Collaborative for Children

Foundation · Grantmaker Houston, TX EIN: 76-0228065 Website

Collaborative for Children is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Houston, Texas, serving as the leading resource for early childhood education in the Greater Houston area. Founded in 1987, the organization strengthens early education throughout Greater Houston by working with parents, educators, and local leaders to ensure children are ready to succeed long-term.

Key facts about Collaborative for Children

EIN: 76-0228065
Latest 990 filing: Form 990-PF, 2024
Total assets: $5,722,704

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).

Is Collaborative for Children open to new grantees?

62%

first-time grantees, 2022

In 2022, 8 of 13 grantees (62%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $7K; repeat grants $11K. How we count

Medians: $6K first-time, $8K repeat.

38% of 2022 grantees were also funded in 2021. Method

Estimate from itemized IRS Form 990-PF grant lists (2020–2022). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.

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Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$5.7M

-19.3% YoY

Revenue

$6.4M

-29.0% YoY

Net Investment Income

$160K

+143.2% YoY

Expenses

$6.9M

-12.9% YoY

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

Mission: Collaborative for Children's mission is to meaningfully improve the quality of early childhood education and care for Greater Houston's children through those who are most influential in their lives.

The organization operates through three primary program areas:

Provider Engagement — Supports and develops child care and early education professionals through one-on-one consulting, training and mentoring, materials and equipment, scholarships for professional development conferences, and wage enhancement programs to reward teachers for obtaining higher educational credentials.

Family Engagement — Provides families with information, resources and support to launch their children toward academic and life success through parent education classes, one-on-one parent coaching, and referrals for early education programs, after-school programs, and programs serving children with different abilities.

Community Engagement — Participates in partnerships to promote healthy child development and strengthen laws and regulations impacting young children, positioning early childhood education as a high priority public policy issue in the region.

The organization addresses early childhood education inequity by equipping educators, caregivers, and families with tools, resources, and support needed to foster strong developmental foundations. Initiatives include Collab-Lab, STEAM programs, Centers of Excellence, business development for child care providers, and technology integration in classrooms.

Grantmaking

Collaborative for Children functions as a grantmaking organization with the following profile:

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

Greater Houston area and Texas.

Grant Distribution by State

Texas $2.9M (100%)

States

New York Texas

Cities

HoustonBaytownPasadenaLeague CityFresnoGalena ParkSpringKatyMont BelvieuRichmondSealySweenyTexas CityUlster ParkWeimar

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Total Assets: $5,722,704 (2024)

Total Revenues: $6,362,050 (2024)

Total Expenses: $6,894,992 (2024)

Total Giving: $575,456 (2024)

Staff: 57 employees (2024)

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$5,722,704	$7,094,611	$5,150,121
Revenue	$6,362,050	$8,955,379	$13,728,315
Expenses	$6,894,992	$7,919,161	$12,660,741
Qualifying Distributions	—	—	—
Net Investment Income	$159,871	$65,733	$16,652
Distributable Amount	—	—	—

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

March 3, 2026 IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 0 recipients in 2024

Grant Size Distribution

166 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

No grants recorded for 2024.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

President and CEO: Melanie Johnson

Chief Program Officer: Precious Parks

Chief Human Resources Officer: Susan Kennedy

Director Family Support Projects: Linda Swenson

Collaborative for Children is led by Melianie J Johnson, Chief Executive Officer since 2023 (on filings since 2020); 6 of 21 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.

Officers on the 2024 filing

Melianie J Johnson

Chief Executive Officer

President & CEO → Chief Executive Officer, 2023

On filings since 2020

40 hrs/week

$244K (2020) → $309K (2024)
Jennifer Klein Strauss

Chair

Director → Vice Chair, 2022
Vice Chair → Chair, 2024

On filings since 2020

3 hrs/week

No compensation reported
Caren Sweetland

Director

On filings since 2020

1 hr/week

No compensation reported
Dreanna Belden

Director

On filings since 2020

1 hr/week

No compensation reported
Jamie K Sanders

Director

On filings since 2022

1 hr/week

No compensation reported
Khambrel Marshall

Director

On filings since 2022

1 hr/week

No compensation reported
L'Sheryl D Hudson

Director

On filings since 2022

1 hr/week

No compensation reported
Steve Gomez

Director

On filings since 2022

1 hr/week

No compensation reported
Tiffany S Roland

Director

On filings since 2022

1 hr/week

No compensation reported
Charlie Yardley

Director

On filings since 2023

1 hr/week

No compensation reported
David Mercado

Director

On filings since 2023

1 hr/week

No compensation reported
Debra Saldana Sharp

Director

On filings since 2023

1 hr/week

No compensation reported
Hollie Kleitz

Director

On filings since 2023

1 hr/week

No compensation reported
Ira Andhare

Director

New on the 2024 filing

1 hr/week

No compensation reported
Lisa McBride

Director

New on the 2024 filing

1 hr/week

No compensation reported
Belinda L Munsell

Chief Development Officer

Chief Development → Chief Development Officer, 2021

On filings since 2020

40 hrs/week

$122K (2020) → $165K (2024)
Susan Kennedy

Chief Hr Officer

On filings since 2021

40 hrs/week

$117K (2021) → $145K (2024)
Alisa Ealy

Chief Financial Officer to

Chief Financial Officer Fr May → Chief Financial Officer, 2023
Chief Financial Officer → Chief Financial Officer to, 2024

On filings since 2022

40 hrs/week

$95K (2022) → $135K (2024)
Leslie Gruver

Chief Financial Officer From

New on the 2024 filing

40 hrs/week

$35K (2024)
Patrick Murphy

Marketing & Committee Manager

New on the 2024 filing

40 hrs/week

$104K (2024)
Charlie Schwartzel

Vice Chair

Director → Vice Chair, 2024

On filings since 2020

2 hrs/week

No compensation reported

Former officers (30)

Former: Allison Falender (2020–2023) — Chair
Former: Bryan Brown (2020–2023) — Director
Former: Chris Hensman (2020–2023) — Director
Former: Janet Horton (2020–2023) — Director
Former: Melanie Lowther (2020–2023) — Director
Former: Charles Schwartzel (2023) — Director
Former: Chase Murphy (2023) — Marketing & Committee Manager
Former: Michol Ecklund (2023) — Director
Former: Ana Baskharone (2020–2022) — Director
Former: Debra Saldana-Sharp (2020–2022) — Director
Former: Jenny Philip (2020–2022) — Director
Former: Nasruddin Rupani (2020–2022) — Director
Former: Kimberly Borders (2021–2022) — Chief Programs Officer
Former: Kenneth Lavergne (2022) — Senior Director Administrator Services
Former: Santrice Jones (2022) — Senior Director Programs
Former: Barbara Samuels EdD (2020–2021) — Director
Former: Darryl Montgomery (2020–2021) — Director
Former: Eric Kline (2020–2021) — Director
Former: Jane Ehinmoro (2020–2021) — Director
Former: Julie Brook Alexander (2020–2021) — Director
Former: Lizette Mandola (2020–2021) — Chief Financial Officer
Former: Robert J Eschweiler CFA (2020–2021) — Chair
Former: Sharon D Spillman (2020–2021) — Senior Director Strategic Growth Initiatives
Former: Stephanie Rudd CPA (2020–2021) — Director
Former: John R Sparger (2021) — Director
Former: Robert J Austin MD (2021) — Director
Former: Bob Sparger (2020) — Director
Former: Diana Sayavedra (2020) — Director
Former: Rahim G Balsara (2020) — COO
Former: Robert J AustinMD (2020) — Director

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

Recent News & Activity

Recent developments and announcements

Collaborative for Children received a $3.3 million grant from Harris County's Early Childhood Impact Fund to support early childhood education initiatives.

HISD seeks to partner with nonprofit Collaborative for Children for ...

The organization was awarded a $3 million grant to improve training for child care centers.

Collaborative for Children Receives $3.3 Million Grant from Harris ...

Collaborative for Children launched a groundbreaking business accelerator program for child care centers.

HISD seeks to partner with nonprofit Collaborative for Children for ...

The organization has been sought as a partner by Houston Independent School District (HISD) for early childhood education collaboration.

Subject Areas

Focus areas based on grantmaking activity

Human Services

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Collaborative for Children fund?

**Mission:** Collaborative for Children's mission is to meaningfully improve the quality of early childhood education and care for Greater Houston's children through those who are most influential in their lives. The organization operates through three primary program areas: **Provider Engagement** — Supports and develops child care and early education professionals through one-on-one consulting, training and mentoring, materials and equipment, scholarships for professional development conferen…

How do I apply for a grant from Collaborative for Children?

Collaborative for Children functions as a grantmaking organization with the following profile: **Grant Amounts:** Typical awards range from $5,460 to $25,706. **Total Annual Giving:** $575,456 (based on most recent IRS 990 filing for 2024) **Focus Areas:** Education, Human Services, and Health Care, primarily in Texas.