Center for Educational Initiatives
Center for Educational Initiatives is a private foundation based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Its 2024 filing reports 16 grants totaling $124,500, with stated purposes including education, community education, health promotion research, and community health.
Center for Educational Initiatives at a glance
In short: Center for Educational Initiatives gave $125K across 16 grants in 2024 (avg $8K), top state New Mexico. 25% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $124,500
- +36.8% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 16
- +14.3% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $7,781
- +19.7% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $2,656,565
- +11.5% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 25% first-time grantees (4 of 16, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New Mexico (38% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Center for Educational Initiatives
- How to Apply
-
The 2024 filing lists Alan Marks as the contact and specifies the materials above.
- Review Cycle
- April 15, as listed on the 2024 filing; this deadline is in the past.
- Deadline
- April 15, as listed on the 2024 filing; this deadline is in the past.
- Contact
Application contact: Alan Marks
Mailing address: 240 Vally High Sw, Albuquerque, NM 87105
Phone: (505) 362-0813
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Center for Educational Initiatives funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Institute for Policy Studies ($35K). Together the top 10 received $105K.
Grant Size Distribution
96 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 95 grants of 96 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2024 filing reports that grant dollars went to recipients in New Mexico (38%), Washington, DC (28%), Arizona (16%), Texas (11%), and California (4%). The named 2024 grantees also include High Country News in Colorado.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Center for Educational Initiatives open to new grantees?
25%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 4 of 16 grantees (25%) were first-time recipients. With only 16 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $7K. How we count
Medians: $8K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 56% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−8%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 108% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $91K (2023) to $144K (2020). In 2024 it made 16 grants totaling $125K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Institute for Policy Studies Washington, DC | NM Fellowship | $35,000 |
| Mayo Clinic Scottsdale, AZ | Health Promotion Research | $20,000 |
| First Baptist Church of McKinney TX McKinney, TX | Education Program in South Africa | $10,000 |
| NM Imigrant Law Center Albuquerque, NM | Community Education | $10,000 |
| Stanford University Stanford, CA | Educational Program | $5,000 |
| Three Sisters Kitchen Albuquerque, NM | Community Health | $5,000 |
| Encuentro Albuquerque, NM | Educational Program | $5,000 |
| NM Environmental Law Center Albuquerque, NM | Community Education | $5,000 |
| Roadrunner Food Bank Albuquerque, NM | Food Bank | $5,000 |
| NM Vets for Pets Albuquerque, NM | Community Health | $5,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,656,565 | $121,282 | $142,928 | $124,500 | 16 | $129,158 | $13,737 | $119,418 |
| 2023 | $2,382,946 | $23,148 | $104,163 | $91,000 | 14 | $95,202 | $9,116 | $127,304 |
| 2022 | $2,543,377 | $96,171 | $159,685 | $139,000 | 27 | $143,115 | $66,893 | $141,471 |
| 2021 | $2,624,853 | $228,234 | $158,819 | $136,000 | 9 | $140,412 | $210,255 | $154,827 |
| 2020 | $2,560,060 | $125,027 | $166,732 | $143,500 | 30 | — | $102,459 | $144,713 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Center for Educational Initiatives reported a distributable amount of $119K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants list purposes including an NM fellowship, educational programs, community education, health promotion research, community health, a food bank, and an education program in South Africa.
Grantees describe their own work in varied terms. The Institute for Policy Studies says it is dedicated to building a more equitable, ecologically sustainable, and peaceful society. Three Sisters Kitchen says it uses local food to create economic opportunity, improve community health, and bring diverse communities together. Roadrunner Food Bank says its work includes feeding people, building partnerships toward self-sufficiency, and ending hunger in New Mexico. High Country News says it informs and inspires people to act on behalf of the West’s natural and human communities. Native Health Initiative describes itself as a community-driven partnership working toward health equity with Indigenous communities.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 16 grants totaling $124,500. Grants ranged from $2,500 to $35,000, with a median of $5,000. Notable awards included $35,000 to the Institute for Policy Studies for an NM fellowship; $20,000 to Mayo Clinic for health promotion research; $10,000 to First Baptist Church of McKinney for an education program in South Africa; and $10,000 to NM Immigrant Law Center for community education. Other reported awards included $5,000 each to Stanford University, Three Sisters Kitchen, Encuentro, NM Environmental Law Center, Roadrunner Food Bank, and NM Vets for Pets.
The filing also lists $3,000 for High Country News and $2,500 for Native Health Initiative. Its application instructions call for a LEAD-NM scholarship application and, if available, a FAFSA college financial assistance award letter. The filing lists an annual award restriction of $4,000 for a first-generation college applicant.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Alan Marks as president, Arturo Sandoval as secretary/director, and Elaine Montoya as vice president/director.
Center for Educational Initiatives is led by Alan Marks, President since 2022 (on filings since 2020); none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Alan Marks
President
Executive Director & President → President, 2022
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Arturo Sandoval
Secretary & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Elaine Montoya
Vice President & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Center for Educational Initiatives
How much does Center for Educational Initiatives give each year?
Center for Educational Initiatives gave $125K across 16 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $91K across 14 grants.
What is Center for Educational Initiatives's typical grant size?
Center for Educational Initiatives's median grant in 2024 was $5,000, and its average grant was $7,781, across 16 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Center for Educational Initiatives that year got $10K on average.
Where does Center for Educational Initiatives give grants?
Center for Educational Initiatives's top state is New Mexico, with 38% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were District of Columbia (28%) and Arizona (16%). The most frequent recipient cities were Albuquerque, NM (10 grants).
Does Center for Educational Initiatives give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 16 grants with a stated purpose on Center for Educational Initiatives's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Educational Program" (5 grants) and "Community Health" (3 grants).
Who are Center for Educational Initiatives's largest grantees?
Center for Educational Initiatives's largest 2024 grantees include Institute for Policy Studies ($35,000), Mayo Clinic ($20,000) and First Baptist Church of McKinney TX ($10,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 52% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Center for Educational Initiatives?
Center for Educational Initiatives reported $2.7M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $129K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $119K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Center for Educational Initiatives fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants list purposes including an NM fellowship, educational programs, community education, health promotion research, community health, a food bank, and an education program in South Africa. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Center for Educational Initiatives?
The 2024 filing lists Alan Marks as the contact and specifies the materials above. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Center for Educational Initiatives's EIN?
Center for Educational Initiatives's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 85-0477271. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Center for Educational Initiatives funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/center-for-educational-initiatives-morg_747614f8afa445b59c750e6bf3f4cb89
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_850477271_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Center for Educational Initiatives funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/center-for-educational-initiatives-morg_747614f8afa445b59c750e6bf3f4cb89},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Center for Educational Initiatives'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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