Foundation for Free Enterprise Education
Foundation for Free Enterprise Education
EIN: 25-1394365
as of November 2025
as of November 14, 2025
Programs and results
Reports and documents
Download annual reportsWhat we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Speaker Series
FFEE created the Speaker Series, an online library of career exploration and workforce development resources for students in middle and high school. The Series helps students explore careers, develop mentor relationships, and discover scholarship, internship and career development opportunities in their area.
The Stock Market Game
SMG is an in-class online simulation of the global capital markets for students in grades 4-12. Students form teams, research stocks and make imaginary investments in real stocks in real time as they develop financial literacy, teamwork, critical thinking, research and other skills that help them prepare for financially independent futures.
Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week
PFEW is a week-long immersion in business on a college campus that provides students the unique opportunity of operating fictitious manufacturing companies using a computer model developed and licensed specifically for FFEE. Participants form teams of approximately 18 students and one volunteer business executive-on-loan who become management teams of underperforming companies in direct competition with other student companies. A computer simulation requires each group to determine through 12 business quarters its selling prices, marketing costs, production budgets, research and development, banking decisions and more; in short, most of the decisions that managing a business typically requires. Teams are responsible for two formal judged presentations at the end of the week that test their understanding of everything they learned. Students are mentored by volunteer business executives throughout the week and are encouraged to unleash skills and potential talents hidden until PFEW. Because students are not grouped with friends, classmates or even others from their area, they are free to be the best they can be and not hold back on ideas, talents, and skills. This unique collaboration between students and private sector volunteers provides a learning environment not found in traditional schooling. Students learn by doing. PFEW enables participants to learn how a business operates, and provides an environment where critical thinking, communication, leadership, and other skills vital to future success are developed.
Where we work
-
Pennsylvania (United States)
Awards
National Award for Excellence in Economic Education 1987
Freedom's Foundation of Valley Forge
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Students Served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
1. Educate students about the American Free Enterprise System and their role in it.
2. Provide an environment for students to examine different career paths.
3. Provide extensive training on business financial statements, management issues, business ethics, etc.
4. Allow students the opportunity to meet and work with business leaders from all regions of Pennsylvania.
5. Address effective workforce development by opening participants' eyes to Pennsylvania careers.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
PFEW excites students about free enterprise, teamwork, finance, advertising and giving back. Many graduates state that they have leadership and communication skills they never tapped into before. Most students tell us they have learned more during their week than they have in a classroom for an entire year. Students are mentored by volunteer business executives and encouraged to unleash skills and potential talents hidden until PFEW. Because students are not grouped with friends, classmates or even others from their area, they are free to be the best they can be and not hold back on ideas, talents, skills, etc. The number of adults willing to give of their time, talent and sponsorship to help these students learn about free enterprise always has a lasting impression on them. PFEW graduates not only stay in school but a large majority go on to college. Graduates are also awarded scholarships from our host colleges should they choose to attend one of those colleges.
PFEW seeks to provide Pennsylvania's high school youth with education that they cannot receive elsewhere. Some of PFEW's educational goals are to:
1. Educate students about the American Free Enterprise System and their role in it.
2. Provide an environment for students to examine different career paths.
3. Provide extensive training on business financial statements, management issues, business ethics, etc.
4. Allow students the opportunity to meet and work with business leaders from all regions of Pennsylvania.
5. Address effective workforce development by opening participants' eyes to Pennsylvania careers.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week has from its start filled what many see as a gap in public schooling. The State Board of Education does not require training in economics. Although most school districts offer economics courses, they are typically a one-semester elective and most students still graduate from high school with little or no economic education.
Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week provides a practical, hands-on experience, not found in any other business education program. PFEW offers this unique opportunity to all interested Pennsylvania high school sophomores or juniors. Minority students are strongly encouraged to apply for this program. The high school principal endorses his/her students and the final selection, based on funding in that area, is made by the PFEW staff.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Over 2,100 students and 250 business executives from across the Commonwealth now participate in the program each year. To date, nearly 46,000 young Pennsylvanians have benefited from this unique concept in economic education and, in 1987, PFEW was the proud recipient of the Freedom's Foundation of Valley Forge's National Award for Excellence in Economic Education.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
-
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
-
Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive
-
What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, It is difficult to identify actionable feedback
Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2024 info
16.79
Months of cash in 2024 info
6.6
Fringe rate in 2024 info
17%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
Financial data
Foundation for Free Enterprise Education
Revenue & expensesFiscal Year: Oct 01 - Sep 30
Foundation for Free Enterprise Education
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Oct 01 - Sep 30
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.
Fiscal Year: Oct 01 - Sep 30
This snapshot of Foundation for Free Enterprise Education’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.
Created in partnership with
Business model indicators
| Profitability info | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | $177,658 | $1,548,423 | -$425,039 | $832,410 | $1,427,736 |
| As % of expenses | 19.9% | 142.2% | -32.0% | 59.6% | 94.5% |
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | $158,881 | $1,526,352 | -$447,908 | $808,469 | $1,399,454 |
| As % of expenses | 17.5% | 137.4% | -33.1% | 56.9% | 91.0% |
| Revenue composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $1,183,218 | $2,346,941 | $1,865,641 | $1,879,469 | $2,107,197 |
| Total revenue, % change over prior year | -39.1% | 98.4% | -20.5% | 0.7% | 12.1% |
| Program services revenue | 2.7% | 17.0% | 25.5% | 25.1% | 25.9% |
| Membership dues | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Investment income | 11.6% | 5.2% | 15.3% | 11.9% | 11.4% |
| Government grants | 0.0% | 23.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| All other grants and contributions | 81.9% | 43.0% | 64.2% | 67.9% | 60.5% |
| Other revenue | 3.9% | 11.4% | -4.9% | -4.8% | 2.1% |
| Expense composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses before depreciation | $891,507 | $1,088,961 | $1,330,299 | $1,396,815 | $1,510,281 |
| Total expenses, % change over prior year | -37.6% | 22.1% | 22.2% | 5.0% | 8.1% |
| Personnel | 74.3% | 62.9% | 56.0% | 54.2% | 55.4% |
| Professional fees | 4.6% | 4.0% | 3.7% | 3.9% | 3.8% |
| Occupancy | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Interest | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Pass-through | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| All other expenses | 20.4% | 32.5% | 40.0% | 41.6% | 40.5% |
| Full cost components (estimated) info | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses (after depreciation) | $910,284 | $1,111,032 | $1,353,168 | $1,420,756 | $1,538,563 |
| One month of savings | $74,292 | $90,747 | $110,858 | $116,401 | $125,857 |
| Debt principal payment | $0 | $143,620 | $20,800 | $21,663 | $0 |
| Fixed asset additions | $27,618 | $0 | $36,291 | $0 | $111,025 |
| Total full costs (estimated) | $1,012,194 | $1,345,399 | $1,521,117 | $1,558,820 | $1,775,445 |
Capital structure indicators
| Liquidity info | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months of cash | 11.7 | 12.6 | 10.7 | 6.3 | 6.6 |
| Months of cash and investments | 56.5 | 59.6 | 46.8 | 52.0 | 59.3 |
| Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 48.6 | 55.1 | 40.8 | 45.8 | 52.8 |
| Balance sheet composition info | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $869,872 | $1,141,018 | $1,181,824 | $738,044 | $833,482 |
| Investments | $3,331,347 | $4,268,226 | $4,002,332 | $5,320,638 | $6,629,210 |
| Receivables | $70,111 | $54,751 | $49,130 | $31,040 | $30,939 |
| Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $530,413 | $540,465 | $571,089 | $561,517 | $652,112 |
| Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 35.0% | 37.7% | 38.7% | 41.4% | 36.9% |
| Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 9.9% | 5.6% | 7.4% | 6.5% | 5.6% |
| Unrestricted net assets | $3,769,185 | $5,295,537 | $4,847,629 | $5,656,098 | $7,055,552 |
| Temporarily restricted net assets | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Permanently restricted net assets | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Total restricted net assets | $409,863 | $390,939 | $350,112 | $373,818 | $435,438 |
| Total net assets | $4,179,048 | $5,686,476 | $5,197,741 | $6,029,916 | $7,490,990 |
Key data checks
| Key data checks info | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
President & CEO
Karen Musante
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
Foundation for Free Enterprise Education
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.
Foundation for Free Enterprise Education
Board of directorsas of 4/9/2025
Board of directors data
Kevin Shivers
Pennsylvania Association of Community Bankers
Term: 2024 - 2023
Carl A Marrara DIRECTOR
Chad Amond
Westmoreland Chamber of Commerce
Darlene Robbins
Northeast Pennsylvania Manufacturers & Employers Association
David A Campbell DIRECTOR
David N Taylor DIRECTOR
Davie J Gilmour DIRECTOR
Gary M Goss DIRECTOR
George M Book DIRECTOR
James Kilgallon
Erie Insurance
Jason C Fink DIRECTOR
Jon G Whiteman VICE CHAIRMAN/ASSISTANT TR
Joseph D Hurd DIRECTOR
Katie E Clarke VICE CHAIRPERSON
Kevin Davis
The Davis Group (Ret.)
Kevin Shivers
Pennsylvania Association of Community Bankers
Kevin W Davis DIRECTOR
Kyle P Wherrity DIRECTOR
Lindsay Griffin-Boylan DIRECTOR
Lowman S Henry SECRETARY
Mark A Karenchak DIRECTOR
Mark J Pietrusinski DIRECTOR
Neil Lesher
Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce
Nick N Scott DIRECTOR
Patricia A Baun DIRECTOR
Paul J Ward TREASURER
Robert J Wetzel EMERITUS DIRECTOR
Rudolph D Frank DIRECTOR
Russell P Brooks IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN
Ryan L Newman DIRECTOR
Tara Murray DIRECTOR
Thomas Palisin
The Manufacturers' Association
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
-
Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? no
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as: