We champion Black & Brown childcare providers by fostering quality, equity, and accessibility in early childhood education through tailored coaching, advocacy, and professional development to empower providers and influence policy.
The Early Excellence Project’s recent filing shows a single $639,516 grant entry, with the foundation directing its work toward Black and Brown childcare providers through coaching, advocacy, and professional development. That emphasis is reinforced by a portfolio built around childcare leadership, program quality, and business stabilization rather than general philanthropy. The organization also lists a forgivable $25,000 Cribs Loan offering for childcare providers, which points to a practical interest in helping programs get established and stay financially steady. Its grantmaking is organized around direct support for providers and the systems around them. Executive coaching and mentorship appear as recurring tools for childcare center leaders, alongside professional learning intended to strengthen management capacity, improve quality, and support continuous improvement. The foundation also backs literacy work for young children, including tutoring and classroom literacy lessons through the Margaret Washington Literacy & Inclusion Center and a summer literacy program in Pittsburgh’s Hill District. Across these efforts, the Early Excellence Project connects early childhood education to provider capacity, workforce support, and culturally responsive learning.
In provider support and leadership development, the foundation funds tailored coaching and mentoring for childcare center leaders through Executive Coaching for Childcare Center Leaders and Executive Coaching & Mentorship. Those programs are designed to strengthen leadership, management capacity, business operations, accreditation, and continuous quality improvement. In early literacy, the Early Excellence Project supports the Margaret Washington Literacy & Inclusion Center for high-impact tutoring and classroom literacy lessons, including individualized and small-group instruction. It also backs the Keys 2 Excellence Summer Literacy Program, a K-5 summer literacy experience in the Hill District that uses culturally sustaining curriculum and literacy supports. Business stabilization is another clear theme. The foundation’s historical Forgivable Cribs Loan offering through Chatham University’s Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship was intended to support both budding and established childcare providers. The grant list also shows outreach-based coaching launched in 2020 to improve quality and capacity among local childcare centers.
$640K
$625K
$973K
$1M
Most grants fall between $640K and $640K, with a median of $640K.
25th Percentile
$640K
Median
$640K
75th Percentile
$640K
BRITTINI WRIGHT
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The grant-size distribution is flat in the available snapshot: p25, median, and p75 are all $639,516. That suggests the dataset captures one current grant amount rather than a spread of multiple award sizes. The latest 990 year on file is 2024. The Early Excellence Project is a regular funder and does not fund individuals or program-related investments. The active programs point to a pattern of direct service, coaching, and capacity-building support rather than one-off cash grants alone. One program, Executive Coaching & Mentorship, is explicitly open to unsolicited requests, while other listed offerings are not.
The grant geography in the available data is U.S.-only, with 100% of grants going to recipients in the United States. Funding is concentrated in Pittsburgh and nearby Allegheny County, with additional reach across Southwestern Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania more broadly. Named locations include the Hill District, Pittsburgh, and Allegheny County. The geographic scope of giving is listed as unknown, so the pattern should be read from the recipient locations shown in the active programs and recent grant record rather than from a stated regional mandate.
The foundation centers on early childhood education, especially support for Black and Brown childcare providers. Its listed focus areas include childcare provider support, provider coaching, workforce development, literacy programs, advocacy, and business stabilization.
It funds both. The active programs include executive coaching and mentorship for childcare leaders, high-impact tutoring and classroom literacy lessons through the Margaret Washington Literacy & Inclusion Center, and a summer literacy program for K-5 students in the Hill District.
It uses coaching, mentoring, and business stabilization tools. Examples include Executive Coaching for Childcare Center Leaders, Executive Coaching & Mentorship, and a historical $25,000 forgivable Cribs Loan offered through Chatham University’s Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship.
Yes. The Executive Coaching & Mentorship program is marked as accepting unsolicited applications. Other listed programs, including the Margaret Washington Literacy & Inclusion Center and Keys 2 Excellence Summer Literacy Program, are marked as not accepting unsolicited requests.
The snapshot shows a single grant size of $639,516 for the latest 990 year on file, and the p25, median, and p75 are all the same amount. The foundation is classified as a regular funder and does not fund individuals or make program-related investments.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Early Excellence Project that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Early childcare providers and childcare center leaders (priority on Black and Brown providers); specific eligibility details not listed publicly.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRANTS TO OTHERS | — | $639,516 | 2024 | — |
GRANTS TO OTHERS
$639,516