irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $41KTOURNAMENTS: THE AGA SPONSORS DIRECTLY AND INDIRECTECTLY THROUGH ITS CHAPTERS A NUMBER OF TOURNAMENTS. THESE INCLUDE CITY LEAGUE, VARIOUS STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS, AND MAJOR REGIONAL TOURNAMENTS. THE AGA ALSO ORGANIZED AN ONLINE LEAGUE AND PROVIDES FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR PLAYERS FROM THE UNITED STATES TO PARTICIATE IN INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENTS. TOURNAMENTS PROVIDE A VENUE WHERE MEMBERS MAY HONE THEIR SKILLS AND PUT INTO PRACTICE THE CONCEPTS PICKED UP THROUGH STUDY.
- #2 $24KNAGF: THE NORTH AMERICAN GO FEDERATION WAS FOUNDED BY THE AMERICAN GO ASSOCIATION AND THE CANADIAN GO ASSOCIATION TO REPRESENT THE NORTH AMERICAN GO COMMUNITY IN INTERNATIONAL CONTEXTS, TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN PROFESSIONAL PROMOTIONS AND RANKING SYSTEM, TO ORGANIZE PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATION EVENTS, TO ORGANIZE NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS, AND TO SUPPORT GO PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES IN NORTH AMERICA.
named programs · 5 · from sources
What they call their work
AGA Communications
Maintains a website, electronic newsletter, YouTube broadcasts, and live event coverage to inform and engage members
North American Go Federation (NAGF)
Joint initiative with the Canadian Go Association to represent North America internationally, organize championships, and support professional development
Online Beginner Workshop
Free online program offering a one-hour introduction to Go for new players
State and Regional Tournaments
Sponsors and supports local tournaments across the U.S., including state championships and monthly series events
U.S. Go Congress
Annual weeklong gathering featuring tournaments, lectures, professional events, and social activities for Go players of all levels
activities · 9 groups
What they do
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Amateur Sports Competition Programming 2 activities
- Hosts youth-specific tournaments and programmingOrganizes annual youth tournaments including the Redmond Cup and AGA Girls Cup, hosts the North American Kyu Championship online, and provides daily youth programming at the U.S. Go Congress.
- Provides financial support for U.S. players in international competitionsOffers organizational and financial backing to enable U.S. players to participate in international Go tournaments.
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Recreational Game Programming 2 activities
- Maintains chapter finder and event calendar toolsOperates an interactive map and chapter finder to help locate local Go clubs with meeting times and contact information, and hosts a calendar for listing and promoting Go-related events such as tournaments, classes, and club meetings.
- Organizes and facilitates rated local, regional, and national tournamentsSupports and sponsors tournaments including city leagues, state championships, and major regional events such as the Phoenixville Spring Go Tournament and Chicago Open, while maintaining a national rating system to track player progress and game results.
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Game Community Events & Expos 1 activity
- Hosts the annual U.S. Go Congress and related programmingOrganizes a week-long annual event featuring tournaments, lectures, youth programming, social activities, and live professional commentary, drawing hundreds of players from across the U.S. and internationally, and awards over $20,000 in cash prizes and dozens of trophies.
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Membership Program Administration 1 activity
- Offers annual and lifetime membership options for adults and youthProvides annual membership to adults (aged 23+) for $30 per year and to youth (aged 22 and under) for $10 per year, with a discounted rate available through local chapters and a lifetime membership option for adults at $1000.
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Organizational Newsletter Production and Distribution 1 activity
- Produces and distributes the American Go E-JournalCreates and sends a regular e-journal to members featuring Go news, event announcements, blog posts, and links to resources.
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Live Sports Event Broadcasting 1 activity
- Produces live YouTube broadcasts with professional commentaryProvides live YouTube coverage of the U.S. Go Congress and major international Go events, featuring professional analysts and real-time commentary to engage remote audiences.
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Golf Professional and Player Support 1 activity
- Provides 30-day tournament passes for local participationOffers a $10, 30-day tournament pass that enables individuals to participate in AGA-rated local tournaments, lowering barriers to competitive play.
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Youth & Community Chess Education 1 activity
- Provides educational resources and beginner workshopsOffers free online beginner workshops, instructional videos, interactive tutorials, and step-by-step guides to teach the rules and fundamentals of Go to new players.
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Uncategorized 3 activities
- Co-founds and supports the North American Go FederationCo-founded the North American Go Federation with the Canadian Go Association to represent North America internationally, maintain professional rankings, organize qualification events and championships, and support promotional activities.
- Operates the Chapter Rewards program to strengthen local chaptersRuns a capacity-building initiative that awards points to local chapters for member engagement and hosting AGA-rated tournaments, redeemable for reimbursement of activities promoting American Go.
- Operates the North American Online League (NAOL) with professional feedbackRuns a free online competitive league with six two-month seasons annually, offering game reviews by professional and high-Dan players, maintaining a rating system, and publishing reviews in the NAOL Review Blog.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$242K
Contributions & grants$32K13%
Program service revenue$196K81%
Investment income$11K5%
Other revenue$3K
expenses
Total expenses$359K
Program expenses87%
Admin / overhead13%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$0
Grants paid out$20K
Largest expense lineProfessional Fees
balance sheet
Total assets$699K
Cash$111K
Investments$262K
Liabilities$419K
Net assets$281K
Liquid reserves12.5 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue -35.9%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
board members · 7
- CHRIS KIRCHNER — BOARD MEMBER
- DANIEL LAMBERT — BOARD MEMBER
- DEVIN FRAZE — BOARD MEMBER
- MICHAEL YIXIAN ZHOU — BOARD MEMBER
- PAUL CELMER — BOARD MEMBER
- TED TERPSTRA — BOARD MEMBER
- TREVOR MORRIS — BOARD CHAIR
relationships · 17
Who they work with
- American Go Foundation Network — Related organization within the Go community
- AwesomeBaduk.com Partner — Supported by AwesomeBaduk.com, an educational platform providing Go lessons from Korean experts.
- Canadian Go Association Partner — Co-founded the North American Go Federation to represent North America in international contexts and support professional and promotional activities.
- ClubExpress Government — Platform used to power the AGA website
- ClubExpress Partner — Platform used to power the American Go Association's website and membership system.
- ClubExpress Partner — Platform used to power the American Go Association's website and operations.
- Happy Valley Go Club Partner — Lists Happy Valley Go Club as a participating organization hosting events under the American Go Association calendar.
- International Go Federation Government — Official U.S. representative in the International Go Federation and the World Mind Sports Games.
- International Pair Go Association Government — North American representative in the International Pair Go Association.
- New York Institute of Go Partner — Hosts workshops led by its professional Ryan Li 4P in collaboration with the Houston Go Club.
- North America Go Federation Partner — Conducts the NAOL under the auspices of the North America Go Federation.
- North American Online League Partner — Collaborates with the North American Online League to provide competitive play opportunities for members.
- North American Online League Partner — Operates the North American Online League (NAOL) as a member benefit, enabling competitive play and access to professional game reviews.
- OSU/Corvallis Go Club Partner — Lists OSU/Corvallis Go Club as a participating organization hosting events under the American Go Association calendar.
- Phoenixville Go Club Partner — Lists Phoenixville Go Club as a participating organization hosting events under the American Go Association calendar.
- Silvia Lozeva Partner — Featured speaker whose TED Talk is promoted to connect Go to modern life concepts.
- TED Partner — Features a TED Talk by Silvia Lozeva to promote understanding of Go.
strategies · 4
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Competition and Rating Systems to Motivate Engagementmethodology: tournament_rating_motivationBy using tournaments and a formal rating system, the organization enables players to apply learning, measure progress, and stay motivated, because visible advancement and authentic competition reinforce long-term participation.
- Decentralized Chapter Network for Grassroots Growthmethodology: decentralized_chapter_networkBy empowering local chapter leaders to organize events and promote Go, the organization expands access and participation across diverse cultural and geographic communities, because localized leadership fosters community ownership and lowers barriers to entry.
- Strategic Thinking as Educational Value Propositionmethodology: strategic_thinking_developmentBy promoting Go as a tool for developing strategic and spatial thinking, the organization attracts students and professionals because the game is positioned as a cognitively enriching practice with real-world applicability in academic and professional settings.
- Structured Learning Pathways for Skill Developmentmethodology: multimodal_skill_developmentBy combining multimodal instruction (videos, tutorials, written guides), expert-led workshops, AI-assisted analysis, and game review systems, the organization supports self-directed player improvement because diverse learning formats and feedback mechanisms increase engagement and mastery.