About Start Early
Start Early is a champion for early learning that brings expertise across program, policy, and research to support children and families and close the opportunity gap so children enter kindergarten ready to learn.
Focus Areas
Healthy Births & Thriving FamiliesEffective Early Learning ProgramsStrong Early Childhood Systems
Who They Fund
low-income children (prenatal to age 5)parents and caregiversfamilies served by community-based agenciesHead Start/Early Head Start program staff and agencies (as organizational beneficiaries)
Funding Style
direct service provisionprogram support/operational fundingcapacity building/technical assistance
About Start Early
Start Early’s recent grantmaking is built around early learning for children from prenatal age through age 5, with a strong tilt toward Head Start and Early Head Start, family services, and systems support. The largest grants on file go to Chicago-area organizations working in those lanes, including El Hogar for HS/EHS Program work and Marillac Social Center for community-based family services. That pattern fits the foundation’s stated focus on healthy births and thriving families, effective early learning programs, and strong early childhood systems. The foundation also backs organizations that deliver early childhood services at scale, not just one-off projects. Chicago Child Care Society appears repeatedly across multiple years for community-based family services, and Casa Central receives both HS/EHS program funding and Head Start/Early Head Start support. Other recurring grantees such as One Hope United and Asian Human Services show that Start Early supports organizations serving children and families through direct service delivery as well as program infrastructure. Its stated philosophy emphasizes direct service provision, program support, capacity building, and multi-site or national center support. Leadership is listed as Diana Rauner, and the foundation’s public identity centers on closing the opportunity gap so children enter kindergarten ready to learn.
What Start Early Funds
In Head Start and Early Head Start, Start Early has funded program operations for multiple Chicago-area providers, including Casa Central for Head Start/Early Head Start Program work and The Children’s Place Association for HS/EHS Program support. That same service line also appears with Asian Human Services, which received several grants for HS/EHS Program support across different years. For community-based family services, the foundation backs agencies that work with children and caregivers through local service delivery. Marillac Social Center received grants for Comm Based Family Services, as did Family Focus Inc and The Children’s Home in Peoria. Start Early also supports organizations that combine Head Start/Early Head Start with broader family services, such as One Hope United and Children’s Home AidChildren’s Society of IL. The mix suggests a focus on providers that can serve families across multiple early childhood touchpoints.
How Start Early Gives
Typical grant size is wide-ranging, with a p25 of $65,278, a median of $223,325, and a p75 of $678,543. The recent grants table shows both large operating-style awards and repeated support to the same organizations across 2023, 2024, and 2025, which points to ongoing relationships rather than isolated gifts. Start Early is not a foundation that funds individuals, and it does not make program-related investments. The grant pattern aligns with a regional funder using multi-year organizational support, direct service funding, and capacity-oriented awards.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$36M
Total Assets
$129.4M
Total Revenue
$134.9M
Total Expenses
$113.8M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $65K and $679K, with a median of $223K.
25th Percentile
$65K
Median
$223K
75th Percentile
$679K
Geographic Reach
Regional20 states funded
About 58% of grants go to recipients in IL.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
Diana Rauner
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 Start Early?
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