What Excellerate Foundation does

Excellerate Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation founded in 1998 (originally as Endeavor Foundation, rebranded in 2020) and headquartered in Rogers, Arkansas. The foundation drives systemic change in Northwest Arkansas through three core operating platforms: Hark, a community resource connection platform launched in 2017 that maps over 1,000 referrals across 10 social determinants of health and 50 areas of need and publishes aggregated community data; Upskill NWA, a workforce development program launched in 2021 that partners with Northwest Arkansas Community College, Northwest Technical Institute, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and six regional health systems to deliver training and career placement; and Excellerate Housing LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary created in August 2023 that develops affordable housing including McAuley Place (160 units in Bentonville, groundbreaking May 2024), Walnut Commons (60 units in Rogers), and the Cobblestone Farm Community (~100 families in Fayetteville). Sub-programs include the Catalyst Fund NWA financial assistance program, the Housing Success Fund rapid-rehousing pilot, the HOMES Home Ownership Mutual Equity Solutions program, the Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) Pre-K early childhood initiative, and Project ARROW policy recommendations adopted by the Bentonville City Council.

The foundation operates a charitable model with no end-user fees; revenue consists of philanthropic grants, federal and state program allocations, and bank equity investments rather than product sales. Major institutional funders include the Walton Family Foundation (which co-funded Upskill NWA with $3M in 2021 and awarded $4.9M for McAuley Place infrastructure in 2024), local banks that invested $40M+ in equity through the NWA Regional Fund, Benton County ($2.4M in Emergency Rental Assistance), Washington County ($1.7M in ERA funds), and the Arkansas Development Finance Authority ($13.8M in federal tax credits and state loans). Over its 25-year history the foundation has deployed more than $100M into Northwest Arkansas programs.

The foundation's end beneficiaries include approximately 150,000 lower-income working families earning $20K-$50K annually, Bentonville Schools educators priced out of the community they serve, preschool-age children from families at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level, and individuals experiencing housing instability or workforce barriers. Services are delivered at no charge through community partnerships; organizational leadership transitioned from founding CEO Jeff Webster to Brad Sikorski effective February 24, 2025, with Susan Upchurch serving as CFO.

Name

Excellerate Foundation

Legal name

Excellerate Foundation

Website

https://www.excelleratefoundation.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Excellerate Foundation is a Non-profit organisation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development & Social Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE)

Keywords

• Community development
• Affordable housing
• Workforce development
• Social services
• Philanthropic foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Springdale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Foundation Philanthropy and Grants: Excellerate Foundation operates as a charitable organization that invests in community programs. The foundation has invested over $100M into Northwest Arkansas over 20+ years, funding nonprofit organizations and initiatives focused on social support, housing, and education.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Excellerate Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation that drives systemic change in Northwest Arkansas through an integrated portfolio of programs including Hark (a community resource connection platform), Excellerate Housing (affordable housing development via its subsidiary), Upskill NWA (workforce upskilling), and financial assistance programs (Catalyst Fund NWA, Housing Success Fund). The foundation connects individuals and families to housing, education, career, and social support resources while partnering with businesses, municipalities, and institutions to develop shared solutions for regional challenges.

Product overview

Excellerate Foundation operates a multi-platform portfolio of social support, housing, and education initiatives serving Northwest Arkansas. The core offerings include: Hark (resource connection platform with comprehensive database), Excellerate Housing (affordable housing development via Excellerate Housing LLC subsidiary), Upskill NWA (workforce upskilling program), and various housing projects (McAuley Place, Walnut Commons, Cobblestone Farm Community) alongside financial assistance programs (Catalyst Fund NWA, Housing Success Fund) and education initiatives (ABC Pre-K). The foundation functions as an integrated ecosystem where Hark provides data insights that inform housing and education programming, while housing developments offer tangible community infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hark: Primary listening device and community resource connection platform that connects people to resources while providing real-time data on community gaps
• Excellerate Housing
• Upskill NWA
• Catalyst Fund NWA
• HOMES Program

Products and services

• Hark Hark is a resource connection platform that maps over 1,000 referrals across 10 social determinants of health and 50 areas of need, connecting individuals and families to community resources while providing near real-time data on the largest gaps in Northwest Arkansas. It creates custom resource plans and follows up with clients to ensure they connect to service providers.
• Excellerate Housing A charitable nonprofit developer creating affordable workforce housing across Northwest Arkansas through property acquisition, development, and management, offering both lead and partner development projects.
• McAuley Place A 160-unit affordable housing development comprising 40 single-family cottages and 120 multifamily units located in Bentonville, serving teachers, staff, and other Bentonville school district residents.
• Walnut Commons A 60-unit affordable housing development in Rogers, Arkansas offering one, two, and three bedroom apartments with shared outdoor space, serving as a rebuilding effort after the Benton County tornadoes.
• Cobblestone Farm Community An affordable housing community in West Fayetteville providing nearly 100 families with duplex units ranging from $365 to $625 in monthly rent, serving low-income families in a diverse, inclusive environment.
• Upskill NWA A workforce upskilling program that empowers and prepares Northwest Arkansas residents to pursue in-demand careers with opportunities for advancement and financial stability, modeled after Project Quest programs.
• Catalyst Fund NWA A financial assistance program providing up to $250 for general assistance and $1,000 for rental/mortgage/utility assistance to help stabilize families on the brink of crisis.
• Housing Success Fund A pilot program offering up to nine months of ongoing rental assistance and case management for less stable households, implemented by affiliated human services organizations.
• HOMES Program Home Ownership Mutual Equity Solutions (HOMES) program at McAuley Place that emulates home ownership for families, allowing participants to potentially leave with up to $50,000 after five years for purchasing a permanent home.
• Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) Pre-K A school day-length early childhood development program targeting children and families at 200% of the Federal Poverty Level or below, collaborating with Arkansas state agencies.
• Excellerate Housing LLC A wholly-owned subsidiary launched in 2023 to accelerate the creation of affordable housing in Northwest Arkansas, building on six years of ongoing foundation work in the affordable housing sector.

Quantifiable outcome

• 345 new affordable rental units developed at 49% below market rate, resulting in $65M rental savings over 35 years
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Bentonville SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2024Public-private partnership for McAuley Place affordable housing development and HOMES program. Bentonville Schools is partnering to provide housing for educators who cannot afford to live in the city they serve.
• MercymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2024Partner in McAuley Place development, providing healthcare services access within the affordable housing community.
• Benton CountymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2024Public partner in McAuley Place development and recipient of ERA funding managed by Excellerate.
• Bentonville Mayor Stephanie OrmanmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Invited Excellerate CEO to chair Housing Affordability Workgroup, resulting in Project ARROW policy recommendations adopted by Bentonville City Council.
• Northwest Arkansas Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2021Education partner for Upskill NWA workforce training program, providing degree programs and credentials for nontraditional students.
• Northwest Technical InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2021Education partner for Upskill NWA workforce training program, providing technical training and certifications.
• University of Arkansas for Medical SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2021Education partner for Upskill NWA, providing healthcare workforce training and medical education pathways.
• Washington Regional Medical SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2021One of six local health systems collaborating on Upskill NWA to address healthcare workforce needs in the region.
• United Way/Arkansas 211coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership linking 211 telephone help line with Hark at Excellerate Foundation, creating innovative mechanism to connect people to resources.
• Peace at Home Family SheltermajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2019Partner in Housing Success Fund pilot program, providing rapid rehousing services for domestic abuse survivors and general public.
• 7hills Homeless CentermajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2019Partner in Housing Success Fund pilot program for rapid rehousing of homeless individuals and families.
• New Heights ChurchmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partner in Cobblestone Farm Community affordable housing development, providing community space and resources.
• Strategic RealtymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partner in Cobblestone Farm Community affordable housing development.
• Potter's HousemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partner providing ways for residents to connect with neighbors and others to form diverse relationships, as well as employment opportunities in its onsite processing center for thrift stores.
• Area School SuperintendentsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Partnership that led to the creation of Hark in 2017 to assist students who were not coming to school ready to learn due to health and basic needs issues.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• United Way of Northwest Arkansas: Regional United Way affiliate operating in the same Benton/Washington County footprint and already integrated with Excellerate's Hark platform. Most directly comparable in mission and geography.
• Northwest Arkansas Community Foundation: Regional community foundation serving the same NWA geography with comparable grantmaking, donor services, and community investment activities. Direct structural peer to Excellerate's grantmaking arm.
• Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation: Arkansas-based grantmaking foundation that has itself invested in Excellerate's Catalyst Fund NWA. Operates in adjacent social and economic mobility priorities with similar statewide community focus.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): National nonprofit that finances affordable housing and community development, including through place-based funds analogous to Excellerate's NWA Regional Fund. Highly comparable in capital deployment approach.
• Enterprise Community Partners: National nonprofit developer and investor in affordable housing that pairs real estate development with place-based services — directly analogous to Excellerate Housing + Upskill NWA model.
• Project QUEST: San Antonio workforce development program explicitly cited as the model for Upskill NWA. Provides direct programmatic comparison for Excellerate's workforce upskilling initiative.
• Findhelp (formerly Aunt Bertha): National social care network platform that connects people to community resources — directly analogous to Excellerate's Hark platform but operating nationally rather than regionally.

Broad incumbents

• Walton Family Foundation: Larger, well-endowed regional foundation and Excellerate's largest institutional funder. Operates overlapping priorities in NWA education, housing, and economic opportunity but at vastly greater scale.
• Habitat for Humanity International: Largest nonprofit affordable housing developer in the U.S., with local NWA affiliates. Overlaps with Excellerate Housing on the workforce/affordable housing supply thesis but at far greater national scale.
• Annie E. Casey Foundation: Major national foundation focused on children and family economic mobility — comparable to Excellerate's ABC Pre-K and family stability work, but at significantly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/excellerate-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Excellerate Foundation