Hawaii Daycare and Child Care Grants
A great business idea that is supported by an excellent business plan and is located in a prime piece of property is worth nothing without the right amount of funds to translate them into a real profitable business venture. If you are a daycare center business owner, you may not have needed a large startup capital but if you need to have your facilities repaired or renovated in a small scale and you don’t have the funds in your pocket to do it, you are stuck.
You would think of applying for a loan to finance it but a loan is something you have to pay regularly and on time. There are banks that offer loans with reasonable interest, venture capitalists who would have to have a hand in managing your daycare center, or friends and relatives from whom you could ask for loans. While these are viable options and a lot of entrepreneurs have gone through this path, you have other sources of funds that could help finance your daycare center. You can apply for a daycare grant from several state or federal agencies, or private organizations that provide grants to businesses for startup or expansion costs.
Grants are great sources of funds because it is virtually free money for your business. Unlike loans, grants are given to deserving businesses that don’t have to pay them back. There are certain conditions that need to be complied with of course, but they are simple enough and easy to fulfill.
A daycare grant is given for a specific project or need by the daycare center. You can start with the National Child Care Resource and Referral Agency, Child Care and Development Fund, Head Start, and Child and Adult Care Food Program in your state or county. Applying for a grant is not easy but worth your time and effort. Once you have identified your source of grant and determined that you are eligible, you have to ask them to send you their application packet. Once you have them, examine them carefully and understand what information the agency needs from you. You will have to answer several questions about your daycare center and provide personal details. This is important because the grantor will base the decision to give you the grant based on your truthful answers. You will have to tell them how much you need and how you are going to spend the money.
Additionally, you also have to inform them who will benefit from the project you have in mind, and the duration of the same project. Make sure that you have filled and answered every item, obtained all the necessary supporting documents before submitting your application. Failure to be thorough in completing it could result to rejection and a missed opportunity to get the grant. Remember that you and thousands of others are after the same grant so your application should stand out from the rest to be considered positively. Review and revise your answers accordingly to make sure everything is as they should be. If after all your efforts, your application is still rejected, don’t be discouraged. You can apply for other grants; in fact you are encouraged to apply for several or all available grants where you are eligible at the same time to increase your chances of getting the right one.
Different Sources of Grants
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Federal
Federal grants are funded by the different agencies of the federal government. Typically, grants from a federal agency are funneled down to the communities through state agencies.
U.S. Department of Agriculture – It has two agencies with start-up/expansion funding programs:
The Rural Housing Service (RHS) has facility funding available for non-profits or local governments that support child care facilities.
(http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rhs/index.html)The Rural Business Cooperative Service has guaranteed loan programs for small business development available for profit child care programs. For eligibility or to apply for any of their programs, contact the state or local Rural Development Office, http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/recd.map.html
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) – The agency has funding programs that support child care services. The Child Care Bureau has several funding programs for child care facilities. http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ccb/
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) – It supports child care facilities near or within public housing, EZ/EC’s, or low-income areas through facility construction using block grants, programs, and networks. To determine eligibility or to apply for any of their programs, contact the state HUD office at http://portal.hud.gov/portal/page/portal/HUD/states
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) – It provides small businesses financing options, technical assistance, and child care resource information. Check with your local SBA offices at http://www.sba.gov/localresources/index.html
U.S. General Services Administration – It has programs that allow the donation of surplus federal personal property to state and local public agencies and qualifying nonprofits, which include child care centers. Please contact http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?contentType=GSA_OVERVIEW&contentId=10092&noc=T
There are other federal programs that support child care such as:
The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) provides child care vouchers to subsidize the cost of care for low-income families as well as funds for state child care quality improvement initiatives. Nearly half of all children receiving CCDF subsidies are between the ages of five and 12. States are required to utilize at least 4 percent of their CCDF funds on quality activities and may also use discretionary funds earmarked by Congress for school-age care quality improvements and/or resource and referral activities. States may choose to use these funds to support initiatives to improve the quality and availability of school-age care, such as training programs or capacity-building grants for afterschool providers.
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) funds, which provide financial support for low-income families, may also be used to support afterschool programs in ways consistent with one or more of the four purposes of the TANF program. States may either directly spend TANF funds on afterschool programs and initiatives, or states can transfer up to 30 percent of their federal TANF allocation to the CCDF. TANF funds transferred to CCDF are subject to all of the CCDF rules and requirements, and can be used to expand out-of-school time capacity-building and quality-enhancement efforts. Direct TANF spending can provide states with additional flexibility when it comes to afterschool care. For example, funds can support services for older youth and can support programs as well as individual subsidies for children.
The 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21CCLC) is the only federal funding source that exclusively supports afterschool programs. The purpose of 21CCLC is to support community learning centers that provide students with a broad array of academic enrichment services, including tutoring, homework help, and community service, as well as music, arts, sports, and cultural activities. When the program first began in 1998, the U.S. Department of Education made competitive awards directly to school districts. However, following the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002, 21CCLC was converted into a state formula grant program. As a result, the Department of Education awards grants to State Education Agencies (SEAs), which then manage statewide competitions to grant funds to eligible organizations.
Federal Food and Nutrition Programs may support snacks or meals for afterschool program participants. After school programs may be able to receive reimbursements from one of four different food and nutrition programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture: the National School Lunch Program: Afternoon Snacks, the Child and Adults Care Food Program, the Summer Food Service Program and the School Breakfast Program. Reimbursement from these programs can be used to free up funds already spent on meals and snacks to support other program components.
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State
There are several state agencies in Hawaii that fund child care assistance programs. Many grants can be obtained through the Family Child Care and Development Grants. Applications can be made through http://www.governmentgrants.us. In addition, funding sources can be accessed through the following programs of the Hawaii Department of Human Services:
Operation Search
Operation Search is a multi-media campaign by the Hawaii State Department of Education to find children who may need special education services but who are not receiving them at this time. Any child who resides in Hawaii who is between the ages of 3 and 20 and has met the eligibility criteria may receive special education services.
For information regarding infants and toddlers between the ages of birth and two years, contact the Hawaii Keiki Information Service System (H-KISS) at
(808) 594-0066.For youths over 20 years of age, contact the Hawaii State Department of Human Services, Vocational Rehabilitation and Services for the Blind Division at (808) 586-5268, or the Hawaii State Department of Health, Case Management and Information Services Branch at (808) 733-9172.
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Private
Private foundations that are based or operating in the State of Hawaii, as well as those operating nationwide, can also be tapped as source of funding for the establishment and operation of child care business, support for parents and families to avail of child care services, and the training of professionals in the field of child care.
Some of these foundations are the following:
James & Abigail Campbell Family Foundation
The James & Abigail Campbell Family Foundation supports special populations of interest to the ¬family: youth facing challenges through no faults of their own; programs strengthening the abilities of public schools and early childhood education; and native Hawaiian health, welfare and culture.
The Foundation supports projects in the following areas: Youth Programs that address the challenges of young people; Education – Support for public schools, early childhood education and environmental stewardship; Hawaiian – Support for programs that promote values and the health and welfare of Hawaiians.
Priority is given to programs located in or serving communities in the following areas of West Oahu: Ewa/Ewa Beach, Kapolei, Makakilo and the Wai’anae Coast.
Contact Information:
http://www.campbellfamilyfoundation.org/
If you have questions or want more information about the James and Abigail Campbell Family Foundation, please contact:
D. Keola Lloyd
Grants Manager
James & Abigail Campbell Family Foundation1001 Kamokila Boulevard
Kapolei, Hawaii, 96707Email: keolal@jamescampbell.com
Phone: (808) 674-3167
Fax: (808) 674-3349Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF)
RBF is dedicated to promoting the well-being of all people in the transition to global interdependence. One of the goals of the fund’s Education Program is to promote universal, quality education and care for pre-K children by using a comprehensive approach to their development, including concerns for health, safety, and readiness to learn. Strategies include supporting development of public policies that promote universal access to early childhood programs, and advancing the professional development of early educators.
Contact Information:
http://www.rbf.orgThe Laura Jane Musser Fund wants to encourage collaborative and participatory efforts among citizens in rural communities that will help to strengthen their towns and regions in a number of civic areas including, but not limited to, economic development, business preservation, arts and humanities, public space improvements, and education.
The Foundation funds programs in Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, New York, and Wyoming.
Contact Information:
Mary Karen Lynn-Klimenko
Grants Program Manager
THE LAURA JANE MUSSER FUND318 West 48th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55419
612-825-2024
ljmusserfund@earthlink.netSamuel N. & Mary Castle Foundation
The Samuel N. & Mary Castle Foundation is committed to providing resources to improve the life of Hawaii’s children and families by improving the quality and quantity of early education, K-12, independent schools, and arts and cultural institutions. Preference is given to pre-schools, K-12 independent schools and other organizations which improve the lives of low income children and families.
Contact Information:
http://foundationcenter.org/grantmaker/castle/index.html
733 Bishop Street, Suite 1275
Pacific Guardian Center
Makai TowerHonolulu, HI 96813
Tel: (808) 522-1101
E-Mail: snandmarycastle@hawaii.rr.comThe Atherton Family Foundation makes grants for programs and projects that benefit the people of Hawaii. The fields of greatest interest are arts, culture, and humanities; community development; education; environment; health; human services; spiritual development; and youth development.
Contact Information:
http://www.athertonfamilyfoundation.org/
Mailing Address
Atherton Family Foundation
1164 Bishop Street, Suite 800
Honolulu, HI 96813Email
foundations@hcf-hawaii.orgTelephone
808-566-5524Toll-Free from Neighbor Islands
1-888-731-3863 ext 524Fax
808-521-6286Bank of America Foundation
The Bank of America Foundation operates with one of the largest philanthropic budgets of any financial institution in the United States. In 2001 it contributed more than $85 million in cash to nonprofit organizations across the country. It concentrates funding on pre-K through grade 12 educations and supports programs in early childhood development, economic and financial education, and teacher development. Community revitalization is another focus for funding nonprofit organizations.
Contact Information:
http://www.bankofamerica.com/foundation/index.cfm?template=overview&statecheck=CACharles Stewart Mott Foundation
The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation is a private philanthropy based in Flint, Michigan. Through four programs, it makes grants in the United States and selected regions internationally. In 1997 the foundation and the U.S. Department of Education entered a multi-year partnership in support of 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC). The foundation helped support the Urban Institute’s Assessing the New Federalism project.
Contact Information:
http://www.mott.org/about.aspx
