Interactivity Foundation

The Interactivity Foundation presents a fundamentally different engagement model than most private foundations grant seekers encounter. Founded in 1966 and headquartered in Parkersburg, WV, IF is classified as an operating foundation (IRS foundation code 03) — meaning it conducts its own programs rather than distributing grants to external organizations. With $68,538,326 in assets as of FY2024, an 8-person staff, and an annual program budget historically ranging from $1.17M to $2.48M, IF invests its resources entirely into its own civic dialogue initiatives.

This distinction fundamentally shapes how any organization or individual should approach IF. Traditional grant proposals seeking unrestricted or project-based funding are almost certainly misdirected here. The 990 filings consistently show $0 in grants paid to external organizations across all available fiscal years. The foundation's charitable disbursements — $1.55M in FY2024 and $1.48M in FY2023 — represent operational expenses for in-house programs: discussion guidebooks, facilitator training, community conversation projects, and fellowship administration.

The most productive engagement path runs through IF's programmatic infrastructure. The foundation actively recruits partners — particularly universities, campus organizations, and civic institutions — to implement its Collaborative Discussion Project (CDP), Sustained Discussion Program, and Community Conversations initiatives. These arrangements are collaborative delivery partnerships, not grant relationships: IF provides methodology, facilitation support, training, and intellectual resources while the partner brings community access and local infrastructure.

Organizations that have successfully partnered with IF share certain characteristics: they prioritize process over outcomes (valuing open-ended deliberation over advocacy), serve constituencies ready for structured civic dialogue, and can commit institutional capacity to sustained multi-session programs rather than one-off events. The SNF Ithaca Initiative at the University of Delaware — which brought IF's CDP framework to 53 campuses in January 2026 — exemplifies the model.

First-time engagers should invest in relationship-building before attempting any formal proposal. Attending IF's Coach Training and Certification programs (offered annually in summer, with 2025 cohorts in June and July) provides both skill development and direct access to senior IF staff. Shannon Wheatley Hartman (President, $209,710 compensation) and Jeff Prudhomme (Vice President, $203,585) are the primary decision-makers for partnership arrangements. Initial contact should go to info@interactivityfoundation.org.

The Interactivity Foundation's financial profile reveals a well-endowed operating foundation with unusual stability derived entirely from investment returns rather than fundraising. As of FY2024, IF holds $68,538,326 in total assets — a 62% increase from $42,473,018 reported in FY2012. This growth has been almost entirely investment-driven: the foundation received $0 in external contributions in most years (FY2021 was an exception at $286,922). Revenue comes primarily from dividends ($1,523,484 in 2024) and asset sales ($1,502,518 in 2024).

Annual program expenditures have ranged from $1,169,708 (FY2022 low) to $2,483,616 (FY2012 high), with a notable downward trend since 2012: - FY2012: $2,483,616 - FY2015: $2,043,087 - FY2019: $1,862,062 - FY2020: $1,888,421 - FY2021: $1,290,641 - FY2022: $1,169,708 - FY2023: $1,478,772 - FY2024: $1,546,806 (charitable disbursements line)

Critically, all of these figures represent IF's internal program spending — not distributions to third parties. The foundation's 990 filings show $0 in grants_paid across every reported year, confirming this is not a traditional grantmaking foundation. The 'total_giving' figures in IRS databases are a misnomer here; they reflect the foundation running its own programs.

Officer compensation is a dominant budget line: in FY2023, officer compensation reached $756,087 — roughly 51% of the $1,478,772 in total program spending. In FY2024, compensation was $473,029 on a total disbursement of $1,546,806. Senior staff salaries are substantial: President Hartman earned between $146,813 and $209,710 across recent filings; VP Prudhomme earned between $181,000 and $203,585; other fellows earn $100,000–$186,000 annually.

Revenue is volatile year to year based on portfolio performance — swinging from $724,913 (FY2020) to $4,724,293 (FY2022) — but the endowment's scale ($68.5M) provides structural insulation against any single year's fluctuation. The foundation is deeply solvent, carries $0 in liabilities, and is not seeking or reliant on external philanthropic funding.

The Interactivity Foundation occupies a distinctive niche among civic dialogue organizations: a well-endowed operating foundation with proprietary methodology and no external grantmaking program. The table below compares IF to peers in the deliberative democracy and civic engagement space.

IF's closest structural peer is the Kettering Foundation (Dayton, OH), which similarly focuses on deliberative democracy practice and operates on a research-partnership model rather than grantmaking. Both foundations run their own programs, fund internal staff heavily, and engage external partners through methodology-sharing rather than grant distributions. Neither makes traditional outbound grants.

By contrast, the Democracy Fund — with assets roughly ten times IF's — actively disburses tens of millions annually in civic engagement grants and represents the grantmaking model that IF decidedly does not follow. Organizations seeking funding for civic dialogue or deliberative democracy programming should target the Democracy Fund, the Hewlett Foundation's Madison Initiative, or Carnegie Corporation's democracy portfolio. Organizations seeking methodology, training, and collaborative program development in civic discussion should look to IF as a genuine and distinctive partner.

The most significant recent development at the Interactivity Foundation is the January 9, 2026 launch of the 2026 Collaborative Discussion Project Fellowship in partnership with the SNF Ithaca Initiative at the University of Delaware's Biden School of Public Policy and Administration. The program convened student leaders and civic practitioners from 53 campuses across the United States — a notable scale-up of IF's campus engagement footprint. The day-long convening included facilitated workshops on IF's CDP framework, collaborative project development sessions, and structured reflection on democratic dialogue practice. Timothy Shaffer, Director of the SNF Ithaca Initiative, and Jane Case, Assistant Director, both serve as CDP Fellows, indicating deep institutional integration rather than a transactional partnership.

President Shannon Wheatley Hartman, co-developer of the CDP, continues to lead the foundation's strategic direction and serves as IF's primary public voice. Under her leadership, IF has formalized practitioner training through annual Coach Training and Certification cohorts — sessions ran June 1-5 and July 13-17, 2025.

Financially, FY2024 showed continued asset growth to $68,538,326 (up 7.9% from FY2023's $63,527,686) with total revenue of $3,026,002. The staff complement stands at 8 employees. No leadership transitions have been publicly announced; senior staff — Hartman, Prudhomme, and Jennifer Erb as Secretary — appear stable across multiple filing years. No major strategic pivots or program discontinuations were identified in available 2025-2026 coverage beyond the SNF Ithaca CDP Fellowship expansion.

Approaching the Interactivity Foundation requires a fundamental reframe: you are not applying for a grant, you are proposing a collaboration. IF has distributed $0 in external grants across all recorded fiscal years — grant seekers expecting unrestricted funding or project-based grants will be immediately misdirected. The path forward runs through IF's programmatic ecosystem.

Immerse in IF's methodology first. Before any outreach, engage substantively with IF's public materials — particularly the discussion guidebooks, CDP framework documentation, and IF Academy resources. IF staff can quickly distinguish between superficial familiarity and genuine alignment. Organizations that have actually applied IF's structured deliberation model in their own programming are far more credible partners than those describing the concept in the abstract.

Attend a Coach Training session. IF offers annual cohort coach training and certification programs (summer 2025 sessions ran June 1-5 and July 13-17). This is the most direct relationship-building opportunity with IF staff, including senior fellows earning $138,000–$203,000 annually. Certification also makes your organization operationally ready to deliver IF-aligned programs — a practical prerequisite for any deep collaboration.

Frame proposals around community need, not organizational need. IF is attracted to proposals that identify an underserved civic dialogue need in a specific community or campus context. Describe who will participate in structured discussions, what public policy questions will be explored in open-ended (not advocacy-oriented) fashion, and how the discussion process — not any predetermined outcome — will be documented and sustained across multiple sessions.

Language matters. Use IF's vocabulary throughout all communications: 'collaborative discussion' (not debate or advocacy), 'exploratory thinking,' 'social trust,' 'democratic participation,' 'imaginative possibilities.' Avoid outcome-oriented or partisan framing entirely — IF is explicitly non-advocacy and non-partisan.

Target institutional fit. IF's deepest partnerships have been with universities and established civic institutions (University of Delaware Biden School, SNF Ithaca Initiative). If your organization has higher education connections or serves an organized constituency such as students, educators, or community leaders, lead with these credentials.

Initial contact: Email info@interactivityfoundation.org, phone (304) 485-6393. Lead with a brief one-page concept note describing your community context, the civic dialogue gap you aim to address, and how IF's discussion methodology could be applied. Budget 6-12 months for relationship development before any formal collaboration agreement.