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Fund the evidence behind better financial decisions.
More than a third of U.S. adults say they could not cover a $400 emergency expense with cash. Americans reported $12.5 billion in fraud losses to the Federal Trade Commission in 2024. About 30 states now require a personal-finance course, yet curricula are rarely tested against students' later outcomes. The Institute of FAME, Inc. is a national 501(c)(3) public charity that researches how households make financial decisions and turns that evidence into practical guidance for educators, policymakers and the public. Your gift funds the research and its translation — into policy briefs and financial-education materials that put the findings in people's hands.
The Institute of FAME, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 81-4374785). Contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law.
Choose your gift
Levels are anchored to real research costs. A small study runs $3,500–$5,500 end-to-end; larger studies run $20,000–$50,000.
Monthly gifts are the backbone of independent research — they let us fund the slow, peer-reviewed work that protects consumers long after a single grant cycle ends.
Founders Circle — $25 a month is the recurring backbone of careful, peer-reviewed research on how households make financial decisions.
The Institute of FAME, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 81-4374785), classified under IRS section 170(b)(1)(A)(vi). Contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. Gifts of $250 or more receive a contemporaneous written acknowledgment by email.
Founders Circle
$25 a month keeps the research going.
Careful research is slow. It means building datasets, testing findings and translating them into briefs and financial-education materials that people can use. Recurring monthly support is what makes that work possible year after year.
Founders Circle members receive a quarterly update from the Chair, including answers to members' questions; early access to the institute's policy briefs when they are published; and, if they choose, recognition as a founding supporter on the institute's website.
Founders Circle membership continues while your monthly gift of $25 or more is active; members who give for 12 months may choose to be listed as founding supporters.
Tax-deductibility & receipts
The Institute of FAME, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity classified under IRS section 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) — the preferred classification for foundation grants and individual donations. Contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law.
For any gift of $250 or more, the institute issues a contemporaneous written acknowledgment as required by IRS regulations. Receipts are sent by email; mailed acknowledgments are available on request.
- Legal name
- Institute of FAME, Inc.
- EIN
- 81-4374785
- Tax classification
- 501(c)(3) · 170(b)(1)(A)(vi)
- State of incorporation
- Georgia (control # 16105972)
Give by mail
Make checks payable to Institute of FAME, Inc. and mail to:
Institute of FAME, Inc.541 10th Street NW, Suite 177
Atlanta, GA 30318
For donor-advised-fund recommendations, planned-giving inquiries, grants of appreciated securities, or qualified charitable distributions from a retirement account, please email donate@institutefame.org and we will route the request to the Treasurer. For board-level grant correspondence, write chair@institutefame.org.
Not ready to give? Stay informed.
Quarterly research briefs from the institute, summarizing funded studies and upcoming work. The first step toward funding the evidence is knowing what evidence is being produced.
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