Marine Corps Association Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
800340923
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Quantico, VA, USA
Phone
8774696223
Rating
73
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
History Museums

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,685,536
Expenses
$3,064,854
Assets
$1,409,155
Liabilities
$642,917

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

28 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • LTGEN CHARLES CHIAROTTI (USMC (RET), PRESIDENT & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • LTGEN CHARLES CHIAROTTI (USMC (RET), PRESIDENT & CEO): $326,292 total reported compensation
  • COL CHRISTOPHER WOODBRIDGEUSMCRET (VP OF PUBLISHING & PROFESSIONAL DEV.): $173,618 total reported compensation
  • LEEANN MITCHELL (VP EVENTS SPONSORSHIP & ADVERTISING): $169,092 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To provide resources and support to sustain and expand programs and activities essential to the marine corps association's (mca) mission by engaging everyone inspired by the marine corps.

What it reported doing in 2025

Commanders' forums: the foundation provides funding to assist commanders in developing and providing forum opportunities specifically tailored to enhance their marines and sailors' knowledge of the military historical and operational lessons and how those can be applied to current challenges. The forums can range from presentations and discussions with noted authors and scholars to a classical battle study. Participation in the battle studies will help prepare a unit for current operations through the study of military history. Participants in battle studies may walk the ground with experts in order to better understand the history and lessons learned from these famous battles and campaigns. In addition, mcaf actively seeks to provide relevant, professional military education for active-duty marines and opportunities to stay abreast of current issues. These forums feature prominent speakers, key decision makers and subject matter experts and offer key insights and unique perspectives on current military topics. Events are held at different locations, allowing active-duty marines and our members nationwide the opportunity to enhance their knowledge of military art and science, and gain an appreciation of current issues. In 2025, nearly 9,000 marine leaders (noncommissioned officers, staff noncommissioned officers, and commissioned officers at multiple grades) participated in these commanders' forums events. The funds pay for speaking fees, honorariums, battlefield tour guides and other costs that marine units can typically pay for from their operations and maintenance funding.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 99% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 50% for direct work, and 50% for grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 64
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 88
  • Sustainability: 14
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 74.7%; rating input score 75
  • Program expense ratio: 65%; rating input score 65
  • Fundraising efficiency: $2.94 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 95.7%; rating input score 96; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -14.1%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.46; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.46; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 10.4%; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 5.7% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4% per year; rating input score 100; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 5.7% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 74.7% of revenue deployed · 65% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 22 of 23 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $326K · 28 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 8 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 7/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 7/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 15/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 18/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 32/100.