Chamberlin Education Foundation
Chamberlin Education Foundation is a private foundation based in Richmond, California. It supports educators and community partners to advance education equity and academic excellence for students in West Contra Costa public schools.
Key facts about Chamberlin Education Foundation
In short: Chamberlin Education Foundation gave $3.0M across 1,302 grants in 2024 (avg $2K), mostly in California. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 84-4690334
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024
- Annual giving (2024)
- $2,982,319
- Grants made (2024)
- 1,302
- Average grant
- $2,291
- Median grant
- $300
- Total assets
- $80,625,935
- Primary geography
- California (96% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to apply
- The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Full details ↓
- Deadline
- The next Community Giving Initiative application opportunity is scheduled for late January 2027.
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026. Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$80.6M
-3.5% YoY
Annual Giving
$3.0M
+31.8% YoY
Grant Count
1,302
-11.2% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$2K
+48.4% YoY
How Chamberlin Education Foundation gives
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s vision is a high-quality public school ecosystem in West Contra Costa that promotes student agency and wellness and delivers equitable, inspiring outcomes, particularly for Black, Latinx, and other historically under-resourced students.
Its stated focus areas include equity-focused leadership; high-quality, culturally responsive curriculum and instruction; and restorative student interventions. The foundation also supports youth development programs serving West Contra Costa students, especially programs prioritizing Black, Latinx, and other underserved youth. Its website describes school partnerships, educator support, and community leadership as parts of its broader work.
In its 2024 filing, the foundation described direct charitable activities that included maintaining four public school campuses serving nearly 2,000 historically under-resourced students; supplying curriculum and supporting teacher training and instructional leadership; and supporting a collaborative education ecosystem involving district and charter schools.
The foundation’s 2024 grants included organizations working on education access, leadership, and community advocacy. For example, S2C Collective describes its work as advancing economic and social equity for low-income communities and communities of color. GO Public Schools says it builds local coalitions to expand access to quality education in historically underserved California communities. EdSource describes its work as distributing public education information to support an engaged public and more effective policies.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 1,302 grants totaling $2,982,319. Grants ranged from $300 to $383,919, with a median grant of $300. The foundation’s annual Gratitude Grants program offers $300 grants to eligible West Contra Costa public school educators for classroom supplies. The foundation says it has awarded more than 9,880 of these grants since 2015, totaling $2.5 million. Its website states that the program’s 2026 cycle awarded 1,180 educators $354,000 across 68 schools.
Review Cycle
The next Community Giving Initiative application opportunity is scheduled for late January 2027. Gratitude Grants applications are scheduled to open September 25, 2026.
Ready to take the next step with Chamberlin Education Foundation?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation works across West Contra Costa, including Richmond, San Pablo, El Cerrito, Pinole, Hercules, El Sobrante, and unincorporated Contra Costa County. Its stated service area includes 54 traditional district schools and 14 public charter schools. In 2024, 96% of grant dollars went to recipients in California and 4% to recipients in New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 1,302 itemized 2024 grant dollars.
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2021 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $1.8M (2021) to $3.0M (2024). In 2024 it made 1,302 grants totaling $3.0M.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was S2C Collective ($384K). Together the top 10 received $2.1M.
Grant Size Distribution
3,001 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 2,962 grants of 3,001 (99%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| S2C Collective Richmond, CA | Program Support | $383,919 |
| West Contra Costa Unified School District Richmond, CA | Program Support | $300,000 |
| Tfa Bay Area San Francisco, CA | Program Support | $250,000 |
| Contra Costa County Charter Coalition Oakland, CA | Program Support | $250,000 |
| Edsource Oakland, CA | Program Support | $200,000 |
| Go Public Schools Sacramento, CA | Program Support | $200,000 |
| Go Public Schools Sacramento, CA | Program Support | $150,000 |
| CA Charter Schools Association Los Angeles, CA | Program Support | $125,000 |
| Oakland Enrolls Oakland, CA | Program Support | $100,000 |
| New Leaders New York, NY | Program Support | $75,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants | Grant count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $80,625,935 | $6,109,267 | $9,286,752 | $2,982,319 | 1,302 |
| 2023 | $83,582,894 | $3,837,242 | $8,511,893 | $2,263,350 | 1,466 |
| 2022 | $88,216,598 | $3,820,438 | $8,093,427 | $2,278,500 | 126 |
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $80,625,935 | $83,582,894 | $88,216,598 |
| Revenue | $6,109,267 | $3,837,242 | $3,820,438 |
| Expenses | $9,286,752 | $8,511,893 | $8,093,427 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $7,587,864 | $6,677,241 | $5,785,791 |
| Net Investment Income | $2,512,517 | $778,933 | $309,562 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Officers and directors listed on the foundation’s 2024 filing are Stephen W. Chamberlin, chair; Susan C. Chamberlin, vice chair; Melinda Erkelens, director; Anne Hoffman, director; Dr. Stephanie Phillips, president; Christine Castillo, treasurer and secretary; and Arun Ramanathan, director.
Chamberlin Education Foundation is led by Stephanie Phillips, President since 2023 (on filings since 2020); 2 of 7 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Stephanie Phillips
President
Secretary → CEO, 2022
CEO → President, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$304K (2021) → $122K (2024)
Stephen W. Chamberlin
Chair
President → Chair, 2022
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Anne Hoffman
Director
Director → Board Member, 2022
Board Member → Director, 2023
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Melinda Erkelens
Director
Director → Board Member, 2022
Board Member → Director, 2023
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Arun Ramanathan
Director
Board Member → Director, 2023
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Christine Castillo
Treasurer & Secretary
Treasurer → COO, 2022
COO → Treasurer & Secretary, 2023
On filings since 2020
16 hrs/week
$110K (2021) → $132K (2024)
Susan C. Chamberlin
Vice Chair
Vice President → Vice Chair, 2022
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $132K, to Christine Castillo (Treasurer and Secretary). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Contact
Mailing address: 855 Marina Bay Pkwy 100, Richmond, CA 94804
Phone: (925) 224-8269
Website: https://chamberlinfoundation.org
Frequently asked questions about Chamberlin Education Foundation
How much does Chamberlin Education Foundation give each year?
Chamberlin Education Foundation gave $3.0M across 1,302 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $2.3M across 1,466 grants.
What is Chamberlin Education Foundation's typical grant size?
Chamberlin Education Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $300, and its average grant was $2,291, across 1,302 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Chamberlin Education Foundation give grants?
Chamberlin Education Foundation gives mostly in California: 96% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Richmond, CA (577 grants), San Pablo, CA (221 grants), El Cerrito, CA (169 grants) and Pinole, CA (129 grants).
Does Chamberlin Education Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 1,302 grants with a stated purpose on Chamberlin Education Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Teacher Gratitude Grant" (1243 grants) and "Program Support" (59 grants).
Who are Chamberlin Education Foundation's largest grantees?
Chamberlin Education Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include S2C Collective ($383,919), Go Public Schools ($350,000 across 2 grants) and West Contra Costa Unified School District ($300,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 35% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Chamberlin Education Foundation?
Chamberlin Education Foundation reported $80.6M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $6.1M.
What does Chamberlin Education Foundation fund?
The foundation’s vision is a high-quality public school ecosystem in West Contra Costa that promotes student agency and wellness and delivers equitable, inspiring outcomes, particularly for Black, Latinx, and other historically under-resourced students. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Chamberlin Education Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Chamberlin Education Foundation's EIN?
Chamberlin Education Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 84-4690334. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Chamberlin Education Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
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