ACF Early Childhood Grantmaking Program

Overview

Community Grantmaking

Aspen Community Foundation (ACF) is dedicated to supporting children and families living in the Aspen to Parachute region. In 2025, ACF is offering two competitive grant programs for nonprofit organizations in the Aspen to Parachute region: Early Childhood and Youth Empowerment. Applicants are invited to apply to ONE of these programs in 2025. Funding is made possible by annual contributions from donors wishing to support pooled grantmaking funds

A total of $250,000 will be awarded through ACF’s 2025 Early Childhood grant cycle. Applications will be reviewed in accordance with the following priorities, criteria, and limitations as well as available funds. Past funding from ACF does not guarantee funding in future years. Typical requests range from $10,000 to $35,000.

ACF Early Childhood Grantmaking Priorities

This competitive grant program prioritizes nonprofits working in the areas of early care and education. The following are the areas of impact ACF seeks to have with this funding.

* Strengthening the skills of caregivers – parents, teachers, childcare staff, FFN providers – so they can support the healthy development of children in their care. This includes:
* Services that improve the health, safety, and quality of childcare
* Parent support and education with active participation over a longer time period
* Providing tuition assistance to increase families’ access to quality care, especially for those who are low income . Specifically:
* Childcare centers providing tuition assistance to at least 20% of enrolled families.
* At least 20% of enrolled children are low-income/economically disadvantaged.

ACF Early Childhood Grantmaking Criteria

* Alignment with one of ACF’s Early Childhood priorities
* Commitment to serving under-resourced people and geographies.
* Meaningful depth and duration of contact with those served.
* Clearly articulated metrics and demonstrated impact and positive outcomes for children and families.

ACF also analyzes the operational and financial health of each applicant including looking at their efficiency, solvency and sustainability as well as leadership strength and capacity.

Eligibility

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Application Details

2025
EARLY CHILDHOOD GRANTS GUIDELINES
Aspen Community Foundation (ACF) is dedicated to supporting children and families living in the Aspen to
Parachute region. In 2025, ACF is offering two competitive grant programs for nonprofit organizations in the
Aspen to Parachute region: Early Childhood and Youth Empowerment. Applicants are invited to apply to ONE
of these programs in 2025. Funding is made possible by annual contributions from donors wishing to support
pooled grantmaking funds.
A total of $250,000 will be awarded through ACF’s 2025 Early Childhood grant cycle. Applications will be
reviewed in accordance with the following priorities, criteria, and limitations as well as available funds. Past
funding from ACF does not guarantee funding in future years. Typical requests range from $10,000 to $35,000.
ACF EARLY CHILDHOOD GRANTMAKING PRIORITIES
This competitive grant program prioritizes nonprofits working in the areas of early care and education.
The following are the areas of impact ACF seeks to have with this funding:
1. Strengthening the skills of caregivers – parents, childcare staff, FFN providers – so they can support the
healthy development of children in their care. This includes:
a. Services that improve the health, safety, and quality of childcare
b. Parent support and education with active participation over a longer time period
2. Providing tuition assistance to increase families’ access to quality care, especially for those who are
low income. Specifically:
a. Childcare centers providing tuition assistance to at least 20% of enrolled families.
b. At least 20% of enrolled children are low-income/economically disadvantaged.
i. ACF defines economically disadvantaged thresholds by county based on multipliers of
the Federal Poverty Level (300%) informed by the self-sufficiency standard for each
county. Use the chart below to determine how many low-income families you serve.
Family of 2 Family of 3 Family of 4 Family of 5
FPL = $22,888 FPL = $28,788 FPL = $34,688 FPL = $40,588
300% of $68,664 $86,364 $104,064 $121,764
FPL
ACF EARLY CHILDHOOD GRANTMAKING CRITERIA
• Alignment with one of ACF’s Early Childhood priorities
• Commitment to serving under-resourced people and geographies.
• Meaningful depth and duration of contact with those served.
• Clearly articulated metrics and demonstrated impact and positive outcomes for children and families.
ACF also analyzes the operational and financial health of each applicant including looking at their efficiency,
solvency and sustainability as well as leadership strength and capacity.
ELIGIBILITY
Organizations are eligible to apply if:
• They are classified as tax exempt under the provision of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue
Code or are using a fiscal sponsor with a 501(c)(3). Or they are a government entity such as a school
district.
• They serve children aged from birth to five years old and their families living in the Aspen to
Parachute, Colorado region.

ACF COMMUNITY GRANTMAKING LIMITATIONS
1. Support is limited to nonprofit organizations located in, and whose work primarily serves, the residents of
Pitkin and Garfield counties and the Roaring Fork Valley portion of Eagle County.
2. Grants are not considered for:
• Organizations outside of ACF’s service area
• Organizations, pilot projects, or programs in operation for less than one year or are less than
one year from receipt of 501(c)(3) approval
• Projects which have been completed prior to allocation decisions
• Deficits, retirement of debt, or endowments
• Religious purposes
• Political campaigns
• Medical research or hospital equipment
• Program design, product development, or marketing and promotion
• Conduit organizations (organizations or events that pass funds to other organizations)
• Individual schools/classrooms, departments/programs of universities or colleges, or education
foundations/organizations that have not coordinated the request with their central school
district/university administration or fundraising arm
• Organizations primarily supported by tax-derived funding unless funding supports a new
program that is outside of the organization’s operating budget
3. Aspen Community Foundation does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sexual orientation,
gender identity and expression, physical circumstances, or national origin. Applicants must hold and
demonstrate similar standards.
EARLY CHILDHOOD GRANTS PROCESS
Early Childhood grant requests and all supporting documents must be submitted via ACF’s online grant
management platform. Specific deadlines are on ACF’s website.
Each organization seeking funding should first review these guidelines and determine whether its proposal
meets the criteria and priorities of ACF. If the organization meets the guidelines, begin the application process
by navigating to the grant application platform.
Returning applicants will log-in using their username and password created last year. Click “Forgot your
Password?” if you need to reset your password access. Contact the ACF Grants Manager for assistance.
If you are a new applicant, you will need to create an account in ACF’s grant management system.
NEW ACCOUNT CREATION/FOUNDANT GRANT PORTAL
• Click this link and “Create New Account” to complete the registration form for your organization,
yourself, and your Executive Director, if you are not that person. You will need your organization’s EIN
/ Tax ID number.
• The next step asks you to verify that you received a registration email. This helps ensure that your
organization receives system communication. All emails from the ACF grants portal will be sent by
administrator@grantinterface.com.
• This account will be your organization’s online access to ACF grants. To add additional users, please
contact ACF Grants Manager.
• Apply for the “ACF Early Childhood Grants 2025”. You can save your work at any time. An asterisk
denotes a required response. Click “Submit” when you are ready to submit your application form.
• Email ACF Grants Manager Scott@AspenCommunityFoundation.org or call 970-925-9300 with any
questions.
Early Childhood Grantmaking Guidelines 2025 Page 2

• Review the Foundant Applicant Tutorial article for a step-by-step guide to account and application
processes.
ACF 2025 EARLY CHILDHOOD GRANT ELEMENTS
Eligibility Quiz
Organizations will be asked to affirm that they:
• Serve children ages birth to 5
• Are a 501(c)(3) organization, have a fiscal sponsor that is, or are a qualified government entity
• Serve people living in the Aspen to Parachute region
Application
In the application, you will be asked to provide the following information:
1. Early Childhood Grant Request
a. Select one funding priority area
i. Strengthen the skills of adult caregivers
ii. Provide tuition assistance
b. Requested amount
c. Purpose of request – a brief description of this request
d. Upload document:
i. IRS Letter of Determination
2. Board of Directors Overview
a. Name of current board chairperson
b. Email of current board chairperson – In the event your organization is awarded a grant, we will
require an electronic signature on the grant agreement from the board chair. This will be
requested via DocuSign.
c. Number of current board members
d. If you are a childcare provider, do you have any non-parents on your board?
e. How many board members made a charitable contribution to your organization last year?
f. Board governance and effectiveness – Summarize key issues related to board effectiveness that
are being addressed this year.
g. Upload document:
i. List of current board members
3. Organization & Staff Overview
a. Mission statement
b. Organization summary - Executive summary of your organization’s work. This should include a
brief history of the organization and key programs and services offered.
c. Describe your organization’s operating schedule – For example, if you are a childcare provider,
you can indicate the hours, days and months you provide care. i.e. 9am to 3 pm, Monday-
Friday, September-May
d. Number of full-time employees
e. Number of part-time employees
f. Number of employees who are bilingual and/or bicultural
g. Describe how volunteers support your programs or operations
h. Executive director’s annual salary – This information will be kept confidential and used only for
the purpose of regional analysis.
i. Number of years executive director has been in the position
j. Number of years executive director has been with the organization
4. Financial Overview
a. Fiscal year date range
Early Childhood Grantmaking Guidelines 2025 Page 3

b. Current operating budget
c. Total revenue and expenses for last fiscal year
d. Total projected revenue and expenses for current fiscal year
e. Anticipated budget for next fiscal year
f. Explain any significant budget differences
g. Current cash reserves
h. If your organization has an endowment, please share the balance
i. Upload documents:
i. Current FY Budget vs. Actual
ii. Current YTD Balance Sheet
iii. Last FY Income and Expenses
iv. Last FY Balance
v. Most recent 990 (not required)
5. Demographics & Impact Overview
a. Tell us about the children and families you serve, including demographics.
b. Numbers served by age group – If you are a childcare provider, provide the number of children
served by age; if you serve caregivers, provide the number of adults, families, etc. served.
c. Number of families served who are low income – ACF defines low income based on multiples of
the Federal Poverty Level informed by self-sufficiency standards for each county in the Aspen to
Parachute region.
d. Numbers served by community
e. Describe how you are measuring your organization’s impact. What are your results?
f. Describe how your organization/program is culturally responsive.
g. Describe how you collaborate to fulfill your mission or to enhance your programs.
h. What challenges are most likely to prevent you from accomplishing your goals this year?
Depending on the Priority Area you selected, you’ll be asked to respond to the following area-specific
questions:
1. Strengthening the skills of caregivers
a. Describe your specific request and how it supports/increases the skills of adult caregivers.
b. Describe the depth and duration of the contact you have with adult caregivers.
c. Describe the intended outcomes. How are you measuring your success? What are your
results?
d. How many people will be served by this request?
2. Providing tuition assistance
a. Describe your specific request and how it supports families and your organization.
b. The number of total children receiving tuition assistance to attend your program.
c. Number of individual children who will benefit from this tuition assistance request.
d. Total budget for your organization’s tuition assistance program.
e. Other funding sources that support your tuition assistance program.
Review your application and submit. You will receive an email confirmation once your grant has been
submitted.
Early Childhood Grantmaking Guidelines 2025 Page 4

ACF EARLY CHILDHOOD GRANTMAKING TIMELINE
April 30 & April 28 May 29 June - September September- October
May 6 August October
Office Hours Application Application Staff Review ACF Board Award Awards
Virtual Office Opens Closes Approves Notification Distributed
Hours from Grant Awards & Grant
1-2pm MT Agreements
Sent
Please email the ACF Grants Manager to RSVP for the office hours and request the zoom link
ACF COMPETITIVE GRANTMAKING REVIEW AND ADMINISTRATION
• This is a competitive process, and not all requests will be funded.
• Each application is assessed on its own merit against the scoring criteria.
A total score of 100 is possible.
o
A typical cutoff score for funding is 75. However, all applications undergo further discussion
o
prior to recommendation finalization.
Higher scoring applications may only receive a percentage of the total request, typically
o
between 60% and 75% of the amount requested. This will vary depending on funds available
for this grant program.
• ACF staff may elect at any time to schedule a meeting with the organization’s executive director and/or
board chair to discuss the proposal or to request additional or clarifying information.
• If the contact person becomes unavailable after application submission, please notify ACF of a new
contact. Applications will not be considered if ACF staff cannot reach the contact person.
• Grant recommendations are considered by ACF’s Board of Directors. Final approval of grants is the sole
responsibility of ACF’s Board of Directors. The Board requests that individual members not be lobbied.
• Organizations receiving funding will be required to sign an agreement setting forth the grant’s terms and
conditions. The agreement will include marketing and reporting requirements, limitations on the grant
funds, disposition of unused funds and other conditions.
Early Childhood Grantmaking Guidelines 2025 Page 5

2025 Early Childhood Grants Rubric
CRITERIA EXCELLENT ABOVE AVERAGE AVERAGE BELOW POOR
AVERAGE
Priority Area Demonstrates exceptional Demonstrates strong Demonstrates moderate Demonstrates some No explicit alignment with
Alignment alignment with one or alignment with one or alignment with one or alignment with one or impact areas
more impact areas more impact areas more impact areas more impact areas
Economically Demonstrates exceptional Demonstrates strong Demonstrates moderate Demonstrates some Does not demonstrate
Disadvantaged service to economically service to economically service to economically service to economically service to economically
disadvantaged people disadvantaged people disadvantaged people disadvantaged people disadvantaged people
Geographic Reach Serves the entire Aspen to Serves most of the Aspen Serves at least half of the Serves a portion of the Limited to a specific town
Parachute region to Parachute region Aspen to Parachute region Aspen to Parachute region or school district
Depth and Demonstrates exceptional Demonstrates meaningful Demonstrates moderate Demonstrates some depth Does not demonstrate
Duration depth and duration in its depth and duration in its depth and duration in its and duration in its contact depth and duration in its
contact with clients contact with clients contact with clients with clients contact with clients
Cultural Demonstrates exceptional Demonstrates meaningful Demonstrates moderate Demonstrates some Does not demonstrate
Responsiveness cultural responsiveness in cultural responsiveness in cultural responsiveness in cultural responsiveness in cultural responsiveness in
its program design and its program design and its program design and its program design and its program design or
contact with clients contact with clients contact with clients contact with clients contact with clients
Metrics and Applies outstanding Applies strong metrics and Applies average metrics Applies some metrics and Does not apply or describe
Impact metrics and demonstrates demonstrates effective and demonstrates demonstrates some metrics. Lacks impact on
exceptional impact on impact on clients moderate impact on impact on clients clients or how it would
clients clients impact clients is unclear
Criteria Higher Scoring Organizations Will:
Priority Area Alignment • Clearly articulate the request’s alignment with one or more impact areas
Economically Disadvantaged • Demonstrate that at least 20% served are economically disadvantaged
Geographic Reach • Demonstrate that the entire Aspen to Parachute region is being served
Depth and Duration • Demonstrate regular, consistent interactions with clients -or-
• Demonstrate that services are delivered with fidelity to whatever model is being used
Cultural Responsiveness • Demonstrate culturally responsive program design -or-
• Demonstrate culturally responsive interactions with clients
Metrics and Impact • Clearly define the metrics used to determine impact
• Articulate impact using metrics data