Grant Making Guidelines

The Foundation for Early Learning supports the mobilization, development and systemic planning of local early learning coalitions. Organizations or individuals either contemplating or engaged in mobilizing to improve early learning in a community may apply for grants or non-cash technical assistance (TA), subject to the following:

I. Baseline Eligibility

Organization and Project Eligibility
Applicants must be located in the state of Washington and be one of the following:

• Governmental agencies, including public schools and universities;
• Tribal organizations with IRC 7871 status;
• Non-profit secular and religious organizations with 501(c)(3) status with programs benefiting children from birth through age five;
• Community collaborations with a fiscal sponsor that is qualified as stated above; or
• Individuals mobilizing to pursue Getting School Ready!® goals
  

Project Eligibility

Projects must meet all of the following criteria:

• Be located in the state of Washington;
• Demonstrate the existence of an early learning community coalition, or have the intention to mobilize one that is aligned with Getting School Ready!® goals; and
• Does not duplicate an existing effort in the community
  

Getting School Ready!®  Alignment

Projects must be aligned with the goals of Getting School Ready!® , which are:

• Supporting parents as their children’s first teachers
• Improving access to high quality child care and preschool
• Preparing children to be successful in school
• Supporting schools to be prepared for children
  

Exclusions
Generally, the Foundation will not fund program services, capital campaigns, equipment or computer hardware.

II. Types of Support

Subject to baseline eligibility described above, the Foundation will consider two types of requests: grants and non-cash assistance (non-cash).

Grants
Eligible coalitions may request support to help initiate mobilization, engage and convene early stakeholders, build momentum and support, conduct broad-based gap assessment and system planning, or to challenge and stimulate local funding to roll-out the developed plan.  See the document Supporting Coalition Development for further details and examples.

Non-Cash Assistance

• Access to Learning and Collaboration Tools

Collaboration builders need skills in organizing stakeholders, facilitating meetings, conducting needs assessments and strategic planning, engaging persons of influence including business leaders, media and elected officials, raising funds, developing communications, advocating effectively and other areas. They also need up-to-date information and the opportunity to attend important events in the early learning field. Those whom we support will be invited to:

o    Televideo broadcasts of topically relevant presentations beamed to 39 county sites operated by Washington State University Extension;

o    Webcasts, webinars and teleconferences on early learning or collaboration-building topics that can be accessed directly on participants’ desktops. (While the Foundation does not fund hardware or software purchases, supported collaborations may request a list of technical products and specifications needed to enable desktop conferencing and other electronic tools that support planning and mobilizing).

• Consultation

The Foundation for Early Learning has internal resources that can help early learning coalitions be successful. Upon request from a qualified group, the Foundation will make staff available for consultation in such areas as organizational development, grantwriting, event management, fund administration and relationship building.  Staff can also help projects learn about technologies such as web hubs, web-based messaging, online fundraising systems, and e-collaboration tools such as SharePoint and GetActive to help build momentum quickly and inexpensively.  In addition, staff can provide valuable referrals and introductions to advocacy organizations, affinity groups, the philanthropic community, public agencies and coalitions  in other communities.

III. Application Process

The Foundation discourages unsolicited letters of inquiries and proposals.  If you are part of a community coalition aligned with Getting School Ready!® goals, even if in an early stage of formation, your project could be considered. 

Prior to contacting the Foundation, please download and carefully read the document, Supporting Coalition Development.  After reading it and considering how your project is compatible with the Foundation’s focus and priorities, you are welcome to request an appointment to discuss it.  To request a telephone appointment, email a very brief description of your project (no more than 100 words) to programs@earlylearning.org.

After initial and perhaps subsequent conversations, you may be invited to submit a letter of inquiry or application.  Among other things, applicants will be required to develop clear and measurable outcomes, a sound work plan with timetable, a method for measuring and reporting periodic progress, an evaluation of outcomes, some level of matching funds which is negotiable (not necessarily dollar to dollar), and a reasonable budget.