Deadline: 30-Sep-21
The Community Foundation of the Ozarks (CFO) is seeking applications for its Ozarks Early Childhood Support Grant Program.
The Community Foundation of the Ozarks is committed to achieving positive impact with regard to broad community issues in its rural service area.
Addressing one component of a large-scale issue, however, is not effective without also working in tandem on other aspects of that community challenge.
Given the key role childcare for children ages 6 weeks to pre-K plays in the successful employment of parents and in increasing financial outcomes for families, the CFO has committed to supporting nonprofit early childhood centers in their endeavor to ensure low income children have access to quality early childhood and that nonprofit early childhood centers are fully staffed during this recovery phase of the pandemic.
This program will support nonprofit childcare centers serving children ages 6 weeks to pre-K in their efforts to increase agency capacity to serve children in low income communities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many nonprofit childcare centers were forced to lay off and/or reduce staff hours, which has created a crisis of childcare in rural Missouri.
This grant program seeks to support quality childcare returning to full capacity and supporting low income families as they return to work.
Examples of uses of the fund include using these dollars to subsidize childcare costs for families for an initial period of time as parents secure work, supporting bridging the childcare cost gap for families who await approval of childcare subsidy from state sources, increasing staff as a whole by opening up new classrooms and hiring staff for those classrooms, moving staff members from full time to part time, or increasing income levels to incentivize and fill open childcare positions in the facility.
Funding Information
- A total of $300,000 is available in the Ozarks Early Childhood Support Grant program, with awards capped at $30,000 per nonprofit childcare facility.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible nonprofit childcare centers must be in good standing with 501(c)3 nonprofit status or must be under the tax umbrella of a church which houses its program. Public school or city/local government early childhood programs are not eligible for this grant program. Agencies must be in strict alignment with the CFO’s nondiscrimination policy.
- Organizations which have childcare facilities in multiple locations under the same nonprofit umbrella may complete applications for individual facilities as long as they meet the requirements and are input into the system as unique agency profiles with unique applications.
For more information, visit https://www.cfozarks.org/find-grants-scholarships/take-action-apply-for-grants