About Champions for Education
Champions for Education Inc. prioritizes education and youth development in the Charlotte region, making sizeable investments in schools, literacy programs, after-school and sports-based youth initiatives, and STEM/children’s learning institutions. Their portfolio also includes health and basic needs partners (children’s hospital, food bank, YMCA), faith-based and community service organizations, and targeted digital equity efforts. They fund a mix of local anchor institutions and national organizations with local chapters, often providing repeat support to core partners.
Focus Areas
K–12 system support and district partnerships in Charlotte (e.g., CMS Foundation)Children’s STEM and museum education (e.g., Discovery Place)Youth sports and character programs with golf emphasis (e.g., First Tee, World Golf Foundation, Charlotte Sports Foundation)Early literacy and tutoring initiatives (e.g., Augustine Literacy Project, Promising Pages, Heart Math Tutoring)Child health and basic needs in the region (e.g., Levine Children’s Hospital, Manna Food Bank, YMCA)Digital inclusion and community technology access (e.g., Eliminate the Digital Divide)
About Champions for Education
Champions for Education Inc. repeatedly backs Charlotte-area education and youth development organizations with large operating support, and its recent record shows a blend of school-system partnerships, literacy work, sports-based youth programs, and child-serving community institutions. The largest recent grant in the data is $1,000,000 to Discovery Place in Charlotte, signaling a willingness to make very large commitments to local learning institutions. Other major awards show the same pattern across different parts of the youth ecosystem: $300,000 to DreamKey and $250,000 to Carolina Youth Coalition each connect to education and youth opportunity in Charlotte, while $250,000 to the CMS Foundation points to direct district-related support. The foundation also appears to fund organizations that sit outside a narrow school-only model, including health, food access, and community service partners such as Levine Children’s Hospital and Manna Food Bank. Across the grant list, the organization’s giving is steady, locally oriented, and built around repeat support to institutions that serve children, students, and families in the Charlotte region.
What Champions for Education Funds
Education quality improvement is a core theme in the grant list. Champions for Education Inc. gave $250,000 to Cms Foundation in 2025 and $151,155 to the same organization in 2025, along with $210,202 in 2024, showing sustained district-level support. Literacy and tutoring are also visible: the foundation awarded $70,000 to Promising Pages in 2024 and $51,000 to John Crosland School in 2024, both tied to learning support for children and students. Youth development appears through college and pathway support as well, including $250,000 to Carolina Youth Coalition in 2025 and $150,500 in 2024. They also back arts and science learning outside the classroom, such as $1,000,000 to Discovery Place in 2025, which fits their pattern of funding institutions that extend educational access beyond traditional school settings.
How Champions for Education Gives
Typical awards cluster in the mid-five-figure range, with p25 at $12,073, a median of $25,700, and p75 at $50,881. The recent list also includes repeated support to the same organizations across 2023, 2024, and 2025, including Cms Foundation, First Tee, Carolina Youth Coalition, YMCA of Greater Charlotte, and Levine Children’s Hospital, which indicates ongoing relationships rather than one-time gifts. Champions for Education Inc. is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. The grant list shows a mix of smaller operating grants and larger anchor commitments, with several awards at $250,000 or above.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$5.5M
Total Assets
$0
Total Revenue
$77K
Total Expenses
$3.9M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $12K and $51K, with a median of $26K.
25th Percentile
$12K
Median
$26K
75th Percentile
$51K
Geographic Reach
Regional9 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
KENDALL ALLEY
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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