← Back to US Funders Directory

Nellie Mae Education Foundation Inc

Annual Giving
$14.6M
Grant Range
$1K - $5.0M

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $14,600,000 (2023)
  • Total Assets: $519,400,000
  • Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
  • Grant Range: $1,000 - $5,000,000 (typical: $5,300 - $1,750,000)
  • Geographic Focus: New England (MA, NH, CT, RI, VT, ME)
  • Total Grants Since 1998: Over $180 million

Contact Details

Address: Presidents Place, 1250 Hancock Street, Suite 701N, Quincy, MA 02169

Phone: (781) 348-4200

Website: https://nmefoundation.org

Email List: Sign up through website for grant opportunity updates

Overview

The Nellie Mae Education Foundation, established in 1990, is New England's largest philanthropic organization focused exclusively on education. With assets of over $519 million and annual giving exceeding $14.6 million, the foundation has distributed more than $180 million in grants since 1998. Originally created by the Nellie Mae Corporation's Fund for Education and later endowed through a sale to Sallie Mae in 1998-2000, the foundation has evolved significantly in its strategic approach. Since 2015, NMEF has increasingly examined its work through a racial equity lens, culminating in a 2019 strategic shift to center racial equity in all its work. The foundation's current mission is to ensure "every child has access to an excellent public education that prepares them to thrive in school and community." In 2025, NMEF refined its approach based on insights from over 2,500 students, teachers, parents, and community members, emphasizing strong community power, responsive state systems, and a connected regional narrative. The foundation made 234 grant awards in 2023 and has received recognition including NCRP's "Changing Course" Award for incorporating feedback.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Supporting Organizations Led by People of Color

  • Amount: $100,000 annually for three years
  • Focus: Community-based organizations led by people of color working to transform barriers to racial equity in public K-12 education
  • Application Method: Invitation only

Advancing Community-School Partnerships (ACSP)

  • Amount: Varies
  • Focus: Community-driven partnerships between districts and their communities to advance racial equity and excellent public education
  • Application Method: Invitation only

Amplifying Youth Voice & Leadership

  • Amount: $52,750 annually for three years (general operating support)
  • Focus: Building capacity, power, and voice of youth organizing groups throughout New England
  • Application Method: Invitation only

Capacity Building Accelerator Grants

  • Amount: $100,000
  • Focus: Strengthening organizational capacity of community-based organizations
  • Application Method: Invitation only

Rapid Response Fund

  • Amount: $2,000 - $25,000
  • Focus: Supporting youth-focused and community initiatives, including youth camps, restorative justice projects, and community building efforts
  • Application Method: Occasional open opportunities

Sponsorships

  • Amount: $2,500 - $35,000
  • Focus: Events, conferences, and initiatives aligned with foundation priorities
  • Application Method: Varies

Priority Areas

  • Racial equity in K-12 education: Primary focus across all programs
  • Student-centered learning: Personalized learning, competency-based learning, learning beyond the traditional classroom
  • Community power: Supporting POC-led organizations and community-driven solutions
  • Youth voice and leadership: Amplifying authentic voices of young people in decisions affecting their future
  • Systems change: Working at community, state, and regional levels to transform educational systems
  • Educational equity: Engaging low-income students and students of color to overcome racial disparities in college and career outcomes

What They Don't Fund

While specific exclusions are not explicitly listed on their website, the foundation's focused mission means they typically do not fund:

  • Programs outside the six New England states
  • Education initiatives outside K-12 (e.g., early childhood, higher education, workforce development)
  • Projects not centered on racial equity in public education
  • Individual scholarships or student aid

Governance and Leadership

Executive Leadership

Dr. Gisele C. Shorter - President and CEO (appointed 2023)

Dr. Shorter has stated: "I am proud to be selected by the Board to lead the next phase of growth and impact at the Nellie Mae Education Foundation and eager to partner with staff and community partners to advance racial justice and educational equity across New England. In my experience, I've found that we can solve some of the most difficult and enduring challenges in our educational system by formulating solutions in partnership with students, educators, and families."

She has also emphasized: "The Nellie Mae Education Foundation really seeks to make visible the invisible. We are all in service of a high quality education for every child, hard stop."

Key Staff

  • Erin Brouillette - Chief Financial Officer
  • Marcos Lucio Popovich - Director of Grantmaking
  • Stephanie Cheney - Senior Manager, Grants & Special Programs
  • Colin Jones - Senior Portfolio Lead: K-12 Coalitions, Partnership, Movement Building
  • Cindy Kenney - Office Manager
  • Luisa Simeon - Finance Manager
  • Paul Marsh - Information Technology Manager

Board of Directors

Dr. Warren Simmons - Board Chair (Senior Fellow & Former Executive Director, Annenberg Institute for School Reform)

Dr. Elsa M. Núñez - Vice Chair (President, Eastern Connecticut State University)

Board Members:

  • Betty Francisco - CEO, Boston Impact Initiative & Co-Founder, Amplify Latinx and Latina Circle
  • Colleen Quint - President & CEO, Alfond Scholarship Foundation
  • Dania Vazquez - Headmaster, Margarita Muniz Academy
  • Dr. Deborah Jewell-Sherman - Professor of Practice, Harvard Graduate School of Education
  • Dr. Debra Humphreys - Vice President of Strategic Engagement, Lumina Foundation
  • Dr. John H. Jackson - President & CEO, The Schott Foundation for Public Education
  • Dr. Makeeba McCreary - President, New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund
  • Dr. Prudence Carter - Sarah and Joseph Jr. Dowling Professor of Sociology, Brown University
  • Elizabeth R. Hilpman - President, Barlow Partners, Inc
  • Jack Remondi - President & Chief Executive Officer, Navient
  • Kent McGuire - Advisor to both the Stuaert and Spencer Foundations
  • Mishone Donelson - Senior Vice President & Senior Managing Director, Horizon Technology Finance (joined 2023)
  • Prabal Chakrabarti - Senior Vice-President, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a general public application process. The Nellie Mae Education Foundation typically operates through invitation-only Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and identifies potential grantees through existing relationships and networks.

However, the foundation occasionally announces open grant opportunities, particularly for:

  • Rapid Response Fund grants
  • Specific initiative-based funding calls
  • Sponsorship opportunities

To stay informed about opportunities:

  • Sign up for the foundation's email list at nmefoundation.org
  • Monitor the "Grant Opportunities" and "Announcements" sections of their website
  • Call (781) 348-4200 to inquire about current opportunities

Getting on Their Radar

The foundation identifies grantees through several approaches:

Strategic Networks: NMEF works with advisors and partners to co-create programs and identify organizations. The foundation values feedback from the field and has been recognized for incorporating community input into its grantmaking.

Existing Relationships: Many grants go to organizations with which the foundation has prior relationships or connections through board members and partners active in New England education equity work.

Community Recommendation: The foundation's emphasis on community-driven solutions means they often learn about organizations through trusted community partners and coalitions working in racial equity and education.

Events and Convenings: NMEF sponsors and participates in education equity events across New England, such as the Disruption Dialogue series, where they connect with organizations doing aligned work.

Decision Timeline

Specific decision timelines are not publicly disclosed and likely vary by grant program and opportunity type.

Success Rates

In 2023, the foundation made 234 grant awards. Specific success rates and total number of applications are not publicly disclosed.

Reapplication Policy

No specific reapplication policy is publicly documented. Given the invitation-only nature of most grants, reapplication typically depends on ongoing relationships with the foundation and alignment with current strategic priorities.

Application Success Factors

Based on the foundation's publicly stated priorities and funded projects, successful applicants demonstrate:

Racial Equity Leadership: Organizations led by people of color and those with deep roots in communities of color are explicitly prioritized. The foundation's "Supporting Organizations Led by People of Color" program demonstrates this commitment.

Student-Centered Approach: Projects that center young people's voices, needs, and leadership. As Dr. Shorter emphasized: "We can solve some of the most difficult and enduring challenges in our educational system by formulating solutions in partnership with students, educators, and families."

Community-Driven Solutions: The foundation values partnerships between districts and communities, parent engagement, and grassroots organizing. Recent grantees include community-school partnerships across Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Systems Change Orientation: NMEF seeks to transform educational systems, not just support individual programs. Their 2025 strategy emphasizes "strong community power, responsive state systems, and a connected regional narrative."

Clear Application Format: Grantee feedback praised the Rapid Response Fund application as "clear and asked just the right amount of questions in an open format without too many attachments."

New England Geographic Focus: All funded work must serve students in one or more of the six New England states (MA, NH, CT, RI, VT, ME).

Specific Project Examples Recently Funded:

  • African Community Education Program (Capacity Building, $100,000)
  • Alliance of Rhode Island Southeast Asians for Education (Capacity Building, $100,000)
  • Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (POC-Led Organizations program)
  • PT Barnum Partners, Waterbury (Supporting Organizations Led by People of Color)
  • Center for Youth and Community Leadership in Education (Amplifying Youth Voice)

Language and Terminology: The foundation uses terms like "racial equity," "student-centered learning," "community power," "authentic youth voice," and "systems change" consistently. Applications should demonstrate understanding of these concepts.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Invitation-only model: Most grants are by invitation only, so building relationships with the foundation and its partners is essential rather than submitting unsolicited proposals
  • Racial equity is non-negotiable: Every funded project must explicitly advance racial equity in education; this is the foundation's central commitment since 2019
  • POC leadership prioritized: Organizations led by people of color receive specific funding streams and are explicitly prioritized across all programs
  • Youth voice matters: Projects that authentically include young people in leadership and decision-making roles align with foundation values
  • Think systems change: NMEF funds work aimed at transforming educational systems and policies, not just individual programs or services
  • Geographic limitation: Work must serve students in New England states; this is a firm boundary
  • Stay connected: Sign up for email updates and monitor the website, as occasional open opportunities (like Rapid Response Fund) do arise beyond invitation-only programs

References

← Back to US Funders Directory