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AJA Foundation

Annual Giving
$1.1M
Grant Range
$3K - $0.5M
Decision Time
8mo

AJA Foundation Funder Overview

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $1,125,000 (2023)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
  • Decision Time: 6 weeks for LOI response; up to 6 months for full proposal
  • Grant Range: $2,500 - $500,000
  • Average Grant Size: $45,000
  • Geographic Focus: Global (15 countries), with emphasis on developing nations
  • Total Giving to Date: $15.1 million (457 grants to 163 organizations)

Contact Details

Website: www.ajafoundation.org
Address: 3605 S. Town Center Dr. Suite A, Las Vegas, NV 89135
Application Portal: ajafoundation.org/how-to-apply

Overview

Founded in 2004 by Andy Astrachan, the AJA Foundation (formerly AJA Charitable Fund) is a Las Vegas-based private foundation with assets totaling $18.8 million. The Foundation invests globally in organizations addressing fundamental human rights through three philanthropic pillars: clean water access, quality education, and essential healthcare. Since inception, AJA has distributed $15.1 million across 457 grants to 163 organizations in 15 countries. The Foundation's mission centers on "helping those who have done everything society asks of them, yet for whom access to fundamental resources and advancement remains elusive at best and structurally impossible at worst." Notably, 76% of AJA's donations go to organizations receiving over $250,000, indicating a preference for substantial, multi-year partnerships rather than numerous small grants. The Foundation recently announced "Water 2035," committing to provide clean water access to an additional 700,000 people by 2035, bringing their total water impact to 1 million people.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

AJA Foundation operates on a rolling application basis with no fixed deadlines. Grant sizes vary from $2,500 to $500,000 depending on program scope and alignment.

Three Philanthropic Pillars:

1. Clean Water ($3,026,443 distributed to date)

  • Focus: Sustainable water initiatives, particularly in rural Africa
  • Recent examples:
    • Multi-year UNICEF partnership providing clean water to 275,000 people in Guinea
    • Partnership with Makolekole providing water access to 25,000 people in rural Zambia
    • "Water 2035" commitment to fund clean water for additional 700,000 people

2. Quality Education ($5,023,125 distributed to date)

  • Focus: Educational pathways to degrees or technical certifications for economically disadvantaged students with academic promise
  • Recent grants (March 2024):
    • Dean's Future Scholars (University of Nevada, Reno): $100,000 + $50,000 matching grant ($330,000 total commitment)
    • Fulfillment Fund (Los Angeles): $75,000 ($325,000 total commitment)
    • Fulfillment Fund Las Vegas: $50,000 ($150,000 total)
    • The Pathfinder Program at Hopkins School: $75,000 + $25,000 matching grant
    • Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation: $50,000
  • Partners include: Steppingstone Foundation, Leaders In Training, Three Angels Haiti, Partnership for the Future

3. Essential Healthcare ($2,217,007 distributed to date)

  • Focus: Delivering fundamental healthcare to underserved populations, particularly in developing countries
  • Services include: Maternal, newborn, and pediatric medicine; treatment of common diseases; disease prevention
  • Recent grant: Engera USA (rural Ethiopia): $100,000 unrestricted + $50,000 matching grant

Additional Funding Areas:

  • Medical Research: $2,441,361
  • Human Rights: $918,300 (including support for criminal justice reform organizations like the Innocence Project)
  • Other: $1,506,140

Priority Areas

  • Sustainable Impact: Multi-year commitments to organizations creating lasting change
  • Structural Barriers: Programs addressing systemic inequities preventing advancement
  • Underserved Populations: Focus on those who "have done everything society asks" but lack access to fundamental resources
  • Geographic Emphasis: Developing countries and rural communities, particularly in Africa
  • Education Focus: First-generation and low-income students with academic promise
  • Healthcare Access: Remote locations where basic services are otherwise unavailable
  • Volunteer-Driven Organizations: Preference for substantially volunteer-operated initiatives

What They Don't Fund

While not explicitly stated, the Foundation:

  • Accepts only one request per organization annually
  • Requires applicants be 501(c)(3) organizations
  • Expects clear alignment with one of their three pillars (water, education, or healthcare)

Governance and Leadership

Key Personnel:

  • Andy Astrachan - Founder, Chairman, President, and CFO
    Initiated the Foundation's work in 2009 with a well restoration project in Mfuwe, Zambia. Astrachan's philosophy centers on reciprocity: "Recognizing that nobody achieves success on their own and believing that all of us have a moral obligation to help lift up those less fortunate."

    Key Quotes:

    • On healthcare: "It is hard to wrap your head around the fact that people can be successfully treated for a wide variety of conditions for $1."
    • On clean water: "The sheer joy on the faces of the children when the first clean water came out of the spout is a moment and a feeling that is seared into my memory. I am unaware of any investment in people at any cost with the power to change people's lives as greatly."
    • On criminal justice: "There is no more important measure of a society than a criminal justice system that is truly fair at every level."

  • Colleen McKenna - Executive Director ($165,000 compensation)
    Charged by founder Andy Astrachan to "think out of the box" with regard to support for grantees. Brings experience from both for-profit and nonprofit sectors, having worked as both grant-seeker and grant-maker across tech, communications, and marketing.

Board Members (as of March 2024):

  • Jessica Gamble (Board Chair)
  • Colleen McKenna
  • Victoria Bowley

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

AJA Foundation uses a two-stage application process:

Stage 1: Letter of Intent (LOI)

  • Submit a short message demonstrating how your program aligns with one of AJA's three philanthropic pillars
  • Accepted on a rolling basis (no deadlines)
  • Response time: Approximately 6 weeks
  • Foundation will invite full proposal if they see mission synergy and budget availability

Stage 2: Full Proposal (by invitation only)

  • Timeline: 60 days to complete online application after receiving invitation
  • Review period: Up to 6 months before funding decision
  • Processing: Applications generally considered in order received

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Must be a 501(c)(3) organization
  • Program must align with water, education, or healthcare pillar
  • Global organizations welcome
  • Limitation: Only one request per organization annually

Decision Timeline

  • LOI response: ~6 weeks
  • Full proposal review: Up to 6 months
  • Total potential timeline: 7-8 months from initial LOI to funding decision
  • Applications processed in order received

Success Rates

While specific acceptance rates are not publicly disclosed, available data shows:

  • 2023: 25 grants awarded ($1,125,000 total)
  • 2022: 11 grants awarded
  • 2021: 19 grants awarded

The Foundation's concentration of funding (76% going to organizations receiving over $250,000) suggests they favor fewer, larger partnerships over numerous small grants.

Reapplication Policy

  • Declined applicants: Must wait 12 months from date of declination notice before reapplying
  • Annual limitation: Only one request per organization per year

Application Success Factors

Mission Alignment is Critical

The Foundation explicitly states they will only invite full proposals if they "believe there is synergy with their mission." Successful applicants must demonstrate clear alignment with one of the three pillars, not just tangential connection.

Strategic Priorities Within Each Pillar

For Water Grants:

  • Emphasis on sustainable, renewable clean water solutions
  • Geographic preference: Rural African villages
  • Multi-year impact potential
  • Community-level transformation

For Education Grants:

  • Target population: "Students with academic promise, regardless of where they live or their financial situation"
  • Programs providing multi-year support (not one-off interventions)
  • Services include: Hands-on educational support, tutoring, mentoring, scholarships
  • Focus on pathways beyond high school completion (degrees or technical certifications)
  • Addressing structural barriers preventing economically disadvantaged students from advancement

For Healthcare Grants:

  • Geographic preference: Developing countries, particularly remote locations
  • Services where healthcare would otherwise be unavailable
  • Focus areas: Maternal, newborn, and pediatric medicine; treatment of common diseases
  • Preference for substantially volunteer operations
  • Both prevention and treatment programs

Multi-Year Commitment Potential

With 76% of funding going to organizations receiving over $250,000, the Foundation clearly prefers deep partnerships. Successful applicants should articulate potential for ongoing collaboration rather than positioning as one-time grants.

Demonstrating Cost-Effectiveness

Founder Andy Astrachan's quote about treating "a wide variety of conditions for $1" suggests the Foundation values organizations demonstrating significant impact per dollar invested, particularly in healthcare and water initiatives.

Founder's Philosophy

Understanding Astrachan's core belief—that success is communal and creates moral obligation to "help lift up those less fortunate"—can inform proposal framing. The Foundation seeks to "level the playing field" for those facing structural barriers despite personal effort.

Recent Funding Patterns

  • Repeat grantees common (e.g., Fulfillment Fund, Dean's Future Scholars receiving multiple grants)
  • Matching grant opportunities for strong partners
  • Unrestricted funding provided to trusted organizations (e.g., Engera USA, Pathfinder Program)

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Rolling deadlines mean timing flexibility - but applications processed in order received, so don't delay unnecessarily

  • Focus on one pillar only - attempting to span multiple areas may dilute your message; demonstrate deep alignment with water, education, OR healthcare

  • Multi-year potential matters - with 76% of funds going to organizations receiving $250,000+, position your organization for long-term partnership rather than one-off grants

  • Sustainable impact is paramount - the Foundation consistently emphasizes creating lasting change and addressing structural barriers, not temporary relief

  • Be patient with the process - total timeline can reach 7-8 months; this is a thoughtful funder making strategic commitments, not rapid response grants

  • Geographic focus matters - while global funding is available, there's clear preference for developing nations (water/healthcare) and programs serving economically disadvantaged populations (education)

  • Only apply once annually - make your one shot count with a thoroughly developed proposal; declined applicants must wait 12 months

  • Think cost-effectiveness - particularly for water and healthcare, demonstrate how funding creates maximum impact per dollar invested

References

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