The American Foundation for Courtesy and Grooming (AFCG) is a private foundation

Foundation (charity)

A foundation is a legal categorization of nonprofit organizations that will typically either donate funds and support to other organizations, or provide the source of funding for its own charitable purposes....

 whose president and primary contributor is David Letterman

David Letterman

David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...

. The foundation's treasurer is Fred Nigro, who has appeared on Late Show with David Letterman

Late Show with David Letterman

Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...

where he has been identified as Letterman's accountant. The foundation operates out of Nigro's Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

 offices.

According to AFCG's tax returns (Form 990-PF), made available by the Foundation Center, for the years from 2001 through 2009, AFCG donated a total of over $7.7 million to various foundations and other organizations.

During 2005, the net proceeds from online purchases of Explod-O-Pop Popcorn benefited AFCG.

Recipients

The following is a partial list of organizations receiving grants from the foundation, based on tax forms from 2001 through 2004, available via The Foundation Center.

Indianapolis-based organizations

The largest AFCG beneficiary by far is Child Advocates of Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...

, a CASA

Court Appointed Special Advocate

Court Appointed Special Advocates is a national association in the United States that supports and promotes court-appointed advocates for abused or neglected children in order to provide children with a safe and healthy environment in permanent homes. The program is similar to, but is not a...

 affiliate — from 2001 through 2004, the organization received donations each year of between $194,000 – $290,000, with a four-year total of nearly $950,000 (over a third of AFCG's total contributions during those years). Other recipients in Indianapolis include:

• Broad Ripple Haverford Little League
  Little League
  Little League Baseball and Softball is a non-profit organization in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, United States which organizes local youth baseball and softball leagues throughout the U.S...
  
  
• Broad Ripple High School
  Broad Ripple High School
  Broad Ripple Magnet High School for the Arts & Humanities, established in 1886, is a magnet school of the Indianapolis Public Schools.-History:...
  
   (Letterman's alma mater
  Alma mater
  Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
  
  )
• Damar Services
• Marion County
  Marion County, Indiana
  Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. Census 2010 recorded a population of 903,393, making it the largest county in the state and 55th most populated county in the country, greater than the population of six states. The county seat is Indianapolis, the state capital and...
  
   Children's Guardian Home
• Indianapolis Art Center
  Indianapolis Art Center
  The Indianapolis Art Center is an art center located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The Center, founded in 1934 by the Works Project Administration during the Great Depression as the Indianapolis Art League, is located along the White River...
  
  
• Indiana Historical Society
  Indiana Historical Society
  The Indiana Historical Society is one of the United States' oldest and largest historical societies and describes itself as "Indiana's Storyteller". Housed within the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, it is located at 450 West Ohio St...
  
  
• Indiana School for the Deaf
  Indiana School for the Deaf
  Indiana School for the Deaf is a fully accredited school for the deaf and hearing impaired, located in Indianapolis, Indiana.-History:When the first school for the Deaf was established in Indiana, it was not called Indiana School for the Deaf...
  
  
• Little Red Door Cancer Agency
• Muscular Dystrophy Family Foundation
  Muscular Dystrophy Family Foundation
  Founded in 1958, the Muscular Dystrophy Family Foundation is a 501 non-profit health agency located in Indianapolis, Indiana whose motto is No Boundaries. The MDFF has no affiliation with the Muscular Dystrophy Association or the annual fund-raising telethon associated with them. Unlike the...
  
  
• Nineveh-Hensley-Jackson United School (in nearby Trafalgar
  Trafalgar, Indiana
  Trafalgar is a town in Nineveh and Hensley townships, Johnson County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,101 at the 2010 census.This town is twenty miles south of Indianapolis.It is the home of the transmitter for WTTV-TV, WTTS-FM, and WFCI-FM....
  
  )
• Protective Order Pro Bono Project
• Riley Children's Foundation
  Riley Children's Foundation
  The Riley Children's Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1921 as the Riley Memorial Association with the intentions of constructing a children's hospital...
  
  
• Special Olympics
  Special Olympics
  Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to more than 3.1 million athletes in 175 countries....
  
   of Indiana
  Indiana
  Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
  
  
• University of Indianapolis
  University of Indianapolis
  The University of Indianapolis is a university located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, and affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The shortened name it uses is UIndy...
  
   Center for Aging and Community

Montana-based organizations

AFCG has donated to various organizations in Montana

Montana

Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...

, including:

• Choteau
  Choteau, Montana
  Choteau is a city in and the county seat of Teton County, Montana, United States. It lies along U.S. Routes 89 and 287 about east of the Rocky Mountains, near Flathead National Forest, the Rocky Mountain Division of Lewis and Clark National Forest, and Glacier National Park. The population was...
  
   AYSO
  American Youth Soccer Organization
  The American Youth Soccer Organization is a non-profit soccer organization in the United States for children aged 4 through 19. Headquartered in Torrance, California, AYSO has local programs known as "regions" in all 50 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Trinidad and Tobago...
  
   Soccer
• Choteau High School
• Choteau Youth Special Olympics
  Special Olympics
  Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to more than 3.1 million athletes in 175 countries....
  
  
• Montana Wilderness Association
  Montana Wilderness Association
  The Montana Wilderness Association was founded in 1958 by Montana volunteers and is governed by a state council of citizen volunteers from across the state, elected by the membership. As a community-based organization, it works at the local level through seven chapters and field offices in ...
  
  
• Montana State 4-H
  4-H
  4-H in the United States is a youth organization administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the United States Department of Agriculture , with the mission of "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development." The name represents...
  
   Horse Show
  Horse show
  A Horse show is a judged exhibition of horses and ponies. Many different horse breeds and equestrian disciplines hold competitions worldwide, from local to the international levels. Most horse shows run from one to three days, sometimes longer for major, all-breed events or national and...
  
  
• The Nature Conservancy
  The Nature Conservancy
  The Nature Conservancy is a US charitable environmental organization that works to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive....
  
   of Montana
• Special Olympics
  Special Olympics
  Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to more than 3.1 million athletes in 175 countries....
  
  
• Teton Medical Center Foundation of Choteau
• Yellowstone Valley Cycling Club of Billings
  Billings, Montana
  Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, and is the principal city of the Billings Metropolitan Area, the largest metropolitan area in over...
  
  

Universities

AFCG has donated to several universities:

• Ball State University
  Ball State University
  Ball State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans and includes 106 buildings...
  
   (Letterman's alma mater)
• Butler University
  Butler University
  Butler University is a private university located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university offers 60 degree programs to 4,400 students through six colleges: business, communication, education, liberal Arts and sciences, pharmacy and health...
  
  
• Case Western Reserve University
  Case Western Reserve University
  Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
  
  
• Cornell University
  Cornell University
  Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
  
  
• Rutgers University
  Rutgers University
  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
  
  

Celebrity-affiliated organizations

AFCG has contributed to various foundations associated with celebrities, including:

• Earnhardt
  Dale Earnhardt
  Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was an American race car driver, best known for his involvement in stock car racing for NASCAR...
  
   Family Foundation
• Michael J. Fox
  Michael J. Fox
  Michael J. Fox, OC is a Canadian American actor, author, producer, activist and voice-over artist. With a film and television career spanning from the late 1970s, Fox's roles have included Marty McFly from the Back to the Future trilogy ; Alex P...
  
   Foundation
• The Larry King
  Larry King
  Lawrence Harvey "Larry" King is an American television and radio host whose work has been recognized with awards including two Peabodys and ten Cable ACE Awards....
  
   Cardiac Foundation
• Paul Newman
  Paul Newman
  Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
  
  's Hole in the Wall Gang Camp
  Hole in the Wall Gang Camp
  Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in Ashford, Connecticut is a non-profit, residential summer camp and year-round center serving children and their families coping with cancer and other serious illnesses and conditions.-History:...
  
  

Other organizations

Other recipients include:

• American Cancer Society
  American Cancer Society
  The American Cancer Society is the "nationwide community-based voluntary health organization" dedicated, in their own words, "to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and...
  
  
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
  American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
  The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention was founded in 1987 by a group of experts on suicide who wanted to create a 5013 organization to fund research in suicide prevention....
  
  
• American Red Cross
  American Red Cross
  The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
  
  
• Being Kind of New York City
  New York City
  New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
  
  
• Bennett Cancer Center of Stamford, Connecticut
  Stamford, Connecticut
  Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
  
  
• Breast Cancer
  Breast cancer
  Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
  
   Foundation
• The Buckley School
  The Buckley School
  The Buckley School is a college preparatory day school, founded in 1933 by Isabelle Buckley. It is located in Sherman Oaks, in the San Fernando Valley portion of the Los Angeles, California...
  
   Parents Association
• Congregation Beth Simchat Torah of New York City
  New York City
  New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
  
  
• Connecticut
  Connecticut
  Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
  
   State Police
  State police
  State police are a type of sub-national territorial police force, particularly in Australia and the United States. Some other countries have analogous police forces, such as the provincial police in some Canadian provinces, while in other places, the same responsibilities are held by national...
  
   Academy Alumni Association
• Crohn's
  Crohn's disease
  Crohn's disease, also known as regional enteritis, is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that may affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anus, causing a wide variety of symptoms...
  
   and Colitis
  Colitis
  In medicine, colitis refers to an inflammation of the colon and is often used to describe an inflammation of the large intestine .Colitides may be acute and self-limited or chronic, i.e...
  
   Foundation of America
• Doctors without Borders
  Médecins Sans Frontières
  ' , or Doctors Without Borders, is a secular humanitarian-aid non-governmental organization best known for its projects in war-torn regions and developing countries facing endemic diseases. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland...
  
  
• Friends of Karen of Purdys, New York
• Giving Back Fund of California
• Holy Trinity Orthodox Church of Danbury, Connecticut
  Danbury, Connecticut
  Danbury is a city in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It had population at the 2010 census of 80,893. Danbury is the fourth largest city in Fairfield County and is the seventh largest city in Connecticut....
  
  
• Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
  Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
  JDRF is the leading global organization focused on type 1 diabetes research. Driven by volunteers connected to children, adolescents, and adults with this disease, JDRF is the largest charitable supporter of T1D research...
  
  
• New York-Presbyterian Hospital
• North Salem
  North Salem, New York
  North Salem is a town in the northeast part of Westchester County, New York, United States. The county ranks second for wealthiest counties in New York State and the seventh wealthiest county nationally...
  
   Free Library
• North Salem Open Land Foundation
• North Salem Voluntary Ambulance Center
• Martha's Vineyard
  Martha's Vineyard
  Martha's Vineyard is an island located south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, known for being an affluent summer colony....
  
   Hospital
• Martha's Vineyard Historical Society
• A Place Called Home
  A Place Called Home
  A Place Called Home may refer to:* A Place Called Home , a 2000 album by Ignite* "A Place Called Home", a song by PJ Harvey from the 2000 album Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea...
  
  of South Central Los Angeles
  South Los Angeles
  South Los Angeles, often abbreviated as South L.A. and formerly South Central Los Angeles, is the official name for a large geographic and cultural portion lying to the southwest and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. The area was formerly called South Central, and is still widely known...
  
  
• Retinitis Pigmentosa International
  Retinitis Pigmentosa International
  Retinitis Pigmentosa International is an international, 501 non-profit organization that is committed to focusing world attention on eye problems...
  
  
• Silver Shield Association of Greenwich, Connecticut
  Greenwich, Connecticut
  Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...
  
  
• Salvation Army
  Salvation Army
  The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
  
  
• Seattle University
  Seattle University
  Seattle University is a Jesuit Catholic university located in the First Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, USA.SU is the largest independent university in the Northwest US, with over 7,500 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs within eight schools, and is one of 28 member...
  
   Mexico Mission
• Shoes That Fit
  Shoes That Fit
  Shoes That Fit is a national, non-profit 5013 organization based in Claremont, CA that provides new shoes to children in need. The mission of Shoes That Fit is to provide new shoes to children in need for school....
  
   of Claremont, California
  Claremont, California
  Claremont is a small affluent college town in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. The population as of the 2010 census is 34,926. Claremont is known for its seven higher-education institutions, its...
  
  
• World Vision
  World Vision
  World Vision, founded in the USA in 1950, is an evangelical relief and development organization whose stated goal is "to follow our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in working with the poor and oppressed to promote human transformation, seek justice and bear witness to the good news of the Kingdom of...
  
  

External links

• Treasurer Fred Nigro's appearance in the April 12, 1996 edition of the Top 10 List
  Top 10 list
  The Late Show Top Ten List is a regular segment of the television program Late Show with David Letterman. It is adapted from Letterman's NBC show Late Night...
  
  from The Late Show
• Treasurer Fred Nigro's appearance on the January 14, 2002 episode of The Late Show