Helios Education Foundation exists to support postsecondary attainment for all students, with an emphasis on low-income and historically underrepresented communities in Arizona and Florida.
Helios Education Foundation’s recent grants show a strong commitment to large-scale education investments in Arizona and Florida, with seven-figure awards to groups working across college access, early literacy, and postsecondary completion. The foundation gave $6,092,630 to Education Forward Arizona in 2023 and followed with another $4,037,600 grant in 2025, signaling sustained support for a major Arizona college-attainment intermediary. It also backed school and teacher pipelines in Florida and Arizona, including $2,505,000 to Teach for America - Miami-Dade and $2,188,820 to Teach for America - Phoenix in 2025. Public university and college partners appear frequently as well, such as Northern Arizona University Foundation, University of Central Florida Foundation, and Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation. Across the recent-grants list, Helios Education Foundation uses sizable awards to support organizations positioned to influence student readiness, enrollment, and completion at scale.
In college access and enrollment, Helios Education Foundation funded Education Forward Arizona with $4,037,600 in 2025, reinforcing work tied to postsecondary attainment. For teacher and classroom pipeline efforts, the foundation awarded $2,505,000 to Teach for America - Miami-Dade and $2,188,820 to Teach for America - Phoenix, both in 2025. Early literacy also appears in the grant list: Read Better Be Better received $1,766,000 in 2024, while Make Way for Books received $1,500,000 in 2025. The foundation also supports community-based and policy-oriented organizations, including $1,000,000 to The Children's Movement of Florida in 2025 and $1,001,000 to Center for the Future of Arizona in 2025. These awards align with work on reading, enrollment, and completion rather than a single program area.
Helios Education Foundation’s typical grants are sized at a p25 of $13,350, a median of $38,159, and a p75 of $200,000, but the recent-grants list includes many awards well above that upper quartile. The foundation appears to fund recurring partners over multiple years: Education Forward Arizona received grants in 2023 and 2025, and several other organizations recur across the list as well. It is a regular funder rather than a donor-advised fund, does not fund individuals, and does not make program-related investments. The portfolio reflects a mix of operating support and institutional grants, with award sizes ranging from smaller six-figure commitments to multimillion-dollar grants.
$19.5M
$879.7M
$52.4M
$39.6M
Most grants fall between $13K and $200K, with a median of $38K.
25th Percentile
$13K
Median
$38K
75th Percentile
$200K
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Helios Education Foundation gives nationally, but its grants are concentrated in Arizona and Florida. Arizona recipients in the recent list include Phoenix, Tempe, and Tucson-area organizations such as Education Forward Arizona, Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation, Arizona Community Foundation, Southwest Human Development, and Candelen. Florida grants land in Miami, Orlando, Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Tallahassee, including Teach for America - Miami-Dade, University of Central Florida Foundation, Hillsborough Education Foundation, St Petersburg College Foundation, and Florida College System Foundation. All listed recent grants went to U.S. recipients.
Its stated focus areas include K-12 early literacy, college access and enrollment, postsecondary completion and degree attainment, scholarships and completion grants, research and data analysis, public policy and advocacy, and community investments and partnerships. The recent grants list shows awards across each of those categories.
The foundation’s typical grant size is $13,350 at the 25th percentile, $38,159 at the median, and $200,000 at the 75th percentile. The recent-grants list also shows several multimillion-dollar awards, so the distribution includes both smaller and very large commitments.
Florida is the top state by grant count, while 50% of grants go to recipients in Arizona, the foundation’s headquarters state. The recent-grants list includes recipients in Phoenix, Tempe, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Tallahassee.
Yes. Education Forward Arizona appears in both 2023 and 2025 grants, and the list also shows repeated support for other education intermediaries and institutions across multiple years. That pattern suggests recurring relationships rather than one-time gifts only.
No. It is marked as not funding individuals and not making program-related investments. Its structure is listed as a regular funder.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation | Tempe, AZ | $3,709,120 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| University of South Florida Foundation | Tampa, FL | $1,391,693 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Arizona Board of Regents | Phoenix, AZ | $1,100,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Broward Education Foundation | Fort Lauderdale, FL | $1,100,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Candelen | Tempe, AZ | $1,000,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Consortium of Florida Education Foundations | Gainesville, FL | $980,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Arizona Community Fdn | Phoenix, AZ | $968,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| FACCT Initiatives | Tallahassee, FL | $930,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Southwest Human Development | Phoenix, AZ | $900,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Breakthrough Miami | Miami, FL | $865,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Heart of Florida United Way | Orlando, FL | $750,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| The Able Trust | Tallahassee, FL | $500,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Achieve Miami | Miami, FL | $500,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Camp Catanese Foundation | Phoenix, AZ | $500,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| WestEd | Seal Beach, CA | $445,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Tucson Values Teachers | Tucson, AZ | $400,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Broward Public Library Foundation | Fort Lauderdale, FL | $300,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Phoenix Final Four Local Organizing Committee | Phoenix, AZ | $250,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Institute for Citizens and Scholars | Princeton, NJ | $250,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Valencia College Foundation | Orlando, FL | $200,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Education Forward Arizona | Phoenix, AZ | $192,150 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Hillsborough Education Foundation | Tampa, FL | $154,280 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Elevation Scholars Inc | Orlando, FL | $150,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Take Stock in Children | Fort Lauderdale, FL | $139,900 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Pinellas Education Foundation | Largo, FL | $119,350 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| University of Florida Foundation | Gainesville, FL | $100,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Tampa Bay Sports Commission | Tampa, FL | $100,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Arizona Charter Schools Association | Phoenix, AZ | $100,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Valley Leadership | Phoenix, AZ | $98,500 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Sandra Day O'Connor Institute | Phoenix, AZ | $82,100 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Arizona Science Center | Phoenix, AZ | $78,250 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| GZL Educational Foundation | Tampa, FL | $75,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Teach for America - Phoenix | Phoenix, AZ | $73,200 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Community Foundation Tampa Bay | Tampa, FL | $70,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Arizona Major Events Host Committee | Phoenix, AZ | $60,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| AZ State Univ Fdn for a New Amricn Univ | Tampe, AZ | $52,650 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Genesis City | Phoenix, AZ | $40,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Broward College Foundation | Fort Lauderdale, FL | $40,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Arizona Academic Decathlon | Phoenix, AZ | $40,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Great Hearts Arizona | Phoenix, AZ | $40,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Lawton Chiles Foundation | Tallahassee, FL | $40,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Valley of the Sun United Way | Phoenix, AZ | $40,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| University of Arizona Foundation | Tucson, AZ | $40,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Greater Phoenix Economic Council | Phoenix, AZ | $36,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| National College Attainment Network | Washington, DC | $27,450 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Victoria Foundation | Phoenix, AZ | $25,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Florida Education Foundation | Tallahassee, FL | $25,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Helping Advance and Nurture the Development of Youth (Handy) | Fort Lauderdale, FL | $25,000 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Hillsborough Community College Foundation | Tampa, FL | $24,500 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
| Tampa Bay Partnership | Tampa, FL | $22,500 | 2026 | SEE PART IV |
Arizona Board of Regents
$1,100,000SEE PART IV
SEE PART IV
FACCT Initiatives
$930,000SEE PART IV
The Able Trust
$500,000SEE PART IV
WestEd
$445,000SEE PART IV
Broward Public Library Foundation
$300,000SEE PART IV
Phoenix Final Four Local Organizing Committee
$250,000SEE PART IV
Arizona Charter Schools Association
$100,000SEE PART IV
GZL Educational Foundation
$75,000SEE PART IV
Arizona Major Events Host Committee
$60,000SEE PART IV
Genesis City
$40,000SEE PART IV
Arizona Academic Decathlon
$40,000SEE PART IV
Great Hearts Arizona
$40,000SEE PART IV
Lawton Chiles Foundation
$40,000SEE PART IV
Greater Phoenix Economic Council
$36,000SEE PART IV
Victoria Foundation
$25,000SEE PART IV
SEE PART IV
Tampa Bay Partnership
$22,500SEE PART IV