Collaborative for Children
Collaborative for Children is a Houston, Texas, public charity focused on improving early childhood education and care in Greater Houston. Formed in 1987, it works with child care centers, educators, families, and communities to improve learning opportunities for children from birth through age five and prepare them for school and life.
Collaborative for Children at a glance
In short: Collaborative for Children gave $261K across 25 grants in 2025 (avg $10K), mostly in Texas. 88% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $260,821
- -46.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 25
- -61.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $10,433
- +39.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $11,862
- Total assets
- $3,736,753
- -34.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 88% first-time grantees (22 of 25, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Texas (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Collaborative for Children
- How to Apply
-
The filing describes applications for individual assessments and scholarships, but the available information does not specify a general application process for grants.
- Contact
Mailing address: 2200 Post Oak Blvd 1000, Houston, TX 77056
Phone: (713) 600-1100
Website: https://collabforchildren.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Collaborative for Children funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Veronique Roberts ($13K). Together the top 10 received $121K.
Grant Size Distribution
184 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 184 grants of 184 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Collaborative for Children’s programs serve Greater Houston. All listed grants in filing year 2025 went to recipients in Texas.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 25 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Collaborative for Children open to new grantees?
88%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 22 of 25 grantees (88%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $11K; repeat grants $8K. How we count
Medians: $12K first-time, $6K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2018–2025). 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 2018 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $114K (2022) to $4.3M (2020). In 2025 it made 25 grants totaling $261K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Veronique Roberts Houston, TX | Program support | $13,233 |
| Small People (LCCH) Houston, TX | Program support | $12,007 |
| Jimmie Ruth Davis-Burton Houston, TX | Program support | $12,005 |
| Little Bright Sproutz Bilingual Center (LCCH) Sugar Land, TX | Program support | $12,002 |
| Milestones Academy (RCCH) Katy, TX | Program support | $12,001 |
| Children's Social Expo LLC (LCCH) Rosharon, TX | Program support | $11,993 |
| Brooke's Learning Center (LCCH) Houston, TX | Program support | $11,992 |
| The Playground for Kids LLC (LCCH) Katy, TX | Program support | $11,992 |
| Lacy's Learning Center (RCCH) Houston, TX | Program support | $11,988 |
| Hollidays Kiddie Castle (LCCH) Missouri City, TX | Program support | $11,983 |
Ready to take the next step with Collaborative for Children?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $3,736,753 | $4,089,871 | $5,649,544 | $260,821 | 25 | $101,405 |
| 2024 | $5,722,704 | $6,362,050 | $6,894,992 | $485,033 | 65 | $159,871 |
| 2023 | $7,094,611 | $8,955,379 | $7,919,161 | $1,645,184 | 64 | $65,733 |
| 2022 | $5,150,121 | $13,728,315 | $12,660,741 | $113,866 | 13 | $16,652 |
| 2021 | $4,167,922 | $11,693,599 | $12,965,643 | $187,958 | 17 | $573 |
| 2020 | $5,718,549 | $17,388,831 | $15,432,751 | $4,317,351 | 136 | $8,767 |
| 2018 | $4,604,046 | $12,304,412 | $12,300,634 | $1,896,508 | 177 | $11,724 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The organization’s stated mission is to meaningfully improve the quality of early childhood education and care for Greater Houston’s children through those most influential in their lives.
Its Provider Engagement programs support child care and early education professionals through consulting, training, mentoring, materials and equipment, professional-development scholarships, and wage-enhancement programs. Family Engagement programs provide parent education, coaching, information, resources, and referrals. Community Engagement programs involve partnerships to promote healthy child development and strengthen laws and regulations affecting young children.
The 2025 filing describes assessments, training scholarships, and college tuition scholarships for individuals working in child care who apply and meet specific criteria. It also describes salary-incentive grants to organizations participating in the organization’s quality-improvement project. Recipients must document eligible wages and compliance with grant terms. The organization’s website also describes support for child care centers through curriculum, instructional coaching, professional development, and compliance assistance.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, Collaborative for Children reported 25 grants totaling $260,821. Grant amounts ranged from $5,744 to $13,233, with a median of $11,862. The listed 2025 grants were all to recipients in Texas and were identified as program support.
Among the largest listed grants were $13,233 to Veronique Roberts in Houston, $12,007 to Small People (LCCH) in Houston, $12,005 to Jimmie Ruth Davis-Burton in Houston, and $12,002 to Little Bright Sproutz Bilingual Center (LCCH) in Sugar Land.
The filing describes awards to individuals working in child care as requiring an application and specific eligibility criteria; payments are made directly to educational institutions or other service providers for the approved recipient’s benefit. Salary-incentive grants go to participating organizations and require documentation of wages and compliance. The website’s HISD Pre-K Partnership page says applications for the 2026–2027 program are closed.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Jennifer Klein Strauss as Chair and Charlie Schwartzel as Vice Chair. Directors listed are Ira Andhare, Taffney Battle, Heather Golden, Steve Gomez, L’Sheryl D Hudson, Hollie L Kleitz, Khambrel Marshall, and Lisa R McBride.
Collaborative for Children is led by Melianie J Johnson, President & CEO since 2025 (on filings since 2018); 5 of 19 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Melianie J Johnson
President & CEO
President & CEO → Chief Executive Officer, 2023
Chief Executive Officer → President & CEO, 2025
On filings since 2018
40 hrs/week
$99K (2018) → $287K (2025)
Jennifer Klein Strauss
Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2022
Vice Chair → Chair, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Patrick Murphy
Director Marketing
Marketing & Committee Manager → Director Marketing, 2025
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$104K (2024) → $109K (2025)
Jamie K Sanders
Director
On filings since 2022
4 hrs/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
Charlie Yardley
Director
On filings since 2023
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David Mercado
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Hollie L Kleitz
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ira Andhare
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lisa R McBride
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Denise Sanders
Director
New on the 2025 filing
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Heather Golden
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Taffney Battle
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Susan Kennedy
Chief Hr Officer
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$117K (2021) → $143K (2025)
Leslie Gruver
CFO
Chief Financial Officer From → CFO, 2025
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$35K (2024) → $148K (2025)
Precious Parks
Chro
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$125K (2025)
Charlie Schwartzel
Vice Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (50)
- Former: Caren Sweetland (2018–2024) — Director
- Former: Belinda L Munsell (2020–2024) — Chief Development Officer
- Former: Dreanna Belden (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Alisa Ealy (2022–2024) — Chief Financial Officer to
- Former: Tiffany S Roland (2022–2024) — Director
- Former: Debra Saldana Sharp (2023–2024) — Director
- Former: Janet Horton (2018–2023) — Director
- Former: Allison Falender (2020–2023) — Chair
- Former: Bryan Brown (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Chris Hensman (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: Jenny Philip (2018–2022) — Director
- Former: Nasruddin Rupani (2018–2022) — Director
- Former: Ana Baskharone (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Debra Saldana-Sharp (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 (2018–2021) — Director
- Former: Darryl Montgomery (2018–2021) — Director
- Former: Julie Brook Alexander (2018–2021) — Director
- Former: Robert J Austin MD (2018–2021) — Director
- Former: Robert J Eschweiler CFA (2018–2021) — Chair
- Former: Sharon D Spillman (2018–2021) — Senior Director Strategic Growth Initiatives
- Former: Stephanie Rudd CPA (2018–2021) — Director
- Former: Eric Kline (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Jane Ehinmoro (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Lizette Mandola (2020–2021) — Chief Financial Officer
- Former: John R Sparger (2021) — Director
- Former: Bob Sparger (2018–2020) — Director
- Former: Diana Sayavedra (2020) — Director
- Former: Rahim G Balsara (2020) — COO
- Former: Robert J AustinMD (2020) — Director
- Former: Allie Falender (2018) — Chair-Programs
- Former: Ana Hargrove-Baskharone (2018) — Chair-Fund Development
- Former: Barbara Bends (2018) — Director
- Former: Carol Shattuck (2018) — President & CEO · Filing note: Thru 7/2018
- Former: Dan F Boyles Jr. (2018) — Director
- Former: Frank D Cox Jr. (2018) — Director
- Former: George Martinez (2018) — Chair-Dev
- Former: Janice Character (2018) — Director
- Former: Jennifer Paige Carlisle (2018) — Chief Development Officer
- Former: Jerry Kenny (2018) — Resp & Rec Director
- Former: Jerry McGreer (2018) — Vice President & CFO
- Former: Laura Sayavedra (2018) — Board Chair
- Former: Ray Mondragon (2018) — Vice President Programs
- Former: Sheryl Rapp (2018) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2018–2025. "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 $287K, to Melianie J Johnson (President & CEO). 5 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Collaborative for Children
How much does Collaborative for Children give each year?
Collaborative for Children gave $261K across 25 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $485K across 65 grants.
What is Collaborative for Children's typical grant size?
Collaborative for Children's median grant in 2025 was $11,862, and its average grant was $10,433, across 25 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Collaborative for Children that year got $11K on average.
Where does Collaborative for Children give grants?
Collaborative for Children gives mostly in Texas: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Houston, TX (13 grants) and Katy, TX (4 grants).
Does Collaborative for Children give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 25 grants with a stated purpose on Collaborative for Children's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Program support" (25 grants).
Who are Collaborative for Children's largest grantees?
Collaborative for Children's largest 2025 grantees include Veronique Roberts ($13,233), Small People (LCCH) ($12,007) and Jimmie Ruth Davis-Burton ($12,005), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 14% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Collaborative for Children?
Collaborative for Children reported $3.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $4.1M.
What does Collaborative for Children fund?
The organization’s stated mission is to meaningfully improve the quality of early childhood education and care for Greater Houston’s children through those most influential in their lives. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Collaborative for Children?
The filing describes applications for individual assessments and scholarships, but the available information does not specify a general application process for grants. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Collaborative for Children's EIN?
Collaborative for Children's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 76-0228065. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2018–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 10, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 4, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS September 7, 2023)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2018 (received by the IRS January 31, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS September 4, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS September 2, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 21, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Collaborative for Children funds
Human Services Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Collaborative for Children's focus areas in our free grants database
Similar Funders
Funders that support many of the same organizations
Enterprise Holdings Foundation
Saint Louis, MO
The Enterprise Holdings Foundation supports charitable and educational nonprofits in communities where Enterprise Mobility operates, focusing on health, education, arts, and disaster relief; applicants must be actively supported by an Enterprise Mobility team member, spouse, or domestic partner. Giving varies widely: it reported 9,499 grants in 2024, but its 2025 filing showed one grant of $101.4 million, so that amount is not a typical award. Applications are accepted at any time through eligible Enterprise-affiliated applicants; the Foundation does not limit giving to preselected organizations.
Assets
$594.3M
Grants
1
Total Given
$101.4M
The Elkins Foundation
Houston, TX
The Elkins Foundation funds education, healthcare, cultural, community, and religious organizations and projects, especially those serving Houston and the Greater Gulf Coast. Its 2025 grants ranged from about $11,000 to $1.5 million, with a median of $100,000. It accepts unsolicited requests through an online application, due by June 30.
Assets
$206.6M
Grants
76
Total Given
$17.3M
Texas Mutual Insurance Company
Austin, TX
Texas Mutual funds Texas nonprofits working on early childhood and out-of-school care, primary care and basic needs for working Texans, workforce training and career pathways, small-business resilience, workplace safety, and related community needs. Its 2024 grants ranged from $10,000 to $600,000, with a median award of about $82,000; one 2026 program offered $25,000–$100,000 awards. The profile does not state whether it accepts unsolicited requests.
Assets
$8.6B
Grants
172
Total Given
$14.8M
The Clayton Fund Inc
Houston, TX
The Clayton Fund supports organizations working in areas reflected in its grants, including reproductive and family health, education, workforce development, youth services, and community spaces. In 2024, grants ranged from $10,000 to $250,000, with a median of $35,000; most funding went to Texas, with some grants to organizations in other states. It says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations, but the profile does not explicitly say whether it accepts unsolicited requests.
Assets
$34.4M
Grants
49
Total Given
$2.5M
Strake Foundation
Houston, TX
The Strake Foundation funds Catholic institutions, education (especially high school and above), women’s health and pro-life causes, free-market and individual-liberty work, and Houston community, homelessness, and low-income needs, with a strong Houston emphasis. In 2024, grants ranged from $1,000 to $600,000, with a median of $10,000. It accepts unsolicited online requests, limits applicants to one application per calendar year, and has no stated deadline.
Assets
$47.3M
Grants
203
Total Given
$3.4M
The Brown Foundation Inc
Houston, TX
The Brown Foundation funds education, arts and culture, healthcare, human services, and civic assets, with education and the arts as top priorities and public education giving focused almost exclusively on greater Houston. Its 2025 grants ranged from $20,000 to $11 million, with a median of $50,000; it primarily supports Houston organizations and selectively funds distinctive opportunities elsewhere in Texas and beyond.
Assets
$1.1B
Grants
222
Total Given
$84.3M
More similar funders
More Funders in Texas
The filing figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0. About GrantGraph Open
Figures come from Collaborative 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.
Collaborative for Children down — hundreds of funders to go?