California · Nonprofit
BLACK CALIFORNIANS UNITED FOR EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION
BLACK CALIFORNIANS UNITED FOR EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION (California) receives grants from 14 organizations whose IRS filings report $1,424,898 to it, the largest being THE HEISING-SIMONS FOUNDATION ($516,000). 5 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2025
- $1.0M
- Funders on record
- 14
- Grants received
- $1.4M
- Net assets
- $713k
What Black Californians United for Early Care and Education does
Mission
Black Californians United for Early Care and Education is committed to disrupting and abolishing over 400 years of intentionally designed institutional and systemic racism. We work to ensure California's ECE system is culturally affirming for Black children, families, and early educators, and that ECE policies and resource allocation are aligned to match our vision.
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Programs
On its FY2024 return the organization reported starting a significant new program.
This year we launched our professional development institute, a 10 hour training on culturally affirming practices for Black children.
Its own explanation, from Schedule O of that return (Part III, line 2).
We launched the Institute for Culturally Affirming Practices for Black Children because we know the stakes are high. Black children in early care and education (ECE) settings continue to face systemic inequities and are often either rendered invisible through underrepresentation or hypervisible and misrepresented through deficit-based lenses, both of which undermine their brilliance Too often, quality measures and professional development frameworks ignore the reality that Black families and Black educators are stewards of brilliance, cultural capital, and ways of knowing that not only benefit Black children but all children. Our vision was clear: to create a professional learning space that centers Black culture, language, and history, and equips early educators and ECE professionals with deeper awareness and practical strategies while building a community of practice committed to affirming Black children every single day. We designed the Institute as a five-session professional development journey curated and led by experts within the BlackECE coalition. Grounded in Black joy, love for Black children, and the pursuit of justice for Black people, the Institute deepened…
$3,387 spent$7,400 earned by the program3% of program spendingWe hosted our first annual Symposium, bringing together nearly 150 people, including early educators, researchers, policymakers, advocates, families and community stakeholders to advance policies and practices across California's early learning and care system. The symposium provided a much-needed space to affirm and recognize the importance of culturally affirming learning environments, where Black children are loved, nurtured, and safe, Black families are welcomed and engaged, and Black early care and education providers are respected and valued as the professionals they are. The event focused on our strategic priorities, racial wage justice, cultural affirmation and Reparations.
$75,971 spent$74,100 earned by the program61% of program spendingWe help families and ECE programs discover the beauty of Black heritage with our "Black Family Culture Kits." Each kit, celebrating a unique aspect of Black culture, is filled with engaging activities and materials for Black families and their children. These kits offer a fun and educational way to connect with our roots and celebrate our rich history and traditions through four distinct themes throughout the year. Embrace this enriching cultural journey with your family. The kits are distributed four times a year, focusing on food, appreciation of all hair textures, skin colors, and a celebration of Juneteenth and music.
$40,439 spent$41,041 earned by the program32% of program spendingWe provide three Black Family Cookout events in Compton, Merced and Walnut Creek, CA. With over 200 participants, we provided space for families, children and early educators to gather and celebrate Black culture, enjoy good food, and learn more about BlackECE.
$5,243 spent$5,000 earned by the program4% of program spending
The 4 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $125,040.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2023, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2023, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2024 to 2025, from $504k to $718k (+43%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
100% of BLACK CALIFORNIANS UNITED FOR EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION’s revenue is contributions — more reliant on donations than three-quarters of its peers (48% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 0 of the last 3 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Chief executive
Keisha Nzewi
Executive Director
Board chair
Lea Austin
Board President
As listed on its FY2025 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2022 → 2023: the base broadened from 3 funders to 7 funders, grant income rose $271k → $425k.
5 of 14 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 32% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
From the IRS filings of BLACK CALIFORNIANS UNITED FOR EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION’s funders (the co-funder graph). Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
BLACK CALIFORNIANS UNITED FOR EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION leans on a few funders — its largest provides 36% of grant income and the top three 64%; half comes from just 2 funders.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 2 funders to its left
61% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund BLACK CALIFORNIANS UNITED FOR EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2022 92% · 2023 59% — diversifying over time.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Where its funders are
74% of BLACK CALIFORNIANS UNITED FOR EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION's grant income comes from California funders.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $455k arriving through sponsors registered in 2 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
BLACK CALIFORNIANS UNITED FOR EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION runs a healthier operating margin than three-quarters of the 9,615 education nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 9,615 education nonprofits $1M–$10M, FY2025
Organizations like BLACK CALIFORNIANS UNITED FOR EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In California
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
15% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
100%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for BLACK CALIFORNIANS UNITED FOR EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds BLACK CALIFORNIANS UNITED FOR EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION?
- BLACK CALIFORNIANS UNITED FOR EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION (California) receives grants from 14 organizations whose IRS filings report $1,424,898 to it, the largest being THE HEISING-SIMONS FOUNDATION ($516,000). 5 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does BLACK CALIFORNIANS UNITED FOR EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION have?
- IRS filings report 14 organizations giving $1,424,898 in grants to BLACK CALIFORNIANS UNITED FOR EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION, 5 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of BLACK CALIFORNIANS UNITED FOR EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION?
- THE HEISING-SIMONS FOUNDATION is the largest funder on record, with $516,000 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like BLACK CALIFORNIANS UNITED FOR EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in California. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
Play a game about who funds Black Californians United for Early Care and Education →
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2025 (financials across 2023–2025), and the filings of 14 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 22, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing