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The College-Ready Promise at a glanceMostly funded, not a grantmaker: see who funds it →

· Public charity

The College-Ready Promise

The organization's purpose is to increase college-ready graduation rates by increasing the number and distribution of highly effective teachers in schools and classrooms serving low-income and minority students.

$425k
Granted FY2018
5
Grants FY2018
3
States reached
$100k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2018.

Education$935k
02FY2018 · 5 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2018

  • $10k–50k1 grant · $25k
  • $50k–250k4 grants · $400k
$100,000
Median grant
3
States reached
$771k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
STRIVE PREPARATORY SCHOOLS$100,000
UPLIFT EDUCATION$100,000
PUC-LVT$100,000
ASPIRE PUBLIC SCHOOLS$100,000
THE NOBLE NETWORK OF CHARTER SCHOOLS$25,000
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY17–18) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 12%. 77% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 12%MASTERY CHARTER SCHOOLS: $100k → 22%PUC-LVT: $100k → 14%STRIVE PREPARATORY SCHOOLS: $100k → 12%THE NOBLE NETWORK OF CHARTER SCHOOLS: $50k → 14%UPLIFT EDUCATION: $100k → 14%STRIVE PREPARATORY SCHOOLS: $47k → 12%THE NOBLE NETWORK OF CHARTER SCHOOLS: $25k → 14%UPLIFT EDUCATION: $90k → 14%DSST PUBLIC SCHOOLS: $60k → 12%GREEN DOT PUBLIC SCHOOLS: $93k → 14%ASPIRE PUBLIC SCHOOLS: $100k → 14%ASPIRE PUBLIC SCHOOLS: $20k → 14%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

68%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$632k · 4 repeat orgs$303k to everyone else

4 repeat relationships: 4 still active in FY2018, 0 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

4
4

Total granted

$632k
$303k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+53%
+143%

Still filing today

100%
100%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2018, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18
RenewedFirst-time
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • PT
    PARTNERSHIPS TO UPLIFT COMMUNITIES LAKEVIEW TERRACE
    2× · 2017–2018 · $290k · revenue +40%
  • SP
    Strive Preparatory Schools
    2× · 2017–2018 · $147k · revenue +155%
  • AP
    ASPIRE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
    2× · 2017–2018 · $120k · revenue +53%

Funded once

  • MC
    MASTERY CHARTER SCHOOLS FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2017 · $100k · revenue -40%
  • GD
    Green Dot Public Schoolsgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $93k · revenue +55%
  • DS
    DENVER SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INCgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $60k · revenue ×14
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Ascend College Prep

Ascend College Prep is a public high school for 10-12th grade students in Colorado Springs and the surrounding area. Our Mission is to "Prepare and inspire students to become lifelong learners and responsible citizens through rigorous…

Education
2
Mastery Charter High School

All students learn the academic and personal skills they need to be truly prepared for postsecondary success and able to pursue their dreams.

Education
3
Kipp Chicago Schools

The team at kipp chicago schools is guided by a simple, yet powerful mission: to create a network of excellent schools in chicago that teach our students the character and academic skills necessary to succeed in college and beyond, and to…

Education
4
Inspire Charter School - Los Angeles

Provide a high standard of education to students through comprehensive curriculum supported by energetic, dynamic, and caring teachers.

—
5
Partnerships to Uplift Communities Valley

To develop & manage high quality charter schools in densely populated urban communities with overcrowded & low achieving schools.vision: to facilitate school reform within lausd through a regional approach currently focused on the…

—
6
Leadership Public Schools

Our mission is to create inclusive, empowering, and college-preparatory experiences that equip students to succeed in college, career, and as leaders in their communities.

Education
7
Dc Preparatory Academy

Dc prep's mission is to bridge the educational divide in washington, dc by increasing the number of students from underserved communities with the academic preparation and personal character to succeed in competitive high schools and…

Education
8
Elite Public Schools

To ensure students reach their fullest potential through access to learning spaces that honor and celebrate students' rich cultural heritage and challenge them with rigorous and relevant learning experiences designed to make them active…

Education
9
The Royal School System

The mission of Royal Public Schools is to spark students' natural curiosity and love of learning while providing the knowledge and skills they need to lead successful and fulfilling lives.

Education
10
Democracy Prep Public Schools

To educate responsible citizen scholars for success in the college of their choice and a life of active citizenship.

Arts & Culture
11
Ararat Charter School

Ararat charter is committed to educating students to their full potential in an environment that actively engages students in relevant programs and expected school wide learning results and standards.

Education
12
The Peak School

The peak school seeks to ignite a passion for learning, to develop students of diverse talents and backgrounds who think critically and act with integrity, and to graduate compassionate, confident, capable students who will embrace their…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Aspire Public Schools; the most unlike its peers is Mastery Charter Schools Foundation. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

8 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
0
Early backer (in before they grew)
8/8
Grantees still filing
7/8
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

PARTNERSHIPS TO UPLIFT COMMUNITIES LAKEVIEW TERRACE: $290,000 · EducationPARTNERSHIPS TO UPLIFT COMMUNITIES LAKEVIEW TERRACEStrive Preparatory Schools: $146,530 · EducationStrive Preparatory SchoolsASPIRE PUBLIC SCHOOLS: $120,000 · EducationASPIRE PUBLIC SCHOOLSMASTERY CHARTER SCHOOLS FOUNDATION: $99,825 · EducationMASTERY CHARTER SCHOOLS FOUNDATIONGreen Dot Public Schools: $93,000 · EducationGreen Dot Public SchoolsNOBLE NETWORK OF CHARTER SCHOOLS: $75,000 · EducationNOBLE NETWORK OF CHARTER SCHOOLSDENVER SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INC: $60,225 · EducationDENVER SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INCKIPP FOUNDATION: $50,000 · EducationKIPP FOUNDATION
Education$934,580

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetPARTNERSHIPS TO UPLIFT COMMUNITIES LAKEVIEW TERRACE: $290,000 over 2y, 1.3% of budgetStrive Preparatory Schools: $146,530 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetASPIRE PUBLIC SCHOOLS: $120,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetMASTERY CHARTER SCHOOLS FOUNDATION: $99,825 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetGreen Dot Public Schools: $93,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetNOBLE NETWORK OF CHARTER SCHOOLS: $75,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetDENVER SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INC: $60,225 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetKIPP FOUNDATION: $50,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

The Broad CenterCharter Fund Inc D/B/…Project Lead the Way …Gates FoundationGs Donor Advised Phil…National Philanthropi…American Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
The Broad CenterCA13.6× affinity4 shared granteesties to 9 of 9Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Broad Center · Charter Fund Inc D/B/A Charter School Growth Fund · Project Lead the Way Inc · Gates Foundation · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile Foundation

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization The College-Ready Promise funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The College-Ready Promise. Bigger dots raise more.

2025
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%10%20%30%40%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    6report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–40%
    typical government reliance, FY20–25
    How this is measured
    Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.
    05Through Plinth

    Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

    How do I get to The College-Ready Promise?

    Find your warmest path to The College-Ready Promise through trustees and officers whose names appear on both boards. Search for your organization and Plinth traces the shortest route it can evidence.

    Each link is a name appearing on two organizations’ public IRS 990 filings, matched on that name and, where the filings support it, on location. A same-state match has geographic support, which is a second matching feature rather than confirmation that the two are one person; a cross-state one is the likeliest to be two people who share a name. Every hop shows its tier, low-confidence and distant paths are held back rather than guessed, and it is worth confirming the person before you use the introduction.

    On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 8 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

    How this is measured
    Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

    Generated from the IRS Form 990 e-file return for fiscal year 2018, released 2018. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Possibly out of date. A more recent filing (FY2021) is on record and reports no grant expense, so the figures above are from FY2018, the most recent year this funder made grants.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on College-Ready Promise’s filings →

    More from the funding graph

    The unnamed billions
    grants reported with no recipient in the public record
    The regranting layer
    51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
    The DAF merry-go-round
    $9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
    The endowment market
    who holds foundation money, and what just moved
    The camps
    funders cluster by geography, not ideology
    By state
    where grant money is based, and what stays home