Youth & Families - Early Childhood Grant

Overview

_NOTE: NOTE: LVCF will not run an open application cycle in the 2024-2025 grantmaking cycle. 2023-2024 grantees were selected to receive a two-year funding award, contingent upon meeting the necessary requirements of the grant, therefore there will be no open application cycle in this funding year. The application cycle will open up again in the fall of 2025._**
Grantmaking | Youth & Families**

The Community Foundation manages the funds for several different area-of-interest funds that are focused on supporting Lehigh Valley youth & families. The Community Foundation’s goal in awarding Youth and Families fund grants is to offer flexible funding to organizations that provide comprehensive approaches in engaging youth and their families in seeking a pathway for meaningful life aspirations.

Early Childhood

Early childhood is one of the most critical periods of a child’s development. Ninety percent of the brain has developed by age 5. In addition to the importance of quality childcare for children and their families, quality childcare is a fundamental requirement of a vibrant, healthy economy. Yet, in the Lehigh Valley, and across the country, there is a crisis occurring in early childhood education. There are simply not enough high-quality childcare centers for the number of children that need care in the Lehigh Valley.

In the Lehigh Valley,

* 260 open staff positions
* 90 closed childcare classrooms  
* 1,495 children currently sit on waitlists  
* 1,662 additional children could be served if the programs were fully staffed.

The crisis state of early childcare is impacting children, families, communities, and the entire region’s economy. Children are not able to be in safe, quality care during a critical age, communities are not able to gain increased employment and tax revenue, parents are not able to enter or re-enter the workforce creating worker shortages while also increasing poverty for the region.

Funding Focus

The critical issues that LVCF is focusing funding on in the 2023-2024 Youth & Families grantmaking cycle for supporting the early childcare sector (ages 0-5) are the following:

* Centers that are currently operating high quality childhood centers in the age range of 0-5 years old. Centers should demonstrate how they are actively building capacity to bolster the quality of their childcare services (i.e. improving building conditions, strategies to retain staff, increasing staff salaries, expanding childcare slots, developing programming).
* Programs that focus on addressing challenging behaviors and/or diagnosed mental health needs in children (ages 0-5) by either offering:
* Programs or services that equip childcare workers with the necessary resources to care for children with challenging behaviors and/or high mental health needs
* Programs or services that provide high-quality care for children with challenging behaviors and/or mental health needs 
* Organizations that are advocating for improved regulations, funding, or policy for early childcare providers.

Organizations that are delivering programs or services to address one or more of the above stated issues will be prioritized for receiving a general operating grant.

Funding

Grant amounts will range from $5,000 – $20,000 .  Grants are planned to be general operating awards.

Eligibility

_You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website._

* Be a qualified charitable organization. ​ 
* 501(c)(3) public charity or verified charitable entity (e.g., schools, colleges and universities, religious institutions, town and municipal governments, etc.) ​ 
* Organizations may apply through a fiscal sponsor. ​ 
* Deliver early childcare services or programs in Lehigh or/and Northampton county(ies).​ 
* Definition of youth is those who are ages 0-5 years old.