Agenda for Children
Agenda for Children is a public charity based in New Orleans, Louisiana. It supports children and families through early care and education, including grants to early childhood programs, and works to strengthen the people, organizations, and systems that support children.
Agenda for Children at a glance
In short: Agenda for Children gave $40.8M across 134 grants in 2025 (avg $304K), mostly in Louisiana. 23% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $40,786,747
- +18.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 134
- +6.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $304,379
- +11.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $94,192
- Total assets
- $22,653,707
- -1.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 23% first-time grantees (30 of 133, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Louisiana (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Agenda for Children
- How to Apply
-
ECHO Fund applications, documentation, award agreements, and reporting are submitted through the fund’s grant management system.
- Contact
Mailing address: 8300 Earhart Blvd 201, New Orleans, LA 70118
Phone: (504) 586-8509
Website: https://agendaforchildren.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Agenda for Children
Who Agenda for Children funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Sentino Early Childhood Academy Too LLC ($1.7M). Together the top 10 received $14.5M.
Grant Size Distribution
454 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 223 grants of 454 (49%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing reports that 100% of grant dollars went to recipients in Louisiana and less than 1% to recipients in Maine. The ECHO Fund supports early learning programs in the organization’s region; the website describes its early care and education work as serving New Orleans children. The 2026 ECEF Program Quality grant was for eligible sites in Orleans Parish.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 134 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Agenda for Children open to new grantees?
23%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 30 of 133 grantees (23%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $120K; repeat grants $361K. How we count
Medians: $22K first-time, $150K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2021–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $3.6M (2021) to $40.8M (2025). In 2025 it made 134 grants totaling $40.8M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Sentino Early Childhood Academy Too LLC New Orleans, LA | Subsidize/enhance access to high-quality early care and education for children | $1,734,947 |
| McMillian's First Steps CDC New Orleans, LA | Subsidize/enhance access to high-quality early care and education for children | $1,681,714 |
| The Preschool Learning Center Inc New Orleans, LA | Subsidize/enhance access to high-quality early care and education for children | $1,665,688 |
| Children's Palace Learning Academy North New Orleans, LA | Subsidize/enhance access to high-quality early care and education for children | $1,611,574 |
| Cuddly Bear CDC New Orleans, LA | Subsidize/enhance access to high-quality early care and education for children | $1,462,551 |
| The Preschool Learning Center Inc 2 New Orleans, LA | Subsidize/enhance access to high-quality early care and education for children | $1,432,582 |
| Clara's Little Lambs Preschool Academy New Orleans, LA | Subsidize/enhance access to high-quality early care and education for children | $1,344,095 |
| Wilcox Academy Southern University at New Orleans Corp New Orleans, LA | Subsidize/enhance access to high-quality early care and education for children | $1,223,344 |
| Shiloh Gardens New Orleans, LA | Subsidize/enhance access to high-quality early care and education for children | $1,187,150 |
| Children's Palace Learning Academy South New Orleans, LA | Subsidize/enhance access to high-quality early care and education for children | $1,117,658 |
Ready to take the next step with Agenda for Children?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $22,653,707 | $53,876,627 | $52,626,234 | $40,786,747 | 134 | $705,685 |
| 2024 | $23,090,181 | $51,397,791 | $50,013,786 | $34,483,321 | 126 | $801,099 |
| 2023 | $20,290,257 | $19,444,080 | $17,973,752 | $10,990,138 | 68 | $106,761 |
| 2022 | $10,066,002 | $19,502,253 | $16,812,478 | $8,547,938 | 48 | $2,539 |
| 2021 | $5,603,740 | $8,555,608 | $7,392,653 | $3,588,970 | 78 | $1,604 |
| 2020 | $1,745,843 | $2,768,666 | $3,311,576 | — | — | $12,401 |
| 2019 | $1,968,857 | $3,333,480 | $3,466,290 | — | — | $1,172 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
Agenda for Children’s mission is to build a Louisiana where every child can thrive by expanding access to essential resources, promoting healthy development and a strong start through high-quality early education and care, and strengthening the people, organizations, and systems that support children.
Its ECHO Fund provides direct support to early learning programs to increase access, ingenuity, and quality for children from birth through age four. The organization’s filing also describes sub-grants for provider quality, facilities, administrative support, and student enrollment verification.
Among the 2025 grantees, Preschool Learning Center Inc received two grants. The center describes its mission as providing a “home away from home” where teachers and staff care about children’s physical, mental, and emotional needs. Other listed grantees include child development and learning centers, schools, and community organizations. For example, Kids of Excellence Learning Center says its mission is to improve its community by providing access to quality education and community resources for young children in at-risk communities.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, Agenda for Children reported 134 grants totaling $40,786,747. Grants ranged from $11,423 to $1,734,947, with a median of $94,192. The stated purpose for the largest listed grants was to subsidize or enhance access to high-quality early care and education for children.
The largest listed 2025 awards included $1,734,947 to Sentino Early Childhood Academy Too LLC, $1,681,714 to McMillian’s First Steps CDC, and $1,665,688 to The Preschool Learning Center Inc. Other large listed awards included $1,611,574 to Children’s Palace Learning Academy North, $1,462,551 to Cuddly Bear CDC, and $1,432,582 to The Preschool Learning Center Inc 2.
The ECHO Fund’s website says that since its 2018 inception it has distributed more than 2,300 grants totaling over $13 million. Applications and grant reporting are handled through the fund’s grant management system. The 2026 ECEF Program Quality grant page lists eligibility for Orleans Parish Type III providers, including specified early learning providers, in good standing with the relevant agencies. Its application dates were May 7–11, 2026; that cycle is past. The ECHO Fund page also lists other 2026 cycles as having passed their application deadlines.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Jennifer Roberts as chief executive officer and Nicole Cousizan as chief financial officer. Board members listed are Anne Raymond, Bernadette D’Souza, Jade Brown-Russell, Walt Leger III, Aulston Taylor, Edward George, John Pourciau, and Koneca West.
Agenda for Children is led by Jennifer Roberts, Chief Executive Officer since 2024 (on filings since 2021); 6 of 20 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Jennifer Roberts
Chief Executive Officer
President → CEO, 2022
CEO → Chief Executive Officer, 2024
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$150K (2021) → $252K (2025)
John Morton
Chair
Secretary → Vice Chair, 2021
Vice Chair → Chair, 2023
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Angelique Thomas
Managing Director & City Seats
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$115K (2024) → $129K (2025)
Tonia Loria
Managing Director & Continuing Education
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$110K (2025)
Max Weiss
Chief of Staff & Legal Director
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$121K (2024) → $169K (2025)
Anna Williamson
Chief Program Officer
Managing Director & Ctr for Early Childcare → Managing Director & Ctr for, 2023
Managing Director & Ctr for → Chief Program Officer, 2024
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$109K (2021) → $157K (2025)
Nicole Cousizan
Chief Financial Officer
Director of Finance & Administration → Director of Finance & Administrator, 2023
Director of Finance & Administrator → Chief Financial Officer, 2024
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$89K (2021) → $151K (2025)
Ana Gershanik
Past Chair
Member → Chair, 2021
Chair → Past Chair, 2023
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sonjia Joseph
Board Secretary
Member → Secretary, 2021
Secretary → Board Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Edward George
Board Member
Treasurer → Board Member, 2023
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Bernadette D'souza
Board Member
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Koneca West
Board Member
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Vanessa Brown-Claiborne
Treasurer
Board Member → Treasurer, 2023
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jp Hymel
Vice Chair
Board Member → Vice Chair, 2023
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tina Owen
Board Member
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Anne Raymond
Board Member
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
John Pourciau
Board Member
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Aulston Taylor
Board Member
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jade Brown-Russell
Board Member
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Walt Leger III
Board Member
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (9)
- Former: Dayna R. Price (2019–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Chis Bardell (2022–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Cori Morrison (2022–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Pamela Steeg (2019–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Anthony Recasner (2019–2022) — CEO
- Former: Linetta Gilbert (2019–2021) — Past Chair
- Former: Lynette S. Causey (2019–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Patrick Dobard (2019–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Rochelle Wilcox (2019–2021) — Board Member
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $252K, to Jennifer Roberts (Chief Executive Officer). 6 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Agenda for Children
How much does Agenda for Children give each year?
Agenda for Children gave $40.8M across 134 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $34.5M across 126 grants.
What is Agenda for Children's typical grant size?
Agenda for Children's median grant in 2025 was $94,192, and its average grant was $304,379, across 134 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Agenda for Children that year got $120K on average.
Where does Agenda for Children give grants?
Agenda for Children gives mostly in Louisiana: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were New Orleans, LA (119 grants), Belle Chasse, LA (6 grants), Harvey, LA (2 grants) and Slidell, LA (2 grants).
Does Agenda for Children give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 134 grants with a stated purpose on Agenda for Children's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support.
Who are Agenda for Children's largest grantees?
Agenda for Children's largest 2025 grantees include Sentino Early Childhood Academy Too LLC ($1,734,947), McMillian's First Steps CDC ($1,681,714) and The Preschool Learning Center Inc ($1,665,688), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 12% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Agenda for Children?
Agenda for Children reported $22.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $53.9M.
What does Agenda for Children fund?
Agenda for Children’s mission is to build a Louisiana where every child can thrive by expanding access to essential resources, promoting healthy development and a strong start through high-quality early education and care, and strengthening the people, organizations, and systems that support children. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Agenda for Children?
ECHO Fund applications, documentation, award agreements, and reporting are submitted through the fund’s grant management system. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Agenda for Children's EIN?
Agenda for Children's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 72-1058157. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS June 2, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS July 7, 2026)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 2, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS August 19, 2024)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 8, 2020)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Agenda for Children funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/agenda-for-children-morg_64b40d95b27e480a8562243d243a1d65
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_721058157_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Agenda for Children funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/agenda-for-children-morg_64b40d95b27e480a8562243d243a1d65},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Agenda for Children's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Agenda for Children down — hundreds of funders to go?