Guidelines

The Foundation for Early Learning provides grants and sponsorships to improve the learning opportunities of children birth through age five. With the goal of improving the kindergarten readiness of the children in Washington State, we fund two primary areas:

• Supporting parents and caregivers as their children’s first teachers;
• Supporting high-quality early learning, childcare, and preschool.

Review below to learn more about Coalition-Building Grants, Community Action Project Grants and Event Sponsorships

Community Grants

Overview
The Foundation for Early Learning provides up to $50,000 to community groups focused on improving early learning in local communities.

How does the Foundation define a community group?
Community groups are diverse groups of people dedicated to improving early learning. Membership may include parents and caregivers, child care providers, schools, colleges, libraries, health providers, businesses, community organizations, tribes, and others who impact children.

What type of investment does the Foundation for Early Learning make in a community?
The Foundation for Early Learning provides capacity building grants to community groups. These grants support the development and refinement of a group’s infrastructure, communications and funding plans; outreach and community engagement; expansion of membership; strategic planning; sustainability and other efforts.

The Foundation’s grants support coalitions’ meaningful, focused growth and development. The Foundation allocates grants in four “developmental” stages. In each stage, community groups engage in a range of activities and accomplish outcomes that help them build capacity in their community. By the end of the final stage of Foundation for Early Learning funding, a group has the membership, infrastructure, communications, and fundraising capacity to achieve its early learning goals for children and the community and to sustain itself.

What are the four stages of development?
The Foundation for Early Learning supports four stages of development: Initiating, Engaging, Planning, and Implementing. The table below provides details about each stage.

Foundation for Early Learning does NOT fund:

• Organizations located outside Washington State;
• Scholarships or tuition for individuals;
• An agency or organization’s program services;
• Capital campaigns;
• Equipment or computer hardware.

Eligibility Requirements
Community collaborations with a fiscal sponsor are eligible to apply. Applicants must be located in the State of Washington and be:

• Governmental agencies, including public schools and universities;
• Tribal organizations with IRC 7871 status;
• Non-profit secular and religious organizations with 501(c)(3) status;

Grant Deadlines
For the fiscal year 2011-12, complete applications are accepted by close of business on the following dates: August 18, 2011, October 21, 2011, December 23, 2011 UPDATED 2012 GRANT DEADLINES: February 17, 2012, April 13, 2012, June 8, 2012

Event Sponsorship

Overview

The Foundation for Early Learning provides up to $2,500 to support a group’s early learning conference, presentation, or event. The average sponsorship size is $250-$500.

We strongly encourage and give preference to applications that meet the following criteria:

• Events in rural communities

• Events reaching underserved and overlooked communities

• Family-centered events

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must be located in the state of Washington and be:

• Governmental agencies, including public schools and universities with proof of tax-exempt IRS status. 

  We cannot accept substitution letters (i.e. letters from agency attorney are not permissible), only IRS generated letters will be accepted. We require this for our file and audit purposes. Information on how to get a copy of an IRS letter is in our FAQ section.

• Tribal organizations with IRC 7871 status; non-profit secular and religious organizations with 501(c)(3) status; community collaborations with a fiscal sponsor that is qualified (as stated above). We require a copy of your organization's IRS tax exception letter. Other letters (i.e. letters from attorneys) are not valid. For more information on how to obtain a copy of your organization's IRS letter please see our FAQ section. 
• Events must be connected to early learning, birth to five.

Sponsorship Deadlines

Completed applications are accepted on a rolling basis. We encourage applicants to apply early.

Community Action Project Grants

Overview
The Foundation for Early Learning provides up to $1,500 to support a one-time, new and innovative project that directly helps children, birth to age five. Our grants are aimed at helping children and families become ready for school, while encouraging new community leadership in the early learning sector. Parents and caregivers are strongly encouraged to apply.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must be located in the state of Washington.

Proposed Community Action Projects must demonstrate its capacity to helping children and families become healthy and ready for school, and must:

• Provide a new one-time project to their community or starting a new on-going program serving children birth-five. The project or program must be available to the public. Projects and programs must be new. Existing programs may qualify for Foundation for Early Learning Sponsorship funds.

• Encourage and nurture emerging leaders

• Emerging leaders can be: parents or caregivers, kinship care providers, students or recent graduates, emerging leaders from communities of color, or another emerging leader from the community that the project is serving.

• The emerging leader should use this project to learn new skills, build local leadership, and to ensure that the project is reflective of the community that will benefit from the project.

• Three partners who will work collaboratively to execute the project or program launch.

• Occur within Washington State and have a non-profit with a 501(c)3, tribal organization with IRC787 status, or government agencies including public schools, universities, and community colleges fiscal sponsor. 

  We require a copy of your organization's IRS tax exception letter. Other letters (i.e. letters from attorneys) are not valid. For more information on how to obtain a copy of your organization's IRS letter please see our FAQ section. Foundation for Early Learning is able to serve as the fiscal sponsor for a flat $50 fee.

Examples of Potential Projects

• Immunization, dental, vision, or developmental screening day
• Book exchange and library card drive
• Parent and caregiver mobilization campaign
• Father/Grandparents/etc. night with the Kids
• Neighborhood party with education or other purpose

Application Deadlines
For the fiscal year 2011-12, complete applications are accepted by close of business on the following dates: August 18, 2011, October 21, 2011, December 23, 2011 UPDATED 2012 GRANT DEADLINES: February 17, 2012, April 13, 2012, June 8, 2012