Excellent Schools Washington
Excellent Schools Washington (ESWA) is a Seattle, Washington-based public charity that supports high-quality public schools and school leaders. Its work includes investments in schools and new school models, capacity-building for school leaders, and efforts to help families access information about public school options.
Excellent Schools Washington at a glance
In short: Excellent Schools Washington gave $1.4M across 15 grants in 2025 (avg $94K), top state Washington. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,412,939
- -0.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 15
- +25.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $94,196
- -20.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $50,000
- Total assets
- $12,075,101
- +328.9% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Washington (40% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to Excellent Schools Washington
- How to Apply
-
The 2025 Excellent Schools Grant application is closed.
- Review Cycle
- The 2025 application period ran from May 1 through June 13, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. PDT.
- Deadline
- The 2025 application period ran from May 1 through June 13, 2025, at 11:59 p.m.
- Contact
Mailing address: 117 Nw 82Nd Street, Seattle, WA 98117
Phone: (917) 617-2724
Website: https://excellentschoolswa.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Excellent Schools Washington funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Schoolops LLC ($436K). Together the top 10 received $1.3M.
Grant Size Distribution
27 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 12 grants of 27 (44%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
ESWA’s stated school and family focus is Washington. Its 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in multiple states: Washington (40%), New York (19%), Virginia (18%), Texas (9%), and Massachusetts (4%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Excellent Schools Washington gives
- 27% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (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 2024 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.4M (2025) to $1.4M (2024). In 2025 it made 15 grants totaling $1.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Schoolops LLC Seattle, WA | Operational Quality Support | $435,800 |
| Always Be Learning Inc McLean, VA | Academic Quality Support | $261,000 |
| Teach for America Inc New York, NY | Growth Support | $250,000 |
| Mariposa Consulting Group LLC Helotes, TX | Operational Quality Grant | $128,200 |
| Ldor Strategy LLC Seattle, WA | Growth Support | $75,000 |
| HMH Education Company Boston, MA | Academic Quality Support | $55,325 |
| Afton Partners LLC Evanston, IL | Growth Capacity Grant | $54,748 |
| Catalyst Connections LLC Clarksville, MD | Growth Capacity Grant | $50,000 |
| Wa Charters Seattle, WA | Growth Support | $20,092 |
| Simplicity Education LLC New York, NY | Growth Capacity Grant | $18,349 |
Ready to take the next step with Excellent Schools Washington?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $12,075,101 | $11,472,946 | $2,218,932 | $1,412,939 | 15 | $36,899 |
| 2024 | $2,815,217 | $4,512,580 | $1,715,140 | $1,420,132 | 12 | $13,845 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
ESWA stated its mission as accelerating the growth and sustainability of high-quality schools in Washington that foster equitable access and innovation for families and students who have been systematically underserved. Its 2024 filing says it invested to help grow several schools and prepare new schools to launch.
ESWA’s website describes support for schools with strong academic results, positive school culture, family demand, and sound operations. Its portfolio includes public schools, and its website also describes community grants intended to help local nonprofits support families navigating public K–12 options and using the Washington School Finder.
In its 2025 filing, ESWA listed grants for operational quality, academic quality, growth, and growth capacity. One recipient, Teach For America Inc., describes its own mission as finding, developing, and supporting leaders to teach students in underserved communities.
Grantmaking
ESWA reported 15 grants totaling $1,412,939 in filing year 2025. Grant amounts ranged from $9,800 to $435,800, with a median of $50,000.
The largest listed 2025 grants were $435,800 to SchoolOps LLC for operational quality support, $261,000 to Always Be Learning Inc. for academic quality support, and $250,000 to Teach For America Inc. for growth support. Other listed recipients included Mariposa Consulting Group LLC ($128,200), LDOR Strategy LLC ($75,000), and HMH Education Company ($55,325).
ESWA’s website describes a separate Excellent Schools Grant opportunity offering a one-year, unrestricted $200,000 grant for pre-launch efforts, along with one-on-one support and access to functional experts. The stated eligibility criteria were that applicants be current Washington residents or willing to relocate, plan to launch a new public school model in Fall 2026 or Fall 2027, and align with ESWA’s mission. The 2025 application required a written component and a brief video interview.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Travis Franklin as chairman; Chris Korsmo, Sam Goessling, and Ana Martinez Shropshire as directors; and Julie Kennedy as executive director. ESWA’s website also identifies Elise Hill as chief operating officer and Jeannette Vaughn as director of special projects.
Excellent Schools Washington is led by Julie Kennedy, Executive Director on every filing since 2024; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Julie Kennedy
Executive Director
On filings since 2024
60 hrs/week
$158K (2024) → $0 (2025)
Travis Franklin
Chairman
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ana Martinez Shropshire
Director
Secretary → Director, 2025
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Chris Korsmo
Director
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sam Goessling
Director
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Amanda Gardner (2024) — Director
- Former: Karen Lobos (2024) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2024–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $158K, to Julie Kennedy (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about Excellent Schools Washington
How much does Excellent Schools Washington give each year?
Excellent Schools Washington gave $1.4M across 15 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $1.4M across 12 grants.
What is Excellent Schools Washington's typical grant size?
Excellent Schools Washington's median grant in 2025 was $50,000, and its average grant was $94,196, across 15 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does Excellent Schools Washington give grants?
Excellent Schools Washington's top state is Washington, with 40% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were New York (19%) and Virginia (18%). The most frequent recipient cities were Seattle, WA (5 grants) and New York, NY (2 grants).
Does Excellent Schools Washington give general operating support?
Yes: 13% of Excellent Schools Washington's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (2 of 15) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990. Recurring purposes include "Growth Capacity Grant" (7 grants) and "Growth Support" (4 grants).
Who are Excellent Schools Washington's largest grantees?
Excellent Schools Washington's largest 2025 grantees include Schoolops LLC ($435,800), Always Be Learning Inc ($261,000) and Teach for America Inc ($250,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 67% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Excellent Schools Washington?
Excellent Schools Washington reported $12.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $11.5M.
What does Excellent Schools Washington fund?
ESWA stated its mission as accelerating the growth and sustainability of high-quality schools in Washington that foster equitable access and innovation for families and students who have been systematically underserved. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Excellent Schools Washington?
The 2025 Excellent Schools Grant application is closed. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Excellent Schools Washington's EIN?
Excellent Schools Washington's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 99-2170547. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2024–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS August 15, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 9, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2024–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Excellent Schools Washington funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/excellent-schools-washington-morg_80b01f6d7d0b4e11a3d96da1bf73fd1e
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_992170547_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Excellent Schools Washington funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/excellent-schools-washington-morg_80b01f6d7d0b4e11a3d96da1bf73fd1e},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 Excellent Schools Washington'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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