash grants and recognition to front-line hospitality workers through the Heart of Hospitality ($10,000), Heroes of Hospitality ($5,000), and Helping Hospitality ($500) programs, funded by donations, corporate sponsorships, and its BOOMERANG! CSR event program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC), Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Nonprofit foundation
• Hospitality grants
• Workforce recognition
• Charitable awards
• Industry philanthropy

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. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, generating revenue through tax-deductible donations from individuals and corporations who support the mission of recognizing and rewarding front-line hospitality workers.
2. Award Sponsorship Programs: Corporate sponsors pay to associate their brand with specific awards. Heart of Hospitality sponsorship costs $13,000 and Heroes of Hospitality sponsorship costs $7,000, which includes the grant amount to winners, administrative costs, and tax processing.
3. BOOMERANG! CSR Corporate Program: Turnkey Corporate Social Responsibility program where companies pay $15,000 per Heart of Hospitality winner or $7,500 per Heroes of Hospitality winner for live event award presentations, including professional event coordination and implementation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Above And Beyond Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports front-line hospitality workers through grant and award programs. Founded in 2017 and based in Chicago, the foundation distributes monetary grants (ranging from $500 to $10,000) and recognition awards to recognize outstanding service and provide financial assistance to hospitality industry employees.

Product overview

The Above And Beyond Foundation operates as a portfolio of award and grant programs for the hospitality industry, not a unified technology product. The core offerings include: (1) the Heart of Hospitality Award ($10,000) as its highest honor for career-committed front-line workers; (2) the Heroes of Hospitality Award ($5,000) for extraordinary single acts or consistent performance; (3) the Helping Hospitality Grant providing $500 urgent aid to workers affected by catastrophic events; and (4) the BOOMERANG! CSR program enabling corporations to recognize front-line workers at live events with grants and awards. The foundation has awarded over $1,000,000 in total grants and over $650,000 through the Helping Hospitality initiative. United Airlines serves as the official partner of the foundation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Heart of Hospitality Award

Quantifiable outcome

• Awarded $1,000,000+ in total grants
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 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

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• United AirlinesflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerUnited Airlines is the official partner of The Above and Beyond Foundation. The partnership includes providing roundtrip airline tickets as prizes for award winners, such as 2 tickets awarded to Florildalma Reyes at SITE Classic 2023 and to Fathy Soliman at Marriott Association Masters 2023. The partnership enhances the prestige of awards by including travel experiences for recipients.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• The James Beard Foundation: Hospitality-adjacent nonprofit best known for culinary industry awards and chef recognition; comparable 'recognition-grant' format for hospitality professionals, though focused on the restaurant/culinary segment rather than hotels and events.

Direct peers

• The Giving Kitchen: Nonprofit providing emergency financial assistance to food service workers in crisis; comparable model of small, recurring grants ($500–$1,500) to hospitality workers facing hardship, anchored in the Atlanta food service community.
• Restaurant Workers' Community Foundation: 501(c)(3) that mobilizes resources for restaurant workers, including emergency relief and advocacy; the most direct peer in mission and grantmaking approach, though focused on restaurants rather than hotels/event venues.

Broad incumbents

• National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation: Restaurant industry's largest workforce-development foundation, focused on training and career pathways; overlaps with TAABF in hospitality worker support but addresses workforce skills rather than recognition awards.
• American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation (AHLEF): Industry-affiliated foundation providing scholarships and workforce development for hotel employees; serves the same employer and worker population but with a broader workforce/education mandate rather than recognition grants.

Others

• PCMA Foundation: Charitable arm of the Professional Convention Management Association that supports the events industry workforce, including scholarships and crisis relief; directly collaborates with TAABF and shares the same PCMA senior leadership on TAABF's board.
• UNITE HERE: Largest union representing hospitality workers in hotels, gaming, and food service; adjacent in mission to support front-line hospitality workers, with overlapping employer networks but a labor/collective-bargaining model rather than grantmaking.

Emerging players

• One Fair Wage: Nonprofit advocating for higher wages and end to subminimum wages for tipped restaurant workers; comparable in mobilizing corporate and public support for hospitality worker welfare, though primarily policy-driven rather than grant-based.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/above-and-beyond-foundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/TAABF

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 The Above And Beyond Foundation