Funding search · EIN 411990628 · Minneapolis, MN
Ecmc Foundation
A grantmaking public charity (files IRS Form 990, Schedule I). Charities like this often run real grant programs with application cycles.
- 595
- grants reported
- $151.2M
- total given
- 2022–2024
- filing years
- $25,000
- median grant
Based on grants this organization reported to the IRS for tax years 2022–2024. This is what they filed, not a complete record of their giving, and recent years may be incomplete because filings lag.
What they fund
Funder website ↗Full IRS filings ↗How this is builtReport an error
Funding pattern
What this funder pays for, at what size, and how to position adjacent work. Read from their filings, with every number checked against the record.
Where the money goes
- General operating support for national higher education policy associations
- Community college and CTE system capacity building
- Postsecondary completion and student success research at universities
- Direct student supports: basic needs, scholarships, first-gen, veterans
- Twin Cities local education and youth organizations
- Education technology and innovation ventures
Typical grant
The median is $25,000 and half of all grants fall between $10,000 and $400,000, but the money is bunched at the top: national intermediaries and university partners take $500,000 to $3.4 million, with the largest checks going to State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, USC, Georgia State University Foundation, and Southern Education Foundation. The small end is dominated by Minnesota and California community organizations in the $50,000 and under range. With 595 grants to 434 recipients over three years, a meaningful share of relationships renew, and the big intermediaries look like multi-year commitments rather than one-offs.
Their words
Phrases from their own grant descriptions, worth speaking back to them.
- “GENERAL SUPPORT”
- “PROGRAM SUPPORT”
- “EDUCATION INNOVATION VENTURES”
- “TWIN CITIES IMPACT”
- “GO! PROGRAM”
Positioning adjacent work
- Tie your work to community college completion or CTE pathways, their two heaviest funded themes.
- Ask for general support, not restricted project funds; most of their largest grants are unrestricted.
- First ask should land at $250,000 to $750,000, the crowded band below the intermediary tier.
- Emphasize state or national scale and policy uptake; single-campus pilots rarely appear above $500,000.
Worth knowing: The MN and CA recipient counts are misleading: those are mostly small local checks, while the real dollars go to Washington DC associations and national intermediaries like Jobs for the Future, Complete College America, and the Institute for Higher Education Policy. They also move money to affiliated entities, including $2 million to Educational Credit Management Corporation and $1 million to ECMC Group, so a portion of the total is never available to outside applicants.
2 grants matching “baccalaureate” · $1.3M
- $760,000
Community College Baccalaureate Association · Lake Mary, FL · 2024
Program support
- $500,000
Community College Baccalaureate Association · Lake Mary, FL · 2022
Career readiness
Top recipients
Repeat recipients are the strongest signal of whether a funder has an open door or quietly re-funds the same organizations.
- Educational Credit Management Corporation3 grants · $6.2M
- State Higher Education Executive Officers Association2 grants · $4.2M
- University of Southern California1 grant · $3.0M
- Jobs for the Future3 grants · $2.9M
- Ecmc Group2 grants · $2.7M
- California Competes3 grants · $2.5M
- American Council On Education2 grants · $2.3M
- University of Southern California Race and Equity Center2 grants · $2.1M
- Ithaka Harbors2 grants · $2.1M
- The Aspen Institute2 grants · $2.0M
Giving over time
Grant history
The 100 largest of 595 grants.
- $3.4M
State Higher Education Executive Officers Association · Boulder, CO · 2024
General support
- $3.0M
University of Southern California · Los Angeles, CA · 2024
General support
- $2.1M
Educational Credit Management Corporation · Minneapolis, MN · 2022
College success
- $2.0M
Georgia State University Foundation · Atlanta, GA · 2024
Program support
- $2.0M
Educational Credit Management Corporation · Minneapolis, MN · 2024
Project success
- $2.0M
Southern Education Foundation · Atlanta, GA · 2024
Program support
- $2.0M
Educational Credit Management Corporation · Minneapolis, MN · 2023
Project success
- $2.0M
City Year · Sacramento, CA · 2022
Pandemic recovery & career readiness
- $2.0M
The Aspen Institute · Washington, DC · 2022
Career readiness & college success
- $1.9M
Wested · San Francisco, CA · 2024
General support
- $1.8M
National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity Education Foundation · Parkesburg, PA · 2024
Program support
- $1.8M
University of Southern California Race and Equity Center · Los Angeles, CA · 2022
Program support
- $1.8M
Achieving the Dream · Silver Spring, MD · 2023
Single mother student success, men of color, program support
- $1.7M
Ecmc Group · Minneapolis, MN · 2023
Question the quo, general support
- $1.6M
Jobs for the Future · Boston, MA · 2024
General support
- $1.6M
Kentucky Council On Postsecondary Education · Frankfort, KY · 2023
Basic needs
- $1.5M
Excelencia in Education · Washington, DC · 2023
Program support
- $1.5M
Association of Community College Trustees · Washington, DC · 2024
General support
- $1.5M
California Competes · Kensington, CA · 2023
Single mother student success
- $1.5M
Seachange Capital Partners · New York, NY · 2023
Transforming higher education institutions
- $1.5M
The Institute for Higher Education Policy · Washington, DC · 2024
General support
- $1.4M
Institute for Citizens & Scholars · Princeton, NJ · 2023
Program support, cte leadership collaborative initiative
- $1.4M
North Carolina State University · Raleigh, NC · 2022
Career readiness
- $1.4M
New America · Washington, DC · 2023
Single mother student success
- $1.4M
Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (Aplu) · Washington, DC · 2024
General support
- $1.3M
Ithaka Harbors · New York, NY · 2023
Basic needs, cross sector collaboration
- $1.3M
American Council On Education · Washington, DC · 2024
Program support
- $1.1M
The Urban Institute · Washington, DC · 2022
Career readiness
- $1.1M
La-Techorg · Santa Monica, CA · 2023
Work based learning
- $1.0M
Growing Inland Achievement · Redlands, CA · 2024
Program support
- $1.0M
Columbus Learning Center Management Corporation · Columbus, IN · 2024
General support
- $1.0M
Communities Foundation of Texas · Dallas, TX · 2024
General support
- $1.0M
Ecmc Group · Minneapolis, MN · 2024
Twin cities impact
- $1.0M
National Association of Student Personnel Administrators · Washington, DC · 2024
General support
- $1.0M
Public Agenda · New York, NY · 2024
Program support
- $1.0M
Bottom Line · Boston, MA · 2023
Mentoring & advising
- $1.0M
Reach University · Oakland, CA · 2023
Work based learning
- $1.0M
American Council On Education · Washington, DC · 2022
Program support
- $1.0M
John N Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education · Brevard, NC · 2022
College success
- $999,835
Rand Corporation · Santa Monica, CA · 2022
Career readiness
- $975,054
The Ohio State University · Columbus, OH · 2024
General support
- $974,400
Complete College America · Indianapolis, IN · 2024
General support
- $929,030
The Center To Advance Cte · Silver Spring, MD · 2024
General support
- $900,000
The Urban Institute · Washington, DC · 2023
Program support, single mother student success
- $885,000
Jobs for the Future · Boston, MA · 2023
Cross sector collaboration, cte leadership collaboration
- $872,000
National Association of System Heads · Adelphi, MD · 2023
Transforming higher education institutions, professional & leadership development
- $866,375
Association for Career and Technical Education · Alexandria, VA · 2023
Cte leadership collaborative initiative
- $849,610
Scholarship America · Minneapolis, MN · 2024
General support
- $812,910
Sinclair Community College · Dayton, OH · 2023
Professional & leadership development, work based learning
- $800,000
Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development · Jefferson City, MO · 2024
General support
- $800,000
Collegiate Edu-Nation · Roscoe, TX · 2023
Work based learning
- $800,000
Let'S Get Ready · New York, NY · 2023
Mentoring & advising
- $800,000
One Million Degrees · Chicago, IL · 2023
Mentoring & advising
- $800,000
Open Syllabus · New York, NY · 2023
Transfer & credit mobility
- $800,000
The Asme Foundation · New York, NY · 2023
Work based learning
- $800,000
Beyond12 · Oakland, CA · 2022
College success
- $800,000
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America - National Office · Tampa, FL · 2022
College success
- $765,000
State Higher Education Executive Officers Association · Boulder, CO · 2023
Program support
- $760,750
Ithaka Harbors · New York, NY · 2022
College success
- $760,000
Community College Baccalaureate Association · Lake Mary, FL · 2024
Program support
- $758,000
Workcred · Washington, DC · 2022
Career readiness
- $750,000
Brightworks · Arden Hills, MN · 2024
Program support
- $750,000
Texas Community College Education Initiative · Austin, TX · 2024
General support
- $750,000
University of Tennessee · Knoxville, TN · 2024
Program support
- $750,000
Veterans Education Success · Chevy Chase, MD · 2024
Program support
- $750,000
Mdrc · New York, NY · 2023
Program support
- $750,000
Third Sector Capital Partners · Boston, MA · 2023
Program support
- $750,000
University of Houston Downtown · Houston, TX · 2023
Mentoring & advising
- $750,000
Women Employed · Chicago, IL · 2023
Program support
- $750,000
Claremont Graduate University · Claremont, CA · 2022
College success
- $749,525
Institute for Policy Research Northwestern University · Evanstoni, IL · 2023
General support
- $748,000
Institute for Evidence-Based Change · Long Beach, CA · 2023
Program support
- $747,911
Education Design Lab · Washington, DC · 2024
General support
- $741,954
Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia · Macon, GA · 2024
Program support
- $740,250
United Negro College Fund · Washington, DC · 2022
College success
- $740,000
Public Agenda · Brooklyn, NY · 2023
Transfer & credit mobility
- $700,000
Creative Visions Foundation · Malibu, CA · 2022
Career readiness
- $700,000
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities · St Paul, MN · 2022
College success
- $700,000
National College Attainment Network · Washington, DC · 2022
College success
- $687,500
Business-Higher Education Forum · Washington, DC · 2023
Program support
- $675,000
California State University Foundation · Long Beach, CA · 2022
College success & general support
- $669,991
The University of Texas at Austin · Austin, TX · 2023
Men of color
- $668,000
The University Innovation Alliance · Tempe, AZ · 2024
Program support
- $666,640
National Student Legal Defense Network · Washington, DC · 2023
Basic needs
- $660,100
Bellwether · Boston, MA · 2024
General support
- $660,000
Strada Collaborative · Indianapolis, IN · 2022
College success
- $650,100
Higher Learning Advocates · Washington, DC · 2024
General support
- $625,000
Research Foundation of the City University of New York · New York, NY · 2022
College success
- $620,000
Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education · Atlanta, GA · 2023
Program support
- $600,000
Advance Illinois Nfp · Chicago, IL · 2024
General support
- $600,000
Clark Atlanta University · Atlanta, GA · 2024
General support
- $600,000
Brothers · Annadaleonhudson, NY · 2023
Men of color
- $600,000
Campaign for College Opportunity · Los Angeles, CA · 2023
Program support
- $600,000
The Regents of the University of California Davis · Davis, CA · 2023
Basic needs
- $600,000
University of North Carolina System · Chapel Hill, NC · 2022
College success
- $585,035
California State University Dominguez Hills Philanthropic Foundation · Carson, CA · 2023
Men of color
- $583,000
Virginia Foundation for Community College Education · Richmond, VA · 2022
Career readiness
- $580,000
College Promise · New York, NY · 2023
Program support
- $575,000
National Skills Coalition · Washington, DC · 2023
Basic needs
- $560,000
Believe in Students · Philadelphia, PA · 2024
General support
Who else funds this kind of work
Same state
- Mayo Clinic Group Return834 grants · $5.43B
- Mayo Clinic775 grants · $1.77B
Similar purposes
- The Rhode Island Community Foundation3,312 grants · $224.3M
- Ascendium Education Solutions667 grants · $296.7M
- Educational Credit387 grants · $692.9M
Similar grant size
- The Ayco Charitable Foundation15,303 grants · $2.05B
- Ohio Child Care Resource and Referral16,278 grants · $1.08B
- Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund19,135 grants · $6.79B
Grants already paid are the record; PaperOrbit reads your paper and finds the funders whose record matches it — then explains why.
Search funders like this oneSource: IRS Form 990, Schedule I, as filed by this organization. These are grants already paid. Grants paid directly to individuals are reported to the IRS only as totals, so they do not appear as named lines here.

