SDWF- Expanding Affordable, Accessible, and Quality Child Care Grant

The San Diego Women’s Foundation is launching the SDWF-Expanding Affordable, Accessible, and Quality Child Care Grant to address the critical shortage of affordable child care for infants and toddlers (ages 0-4). This initiative aims to support nonprofit organizations that enhance access to quality child care, particularly for families with limited options. The foundation prioritizes efforts that contribute to long-term improvements in the child care landscape, ensuring that all families can find safe, developmentally supportive environments for their children.

Access to quality, affordable child care is essential for healthy child development, family stability, and workforce participation among families. Affordable child care remains in critically short supply, leaving families, especially those furthest from opportunity, struggling to find safe and developmentally supportive options.
The San Diego Women’s Foundation is addressing this urgent need by investing in solutions that expand access to child care for infants and toddlers (ages 0-4). By “access”, we mean: the ability of parents and caregivers, with reasonable effort, to enroll their child in an affordable arrangement that supports their child’s development and meets the parents’/caregivers’ needs.
We are accepting letters of inquiry (LOI) from eligible nonprofit organizations and will grant unrestricted funding to those working to expand affordable, accessible, and quality child care for infants and toddlers (ages 0-4 years). We will prioritize organizations that provide services to families and communities with the least access today, and whose efforts contribute to long-term, systemic improvements to the child care landscape.
Areas of work that align with SDWF’s funding priorities include, but are not limited to:
Increasing the long-term capacity of licensed child care in San Diego, especially in communities where availability is scarce.Enhancing business acumen and resilience among child care providers.
Helping aspiring providers establish child care businesses (in-home, workplace- or community-based), including those providing culturally and linguistically responsive care.Enhancing professional training, continuing education, and collaboration opportunities for child care workers.