Ellis Trust

What Ellis Trust does

The Charles E. Ellis Trust for Girls (operating as Ellis Trust) is a charitable trust established in 1909 through the estate of Philadelphia Quaker Charles E. Ellis to support 'fatherless girls.' Following the 1977 closure of the original Newtown Square school — which had graduated nearly 1,400 students — the Philadelphia Orphans' Court redirected the trust's mission to provide educational grants to Philadelphia high school girls in grades 9-12 from single-parent households (or households with a documented parental disability) who meet National School Lunch Program income eligibility. PNC Bank N.A. serves as Trustee, and Heights Philadelphia (formed in December 2022 from the merger of Philadelphia Futures and Steppingstone Scholars) administers the trust, housing the Ellis Trust Director (Emily Gutierrez) and Program Manager (Annie-Rose Devaney) as staff.

Ellis Trust operates two core grant products: Ellis Tuition Assistance Grants, which cover approximately 15-25% of tuition at partner parochial and independent high schools (paid directly to 30+ partner institutions in two installments per academic year), and Ellis Enrichment Grants, which fund summer, after-school, and weekend programs in arts, athletics, academics, pre-college preparation, and STEM for students attending public or charter schools (paid directly to approved program providers). A $400 Back to School Award supplements enrichment grants for early applicants. The organization is not a technology company and operates no proprietary platform; it uses Submittable for applications, Google Forms for enrichment funding requests, and integrates with Pennsylvania's COMPASS benefits system for income verification. Over the past five years, the trust has distributed $6.3M in tuition grants and $3.2M in enrichment grants ($9.5M total), reaching 731 recipients in the 2025-2026 school year.

The business model is endowment-funded grant-making with no commercial revenue. Outreach is community-led: teachers, guidance counselors, and community-based organizations identify and refer eligible students. Distribution channels include the Submittable application portal (web and mobile), direct-to-school tuition payments, direct-to-program-provider enrichment payments, and USPS-mailed Back to School Award checks. Spanish-language support extends accessibility to ELL families. The trust has no external investors, no funding rounds, and no subsidiaries; its sole economic engine is the Charles E. Ellis endowment managed by PNC Bank N.A. under Philadelphia Orphans' Court oversight.

Name

Ellis Trust

Legal name

The Charles E. Ellis Trust for Girls

Website

https://ellistrust.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1909

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Charles E. Ellis Trust for Girls is a 1909 charitable trust administered by Heights Philadelphia that awards tuition assistance and enrichment grants to Philadelphia girls in grades 9-12 from single-parent households, reaching 731 recipients in 2025-2026.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Grants

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services (FSAAANAI), Scholarships, Grants & Education Benefits Administration (Financing-adjacent) (FSAKAEAM)

Keywords

• Educational grants
• Tuition assistance
• Enrichment programs
• Scholarship funding
• Nonprofit education

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Ellis Trust is a charitable trust that awards need-based educational grants to eligible Philadelphia girls in grades 9-12 from single-parent households. It provides Ellis Tuition Assistance Grants to help cover a portion of tuition at parochial and independent high schools, and Ellis Enrichment Grants to fund summer, after-school, and weekend enrichment programs for girls attending public or charter schools. The organization also offers a Back to School Award of $400 for eligible students who apply early.

Product overview

The Ellis Trust operates as a grant-giving organization offering two primary grant products: Ellis Tuition Assistance Grants for girls attending parochial and independent high schools, and Ellis Enrichment Grants for girls attending public or charter high schools. Both grant programs are designed for Philadelphia girls in grades 9-12 from single-parent households. The Back to School Award is an additional $400 incentive for early enrichment grant applicants. Students must reapply annually; grants do not automatically renew.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ellis Tuition Assistance Grants Financial grants awarded to eligible Philadelphia girls in grades 9-12 attending parochial and independent high schools to help cover tuition costs. Grants typically range from 15%-25% of tuition costs and are paid directly to schools in two installments per academic year.
• Ellis Enrichment Grants Grants for girls attending public or charter high schools to fund summer, after-school, and weekend enrichment programs including arts, athletics, academic programs, pre-college programs, and STEM activities. Applications open April 15th on a rolling basis.
• Back to School Award A $400 monetary award available to students who apply for Enrichment Grants by October 31st. Funds can be used for school supplies such as backpacks, notebooks, calculators, and art supplies, as well as basic school apparel including uniforms, shoes, and outerwear. The award is delivered directly to students via check approximately 2-3 weeks after agreement form submission.

Quantifiable outcome

• $9.5 million in total grants distributed over five years ($6.3M tuition + $3.2M enrichment)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Heights PhiladelphiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2022Heights Philadelphia (formed from merger of Philadelphia Futures and Steppingstone Scholars in December 2022) serves as the administrator for The Ellis Trust. They share the mission of providing educational support to underserved students in Philadelphia and offer direct programming that connects young men and women to support, resources, and opportunities for post-secondary success. The Ellis Trust Director Emily Gutierrez and Program Manager Annie-Rose Devaney are staff of Heights Philadelphia.
• Independent and Parochial High SchoolsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOver 30 independent and parochial high schools partner with Ellis Trust to receive tuition grant payments on behalf of eligible students. Schools include Abington Friends School, Academy of Notre Dame de Namur, Archbishop John Carroll High School, and others. Grant payments are made directly to schools in two installments per academic year.
• Enrichment Program ProvidersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerApproved program providers offer extracurricular enrichment activities including arts (Appel Farm Arts Camp, Philadelphia Dance Co., etc.), athletics (Legacy Youth Tennis, Philadelphia Belles AAU Basketball), academics (Harvard Secondary School Program, Drexel Summer Institutes), and STEM (Monell Science Apprentice, Wharton Sports Business Academy). Providers must complete annual requirements including insurance certifications and child abuse clearances.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Gates Scholarship: Highly selective, full-cost scholarship program for high-achieving minority students with significant financial need. Comparable in mission-driven scholarship administration for underrepresented student populations.
• Jack Kent Cooke Foundation: National scholarship foundation providing multi-year educational support to high-achieving students with financial need. Operates a comparable tuition assistance + wraparound support model, though at national scale rather than Philadelphia-only.
• Scholarship America: Largest national scholarship administrator, managing donor-funded scholarship programs for students across the country. Directly comparable in the mechanics of distributing educational grants, though at much larger scale and broader scope.
• UNCF (United Negro College Fund): Major scholarship foundation providing tuition assistance and educational support to underrepresented students. Operates an analogous endowment-driven scholarship model and serves a similarly disadvantaged demographic.
• Heights Philadelphia: The current administrator of Ellis Trust, formed from the 2022 merger of Philadelphia Futures and Steppingstone Scholars. It operates nearly identical educational support and scholarship programming for Philadelphia students, making it the closest operational peer.
• Horatio Alger Association: National scholarship provider focused on students who have overcome significant adversity, including financial hardship. Comparable in targeting scholarships to students from challenging socioeconomic backgrounds.

Broad incumbents

• Cleveland Foundation: One of the oldest community foundations in the U.S., administering a large endowment with extensive scholarship and grantmaking programs. Comparable as a charitable trust grantmaking model, though broader in mission beyond education alone.

Regional players

• Philadelphia Education Fund: Philadelphia-focused nonprofit supporting college access and success for underserved students in the city. Operates in the same educational support ecosystem as Ellis Trust with overlapping student populations.
• Philadelphia Foundation: Philadelphia-based community foundation administering scholarship funds for local students, including the same geographic market as Ellis Trust. Comparable in operating as a regional grantmaking entity serving Philadelphia students.

Others

• KIPP Philadelphia Charter School: Local Philadelphia educational organization serving low-income students; an ecosystem partner rather than direct competitor, but operates in the same beneficiary demographic and geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EllisTrust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Ellis Trust