Thursday is education & youth day on The Grant Brief.

Both of these funders accept LOIs on a rolling basis, but they work at completely different scales. One is a $1.9 billion foundation making nearly 200 grants a year; the other made 27 grants last year totaling $1.2 million. That gap changes how you approach each one.

What we know: ECMC made 198 grants in its most recent filing year, totaling $60 million, with a median grant of $27,500. The published range tops out at $1 million, but that median tells you most awards land well below the ceiling. Minnesota and California account for nearly 45% of recipients. Top grantees include Educational Credit Management Corporation ($6.2 million), State Higher Education Executive Officers Association ($4.2 million), and University of Southern California ($3 million), all large institutional players.

Realistic fit: well-connected postsecondary institutions, national intermediaries, or established education nonprofits with systems-change credentials. Small community orgs will find the LOI accepted but the conversion rate steep.

What we know: All Points North made 77 grants over three years totaling $3.3 million, with a $40,000 median. Despite the listed $60,000 to $100,000 range, most awards cluster lower. The foundation funds public middle school education and teacher training, with repeat grantees like TeachUnited, PowerMyLearning, and Ann Richards School Foundation (each funded three times at $180,000 cumulative). California, Massachusetts, and New York receive the most grants.

Realistic fit: U.S. nonprofits running measurable middle school or teacher training programs with a track record of outcomes data. The process starts with a two-page concept paper, so treat that as the real gate.

If your work isn't in postsecondary completion or public middle school education, neither of these fits. Both reward specificity and demonstrated results over broad youth-development framing.

Closing soon (separate from this week's theme):

Breakthrough T1D, FY27 Training Awards: closes July 2, 2026. Postdoctoral and early-career diabetes research fellowships.

breakthrought1d.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/FY27-PDF-RFA.pdf