The Aimee & Frank Batten Jr Foundation makes very concentrated, faith-oriented gifts, primarily supporting Christian education and faith-based international development. With two grants in the dataset, the foundation directed a transformational $1M award to the Rafiki Foundation and a sizable local gift to Norfolk Christian Schools, signaling a mix of large-scale international mission work and local Christian schooling support.
Highly concentrated giving: very few, large gifts with one dominant $1M grant and a secondary six-figure local education award; grants appear donor-directed toward faith-based organizations rather than broadly distributed.
A single $1,000,000 grant to Rafiki Foundation defines the Aimee & Frank Batten Jr Foundation’s recent record. That award, paired with a $150,000 gift to Norfolk Christian Schools, shows a funder that makes very concentrated grants tied to charitable purpose rather than a broad, high-volume portfolio. The pattern points to faith-oriented giving with two clear settings: Christian education in Norfolk and faith-based international development work. Earlier grants reinforce that picture. In 2023, the foundation supported Trinity Church in Norfolk and The Nature Conservancy in Richmond, both at $100,000, while also giving $100,000 to American Forests in Washington, DC. More recently, it added a $50,000 grant to Grace Community Church in Chesapeake and another $100,000 grant to American Forests in Washington, DC. Across those awards, the foundation appears to favor sizable, direct support for institutions and organizations it already knows, with grant sizes that remain unusually large even outside the $1 million outlier.
Faith-based work is the clearest theme in the grant record. The foundation gave $1,000,000 to Rafiki Foundation for charitable purpose, indicating support for mission-oriented international development. It also backed local religious institutions with $100,000 to Trinity Church and $50,000 to Grace Community Church, both in Hampton Roads-area communities. Christian education is another visible priority. Norfolk Christian Schools received $150,000 for charitable purpose, placing school support alongside church-based giving in the foundation’s recent activity. Environmental philanthropy appears as a secondary theme rather than the main one, but it is present in the record through $100,000 grants to American Forests and The Nature Conservancy. Those awards suggest the foundation is willing to support multiple charitable purposes while keeping the overall portfolio tightly focused and relatively small in count.
Grant sizes cluster tightly around six figures, with a p25 of $100,000, a median of $100,000, and a p75 of $125,000. One award stands far above the rest at $1,000,000, but most grants sit between $50,000 and $150,000. The record shows repeat support for American Forests in both 2023 and 2025, suggesting at least some recurring relationships rather than one-off gifts only. The foundation does not fund individuals and makes no program-related investments. Its giving also looks responsive and noncompetitive in format, with all listed awards described as support for charitable purpose rather than through an application-based program.
$1.3M
$4.1M
$2.7M
$1.4M
Most grants fall between $100K and $125K, with a median of $100K.
25th Percentile
$100K
Median
$100K
75th Percentile
$125K
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Notable grantees: Rafiki Foundation, Norfolk Christian Schools
Grant recipients are entirely U.S.-based in the dataset. Virginia is the main destination, with 57% of grants going to recipients in the state and organizations in Norfolk, Chesapeake, and Richmond appearing in the record. Washington, DC is the top state-by-grant-count location outside Virginia’s percentage measure, led by American Forests. The foundation also made one major grant to a Florida recipient, Rafiki Foundation in Eustis, which broadens the geographic reach while keeping the overall scope regional rather than national or international in recipient location.
The record shows support for Christian institutions, faith-based international development, and environmental organizations. Named recipients include Rafiki Foundation, Norfolk Christian Schools, Trinity Church, Grace Community Church, American Forests, and The Nature Conservancy.
The distribution is concentrated around six figures: p25 is $100,000, median grant size is $100,000, and p75 is $125,000. A single $1,000,000 grant sits well above the rest of the recent record.
Yes. American Forests appears in both 2023 and 2025, with $100,000 grants in each year. The rest of the recent list is more limited, with distinct recipients such as Norfolk Christian Schools and Grace Community Church.
Virginia receives the largest share of grants in the dataset, at 57% of awards. Recipient cities in the record include Norfolk, Chesapeake, Richmond, Washington, DC, and Eustis, FL.
No. The profile indicates funds individuals is false and makes program-related investments is false, so the giving shown here is through charitable grants to organizations.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAFIKI FOUNDATION | EUSTIS, FL | $1,000,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
| NORFOLK CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS | NORFOLK, VA | $150,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
| AMERICAN FORESTS | WASHINGTON, DC | $100,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
| GRACE COMMUNITY CHURCH | CHESAPEAKE, VA | $50,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
| TRINITY CHURCH | NORFOLK, VA | $100,000 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
| THE NATURE CONSERVANCY | RICHMOND, VA | $100,000 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
| AMERICAN FORESTS | WASHINGTON, DC | $100,000 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
RAFIKI FOUNDATION
$1,000,000TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSE
NORFOLK CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS
$150,000TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSE
AMERICAN FORESTS
$100,000TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSE
GRACE COMMUNITY CHURCH
$50,000TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSE
TRINITY CHURCH
$100,000TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSE
THE NATURE CONSERVANCY
$100,000TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSE
AMERICAN FORESTS
$100,000TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSE