The purpose of this study was to explore the funding patterns and sources of adult basic education (ABE) provided by community based organizations (CBOs) and to determine their success in attracting funding from external sources such as corporations, foundations, charitable and philanthropic organizations. This study sought to develop an understanding of the involvement of community based organizations in delivering adult basic education services, their funding sources and patterns by identifying who the funders were, and why they made financial contributions to CBOs. This study was exploratory and descriptive in nature, designed to deal with the lack of methodical inquiry regarding the funding pattern and sources of CBOs who deliver ABE. It was designed to bridge the gap iii between the assumed notions of the importance of CBOs and their actual levels of funding from a variety of sources. / Ph. D.