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ECMC Foundation

Annual Giving
$53.2M
Grant Range
$50K - $1.0M
Decision Time
3mo

ECMC Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $53,246,731 (2023)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
  • Decision Time: Several months (LOI review up to 6 weeks)
  • Grant Range: $50,000 - $1,000,000+
  • Average Grant: $500,000
  • Average Duration: 2 years
  • Geographic Focus: All 50 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, and sovereign tribes
  • Application Method: Rolling basis via online portal

Contact Details

Overview

ECMC Foundation was created in 2000 as the charitable arm of ECMC Group and became more strategic in its grantmaking in 2014. With $53.2 million in annual giving (2023), the Foundation's North Star goal is to eliminate gaps in postsecondary completion by 2040. In 2021, they launched a strategic framework to provide structure while maintaining flexibility to adapt as higher education evolves. The Foundation focuses exclusively on improving postsecondary education outcomes for underserved populations through evidence-based innovation, with particular emphasis on credit-bearing career and technical education (CTE) and two- and four-year postsecondary credentials. ECMC Foundation is notable for its open application process and rolling deadline, making it unique among national foundations. In 2023, they made 205 awards.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Strategic Framework Grants: $50,000 - $1,000,000+ (average $500,000)

  • Submitted via Letter of Inquiry on rolling basis through online portal
  • Project durations range from 1-5 years (average 2 years)
  • Must align with one of three strategic priorities

GO! Program Grants: Smaller grants (2024: $1,005,000 distributed to 111 nonprofits)

  • Focuses on closing equity gaps in education
  • Typically awarded annually

CTE Leadership Collaborative Mini-Grant Program: Specialized program

  • Limited to postsecondary career and technical education
  • Dual enrollment, K-12, or workforce projects not eligible

Basic Needs Initiative: Targeted funding (2023: $4.9 million across 12 grants)

  • Addresses student basic needs as barrier to completion

Education Innovation Ventures (EIV): Below-market-rate investments

  • For nonprofit and for-profit ventures
  • Must generate both social impact and financial returns

Priority Areas

Three Strategic Priorities:

  1. Removing Barriers to Postsecondary Completion

    • Addressing systemic obstacles preventing degree completion
    • Focus on underserved student populations
    • Basic needs support (housing, food security, mental health)

  2. Building Capacity of Organizations, Institutions and Systems

    • Strengthening institutional effectiveness
    • Developing practitioner knowledge and skills
    • Supporting data-driven decision making

  3. Transforming the Postsecondary Ecosystem

    • Implementing systemic reforms
    • Policy and advocacy initiatives
    • Scaling evidence-based innovations

Target Populations:

  • Students from underserved backgrounds
  • First-generation college students
  • Low-income students
  • Students from underrepresented groups in higher education

Geographic Priorities: Jacob Fraire, President, emphasizes: "Every state matters and every region of the nation matters"

Evidence and Learning:

  • All research funded must be open access
  • Strong emphasis on evaluation and knowledge-sharing with the field
  • Projects must be outcome-focused with measurable results

What They Don't Fund

Explicitly Excluded:

  • General operating support
  • Capital campaigns or fundraising activities
  • Endowment funds
  • Political activities and lobbying
  • Entities or projects outside the United States (except Puerto Rico and sovereign tribes)
  • Sponsorships for conferences/events from non-affiliated organizations
  • Projects primarily serving K-12 students
  • Projects primarily serving graduate students
  • Scholarship programs
  • Projects lacking scale and systemic impact
  • Organizations operating inconsistently with ECMC Foundation's mission

Additional Restrictions:

  • Indirect costs may not exceed 10% of direct costs
  • Projects must be time-bound and outcome-focused (not ongoing programs)
  • Single-institution projects have lower funding prospects than multi-institution initiatives

Governance and Leadership

Executive Leadership

Jacob Fraire, President

  • Appointed in 2023
  • 35 years of experience in postsecondary education and nonprofit management
  • Former Director of Policy and Strategy, Diana Natalicio Institute, University of Texas at El Paso
  • First-generation college graduate
  • Key quote: "Every state matters and every region of the nation matters" and emphasizes "empathetic leadership and innovative reforms in teaching methodologies to meet the diverse needs of today's learners"

Stephen J. Handel, PhD, Chief of Staff, Senior Advisor to the President

Jessica Haselton, Managing Director

Archie Cubarrubia, EdD, Vice President, Grants

Nikki Edgecombe, PhD, Vice President, Impact

Edward Smith, PhD, Senior Director, Policy Strategy

Board of Directors

Active Members:

  • James V. McKeon
  • Jennifer Anderson
  • Dan Fisher (President and CEO, ECMC Group)
  • Julia Gouw
  • Diana Ingram
  • Derek Langhauser
  • Jack O'Connell
  • James Runcie
  • K. Paul Singh

Emeritus Members:

  • John F. DePodesta (founding board member from 1990, former chairman)
  • I. King Jordan
  • Roberta Cooper Ramo
  • Robert A. Stein

Dan Fisher (President/CEO, ECMC Group) said of Jacob Fraire's appointment: "Jacob's depth of expertise in philanthropy, public policy and advocacy, as well as his personal experience as a first-generation college graduate, make him the ideal leader to further advance the work of ECMC Foundation."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Stage 1: Letter of Inquiry (LOI)

ECMC Foundation accepts LOIs via their online portal on a rolling basis with no deadline. This is an open application process—organizations do not need to be invited to apply.

Required LOI Components:

  • Point of Contact information (name, title, email, phone)
  • Organization Information (name, address, website, EIN, organization type, budget, background)
  • Budget and Timeline (amount requested, total project budget, budget narrative, proposed duration in months)
  • Project Summary (approximately 1,000 words describing requested activities)
  • Demonstration of alignment with one of the three strategic priorities and advancement of the North Star goal (eliminating gaps in postsecondary completion by 2040)

LOI Review Timeline: Up to 6 weeks

Staff review all submissions and may contact applicants to learn more or request additional information, though this does not guarantee invitation to full proposal stage.

Stage 2: Full Proposal (By Invitation Only)

Only LOIs that most closely reflect ECMC Foundation's strategic priorities will be invited to submit a full grant proposal. Foundation staff may ask applicants to meet (virtually or in-person) or submit additional information before advancing an LOI to the proposal phase.

Eligible Applicants:

  • U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofits or 509(a)(1), (2), or (3) organizations
  • Government entities
  • Postsecondary institutions and systems
  • Affiliated and supporting foundations of postsecondary institutions

Pre-Application Consultation: A program officer may be available to discuss a concept before submitting an LOI, depending on the nature of the proposed project and staff availability.

Decision Timeline

Overall Process: Several months from first contact to board approval

Breakdown:

  • LOI review: Up to 6 weeks
  • Full proposal invitation and development: Variable
  • Board approval: Variable

Applicants are advised to be mindful of these timelines when beginning the application process.

Notification: The Foundation always responds to Letters of Inquiry submitted via the online portal, whether from potential or existing grantees.

Success Rates

Specific acceptance rates are not publicly disclosed. However, in 2023:

  • 205 grants were awarded
  • The Foundation awarded nearly $56 million total

The Foundation's 2023 Grantee and Applicant Perception Report indicates they remain in the 70th percentile compared with peers on how well and clearly they communicate with applicants—both successful and declined.

Reapplication Policy

No specific reapplication policy is publicly documented. The Foundation provides honest feedback to declined applicants explaining why they were turned down. Declined applicants who wish to reapply should contact the Foundation directly at info@ecmcfoundation.org or (866) 336-3262 to inquire about resubmission policies.

Since the Foundation accepts LOIs on a rolling basis with no deadline, there appear to be no explicit restrictions preventing declined applicants from resubmitting improved proposals.

Application Success Factors

Critical Alignment Requirements:

  • Strategic Fit: LOIs that most closely reflect ECMC Foundation's strategic priorities will be invited to submit full proposals. Every element must demonstrate how it advances the North Star goal of eliminating postsecondary completion gaps by 2040.
  • Project-Based Approach: The Foundation only funds "project-based and reform-oriented requests" with defined timeframes and clear endpoints—not ongoing programs or general operating support.

Demonstrate Institutional Strength:

  • Describe relevant prior work in the field
  • Highlight staff expertise and qualifications
  • Document partnerships with institutions and other funders
  • Show organizational capacity to execute complex projects

Focus on Systemic Impact Over Single-Site Projects:

  • Projects serving single institutions face lower funding prospects
  • Explain how your project engages multiple individuals and institutions across systems or networks
  • Show broader audience potential and scalability
  • Address underlying conditions causing problems rather than just alleviating symptoms

Measurable Outcomes and Evidence:

  • Present high-level goals and intended outcomes meaningful within your project period
  • Include specific numbers served or changes expected by completion
  • All research must be open access
  • Include robust evaluation plans
  • Demonstrate how findings will inform actionable strategies for practitioners, policymakers, and funders

Budget Requirements:

  • Provide detailed breakdown by category (personnel, technology, communications, evaluation)
  • Critical requirement: Indirect costs must not exceed 10% of direct costs
  • Be transparent about total project budget and other funding sources

Knowledge Dissemination:

  • Include plans for sharing learnings with the field
  • Particularly important for direct-service programs
  • Show how project advances system-wide understanding

Problem Definition:

  • Keep context about the challenge focused and specific
  • Avoid extensively detailing the problem's background in the 1,000-word project summary
  • Use space to describe requested activities and solutions

Recent Successful Projects (2024 Examples):

  • Public Agenda: $1,000,000 to study colleges delivering exceptional economic mobility to low-income students
  • Community College Baccalaureate Association: $500,000 to scale up community college baccalaureate degrees nationally
  • The Center to Advance CTE: $899,030 to improve postsecondary CTE knowledge across ECMC Foundation Fellows
  • Beam: $500,000 to expand emergency cash assistance and technology platform
  • African American Male Education Network Development Organization: $400,000 to expand student charter program to 10 campus locations outside California

Applicant Feedback: According to the 2023 Grantee and Applicant Perception Report, declined applicants rate the Foundation positively for understanding their organization, awareness of their challenges, and responsiveness. However, grantees noted the high level of effort and time required to submit final proposals, indicating the Foundation values thorough, well-developed applications.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Alignment is everything: Your project must clearly advance one of the three strategic priorities and demonstrate how it contributes to eliminating postsecondary completion gaps by 2040. Generic projects won't advance.

  • Think systems, not sites: Single-institution projects have lower success rates. Design initiatives that engage multiple institutions, create scalable models, or drive systemic reform affecting broader populations.

  • Watch the 10% indirect cost cap: This is stricter than many funders. Budget accordingly and be prepared to justify all costs as direct project expenses.

  • Plan for rigorous evaluation and dissemination: ECMC Foundation expects evidence generation and field-wide knowledge sharing. Include robust evaluation plans and strategies for spreading learnings beyond your organization.

  • Take advantage of rolling deadlines: No need to rush—use the time to develop a strong LOI. Staff review takes up to 6 weeks, and the overall process spans several months, so plan ahead for project start dates.

  • Use the 1,000-word LOI wisely: Focus on describing your proposed activities and outcomes rather than extensively detailing the problem. They already understand higher education challenges—show them your solution.

  • Declined applicants are treated well: The Foundation provides honest feedback and maintains positive relationships with unsuccessful applicants. Use feedback to strengthen future submissions.

References

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