Virginia Daycare and Child Care Grants
If you are planning to put up your own daycare facility, getting funds is one of the toughest steps to accomplish. You have to search for different institutions which will be able to assist you financially. There are many sources of grants that will be able to give you your needs in funding. After searching, gathering information and choosing the grant that you want to apply for, you must prepare the requirements and documentation. To guide you along the way, here are some of the requirements for daycare grants applications.
Every grant institution has a specific set of qualifications and requirements. The most common general requirement would include filling out an application form. Many institutions also oblige applicants to provide a proposal letter, indicating the details of your plans for the daycare. Basically, there are 5 major questions that you need to answer faithfully in order to be approved.
The first and most important question would pertain to how you will use the money that they will provide. In this case, you have to give a detailed description of what you are going to do with the sum of money if given to you. In addition to this, they will ask you who the beneficiaries of the grant will be.
You will also be asked about the requirements for your project or daycare center. This time, you should be able to give details on your center’s needs like facilities, equipments, food and others. They will also question you the length of your project as well as how long you will provide your services. Lastly, they will ask how you have come up with this kind of project plan and why you are pursuing this plan.
Once you answer these questions and provide other supporting documents, you will be able to get through and pass the evaluation for the grant approval.
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) provide 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
State agencies fund child care assistance under Family Child Care and Development Grants. Application for the child care grants and health grants can be made through www.governmentgrants.us. In addition to this government agency of the state, funding sources could be obtained from the following sources:
Virginia Department of Social Services
Head Start is a national child development program for children from birth to age 5, which provides services to promote academic, social and emotional development for income-eligible families.
Head Start is the most successful, longest-running, national school readiness program in the United States. It is a direct federal to local program serving low-income children. The program promotes comprehensive education, health, nutrition, dental, mental health, social services and parental involvement opportunities.
Many Head Start programs also offer home-based services to families and child care for infants and toddlers through Early Head Start. Head Start is a recognized leader in providing services to children with disabilities, children of migrant workers and Native American families.
For more information, visit the Administration for Children and Families’ (ACF) Head Start Web site.
Virginia Head Start State Collaboration Project
Head Start is a federally-funded program that works directly with localities. The Virginia Head Start State Collaboration Project oversees the program and represents its interests on the state level.
The Head Start Collaboration Grant was created as a partnership at the state level to support the development of multi-agency and public private partnerships. These partnerships help build early childhood systems, enhance access to comprehensive services for low income children and involve Head Start in state policies affecting low-income families.
The major goals of the grant are to:
- Foster working coalitions comprised of ACF staff, state officials, state Head Start association members, Head Start program staff, early childhood professionals
- Create a link between local Head Start programs and state early childhood initiatives
- Facilitate a more coordinated approach to service delivery
The seven priority areas identified by the grant for statewide collaborative partnerships are:
- Improving the access to health care services
- Improving the availability, accessibility and quality of child care services
- Improving collaboration with social services systems
- Expanding and improving educational opportunities in early childhood programs
- Initiating interaction with the Americorps service program
- Improving access to family literacy services, and
- Improving opportunities for children with disabilities
For more information and a list of Head Start programs in Virginia, visit Virginia Head Start Association.
Child Day Care
A child day care program in Virginia refers to a regularly operating service arrangement for children where, during the absence of a parent or guardian, a person or organization has agreed to assume responsibility for the supervision, protection, and well-being of a child under the age of 13 for less than a twenty-four-hour period. The broadest categories of care are out-of-home (“Center-Based”) care and in-home or “Family-Based” care in a private home. Those categories can be further broken down into “licensed”, “unlicensed (but regulated)”, and “approved”.
Regulated refers to a facility is regulated by the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS). Approved refers to a facility that is regulated by an entity other than VDSS. The chart below allows you to explore the types of child care available, how they are regulated and provide you with related forms and applications. If you need further assistance selecting child care, the Virginia Child Care Resource and Referral Network (VACCRRN) can help.
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Private
Private foundations that are based or operating in the State of Virginia, 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:
Bank 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=CA
Charles 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.aspxRockefeller 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 Appalachian Community Fund (ACF) is a publicly supported, non-profit grantmaking organization that provides resources and support to grassroots organizations working to overcome the underlying causes of poverty and injustice in Central Appalachia (East Tennessee, Eastern Kentucky, Southwest Virginia and West Virginia).
On the journey to justice, their vision is to work for the day when Appalachia’s land, air and water are saved from destruction and contamination; where the economy is stable, strong, and provides diverse employment opportunities for all people; where government and industry are accountable to human needs without exploitation of people and their health; where justice, equity, appreciation of diversity and celebration of our common humanity replace racism, sexism, heterosexism and other “isms”; where wealth and resources are shared equally; where all children grow up free from hatred and violence; and where justice overcomes oppression in any form.
Contact Information:
http://www.appalachiancommunityfund.org/
Appalachian Community Fund
530 South Gay Street, Suite 700
Knoxville, TN 37902865.523.5783 – phone
865.523.1896 – faxGaye Evans, Executive Director
gaye@appalachiancommunityfund.orgKathy Jennings-Johnson, Administrative Coordinator
kathy@appalachiancommunityfund.orgMargo Miller, Development Director
margo@appalachiancommunityfund.orgFor questions regarding grant opportunities, please contact Gaye Evans.
Bedford Community Health Foundation
The Foundation has provides support to a variety of health related programs, including: Adult Day Care, Charity Care, Dental Care for Children and Adults, Fitness and Physical Therapy, Free Clinics, Health Education for Children and Adults, Health Screenings and Equipment and Hospice.
Contact Information:
http://www.healthybedford.org/
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 1104
Bedford, Virginia 24523Physical Address:
321 North Bridge Street
Bedford, Virginia 24523Phone: 540-586-5292
Fax: 540-587-5819CarMax Foundation – Richmond, VA & National Focus
The CarMax Foundation was established in 2003 to support the communities where our Associates live and work. Areas of funding interest include educational opportunities for children and families or (b) youth leadership. The Richmond (VA) Program is designed to make the Greater Richmond, Virginia area a positive place for families to live and work. The Foundation helps nonprofit organizations that are either national in scope or have a presence in several CarMax market areas. $100,000 was donated to national organizations this past year. Programs must Address and improve auto safety for children and families; or Build a competitive workforce through automotive technical training.
Contact Information:
http://www.carmax.com/enUS/the-carmax-foundation/carmax-foundation-about-us.htmlThe CarMax Foundation
12800 Tuckahoe Creek Parkway
Richmond, VA 23238Email kmxfoundation@carmax.com
Phone (804) 747-0422
Community Foundation for Northern Virginia
The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia is a grant maker helping to meet the most critical needs of our region. We develop assets for grant making from the community, for the community. The Foundation four fields of interest are Poverty Relief, Child and Youth Development, Health, Mental Health and Aging, Education.
Contact Information:
PHONE: 703-917-2600
FAX: 703-902-3564
EMAIL: MacDonald_Lesley@ne.bah.comPOSTAL ADDRESS:
The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia
8283 Greensboro Drive
McLean, Virginia 22102Eastern Shore of Virginia Community Foundation
The Eastern Shore of Virginia Community Foundation is a local, nonprofit organization which, through affiliation with The Norfolk Foundation, creates and provides philanthropic resources to meet a broad range of needs. The Foundation has six key grantmaking areas: Family, Child and Social Welfare; Public and Civic Life; Arts and Culture; Education; Health; and the Environment.
Contact Us
Address
Eastern Shore of Virginia Community Foundation
P. O. Box 205
Onley, Virginia 23418-0205Phone
Phone – (757) 789-0910
FAX – (757) 787-2286E-mail Address
Email – esvcf@verizon.netContact
David M. Parker, Executive Director
dmparker@esva.netGreater Lynchburg Community Trust
The Greater Lynchburg Community Trust is organized and operated to accept gifts to be administered exclusively for charitable purposes primarily in and for the benefit of the cities of Bedford and Lynchburg, and the counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, and Campbell. Needs served are broad in scope including human services to children, youth, the needy, and the elderly; education; health; the arts; and the humanities.
Contact Information:
http://www.lynchburgtrust.org/
The Greater Lynchburg Community Trust
101 Paulette Circle, Suite B
Lynchburg, VA 24502
434.845.6500
434.845.6530 faxJohn Edward Fowler Memorial Foundation
The John Edward Fowler Memorial Foundation awards grants only to organizations headquartered in and providing services for residents of Washington, DC and the Maryland & Virginia suburbs.
The Foundation does not award grants to organizations that are headquartered in other parts of the country, even if they serve these preferred communities.
The Foundation is particularly interested in funding organizations that are addressing the following issues:
Homelessness, Hunger, At-risk children and youth (pre-school through high school), Adult literacy, Free medical care (prenatal to seniors), Seniors aging in place, Job training and placement.
The Foundation does not make grants to individuals, national health organizations, government agencies or public school districts. It does not fund medical research or the arts, except for intensive arts-in-education programs that directly benefit at-risk children and youth.
Contact Information:
http://foundationcenter.org/grantmaker/fowler/
John Edward Fowler Memorial Foundation
4340 East-West Highway, Suite 206 — Bethesda, MD 20814 — Tel (301) 654-2700The Moran Family Foundation supports innovative programs that promote healthy development of at-risk children and at-risk families whose lives are impacted by the challenges of poverty.
The foundation invests in Community Based Organizations that work to empower at-risk youth and their families to enhance the opportunity for each child to achieve their full potential. By supporting the growth and development of children and their families, the foundation seeks to strengthen our community.
The Foundation supports organizations in the District of Columbia and in the Northern Virginia areas of Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, and Falls Church.
http://www.foundationcenter.org/grantmaker/moran/
1489 Chain Bridge Road — Suite 200
McLean, VA 22101Northern Piedmont Community Foundation
The Northern Piedmont Community Foundation mission is to enhance and preserve the quality of life in Culpeper, Fauquier, Madison, and Rappahannock Counties and strengthen the region’s nonprofit organizations.
The Foundation strives to strengthen the community and to reflect the diverse interests of its donors. We award grants in a wide range of program areas: Family, Child and Social Welfare, Public and Civic Life, Culture, Education, Health, Environment.
Northern Piedmont Community Foundation
PO Box 182
Warrenton, VA 20188540.349.0631
