The Ceres Foundation Inc. 43j-74d54

The Ceres Foundation is a family-controlled private foundation founded in 2000 by Donald and Daniel Milder, operating from a deeply personal giving philosophy rooted in their parents' experience growing up in poverty. The foundation's ethos — that all people want the same basic things and many simply need opportunity — permeates every aspect of its grantmaking and makes relationship authenticity essential for prospective partners.

Ceres prioritizes depth over breadth. Its 71 current grantee partners are cultivated through multi-year relationships, with the overwhelming majority of top-50 grantees having received three successive grants — indicating 2- to 3-year funding cycles as the standard. Organizations like Thrive Scholars (their oldest relationship, stretching back to the foundation's founding as 'South Central Scholars') and Community Adolescent Resources and Education Center (6 grants totaling $1.07M) demonstrate that the foundation views itself as a long-term capacity-building partner, not a transactional check-writer.

The single most important fact for new applicants in 2026: Ceres is not currently accepting concept papers from organizations it has not previously funded. Following a dramatic asset expansion from $22M (2020) to $175M+ (2022), the foundation is in a deliberate strategic learning period. New partnerships are expected to resume mid-2026. Smart organizations will use this window to build informal relationships with Executive Director Amanda Northrop and Senior Program Associate Diana Diaz, attend any public convenings the foundation hosts, and rigorously document measurable outcomes in the three priority areas.

When the application portal reopens to new applicants, the process begins with a concept paper submitted online at ceresgiving.org/page/apply. For returning grantees, the process bypasses the concept paper entirely — a Full Proposal can be submitted directly at any of four quarterly deadlines (January 26, March 27, July 24, and September 21 in 2026), with decisions typically rendered within two months. The board — comprising President Dan Milder, Treasurer Don Milder, Secretary Terri Milder, and three additional Milder family members plus Ryan Bradley — makes final funding decisions. First-time applicants should expect a site visit before a funding commitment is made.

The Ceres Foundation's grantmaking has undergone a structural transformation since 2020. Annual grants paid grew from $1.65M (FY2019) to $2.03M (FY2021) to $3.99M (FY2022) to $6.74M (FY2023), a 308% increase in four years. This growth was triggered by massive capital contributions: $75.4M received in FY2021 and $63.3M in FY2022, expanding assets from $19.8M (FY2020) to $175.2M (FY2022). With $169.6M in assets as of FY2024, a standard 5% distribution would imply ~$8.5M in annual giving — the foundation has room to continue scaling.

Across 141 recorded grants totaling $14.71M, the average grant is $104,326. The foundation's own stated median is $70,000 annually, with the database showing a median of $82,500 and a typical range of $25,000-$300,000. The gap between mean and median reflects several large multi-year investments skewing the average upward: Thrive Scholars received $2.4M across 3 grants, California Community Foundation received $900K across 2 grants, and Orange County Community Foundation received $800K across 2 grants.

Geographically, California dominates with 54 of 141 grants (38%), followed by DC with 34 grants (24%), Massachusetts with 25 grants (18%), Maryland with 8 (6%), and Washington State with 7 (5%). The MD and WA grants likely reflect some grantees operating in Washington DC metro and Pacific Northwest respectively.

By program area (estimated from grantee purposes): College Access & Success represents approximately 45% of grant activity, covering organizations like College Bound Inc., Northwest Education Access, Capital Partners for Education, and Massachusetts Alliance for Early College. Career Pathways accounts for ~25% — STEM Advantage ($600K, 3 grants), Propel America ($225K, 3 grants), Tech Foundry ($70K), and Taller San Jose Hope Builders. Family Strengthening covers ~20%, including domestic violence programs (DC Volunteer Lawyers Project at $380K, Triangle Family Services, Sierra House) and family services. Capacity building and general purpose grants make up the remaining ~10%.

New grantees typically enter at $70,000-$100,000 and scale with demonstrated performance. Multi-year commitments of 3 years are the norm, not the exception.

The Ceres Foundation sits in a peer cohort of mid-sized private foundations with assets between $168M and $171M, all classified under the Philanthropy & Grantmaking NTEE category. Several key differences emerge when comparing Ceres to these asset peers:

Ceres distinguishes itself from asset peers in three meaningful ways. First, its geographic focus is unusually specific — three markets only (LA/Orange County, DC, Western MA), which creates significant competitive advantages for organizations operating in those corridors. Second, its grantmaking rate (approximately 4% of assets in FY2023) is conservative relative to the Stupski Foundation, which is actively spending down. Third, Ceres's commitment to general operating support and multi-year relationships is deeper than typical foundations its size, which makes it an especially valuable partner once a relationship is established. The Eisner Foundation is the closest comparable in philosophy (California base, long-term relationships, underserved youth focus), but Ceres's three-market concentration creates less competition for DC and Massachusetts-based organizations.

The dominant news from The Ceres Foundation in 2024-2026 is structural and strategic rather than programmatic. The foundation's asset base grew from $19.8M (FY2020) to $175.2M (FY2022) — an 8x increase in two years — following large capital infusions from the Milder family. This triggered a strategic pause on new partnerships beginning in 2025-2026, with the foundation announcing it is using the period to 'inform its grantmaking approach' before reopening. No specific press release or timeline has been published beyond the expectation of 'mid-2026' for new applications.

On the staffing front, the 2024 addition of Adena Klem as Director of Learning & Impact represents the most significant organizational development in recent memory. This hire — alongside Executive Director Amanda Northrop (joined 2021) and Senior Program Associate Diana Diaz (joined 2022) — indicates the foundation is building professional grantmaking infrastructure commensurate with its new asset scale. The staff team of three program professionals manages 71 active grantee relationships, a ratio that constrains new partnership capacity and explains the current pause.

The foundation's grantee list has seen notable recent additions: Ada Developers Academy (gender and racial equity in tech) and LIFT Inc. (poverty cycle intervention in LA and DC) were cited as 2023-2024 partners, suggesting the Career Pathways and Family Strengthening pillars are areas of active expansion. No major leadership changes at the board level have been reported — the Milder family retains full governance control.

Timing is everything in 2026. The foundation is not accepting concept papers from new applicants until at least mid-2026. Do not submit anything to the online portal before that reopening — there is no review queue, and premature outreach signals poor research. Instead, monitor the website at ceresgiving.org for announcements and prepare all components of your concept paper so you can move quickly when the window opens.

Align with all three pillars, not just one. The foundation funds three program areas — College Access & Success, Career Pathways, and Family Strengthening — and favors organizations that can articulate how their work intersects multiple pillars. A workforce development program that also builds family economic stability will resonate more strongly than one that narrowly describes career services in isolation.

Lead with measurable outcomes from day one. Ceres explicitly requires that organizations 'demonstrate or have a plan to demonstrate measurable outcomes.' This means presenting concrete data: graduation rates, college enrollment percentages, job placement statistics, wage gains. The 2024 hire of a Director of Learning & Impact signals heightened scrutiny on evaluation methodology. Vague outcome language ('increased self-efficacy,' 'strengthened communities') will not pass review.

Match their geography exactly. Eligibility is strictly limited to organizations operating in LA + Orange County CA, Washington DC, and Western MA. Organizations with a national or multi-state footprint should specify their local geographic impact clearly in the first paragraph — do not make reviewers infer your geographic scope.

Reflect the foundation's equity language. Proposals should explicitly reference 'historically underserved populations,' 'racial and social equity,' and the specific target populations the foundation names: foster youth, homeless youth ages 10-26, first-generation college students, justice-involved individuals, and young parents. Ceres's values statement anchors in the founders' family history of poverty — language that centers lived experience and structural barriers to opportunity lands well.

Budget for general operating support. Ceres rarely funds restricted project grants. Submit an organizational operating budget rather than a project budget. Requests for restricted program funding are less competitive. The foundation also provides capacity-building grants for infrastructure, data systems, and organizational development — these are legitimate ask categories.

Do not request more than $300,000 for a first grant. Typical entry-level grants are $70,000-$100,000. Multi-year scaling to $150,000-$300,000 happens through demonstrated performance over successive grant cycles, not in year one.