William and Lottie Daniel Fund Child Care Scholarship Grant

William and Lottie Daniel Fund Child Care Scholarship Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Santa Barbara Foundation
Amount: Up to US $50,000
Last Updated: November 21, 2025

Summary

The William and Lottie Daniel Fund Child Care Scholarship supports licensed nonprofit child care facilities in Santa Barbara County, addressing the critical need for affordable child care. With rising costs, many working families struggle to access quality care. This scholarship prioritizes organizations serving children aged 0-5, aiming to enhance program quality and accessibility. The Santa Barbara Foundation is committed to ensuring that all families can thrive by providing necessary resources for child development and education, especially in light of recent challenges.

Overview

The William & Lottie Daniel Fund Child Care Scholarship (Daniel Fund) is administered under the Foundation’s Child Care focus area for licensed nonprofit child care facilities that align with both the donor’s intent, and other community initiatives for child development. Access to quality child care continues to be a critical need in our community. The high cost of care is prohibitive for many working families who earn just above the income eligibility threshold. In Santa Barbara County, the median household income varies significantly by region. If a family has an annual median income of $84,356 and has an infant and a preschooler in center-based care, they may need to spend up to 40% of their income on child care. In an effort to address this disparity, California updated the eligibility criteria to qualify for subsidized programs from 70% of the State Median Income (SMI) to 85% of the SMI. Yet, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the challenges around the expense of care for parents and providers and the need for subsidized care far outweighs the availability The Santa Barbara Foundation believes that every individual deserves an equal opportunity to achieve their potential and for working families to thrive in Santa Barbara County. To make this possible many working families need access to affordable and accessible quality child care. As part of the 2024-2028 Strategic Plan, the Santa Barbara Foundation has prioritized increasing affordable and accessible quality child care in Santa Barbara County. This grant program also emphasizes program quality, which has a big impact on children’s ability to thrive and be successful in school and in life, thus quality improvement efforts have been a longstanding priority for the Foundation. Focus Quality child care programs provide children with healthy and safe environments, caring relationships, social-emotional stimulation, and age-appropriate activities that enrich learning. Research shows that children get their best start in life when they have environments that foster their development through stable, nurturing and stimulating environments.[2] These kinds of high-quality early learning opportunities lead to improved academic and life success. Child care scholarships are intended for year-round child care facilities that can demonstrate an alignment with the priorities below. Scholarships will be awarded to licensed nonprofit child care centers serving children 0-5 years of age and school-age children (grades TK-6). Priority will be given to organizations serving 0-5 years of age. The Daniel Fund guidelines specify that families selected to receive funds must – be Santa Barbara County residents;be working parent(s)/guardian;contribute some portion of the tuition costs; andhave a child enrolled in the program on a full-time basis. Funding Amounts and Duration Funding amounts vary by the age of the child served. The maximum award for Daniel is $50,000. The grant period is up to one year from the award date. A final report using the SmartSimple platform is required and is due within 13 months of the grant award, preferably no later than 30 days following program completion.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Eligibility:Organizations must be certified as tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or use a fiscal sponsor with 501(c)(3) tax status. Organizations using a fiscal sponsor must review the Eligibility Criteria & FAQs for additional information and instructions.The foundation accepts applications from public entities such as schools, universities, and libraries through an affiliate or supporting 501(c)(3) organization. Please see the Eligibility Criteria & FAQs for additional qualifying information and instructions.The applicant must be fully licensed by the State of California to provide child care for the age groups it is serving and be in full compliance with the applicable codes governing child care facilities.The applicant’s staff must be well qualified to work with the age groups served.The agency and program financial budgets must be commensurate with the costs associated with the care and supervision of children.The applicant must currently serve children from economically disadvantaged families through established child care programs. Funds may be used to expand the number of slots of existing established programs.In order to accommodate centers that care for children in transition, such as infants in foster care or families experiencing homelessness, the scholarship may be transferred to other eligible families if there is a change in placement.The funds applied for may only be used to subsidize program fees/costs for current Santa Barbara County residents.Children receiving scholarships through this fund must have working parent(s)/guardian(s). Please note:for the purposes of the fund, the term “parents” includes both single and dual parents, and the authorized representatives of children not in the care of their natural or legal parents(s).The foundation believes that every family should contribute to their child’s care. Often the amount depends on the sliding fee scale adopted by the applicant agency’s Board of Directors. The total cost per child must be reasonable and based on the sliding fee scale. The scholarship award will be based on the amount still needed to cover the costs of the program after the family’s contribution has been taken into account.Because the purpose of the fund is to help working parents, an applicant agency must be open at minimum during the traditional work hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Licensed child care for school age children must be open when school is not in session during the work week. In addition, the child care program must run year-round and not be closed more than two consecutive weeks during the year.If an applicant receives a child care scholarship, all advertisements and other announcements about the program must state that scholarships are available and have been made possible through the William and Lottie Daniel Child Care Scholarship Fund and the Santa Barbara Foundation.The foundation supports organizations that do not discriminate in their delivery of programs and services on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, ancestry, age, medical condition, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law.The foundation will consider projects of faith-based organizations, but those projects must be secular in nature and open to individuals of all faiths and/or those of no religious affiliation.

Ineligibility

Applications that do not contain a valid EIN (tax ID) number will not be considered. Community grants are not awarded for the following purposes or activities:DebtEndowmentFundraising eventsOne-time events, including recurring annual eventsIndividualsReimbursement for activities that occurred prior to the grant award dateInfluencing legislation and/or elections (within the meaning of section 4945(d)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code); except as that activity may be related to the purpose of the grant, and permitted for 501(c)(3) organizations by applicable law or Internal Revenue Service regulations.