The Community Foundation of the Ozarks (CFO) is seeking applications for its Ozarks Early Childhood Support Grant Program.
The Community Foundation
of the Ozarks is committed to achieving positive impact with regard to broad
community issues in its rural service area. Addressing one component of a
large-scale issue, however, is not effective without also working in tandem on
other aspects of that community challenge. Given the key role childcare for
children ages 6 weeks to pre-K plays in the successful employment of parents
and in increasing financial outcomes for families, the CFO has committed to
supporting nonprofit early childhood centers in their endeavor to ensure low
income children have access to quality early childhood and that nonprofit early
childhood centers are fully staffed during this recovery phase of the pandemic.
This program will
support nonprofit childcare centers serving children ages 6 weeks to pre-K in
their efforts to increase agency capacity to serve children in low income
communities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many nonprofit childcare
centers were forced to lay off and/or reduce staff hours, which has created a
crisis of childcare in rural Missouri. This grant program seeks to support
quality childcare returning to full capacity and supporting low income families
as they return to work.
Examples of uses of the fund include using these dollars to subsidize childcare
costs for families for an initial period of time as parents secure work,
supporting bridging the childcare cost gap for families who await approval of
childcare subsidy from state sources, increasing staff as a whole by opening up
new classrooms and hiring staff for those classrooms, moving staff members from
full time to part time, or increasing income levels to incentivize and fill
open childcare positions in the facility.
Funding Information
A total of $300,000 is
available in the Ozarks Early Childhood Support Grant program, with awards
capped at $30,000 per nonprofit childcare facility.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible nonprofit
childcare centers must be in good standing with 501(c)3 nonprofit status or
must be under the tax umbrella of a church which houses its program. Public
school or city/local government early childhood programs are not eligible for
this grant program. Agencies must be in strict alignment with the CFO's
nondiscrimination policy. Organizations which have childcare facilities in
multiple locations under the same nonprofit umbrella may complete applications
for individual facilities as long as they meet the requirements and are input
into the system as unique agency profiles with unique applications.
Post Date: 01-Sep-2021