Turrell Fund Grant

Turrell Fund Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Turrell Fund
Last Updated: November 25, 2025

Summary

The Turrell Fund Grant focuses on supporting organizations that serve children and families, particularly in Vermont and New Jersey. Emphasizing early childhood development, K-12 education, and access to arts and social services, the fund aims to address systemic barriers and promote equity. Priority is given to initiatives that foster systemic change and advocate for policy improvements, ensuring every child has access to quality education and resources necessary for a strong start in life.

Overview

Our Funding Focus The Turrell Fund supports: Increasingly strong focus on early childhood, prenatal-3. Within prenatal-3, we have increased our funding to policy and advocacy initiatives. Additional focus areas include:Arts and music education K-12 education Direct social services for children and families Early Childhood (0-3) Early investments open up a lifetime of potential and opportunity Healthy development for children ages 0-3 provides the building blocks for strong communities, lifelong health, and educational and career success. This period represents a time of incredible growth and potential for young children and families. Early relationships with caregivers can promote healthy development and encourage early literacy for infants and toddlers. In addition, early experiences, positive and negative, impact the developing brain and make it vital that we address issues societal and racial disparities, support the whole family, and treat caregivers and early educators as equal partners in widespread social change. K-12 Education A solid, high-quality K-12 education is essential for long-term college and career success, as well as for general well-being and personal growth. We know that students succeed when teachers have real-time support; schools are well-resourced; and schools take a compassionate, strengths-based approach to engaging kids. We want all students to gain entry to college or career training programs, and to be treated with dignity and respect throughout their entire educational experience. To create upward mobility for children, we need to improve and align the institutions that serve them. Music & Arts At the Turrell Fund, we believe that music and the arts change lives Learning an instrument, developing artistic skills, and being part of a community of practice instills self-esteem and new pathways for connecting with others. We believe the potent benefits of arts education extend past the early years for children and families across the age range. All children, regardless of socioeconomic background or zip code, deserve access to high-quality arts education opportunities. Social Services Direct services are essential to providing support to children and families who need them. From shelters, to food banks, to mental health services, these programs improve the well-being of individuals in their communities and respond to all types of need. Every family is entitled to nutritious food, high-quality early care, compassionate healthcare, diapers, and every resource necessary to give their children a strong start. Ultimately, these services promote equity and opportunity in communities, providing a safe space for individuals to garner expert support and overcome hardship. Systems Change Systemic racism, entrenched poverty, and flawed policy decisions punish BIPOC (black, Indigenous and people of color) families, stifle social mobility, and hold our communities back. We fight alongside our partners to ensure access to high-quality, affordable child care, enhanced pediatric care, and trauma-informed service delivery. We also work to ensure equity and compassion in the child welfare system.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Turrell grants are awarded to organizations serving children – especially the youngest – and their families in Vermont and New Jersey (specifically Essex, Hudson, Passaic, and Union Counties.)The Turrell Fund awards grants to 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations with projects and portfolios especially for the youngest in New Jersey and Vermont.Grants are awarded to agencies that exhibit:Evidence of exceptional qualityDistinction through the creation of new benchmarks or best practicesA voice in the chorus of those speaking to educational policy changeInitiatives directed at systems and policy change

Ineligibility

Once an organization has applied, one year must elapse before applying again, regardless of the result.