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Foundation of the Arc of the United States
The Arc of the United States was founded in 1950 by parents who refused to institutionalize their children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Foundation of the Arc of the United States
The Arc of the United States was founded in 1950 by parents who refused to institutionalize their children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The national office's foundation functions as its permanent capital vehicle, stewarding a mix of direct donations, beneficial interests in perpetual trusts, and deferred-compensation investments. The structure separates long-term institutional strength from annual giving cycles. The foundation's capital supports The Arc's legal advocacy and policy work, with a national footprint spanning all 50 states and a network of local chapters. Confirmed philanthropic partners include the Ford Foundation and the Walmart Foundation, the latter funding employment initiatives for people with IDD. The Arc also operates a vehicle-donation program as a recurring source of unrestricted funding, alongside traditional grant-making partnerships. Treasurer Hugh Evans brings venture and principal-investing experience via his role at 3D Ventures, suggesting the foundation's financial governance draws from disciplines beyond the nonprofit sector. The Arc maintains collaborative relationships with peer networks including Inclusion International and the Special Needs Alliance. Its headquarters occupies leased space at 1825 K Street NW in Washington, DC’s central business district. The foundation's architecture is distinct among large US disability-advocacy nonprofits: it shields a permanent endowment inside an operating entity whose primary work is grassroots advocacy, direct services, and litigation. This endowment posture gives the national office a structural buffer that peer organizations without large-scale permanent capital do not possess, allowing multi-year policy campaigns to proceed irrespective of short-term fundraising conditions.
General information
Firm type
Endowment / Foundation
Year founded
1950
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Washington, DC
Corporate office
Washington, DC, United States
Principals
Frederick Misilo Jr.
Chair of the Board of Directors
Hugh Evans
Treasurer
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who oversees investment decisions at the Foundation of the Arc?
The foundation's financial governance is led by its Board of Directors, chaired by Frederick Misilo Jr., with Hugh Evans serving as Treasurer. Evans is a principal at 3D Ventures, an investment firm, which suggests the treasury function benefits from direct capital-markets experience. The foundation does not publicly disclose a dedicated chief investment officer or outsourced investment office relationship.
How does the foundation's endowment structure differ from the nonprofit's general operating funds?
The foundation operates as a permanent capital vehicle within The Arc, managing a portfolio that includes beneficial interests in a perpetual trust and deferred-compensation investments, in addition to direct donations. This separates long-term institutional assets from annual fundraising and grant cycles, allowing multi-year commitments to litigation and policy advocacy that would be difficult to sustain on annual-operating-cashflow alone.
Does the foundation make direct mission-related investments or only program-related grants?
The Arc did not publicly disclose any direct mission-related investment portfolio as of mid-2025. Its publicly known capital deployment operates through the national office's advocacy, legal, and chapter-support programs, funded by a mix of foundation assets, philanthropic grants from partners including the Ford Foundation and Walmart Foundation, and earned revenue from programs such as its vehicle-donation initiative.
What is the relationship between the foundation and The Arc's local chapters?
The foundation's assets support the national office, which provides legal, policy, and capacity-building resources to a network of over 600 independently incorporated local chapters across the United States. Local chapters handle their own financial operations, but the national foundation creates a durable funding spine that backs systemic advocacy and coordinates multi-state legal strategies no single chapter could sustain independently.
Which philanthropic funders co-invest alongside the foundation?
Confirmed philanthropic partners include the Ford Foundation, which has provided significant general-operating and capacity-building support, and the Walmart Foundation, which has funded specific employment initiatives for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The foundation's position as the endowment of a legacy civil-rights organization makes it a natural syndication partner for institutional philanthropy targeting disability-inclusion outcomes.
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