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Apollo Opportunity Foundation

Annual Giving
$7.3M
Grant Range
$250K - $2.0M

Apollo Opportunity Foundation

Quick Stats

  • EIN: 87-4097394
  • Annual Giving: $7,302,562 (2023)
  • Total Assets: $147 million+
  • Decision Time: Ongoing review process
  • Grant Range: $250,000 - $2,000,000 (multi-year grants)
  • Geographic Focus: Global (communities where Apollo operates)
  • Number of Grantees: 30+ organizations (as of 2024)

Contact Details

Overview

Launched in February 2022 by Apollo Global Management, the Apollo Opportunity Foundation is a corporate foundation committed to expanding economic opportunity globally. With over $147 million in assets and a commitment to deploy more than $100 million over the next decade, the Foundation operates on a unique employee-driven model. Apollo employees from across the global organization nominate nonprofit organizations for funding, and a 12-member Grants Council—representing different levels, geographies, and business units—evaluates and selects grantees. The Foundation's approach goes beyond financial contributions, pairing capital with employee talent through ongoing volunteerism, strategic advisory work, and exposure to Apollo's broader platform. As of 2023, the Foundation had partnered with 21 grantees and distributed over $7.3 million in grants. By 2024, this had grown to 30+ grantee organizations.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Foundation makes substantial multi-year grants to nonprofit organizations, with awards typically structured as:

  • Multi-Year Unrestricted Grants: Two-year commitments ranging from $500,000 to $2,000,000
    • Per Scholas: $1,000,000 over two years
    • Girls Who Invest: $2,000,000 over two years
    • Student Leadership Network: $500,000 over two years ($250,000 annually)

Priority Areas

Three Core Pillars:

  1. Career Education

    • Exposure: Exploring career pathways through educational programs and mentorship
    • Preparation: Ensuring readiness for careers through training, financial literacy, and STEM proficiency

  2. Workforce Development

    • Pathways: Creating new and expanded pathways to high-quality career experiences
    • Development: Providing professional development, upskilling, and coaching for career success

  3. Economic Empowerment

    • Empowerment: Bolstering leadership capacity and networks of professionals and entrepreneurs
    • Supporting access to capital and helping organizations scale

Strategic Focus: Organizations working to advance economic prosperity and expand opportunity for underrepresented individuals, particularly in investment management, technology, and career pathways.

What They Fund

Organizations aligned with their three pillars, such as:

  • Career development programs for underserved students (Futures and Options, TEAK Fellowship)
  • Alternative pathways to tech careers (The Marcy Lab School, Per Scholas)
  • Women and underrepresented groups in investment management (Girls Who Invest, GAIN - Girls Are Investors UK)
  • Social entrepreneurship (Echoing Green)
  • Educational equity initiatives (National Education Equity Lab, Student Leadership Network)
  • Global workforce development (Generation, IntoUniversity)

What They Don't Fund

While not explicitly stated, the Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications from organizations outside their employee nomination process. The Foundation focuses exclusively on their three core pillars and does not appear to fund:

  • Organizations outside career education, workforce development, and economic empowerment sectors
  • Individual scholarships or direct-to-individual grants
  • Projects not nominated by Apollo employees

Governance and Leadership

Chair: Marc Rowan (CEO, Apollo Global Management)

Executive Director: Lauren Coape-Arnold (also Global Head of Citizenship at Apollo)

Grants Council Co-Chairs: Christine Hommes and Earl Hunt (Apollo Partners)

Grants Council: 12 employees representing different levels, geographies, and business units across Apollo and Athene

Leadership Philosophy: Lauren Coape-Arnold emphasizes the Foundation's unique approach: "By strategically investing in organizations and pairing capital with our talent, the Foundation can help scale grantees' impact."

Earl Hunt notes that the approach "is guided by a diverse group of Apollo teammates who represent what we do best: rigorous analysis and deep due diligence, but with a commitment to community."

The Foundation's board and executive team work with minimal or no compensation, maximizing resources directed to grantee organizations.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Apollo Opportunity Foundation does not have a public application process. Grants are awarded exclusively through an employee-driven nomination system.

Selection Process:

  1. Apollo employees (from across Apollo Global Management and Athene) nominate nonprofit organizations
  2. The 12-member Grants Council reviews and evaluates all nominated organizations
  3. Organizations are selected based on demonstrated impact and alignment with the Foundation's three pillars
  4. The Grants Council employs rigorous analysis and deep due diligence
  5. Once selected, "Deal Teams" of employee champions are formed to support each grantee

The Foundation issues new grants on an ongoing basis rather than fixed annual cycles.

Getting on Their Radar

Employee Connections: The only pathway to receiving funding is through nomination by Apollo employees. Organizations should:

  • Build relationships with Apollo Global Management employees: Connect with Apollo employees who are already engaged in your sector or mission area. Apollo's workforce spans multiple geographies and business units, creating diverse entry points for connection.

  • Apollo Opportunity Foundation Summit: The Foundation hosts events like the inaugural AOF Summit (held in 2024) that bring together grantees, employees, and stakeholders. These events represent potential networking opportunities for organizations already in Apollo's ecosystem.

  • Volunteer engagement: Apollo employees are encouraged to volunteer with organizations. Building relationships through volunteer programs or board service could lead to employee nominations.

  • Sector visibility: Organizations should maintain strong visibility in career education, workforce development, and economic empowerment spaces where Apollo employees may already be engaged or looking to engage.

Important Note: There is no direct application pathway for organizations without an employee champion. Organizations cannot submit unsolicited proposals or applications.

Decision Timeline

The Grants Council meets regularly to review nominated organizations. Specific timelines are not publicly disclosed, but the Foundation operates on an ongoing basis rather than fixed deadline cycles.

Once selected, grantees typically receive multi-year commitments (commonly two-year grants) with both financial support and ongoing engagement from employee Deal Teams.

Success Rates

Specific application-to-award ratios are not applicable given the nomination-only model. However, notable data points:

  • In February 2023, 11 organizations received grants totaling nearly $3 million
  • By end of 2023, the Foundation had partnered with 21 grantees
  • By 2024, this had grown to 30+ grantee organizations
  • The Foundation distributed $7,302,562 across 27 awards in 2023

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable. The Foundation forms long-term partnerships with grantees rather than operating on a competitive reapplication cycle. Multi-year grants suggest sustained relationships rather than one-time funding.

Application Success Factors

Given the unique employee-driven model, success factors differ significantly from traditional foundations:

Demonstrated Impact: Organizations are "selected based on the impact they've made to date and the alignment of their mission with the Foundation's key pillars." Grantees need a strong track record and measurable outcomes.

Strategic Alignment: Strict adherence to one or more of the three pillars (Career Education, Workforce Development, Economic Empowerment) is essential. Successful grantees include:

  • The Marcy Lab School: Alternative pathway to software engineering careers (Workforce Development)
  • Girls Who Invest: Pipeline development for women in portfolio management (Career Education + Economic Empowerment)
  • Per Scholas: Technology training and career acceleration (Workforce Development)

Employee Champion: Every grant "is championed by an employee or a team of employees." Organizations need genuine connections with Apollo employees who believe in their mission enough to nominate them.

Capacity for Partnership: The Foundation emphasizes "long-term partnerships with grantee organizations." Successful applicants must be prepared for:

  • Ongoing employee engagement and volunteerism
  • Strategic advisory relationships with Deal Teams
  • Impact measurement and reporting
  • Participation in Foundation events and summits

Scalability and Growth Potential: Lauren Coape-Arnold's quote emphasizes helping "scale grantees' impact," suggesting preference for organizations positioned for growth.

Geographic Diversity: While based in New York, the Foundation has a global reach, funding organizations in the UK (GAIN - Girls Are Investors), India (The Vedica Scholars Programme for Women), and across the US (Project Iowa).

Unrestricted Support Approach: The Foundation recognizes that "unrestricted multi-year grants are vital to an organization's ability to focus on its programs and have resources to innovate and adapt," suggesting they value organizational flexibility and trust grantees' leadership.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • This is not a traditional grantmaking foundation: There is no application portal, no RFP, and no public solicitation process. Focus efforts on relationship-building with Apollo employees rather than proposal writing.

  • Employee connections are everything: The pathway to funding runs exclusively through Apollo employee nominations. Organizations should invest in building authentic relationships with Apollo's workforce across their global offices.

  • Think long-term partnership, not one-time grant: The Foundation emphasizes sustained engagement, multi-year commitments, and deep collaboration. They're looking for organizations ready to integrate Apollo employee volunteers and expertise.

  • Impact and alignment must be crystal clear: With rigorous due diligence applied to all nominees, organizations need strong track records, clear metrics, and unambiguous alignment with at least one of the three pillars.

  • Prepare for deep engagement: Beyond the grant funding, expect Deal Teams of employee champions, volunteer events, strategic advisory relationships, and participation in Foundation events like the annual summit.

  • Scale matters: The Foundation seeks to "scale grantees' impact," suggesting they favor organizations with growth potential and capacity to expand reach, not just maintain current operations.

  • Global perspective: Despite the New York headquarters, think internationally. The Foundation funds across multiple countries where Apollo operates, creating opportunities for organizations with global reach or replicable models.

References

  1. Apollo Global Management - The Apollo Opportunity Foundation. https://www.apollo.com/impact/the-apollo-opportunity-foundation (Accessed December 2024)

  2. Apollo Global Management - Apollo Opportunity Foundation Awards Nearly $3M in Employee-Directed Grants Toward Nonprofits Working to Expand Opportunity. https://www.apollo.com/insights-news/insights/2023/02/apollo-opportunity-foundation-awards (Accessed December 2024)

  3. Apollo Global Management - Apollo Opportunity Foundation Commits Nearly $3M in Employee-Directed Grants to 11 Nonprofits Working to Advance Economic Prosperity. https://www.apollo.com/insights-news/pressreleases/2023/02/apollo-opportunity-foundation-commits-nearly-3m-in-employee-directed-grants-to-11-nonprofits-working-to-advance-economic-prosperity-123054687 (Accessed December 2024)

  4. Apollo Global Management - Apollo Launches 'Apollo Opportunity Foundation' to Advance Economic Prosperity and Expand Opportunity. https://www.apollo.com/insights-news/pressreleases/2022/02/apollo-launches-apollo-opportunity-foundation-to-advance-economic-prosperity-and-expand-opportunity-130239100 (Accessed December 2024)

  5. Apollo Global Management - The Inaugural Apollo Opportunity Foundation Summit. https://www.apollo.com/insights-news/insights/2024/11/the-inaugural-apollo-opportunity-foundation-summit (Accessed December 2024)

  6. Apollo Global Management - Lauren Coape-Arnold Leadership Profile. https://www.apollo.com/aboutus/leadership-and-people/lauren-coape-arnold (Accessed December 2024)

  7. Cause IQ - Apollo Opportunity Foundation Profile. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/apollo-opportunity-foundation,874097394/ (Accessed December 2024)

  8. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer - Apollo Opportunity Foundation. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/874097394 (Accessed December 2024)

  9. Philanthropy News Digest - Girls Who Invest awarded $2 million from Apollo Opportunity Foundation. https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/girls-who-invest-awarded-2-million-from-apollo-opportunity-foundation (Accessed December 2024)

  10. Student Leadership Network - Apollo Opportunity Foundation's $500K Grant Fuels Student Leadership Network's Programs to Advance Educational Equity. https://www.studentleadershipnetwork.org/apollo-opportunity-foundations-500k-grant-fuels-student-leadership-networks-programs/ (Accessed December 2024)

  11. Per Scholas - Apollo Opportunity Foundation Invests $1M as a Founding Supporter of Per Scholas' Career Accelerator Initiative. https://perscholas.org/news/apollo-opportunity-foundation-invests-1m-as-a-founding-supporter-of-per-scholas-career-accelerator-initiative/ (Accessed December 2024)

  12. TEAK Fellowship - TEAK Receives Apollo Opportunity Foundation Grant. https://teakfellowship.org/teak-receives-apollo-opportunity-foundation-grant/ (Accessed December 2024)

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