Buffett Early Childhood Fund
Buffett Early Childhood Fund is a private foundation based in Omaha, Nebraska. Established in 2005, it invests in early childhood practice, policy, and science to improve systems and create structural change so young children and families can thrive.
Buffett Early Childhood Fund at a glance
In short: Buffett Early Childhood Fund gave $33.4M across 42 grants in 2025 (avg $794K), mostly in Nebraska. 45% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $33,363,929
- +4.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 42
- +2.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $794,379
- +2.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $200,000
- Total assets
- $8,026,590
- -11.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 45% first-time grantees (19 of 42, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Nebraska (63% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Buffett Early Childhood Fund
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The Fund does not accept unsolicited requests. It makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 808 Conagra Drive 200, Omaha, NE 68102
Phone: (402) 341-0933
Website: https://buffettearly.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Buffett Early Childhood Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Nebraska Children & Families Foundation ($4.0M). Together the top 10 received $27.9M.
Grant Size Distribution
186 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 44 grants of 186 (24%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars were distributed across recipient states, with 63% going to Nebraska, 12% to Illinois, 11% to the District of Columbia, 6% to Massachusetts, and 2% to North Carolina.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 42 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Buffett Early Childhood Fund open to new grantees?
45%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 19 of 42 grantees (45%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $482K; repeat grants $1.1M. How we count
Medians: $100K first-time, $275K repeat.
- 48% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+3%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $30.6M (2023) to $47.9M (2019). In 2025 it made 42 grants totaling $33.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Nebraska Children & Families Foundation Lincoln, NE | First five Nebraska operating support, rooted in relationships, communities 4 kids, outdoor space exploration, data project, and changemakers program support | $3,995,063 |
| Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative Omaha, NE | General Operating Support 2025 | $3,954,169 |
| Start Early Chicago, IL | Educare learning network support, first five years fund and project support, and annual luncheon support | $3,746,504 |
| Educare of Omaha Inc Omaha, NE | Quality Early Childhood Program Operating Support | $3,717,994 |
| Early Childhood Impact Group Omaha, NE | Educare Learning Network Program Support | $3,608,022 |
| Alliance for Early Success Washington, DC | State Based Early Childhood Education Support | $3,000,000 |
| Educare of Lincoln Lincoln, NE | Quality Early Childhood Program Operating Support | $2,188,943 |
| Early Futures Partnership Lincoln, NE | General Operations Support | $1,783,800 |
| President & Fellows of Harvard College Cambridge, MA | Center for the Developing Child Operating Support | $1,000,453 |
| TSNE Boston, MA | Ecfc raising child care fund, eeic support, build conference sponsorship, rje program support | $860,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $8,026,590 | $34,982,379 | $36,921,354 | $33,363,929 | 42 | $36,801,354 | $11,126,806 | $728,006 |
| 2024 | $9,046,904 | $33,542,538 | $34,505,845 | $31,856,902 | 41 | $34,420,845 | $4,401,090 | $460,517 |
| 2023 | $8,606,329 | $33,655,045 | $33,226,589 | $30,605,670 | 39 | $32,918,898 | $13,151,840 | $678,125 |
| 2022 | $7,380,809 | $30,270,828 | $34,418,103 | $32,358,893 | 29 | $34,347,066 | $7,028,132 | $734,907 |
| 2021 | $9,728,090 | $31,407,344 | $39,758,273 | $37,315,400 | 35 | $39,592,337 | $6,909,140 | $939,179 |
| 2020 | $17,559,730 | $32,011,901 | $47,243,584 | $32,388,197 | 44 | — | $31,289,010 | $842,413 |
| 2019 | $30,313,958 | $41,415,264 | $44,604,596 | $47,910,556 | 54 | — | $8,892,033 | $1,152,281 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Buffett Early Childhood Fund reported a distributable amount of $728K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Fund’s vision is “a nation that enables every child to thrive in their first five years.” Its mission is to invest in practice, policy, and science to improve systems and create structural change so all young children and families thrive. Its stated approach emphasizes supporting parents and children by building on their strengths and responding to their needs.
The Fund’s 2025 grants supported early childhood programs and organizations, policy efforts, partnerships, and research and evaluation. Among its grantees, Nebraska Children & Families Foundation describes its mission as creating positive change for children through community engagement; Start Early says it advances quality early learning for families from before birth through children’s earliest years; and Educare of Omaha says it provides high-quality early education and empowers parents as children’s first teachers. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the Fund’s.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the Fund reported 42 grants totaling $33,363,929. Grant amounts ranged from $300 to $3,995,063, with a median of $200,000.
Among the largest 2025 grants were $3,995,063 to Nebraska Children & Families Foundation for several initiatives and operating support; $3,954,169 to Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative for general operating support; $3,746,504 to Start Early for Educare Learning Network support and other project and event support; and $3,717,994 to Educare of Omaha for quality early childhood program operating support. Other major grants included $3,608,022 to Early Childhood Impact Group for Educare Learning Network program support and $3,000,000 to Alliance for Early Success for state-based early childhood education support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Susan A. Buffett as director and chair; Helen Raikes as director and treasurer; Wallace Weitz as director and secretary; Mike Burke as vice-president; and Jessie Rasmussen as president.
Buffett Early Childhood Fund is led by Jessie Rasmussen, President on every filing since 2019; 2 of 5 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Jessie Rasmussen
President
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$299K (2019) → $374K (2025)
Susan A. Buffett
Director & Chair
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Helen Raikes
Director & Treasurer
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Wallace Weitz
Director & Secretary
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mike Burke
Vice President
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$199K (2019) → $234K (2025)
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 $374K, to Jessie Rasmussen (President). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Buffett Early Childhood Fund
How much does Buffett Early Childhood Fund give each year?
Buffett Early Childhood Fund gave $33.4M across 42 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $31.9M across 41 grants.
What is Buffett Early Childhood Fund's typical grant size?
Buffett Early Childhood Fund's median grant in 2025 was $200,000, and its average grant was $794,379, across 42 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Buffett Early Childhood Fund that year got $482K on average.
Where does Buffett Early Childhood Fund give grants?
Buffett Early Childhood Fund gives mostly in Nebraska: 63% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Illinois (12%) and District of Columbia (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were Omaha, NE (8 grants), Lincoln, NE (8 grants), Washington, DC (3 grants) and New York, NY (3 grants).
Does Buffett Early Childhood Fund give general operating support?
Yes: 31% of Buffett Early Childhood Fund's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (13 of 42) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Buffett Early Childhood Fund's largest grantees?
Buffett Early Childhood Fund's largest 2025 grantees include Nebraska Children & Families Foundation ($3,995,063), Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative ($3,954,169) and Start Early ($3,746,504), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 35% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Buffett Early Childhood Fund?
Buffett Early Childhood Fund reported $8.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $36.8M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $728K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Buffett Early Childhood Fund fund?
The Fund’s vision is “a nation that enables every child to thrive in their first five years.” Its mission is to invest in practice, policy, and science to improve systems and create structural change so all young children and families thrive. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Buffett Early Childhood Fund?
The Fund does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Buffett Early Childhood Fund's EIN?
Buffett Early Childhood Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-1768874. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Buffett Early Childhood Fund accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 18, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 11, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 9, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 26, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 30, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 6, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Buffett Early Childhood Fund funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/buffett-early-childhood-fund-morg_fca506bcb4494afe9d7b1777fd93c8b5
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_201768874_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Buffett Early Childhood Fund funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/buffett-early-childhood-fund-morg_fca506bcb4494afe9d7b1777fd93c8b5},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Buffett Early Childhood Fund'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.
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