About Ready for School Ready for Life
The Duke Endowment seeks to enrich lives and communities across North Carolina and South Carolina by supporting grantees as they nurture children, promote health, educate minds and uplift spirits.
Focus Areas
Early childhood (prenatal to age 8)Child abuse prevention and treatmentBehavioral and mental health for childrenImplementation support for evidence-based programs (e.g., MST, PCIT, TF-CBT, Triple-P, Incredible Years)Community/place-based systems changeAccess to health care and population healthHigher education supportRural church capacity and clergy support
Who They Fund
pre-K children (ages 3-5)pre-K teachers and classroom staff
About Ready for School Ready for Life
Ready for School Ready for Life centers on early childhood systems in Guilford County, pairing multi-year place-based work with support for programs serving children ages 3–5 and their families. In 2023, its largest recent award was $65,000 to YWCA Greensboro under a CQI cohort grant, alongside $50,000 grants to Uncg Bringing Out the Best Program and Every Baby Guilford. That mix points to a funder that invests in coordinated local partners rather than a single stand-alone service. The portfolio also includes support for kindergarten-transition work, active reading, and social-emotional development, all tied to a broader effort to align early childhood resources into a connected system of care. The foundation’s naming and program structure show a strong emphasis on “ready for school, ready for life” goals through implementation support, pilot projects, and cohort learning. Recent grants also reached organizations working on family support, early intervention, and workforce-related early childhood capacity, suggesting a focus on both direct services and the infrastructure needed to sustain them.
What Ready for School Ready for Life Funds
A clear thread in the foundation’s giving is cohort-based quality improvement. In 2023, it awarded $65,000 to YWCA Greensboro, $28,975 to Family Service of the Piedmont, and $27,500 to Children and Families First through CQI cohort grants. It also funded place-based early learning work: $43,000 went to YWCA High Point for an ages 3–5 pilot project to support services and potential program expansion. Another area is early literacy and family engagement. Reading Connections received $13,750 for the MotherRead/FatherRead pilot across Guilford County, following work to develop four community sites and recruit families. Workforce development appears as well, with $30,137 to UNC Greensboro Contract & Grant Accounting for model workforce standards projects.
How Ready for School Ready for Life Gives
Typical grant sizes are tightly clustered: the p25 is $23,616, the median is $27,500, and the p75 is $29,556. The 2023 list shows a repeated cohort model, with multiple grants at the same $27,500 level and several recipients appearing in more than one award line, including YWCA High Point and Kellin Foundation. The foundation is a public charity and, in the data provided, gives locally rather than nationally. It does accept unsolicited applications in some active grant programs, including Additional Focus — Zero-to-Eight Emphasis and Child & Family Well-Being grants.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$8.2M
Total Assets
$3.5M
Total Revenue
$4M
Total Expenses
$4.1M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $24K and $30K, with a median of $28K.
25th Percentile
$24K
Median
$28K
75th Percentile
$30K
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Unlock Deep Analysis
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeSee Similar Funders
Free Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeExplore related grant guides
Want a Personalized Pitch for Ready for School Ready for Life?
Sign up free to see how well your nonprofit fits this funder, get an AI-generated pitch, and unlock similar foundations.
Free plan available
No contracts
Cancel anytime