FAQs

A. ECMC Foundation funds organizations that operate within the U.S. postsecondary ecosystem and align with our mission and North Star goal. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations with appropriate IRS designation, government entities, and postsecondary institutions or systems and their affiliated foundations. These organizations must be positioned to advance equitable postsecondary outcomes at scale.

A. ECMC Foundation funds project-based and reform-oriented requests with detailed budgets, defined timeframes, aligned activities, and anticipated outputs/outcomes. The Foundation prioritizes projects that can meaningfully strengthen undergraduate postsecondary outcomes to increase persistence and credential completion at scale. We look for work that serves learners furthest from opportunity and demonstrates a clear connection to systemic change. Strong grant proposals show potential for long‑term impact, and operate in ways that align with the Foundation’s mission and North Star goal.

A. Some requests fall outside the scope of ECMC Foundation’s grantmaking. The Foundation does not fund individual solicitations or scholarships, nor does it support endowments, political activities, lobbying, capital campaigns, or other fundraising efforts. In general, the Foundation does not fund ongoing programming or general operating support, and rarely sponsors conferences and other events hosted by organizations not already affiliated with the Foundation.

A. Certain categories of work are typically not supported because they fall outside the Foundation’s postsecondary focus. This includes K–12 or youth development programs, postgraduate or adult basic education initiatives, and GED or high school equivalency efforts. Similarly, workforce programs—such as job placement, short-term workforce trainings, internships, or employer‑led credentialing—are not funded unless they directly strengthen postsecondary persistence and completion. Projects that impact students at an individual institution are also generally not funded, as projects of larger scale involving systemic change at multiple institutions are prioritized.

A. Applications from entities or for projects not within the domestic United States are ineligible to receive funding. Domestic organizations as defined by the Foundation shall have as their primary business location an address in one of the 50 United States, or one of the following U.S. territories: American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

A. No. The Foundation supports policy research, implementation, and evaluation to advance systemic change in higher education, but does not fund advocacy directly.

A. While ECMC Foundation doesn't have specific guidelines, grants typically range from one to five years and $100,000 to more than $1 million, depending on the project. The average grant is two years and approximately $600,000.

A. Review ECMC Foundation’s Funding Approach page to learn more about current priorities. Concepts not focused on a current priority will still be reviewed but are less likely to be funded.

A. A systemic change approach aims to shift the conditions that hold a problem in place, rather than merely alleviating the symptoms of the problem. In higher education, this may mean adopting policies, adapting practices, reallocating resources, building relationships, shifting dynamics, and changing mindsets to address the barriers impeding the success of learners from underserved backgrounds.

A. ECMC Foundation’s work is guided by three core strategic priorities:

• Removing barriers to completion — Supporting approaches that help learners persist and finish postsecondary programs.
• Building institutional and system capacity — Strengthening organizations, leadership, and data use to improve long‑term effectiveness.
• Transforming the postsecondary ecosystem — Advancing innovations and partnerships that make the ecosystem more adaptive, resilient, and responsive to learners.

A. ECMC Foundation’s learning model follows three connected phases:

• Testing and learning — Developing new knowledge by exploring ideas, innovations, interventions, policies, and programs.
• Validating and implementing — Building evidence, refining models in varied contexts, and aligning the field around what works.
• Scaling — Supporting broad adoption so effective innovations become the new norm across postsecondary education.

A. Strategically responsive work gives ECMC Foundation the flexibility to adapt as the higher education landscape evolves. It allows the Foundation to support a wide range of populations, geographies, interventions, and innovations that help shift the conditions impeding student success. Guided by the strategic framework and a commitment to systems change, this portfolio ensures the Foundation listens to the field, learns from emerging trends, and activates opportunities as they arise. Initiatives, by contrast, are discrete, multi‑year efforts with a defined point of view, a learning and evaluation framework, aligned activities, set timeframes, and dedicated budgets. They represent areas where the Foundation has chosen to go deeper with sustained, focused investment.

A. If there is alignment to a specific portfolio across either strategically responsive bodies of work or the approved initiatives, make sure to indicate the alignment in the letter of inquiry. If it is unclear where the proposed project fits, ECMC Foundation staff will determine alignment and assign the submission to the appropriate staff to review.

A. Yes. If the applicant organization is a for‑profit or a nonprofit with a dedicated revenue stream seeking program‑related investment information, please explore eligibility through the Foundation’s Education Innovation Ventures page.

A. ECMC Foundation accepts LOIs through our online system on a rolling basis. All LOIs - solicited and unsolicited - are submitted through an online form that connects directly to the Foundation’s database.

A. An LOI serves as an initial overview of both the organization and the proposed project. It includes key organizational details (including contact information and previous experience) and a clear description of the project’s goals, budget, duration, and anticipated outcomes. This early snapshot helps the program team understand the applicant’s background, leadership, and financial structure, while also offering a concise summary of the proposed activities and how they align with the Foundation’s mission and North Star goal. By using LOIs, the Foundation can efficiently assess alignment and potential impact before inviting a full grant proposal.

A. Once an LOI is submitted, it enters a structured review process. The program team first examines the request to confirm eligibility and assess how well it aligns with ECMC Foundation’s mission, North Star goal, and strategic priorities. Eligible LOIs are then assigned to a Program Officer, who takes a deeper look at the project’s goals, scope, and potential to contribute to systemic change. After this review, Foundation leadership determines whether the LOI should advance to the formal grant proposal stage. LOIs that best reflect the Foundation’s priorities may be invited to submit a full grant proposal. An invitation signals interest but not a funding commitment. During this stage, staff may request additional materials or meetings to better understand the project before determining whether it should advance.

A. Each LOI is reviewed and responded to, whether invited to move forward to the next step in the application process or declined. It can take up to six weeks to receive a response.

A. The full grant proposal review—from initial contact to board approval—can take several months. Applicants should plan for a thoughtful, multi‑step process that ensures alignment, rigor, and clarity before funding decisions are made.

A. No. ECMC Foundation accepts LOIs year-round.

A. A member of the program team may be available to discuss a concept before an LOI is submitted, depending on project nature and staff availability. However, meeting with staff is not a requirement in order to submit an LOI.

A. Key tips include:

• Confirm eligibility. Review our How to Apply page, which includes a list of projects which are not generally funded. Of specific note: ECMC Foundation does not fund efforts for K-12 students, including college access programs that improve enrollment rates, or support programs for graduate students.
• Explain the connection. Make sure the LOI explains how the project aligns with our mission and North Star goal and works to improve persistence and completion outcomes for students in credit-bearing postsecondary certificate or degree programs.
• Tell us about the organization. Describe why this organization is well-positioned to complete the project. Include some information about related previous projects, the staff who will be leading the project and their relevant expertise, and relationships staff have with others doing similar work, including institutions, other nonprofit organizations and/or funders.
• Limit statement of need context. Use the project summary field (with a limit of approximately 1,000 words) to clearly describe the activities for which the applicant is requesting support and keep context regarding the challenge the project seeks to address to a minimum. When describing the need, be specific to help the Foundation understand what this project would directly address.
• Share high-level goals and intended outcomes. Articulate the project’s ultimate goals and outline outcomes that are meaningful and measurable within the project period. This could include sharing the number of individuals or institutions the project plans to serve or explaining how things will be different at the end of the project.
• Explain the plans for the funding. Provide a clear budget breakdown of the requested amount into high-level categories, such as personnel, technology, communications, and evaluation. Also, indirect costs must not exceed 15% of direct costs.
• Describe the population, geography, and/or intervention. Articulate if the proposed project will serve a certain population, reach a specific geography, or employ a designated intervention. Make sure it’s clear if the project will pilot an innovative approach or scale a promising practice.
• Ensure project activities and/or outcomes will reach a wide audience. Include information about the number and characteristics of the individuals and/or institutions that will be engaged in the project and/or reach with project learnings. Generally speaking, efforts with the potential to reach large numbers of individuals (students, faculty, and/or staff) across a system or network have a greater chance of being funded than projects that serve a single institution.
• Highlight how this project will advance systemic change. Ensure the proposed project will work to shift the conditions (e.g., policies, practices, resources) which hold a problem (such as those barriers impeding student success) in place, rather than merely alleviating the symptoms of the problem.
• Share the plan to evaluate and disseminate the project’s learnings. Capture learnings (which can be done internally) and share them with the field. If the program is predominantly a direct services program, it’s especially important to show a connection to systemic change through an evaluation and dissemination component.