About Eaa Aviation Foundation
To preserve and promote aviation heritage and to support education, youth engagement, scholarships, and the EAA Aviation Museum to broaden participation in aviation.
Focus Areas
Aviation educationScholarshipsHistoric aircraft preservationMuseums and exhibitionsYouth programs (e.g., Young Eagles)
Who They Fund
undisclosednot specified in provided summary
Funding Style
undisclosed in summarysee Form 990 Part III, Line 4Anot specified
Topics
unspecified (no programmatic detail provided)
About Eaa Aviation Foundation
Eaa Aviation Foundation Inc’s largest recent grant was $5,941,311 to Experimental Aircraft Association Inc in 2025, continuing a three-year pattern of support for the same recipient in Oshkosh. That concentration points to a funder built around aviation heritage, education, and youth participation rather than a broad grant portfolio. The foundation’s stated purpose is to preserve and promote aviation heritage while supporting education, youth engagement, scholarships, and the EAA Aviation Museum to broaden participation in aviation. Its grantmaking scale is substantial for a single-purpose foundation: annual grants given total $16,764,776, and the latest 990 year on file is 2025. Recent awards show repeated support to the foundation’s affiliated aviation organization, with grants of $5,738,680 in 2024 and $5,084,785 in 2023 to the same Oshkosh recipient. The pattern suggests a closely linked operating structure centered on aviation programs, museum work, and scholarship support.
What Eaa Aviation Foundation Funds
Scholarships are a major part of the foundation’s work. Through the EAA Post-Secondary Scholarships program, it supports students in U.S. collegiate aviation or aviation-related STEM fields, including aerospace and aeronautical engineering, aviation business, air traffic control, aviation maintenance, and professional flight. It also funds flight-training pathways outside university settings. The EAA Flight Training Scholarships program helps individuals pursue pilot certificates or additional ratings at flight training schools in the United States and Canada, while the EAA Aviation Scholarships program supports aspiring pilots and aviation students with financial awards for flight training and aviation education. Youth flight training is another clear priority. The Ray Aviation Scholarship is administered through EAA chapters and is designed to support youth flight training opportunities in the United States and Canada.
How Eaa Aviation Foundation Gives
The foundation’s typical grant size is consistently in the mid-$5 million range, with p25 at $5,411,732, median at $5,738,680, and p75 at $5,839,996. Recent giving is highly concentrated: the same recipient appears in each of the three largest recent grants, indicating recurring support rather than one-off awards. The foundation’s grants are local in scope, and the organization does not fund individuals. Several active scholarship programs accept unsolicited applications, including post-secondary scholarships, aviation scholarships, and flight training scholarships.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$12.9M
Total Assets
$76.7M
Total Revenue
$13.5M
Total Expenses
$9.2M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $5.4M and $5.8M, with a median of $5.7M.
25th Percentile
$5.4M
Median
$5.7M
75th Percentile
$5.8M
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
JACK PELTON
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