Learn about grants for early education by browsing our curated list of top funders below. Members can also research early education funding opportunities using the search tool for GrantFinder. Become a member.
Key Funders
Philanthropy trends in early childhood education
Research shows that investing in quality early childhood programs, particularly for at-risk children and girls, delivers some of the highest returns on investment. These funds work to improve education, health, social, and economic outcomes, as well as addressing increased productivity and reduced levels of social spending.
When compared to other OECD countries, the United States spends a miniscule amount (about one-quarter) on programs and systems that support the development of children from birth to five. Some estimates suggest that roughly 10% of all foundation education funding, not including higher ed, is dedicated to early learning, a small share given its importance. While philanthropy cannot replace the need for government action, it can help to spur investment through changes to early childcare and education systems and policies.
Some foundations, like the Pritzker Children’s Initiative, have spearheaded philanthropic efforts for early childhood learning and development, dedicating significant resources to local and state efforts designed to implement system-wide improvements like early prenatal screenings and early development assessments. Prominent national funders include Ford Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.
Another giving strategy commonly centers on funding kindergarten readiness. While this approach is not necessarily distinct from investing in early childhood, it often focuses on replicating programs — including literacy programs, “parent and me” programs and other initiatives — that promote parents as a child’s first teacher. Prominent funders include Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation, The William Penn Foundation, Pew Charitable Trust and The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Inc.
Several philanthropists support early childhood nonprofits at the local level; however, a number of large national funders conduct related work in this space, which includes the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Buffett Early Childhood Fund.
Foundations for Early Childhood
AMERICAN LEGION CHILD WELFARE FOUNDATION
The Child Welfare Foundation carries out a major part of the grantmaking efforts for the American Legion, and the focus of its giving is educating the public (including children, parents, authorities, and other stakeholders) about a particular subject or nonprofit.
PAUL M. ANGELL FOUNDATION
Angell supports early childhood education organizations that emphasize early interventions for children living in low-income and impoverished communities.
ATLAS FAMILY FOUNDATION
Atlas doesn't have a specific program for early childhood education, but it supports organizations working in this space. Primarily gives in Southern California.
BAY AND PAUL FOUNDATIONS
Funding for Pre-K-12 education stems from the foundations’ transformative preK-12 learning and arts and humanities education programs.
BEZOS DAY ONE FUND
The Bezos Day One Fund supports local organizations working to end homelessness and runs a signature initiative to create tuition-free Montessori preschools in low-income areas.
BEZOS FAMILY FOUNDATION
Recognizing that "far too many children operate at a deficit" in their early years, Bezos seeks "to dramatically improve the quality of early learning environments and the number of children who have access to rich early learning opportunities, whether they are at home, in informal care or center-based settings."
ARTHUR M. BLANK FAMILY FOUNDATION
Blank prioritizes high-quality early childhood education systems and supporting young children in high-need communities. The foundation also prioritizes funding programs in Georgia and does not accept unsolicited proposals.
BOHEMIAN FOUNDATION
The Bohemian Foundation dedicates its funding in this space to expand early childhood education and childcare.
LOUIS L. BORICK FOUNDATION
Borick funds early childhood education organizations that support the caretakers and educators of young children. Borick also seeks projects and initiatives that increase access to quality early childhood education.
BRADY EDUCATION FOUNDATION
The Brady Education Foundation has not generally awarded a large number of annual grants, but the grants are laser-focused on early childhood education.
BROWN RUDNICK CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
The philanthropic arm of the international law firm supports education in inner-city communities in cities where the firm has a business presence.
BUFFETT EARLY CHILDHOOD FUND
The Buffett Early Childhood Fund is a vehicle for billionaire investor Warren Buffett's philanthropy in the area of early childhood education. Although the fund gives large grants, it traditionally favors a select group of longtime grantees.
LAURA BUSH FOUNDATION FOR AMERICA'S LIBRARIES
This school-library-only funder, named for the former first lady, specifically includes pre-K libraries in its scope of giving. Grants only support schools with a high percentage of needy children.
CAPITAL ONE FOUNDATION
Capital One's early childhood education grantmaking predominately centers on increasing young children’s access to quality education.
CAPLAN FOUNDATION FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD
Caplan funds organizations that address challenges in early childhood education and development.
ANNIE E. CASEY FOUNDATION
Children's health and wellness is a major focus of the Casey Foundation, but there have also been grants for early childhood nonprofits, including service providers, advocacy groups and reformers.
CATHAY BANK FOUNDATION
The bank's charitable arm is interested in early childhood education programs and makes grants in the states where the bank has a business presence.
DANIELS FUND
Daniels Fund awards education grants for training, accountability, curriculum development, materials and even capital construction, but focuses almost exclusively on organizations in Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Utah. The fund also supports programs that engage parents in their young child’s education and development.
DEKKO FOUNDATION
Dekko’s Early Childhood Development Program awards grants to organizations working with children ages birth to five. The foundation's geographic restrictions limit its funding mainly to Indiana, but it also gives in Alabama, Iowa, Florida, and Minnesota.
FRANCIS R. DEWING FOUNDATION
The Dewing Foundation funds grants to early childhood education projects that address children from two years old to the sixth grade.
DONLEY FOUNDATION
The Donley Foundation supports early childhood education programs that benefit underserved and disadvantaged children.
ECHIDNA GIVING
Echidna Giving conducts funding to early childhood education focused on young girls rather than other ages.
ECOLAB FOUNDATION
Ecolab Foundation has a firm commitment to education—early childhood education is a major focus area—so long as the programming occurs in an Ecolab community.
EINHORN COLLABORATIVE
The Einhorn Collaborative seeks organizations with the ability to make meaningful and measurable progress over time in the early childhood education space.
ENTERGY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
The Entergy Foundation funds early childhood education organizations that work with low-income and underserved communities.
FEMSA FOUNDATION
The FEMSA Foundation supports projects that promote strong early childhood development throughout Latin America.
MAX AND MARJORIE FISHER FOUNDATION
The Max and Marjorie Fisher Foundation’s early childhood program “[s]upport(s) high-quality early childhood education aimed at improving kindergarten readiness and third-grade reading proficiency.”
FOUNDATION FOR CHILD DEVELOPMENT
FCD's main areas of focus are ensuring access to high quality early learning opportunities and improving learning and development outcomes for children from low income, ethnic minority, or immigrant communities. Its grants are competitive and focus on funding research, policy, advocacy, and public awareness; direct service providers are not eligible.
CHARLES A. FRUEAUFF FOUNDATION
Frueauff’s ECE funding serve at-risk children, as well as community and arts education programs.
IRVING HARRIS FOUNDATION
This foundation giving for early childhood prioritizes the mental health and emotional well-being of infants and young children.
BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION
The Gates Foundation is a longtime early childhood funder. Many U.S.-based ECE grants support organizations in the Pacific Northwest, where the foundation has built strategic partnerships with local groups, but the foundation has recently expanded its scope to include grantseekers nationwide.
HASBRO CHILDREN'S FUND
Hasbro’s grantmaking focuses on the core concepts of hope, need, and service, paying attention to low-income and vulnerable populations. Nationally and regionally, it works almost exclusively with strategic partners, while local funding is directed only to the areas of Los Angeles, California; Renton, Washington; and the state of Rhode Island.
HEARST FOUNDATIONS
The vast majority of the Hearst Foundations' education funding is directed toward higher education, and most grants are awarded to prior recipients. At the same time, Hearst generally awards a small number of sizeable grants each year to innovators in early childhood education, including to support faculty professional development.
HEISING-SIMONS FOUNDATION
This funder sees early childhood instruction as the education equivalent of preventive medicine. It is especially interested in research, evaluation, and advocacy on early math, family engagement, and student transition to kindergarten.
HELIOS EDUCATION FOUNDATION
This funder’s agenda is to improve college access and success for students—but only in Arizona and Florida. Its early education grantmaking activities emphasize community involvement, professional development, and ensuring a "successful transition" between grades.
JOYCE FOUNDATION
The Joyce Foundation supports early childhood education organizations that ensure children's access to quality public education beginning at a young age.
W.K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION
Kellogg is one of the most significant early childhood funders in the country, and the foundation's grantmaking leaves the door open for a variety of nonprofits working in the area.
CHARLES LAFITTE FOUNDATION
Lafitte offers a handful of grants towards early childhood education; a handful of small community preschools and early childhood developmental services providers have received grants.
LEGO FOUNDATION
Lego’s early childhood grantmaking focuses on learning that takes place through play in three specific contexts: home, school and community.
LIBERTY MUTUAL FOUNDATION
The Liberty Mutual Foundation expanded its early childhood education funding in 2019, naming the specific goal of increasing access to quality pre-k programs and “helping neighborhood-based centers compete for city funding and national accreditation.”
LILLY ENDOWMENT
The Lilly Endowment names early childhood education and services in the state of Indiana as a main focus of its education and youth funding program.
MCCALL KULAK FAMILY FOUNDATION
The McCall Kulak Family Foundation focuses its grantmaking on innovation in education, early childhood education, and has an interest in the Montessori method.
WILLIAM G. MCGOWAN FOUNDATION
Its Education grantmaking focuses on young children and students from low-income and disadvantaged communities and prioritizes minimizing achievement gaps and boosting graduation rates.
MORRISON & FOERSTER FOUNDATION
Morrison & Foerster names support for disadvantaged youth as one of its core funding areas, and funding for early childhood education falls squarely within this category.
NEW PROFIT
Recent grantmaking has focused on organizations and initiatives that improve quality of teaching and other school-level variables by incorporating research-based best practices at schools in urban and low-income areas.
NEW VENTURE FUND
It supports efforts such as early childhood education, literacy, teacher training and support, and pedagogical reform.
NORDSON FOUNDATION
The Nordson Foundation supports early childhood development and education initiatives in the regions where it has a corporate presence.
ORGANIZATION FOR AUTISM RESEARCH
OAR’s education grantmaking focuses on research aimed at improving the educational experiences of autistic students from early childhood through 12th grade.
OMIDYAR NETWORK
The Omidyar Network funds early childhood education, kindergarten readiness, and family engagement initiatives in the United States.
OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATIONS
Early childhood funding stems from the Open Society Foundation’s Early Childhood and Education initiative, which aims to support high quality for all children, especially those “who face profound disruption, or systemic discrimination—including refugees and migrants, children with disabilities and developmental delays, and those from the Roma community.”
OPUS FOUNDATION
The Opus Group supports youth development programs in the regions where Opus employees live and work, predominately in the Midwest.
OVERDECK FAMILY FOUNDATION
The Overdeck Family Foundation broadly supports early childhood education programs, educators and researchers.
DAVID AND LUCILE PACKARD FOUNDATION
Packard’s early learning grants support the development of policy for increased access to quality early childhood programs, teacher education and professional development, parent support initiatives and research on early childhood best practices.
PITNEY BOWES
The Pitney Bowes Foundation’s early childhood education funding focuses on pre-literacy skills and parent engagement.
PNC FOUNDATION
The majority of the PNC Foundation's ECE funds come from its $350 million Grow Up Great program, which drives almost all of the foundation's early education grants. Partnerships are limited to organizations in those parts of the Midwest and East Coast where PNC has a "significant presence." ECE grants prioritize early education in math, science, financial education, and the arts.
PYRAMID PEAK FOUNDATION
The Pyramid Peak Foundation makes community development grants to support organizations in the greater Memphis, Tennessee area. It also supports K-12 education and early childhood development groups.
ROBBINS FAMILY FOUNDATION
The Robbins Family Foundation appears to prioritize organizations and schools that aim to improve educational outcomes for underserved children.
JOSEPH AND FLORENCE ROBLEE FOUNDATION
Its grantmaking in this area focuses on underserved and marginalized communities, prioritizes collaborative initiatives, and advocates for two-generational approaches that support parents and their young children.
SC JOHNSON
SC Johnson supports early childhood education programs across the United States.
SEMPRA FOUNDATION
Grantmaking for ECE here prioritizes California.
SOCIETY FOR RESEARCH IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT
All of this funder’s research grants focus on early childhood development.
W. CLEMENT AND JESSIE V. STONE FOUNDATION
Stone funds projects that align early learning with K-3 school systems and those that address the importance of quality early childhood education.
GEORGE B. STORER FOUNDATION
The foundation's early childhood education grants go to projects that improve teacher quality, share best practices, and that integrate and use place-based learning.
EMILY HALL TREMAINE FOUNDATION
The Tremaine Foundation’s learning differences initiative also includes funding for kindergarten readiness and early childhood programs that screen children for disabilities in healthcare settings.
UBS OPTIMUS FOUNDATION
The UBS Optimus Foundation's giving broadly centers on access to quality early childhood education.
THE CHAN ZUCKERBERG INITIATIVE
While early childhood education is not a primary focus of the education initiative, it is an area that receives funding. Most notably through its continued support of Chan’s Primary School, a nonprofit that works to combine the education and healthcare systems to help underserved children thrive.
Additional Resources
Early Childhood Funders Collaborative: the largest funder collaborative in the space, BUILD initiative, which operates in eight states, offers strategy, technical assistance, professional development and a national learning community focused on early childhood policies and systems.
