Approximately 77% of our funding is focused on capacity building.
A median grant payment of $100K focused on strengthening organizations and ensuring sustained positive impact.
Committed to true partnership and long term collaboration, the average grantee has been in our portfolio for 7 years.
Funding Priorities
Our grants support nonprofit organizations that provide educational and employment opportunities that help advance the self-sufficiency of underserved youth and their families. These investments elevate the operational, programmatic, financial, and organizational effectiveness of our nonprofit partners to help ensure the sustained advancement of their missions.
College Access & Success
College Access & Success
Support for programs that help students graduate from high school, prepare for and enroll in college, and secure a post-secondary degree.
Career Pathways
Career Pathways
Education, training, work-experience, or job placement programs that lead to rewarding and sustainable careers.
Family Strengthening
Family Strengthening
Programs that work simultaneously with parents and children to promote healthy parenting and build resilient, stable families.
Community Focus
Since building long-term, trusting relationships with our nonprofit partners and understanding the communities where they operate is so important to us, our funding is focused on the three areas where the majority of our family members and staff live.
Washington, DC
LA + Orange County, CA
Western MA
Scaling Program Infrastructure
STEM Advantage received a $600,000 investment over three years from The Ceres Foundation to scale our program, advance equity through education and employment, and address the racial wealth gap. We mentor, prepare, and inspire women and underserved communities to pursue STEM careers with the vision of building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive skilled workforce. As an all-volunteer group of STEM professionals, we did not have the resources or capacity to grow. We needed a dedicated program team to demonstrate sustainability and scalability to investors. This catalytic gift from Ceres is transformative and enables us to invest in two new positions that will help expand the program (from 175 scholars in its 2022 cohort to 250-300 in 2025). With this critical staff, we will also be able to maintain our high-touch, high-impact comprehensive program model, build best-in-class mentorship and internship programs, and develop strategic partnerships.
Providing Catalytic Investments
For almost two decades, The Ceres Foundation has supported our college preparation programs, which help low-income young mothers, primarily women of color, fall back in love with learning through arts, humanities, and athletics. In 2015, inspired by conversations with Ceres’ leadership and with a catalytic Ceres grant, The Care Center launched Bard Microcollege Holyoke, the nation’s first college for young mothers and low-income women. The Microcollege has been recognized in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. Most recently, Ceres made a $1M anchor gift to launch The Care Center’s endowment campaign to permanently sustain Bard Microcollege Holyoke. The Ceres Foundation’s support over the years has allowed us to be creative and bold. It’s helped us expand successful programs, launch new ideas, enhance our supports for young mothers, and weather difficult periods. With funding from Ceres, we created a nationally recognized college preparation program for young mothers and launched a groundbreaking new college model. Through its endowment gift, Ceres is helping ensure the Microcollege remains a permanent community resource.
Grant Application Process
We proudly invest in strong leaders and support organizations that range from small grassroots efforts to more established programs. We invite you to learn more about grant eligibility, application requirements, and the review process.
Learn More About Applying