Robins Foundation Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Grant Cycle

Robins Foundation Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Grant Cycle is sponsored by Robins Foundation. The Robins Foundation accepts grant applications from nonprofit organizations focused on early childhood care and education (ECCE) in Richmond City, Chesterfield, Henrico, and/or Petersburg.

They prioritize programs that promote exceptional learning environments, positive adult-child interactions, sustainable workforce development, and advocacy efforts.

Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) – ROBINS FOUNDATION Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Robins Foundation Announces Second ECCE Grant Cycle for 2025 Dan Halloran Announcements , Featured Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) , Grantmaking Robins Foundation is now accepting grant applications from nonprofit organizations focused on early childhood care and education (ECCE).

This is our second of two ECCE grant cycles of the 2025 calendar year. Our grant amounts will start at $25,000, and we will prioritize programs and initiatives that promote exceptional learning environments, positive adult-child interactions, sustainable workforce development, and advocacy efforts.

Please note the mandatory pre-application conversation with our program director, Meg Pienkowski, must be completed between July 21 and August 1, 2025 . You can only schedule a call after you complete the pre-application questions, which will be available July 16. The final deadline to submit your full application is Friday, August 29, 2025 .

TECHNICAL NOTE: Last year, we transitioned from our former grants portal, SmartSimple, to a new grants portal called GOapply (linked here). Please reference this link for more information about registering and using GOapply. For children to thrive, they need access to early, high-quality care and educational experiences, as well as families that are supported and engaged.

These factors influence children’s brain development, school readiness, and long-term wellbeing, so we fund projects in four focus areas : High quality programs directly serving children ages 0-5 Eligible projects and organizations include those that: Primarily support children and their families during prenatal stages through age 5 Serve community members in Richmond City, Chesterfield, Henrico, and/or Petersburg Qualify as 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations Which organizations and projects are not eligible?

Proposals are ineligible for funding if they exclusively focus on: Travel to conferences or other events Budget shortfalls or cash flow issues Religious-based curriculum, admissions practices, or required attendance at religious events If your nonprofit received a Robins Foundation grant in June 2025, we request that you wait until our next grant cycle to apply. Any questions about your eligibility can be directed to grants@robinsfdn.

org . We’re eligible! How do I apply?

Please complete these steps in order . Log-in to GOapply (linked here) and select the 2025 ECCE Cycle 2 opportunity. Complete the eligibility quiz and pre-application questionnaire.

While completing the pre-application questionnaire, you will be invited to schedule a call with our program director. Please schedule early, as slots fill up quickly. Pre-app calls will be offered July 21 – August 1, 2025 Complete a full application in our online grants portal (linked here).

Complete this step only after your pre-application conversation. Available: Upon completion of your pre-app call Deadline: August 29, 2025 Grant decisions and notifications. If you have any questions, or if you need to remove a contact from your organizational profile, please reach out to us at grants@robinsfdn.

org . We wish you the best of luck with your application. Your Friends at Robins Foundation 2025 Grant Cycle Announcement Stacy_Buchanan Announcements Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) , Grantmaking On Wednesday, January 22, 2025 , Robins Foundation will start accepting grant applications from nonprofit organizations focused on early childhood care and education (ECCE).

This is our first of two ECCE grant cycles of the 2025 calendar year. Our grant amounts will start at $25,000, and we will prioritize programs and initiatives that promote exceptional learning environments, positive adult-child interactions, sustainable workforce development, and advocacy efforts. The final deadline to submit your full application is Friday, March 7, 2025 .

Please note the mandatory pre-application conversation with our program director, Meg Pienkowski, must be completed by Friday, February 7, 2025. TECHNICAL NOTE: We recently transitioned from our former grants portal, SmartSimple, to a new grants portal called GOapply. Please reference this link for more information about registering and using GOapply.

For children to thrive, they need access to early, high-quality care and educational experiences, as well as families that are supported and engaged.

These factors influence children’s brain development, school readiness, and long-term wellbeing, so we fund projects in four focus areas : High quality programs directly serving children ages 0-5 Eligible projects and organizations include those that: Primarily support children and their families during prenatal stages through age 5 Serve community members in Richmond City, Chesterfield, Henrico, and/or Petersburg Qualify as 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations Which organizations and projects are not eligible?

Proposals are ineligible for funding if they exclusively focus on: Travel to conferences or other events Budget shortfalls or cash flow issues Religious-based curriculum and/or admissions practices If your nonprofit is currently receiving Robins Foundation support through December 2025, we request that you wait until our next grant cycle to apply. Any questions about your eligibility can be directed to grants@robinsfdn. org .

We’re eligible! How do I apply? Please complete these steps in order .

Log-in to GOapply and select the 2025 ECCE Cycle 1 opportunity. Complete the eligibility quiz and pre-application questionnaire. Available: January 22, 2025.

Deadline: February 5, 2025. While completing the pre-application questionnaire, you will be invited to schedule a call with our program director. Please schedule early, as slots fill up quickly.

January 27 – February 7, 2025 Complete a full application in our online grants portal. Complete this step only after your pre-application conversation. Available: Upon completion of your pre-app call.

Deadline: March 7, 2025 Grant decisions and notifications. Mid-June, 2025 If you have any questions, or if you need to remove a contact from your organizational profile, please reach out to us at grants@robinsfdn. org .

We wish you the best of luck with your application.

Robins Foundation Refines Early Childhood Strategy Based on Community Feedback Robins Foundation Announcements , Featured , News Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) As a part of our ongoing commitment to learn and improve how we work alongside our community to address current and long standing needs, Robins Foundation completed a comprehensive, inclusive process to collect insights and feedback to further strengthen our early childhood investment strategy and approach to learning and evaluation.

This refinement is a progression of the work we began at the end of 2021, when we announced that we would be investing more deeply, and more narrowly, into early childhood care and education (ECCE).

We partnered with School Readiness Consulting (SRC), a nationally recognized group that helps organizations elevate their early learning efforts, to host focus groups and interviews with nearly 50 early childhood leaders representing grantees, funders, content experts, agency leaders, and other providers and partners, as well as staff and board members.

Based on all the feedback and review of key documents related to the early childhood landscape, SRC identified important opportunities for us to enhance our philanthropic strategy for early childhood. The result is an updated and refined investment strategy and learning plan called “Vision to Impact,” and you can learn more here .

We greatly appreciate SRC’s expertise and guidance, and we want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the many early childhood leaders, as well as our staff and board, who played such a critical role in the development of Vision to Impact. We look forward to implementing this refined strategy in collaboration with our partners and grantees.

In fact, many of you will be hearing from us in the near future as we provide opportunities to continue your involvement during the next phases of this collaborative process.

Robins Foundation Announces Second ECCE Grant Cycle for 2024 Robins Foundation Announcements , Featured , News Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) , Grantmaking We’re excited to announce that Robins Foundation will start accepting grant applications from nonprofit organizations focused on early childhood care and education (ECCE) beginning Monday, July 29, 2024 .

This is the second of two ECCE grant cycles of the 2024 calendar year. This year’s first ECCE grant cycle was announced in February. As we mentioned in our initial announcement, 2024 marks the second full year that we’ve invested more strategically in ECCE, an approach that makes it possible to provide additional resources to organizations doing great work in the community to support early childhood care and education.

Significant gaps remain in this area, and we are confident that philanthropy can play a pivotal role in addressing this critical need. Our grant amounts will start at $25,000, and we will prioritize programs and initiatives that promote exceptional learning environments, positive adult-child interactions, sustainable workforce development, and advocacy efforts. The final deadline to submit your application is Friday, September 6, 2024 .

Please note the mandatory pre-application conversation with our program officer, Meg Pienkowski, must be completed by Wednesday, August 14, 2024. As you consider applying, we also want to share that we recently transitioned from our former grants portal, SmartSimple, to a new grants portal called GOapply.

This transition will better facilitate our own internal processes, communications, and recordkeeping, while also offering helpful benefits to current and prospective applicants. Strengthening our grantmaking process and improving the application experience for returning and future applicants are both important, and this change will help us accomplish both of these goals.

You can learn more about the transition, what it means for applicants, and more information about registering and using GOapply here . As with the first round of grants, we’re focused on areas that will allow children to thrive, increase access to early, high-quality care and educational experiences, and ensure that families are supported and engaged.

With that in mind, we fund projects in three focus areas : Provider support & infrastructure for early care and education Parenting support & engagement Early childhood policy & advocacy Eligible projects and organizations include those that: Primarily support children and their families during prenatal stages through age 5 Serve community members in Richmond City, Chesterfield, Henrico, and/or Petersburg Qualify as 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations Which organizations and projects are not eligible?

Proposals are ineligible for funding if they exclusively focus on: Travel to conferences or other events Budget shortfalls or cash flow issues Religious-based curriculum and/or admissions practices If your nonprofit is currently receiving Robins Foundation support through June 2025, we request that you wait until our next grant cycle to apply. Any questions about your eligibility can be directed to grants@robinsfdn. org.

We’re eligible! How do I apply? Please complete these steps in order .

Log-in to GOapply (linked here) and select the 2024 ECCE Cycle 2 opportunity. Complete the eligibility quiz and pre-application questionnaire. Deadline: August 12, 2024 While completing the pre-application questionnaire, you will be invited to schedule a call with our program officer.

Please schedule early, as slots fill up quickly. Deadline: August 14, 2024 Complete a full application in our online grants portal (linked here). Complete this step only after your pre-application conversation.

Deadline: September 6, 2024 Grant decisions and notifications: Mid-December, 2024 If you have any questions about applying, working with GOapply, or if you need to remove a contact from your organizational profile, please reach out to us at grants@robinsfdn. org. Thank you for considering applying for an ECCE grant and we wish you the best.

Your Friends at Robins Foundation Robins Foundation’s ECCE Grant Cycle for 2024 Opens Robins Foundation Announcements , Featured , Insights Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) , Grantmaking We’ve got some exciting news! On Monday, February 5, 2024 , Robins Foundation will begin accepting grant applications from nonprofit organizations focused on early childhood care and education (ECCE).

This is our first of two ECCE grant cycles in the 2024 calendar year. The second will be announced in July. As you may remember, this is the second full year t hat Robins Foundation will be investing more narrowly into early childhood care and education (ECCE), a strategic direction that will allow us to provide more funding and support to organizations helping meet the ECCE needs in our community.

We know the impact investing in early childhood education can have. It has the power to change the trajectory of individual lives and the futures of entire families, as well as deliver significant returns for the community that enhance our region as a vibrant and attractive place to live. The early education funding provided by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) expired last September.

While Virginia leveraged additional resources through strategic partnerships to continue providing support in 2024, a fiscal cliff is approaching, and Robins is committed to investing more in this critical area. As federal funding dries up, providers will have trouble hiring and retaining staff, available slots will be reduced, and parents in the workforce will have to pay more or keep their child at home.

And while we expect additional ECCE investment in the state budget, major gaps remain. We believe that philanthropy can play a crucial role in addressing these gaps. With this in mind, we are eager to partner with you during such a critical time and appreciate your commitment to early childhood care and education.

Our grant amounts will begin at $25,000, and we will prioritize programs and initiatives that promote exceptional learning environments, positive adult-child interactions, sustainable workforce development, and advocacy efforts. The final deadline to submit your application is Friday, March 8, 2024 .

Please note the mandatory pre-application conversation with our program officer, Meg Pienkowski, must be completed by Friday, February 9, 2024. For children to thrive, they need access to early, high-quality care and educational experiences, as well as families that are supported and engaged.

These factors influence children’s brain development, school readiness, and long-term wellbeing, so we fund projects in three focus areas : Provider support & infrastructure for early care and education Parenting support & engagement Early childhood policy & advocacy Eligible projects and organizations include those that: Primarily support children and their families during prenatal stages through age 5 Serve community members in Richmond City, Chesterfield, Henrico, and/or Petersburg Qualify as 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations Which organizations and projects are not eligible?

Proposals are ineligible for funding if they exclusively focus on: Travel to conferences or other events Budget shortfalls or cash flow issues Religious-based curriculum and/or admissions practices If your nonprofit is currently receiving Robins Foundation support through December 2024, we request that you wait until our next grant cycle to apply. Any questions about your eligibility can be directed to grants@robinsfdn. org.

We’re eligible! How do I apply? Please complete these steps in order .

NOTE: If you plan to apply for the same project or initiative Robins Foundation funded in June 2023, you do not need to submit the pre-application questionnaire and can proceed directly to step two below. 1. Submit a short pre-application questionnaire (linked here) .

Once submitted you will be able to schedule a call with our program officer. Deadline: February 7, 2024 2. Use this link to schedule a 30-minute phone conversation with our program officer.

Please schedule early, as slots fill up quickly. January 29 – February 9, 2024 3. Complete a full application in our online grants system (linked here).

Complete this step only after your pre-application conversation. Deadline: March 8, 2024 4. Grant decisions and notifications.

Early June, 2024 If you have any questions, or if you need to remove a contact from your organizational profile, please reach out to us at grants@robinsfdn. org. We wish you the best of luck with your application.

Robins Foundation 2023 Early Childhood Care & Education Grant Announcement – Cycle Two Robins Foundation Announcements , Featured , Insights Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) , Grantmaking Robins Foundation’s Board recently approved grants to 18 organizations working in early childhood care & education for our second and final grant cycle of 2023.

Grants in this cycle prioritized programs and initiatives that promote exceptional learning environments, positive adult-child interactions, sustainable workforce development, and enhanced advocacy efforts. Children thrive when they have access to early, high-quality childcare and educational experiences, and families that are supportive and engaged.

Each supports children’s brain development, school readiness, and long-term wellbeing, so we address these efforts by funding projects in three focus areas : Provider support & infrastructure for early care and education Parenting support & engagement Early childhood policy & advocacy We are excited to announce that the following organizations received grants in this cycle: Anna Julia Cooper School for Tuition support for Pre-K (4-year-old) children Autism Program of Virginia Inc TAP-VA Inc for Preschool Inclusion Program Chesterfield Education Foundation for Chester Early Childhood Learning Academy Children’s Assistive Technology Service for Early Access to Assistive Technology City of Richmond Public Library Foundation for RVA Reads in Nontraditional Childcare Family Lifeline for Growing Well Home Visiting Fulton Montessori School for Stabilization of Early Childhood Education Provider in Fulton Hill Greater Richmond SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now) for Circle Preschool Program (CPP) Henrico Education Foundation Incorporated for Virginia Early Learning Partners Medical Home Plus Inc. for Individualized Education Program (IEP) Advisory Services for Low Income Families of Children with Disabilities Reach Out and Read Inc. for Reach Out and Read – Greater Richmond Initiative Richmond Performing Art Alliance for Baby Artsplay!

™ Science Museum of Virginia Foundation Inc for Early ExpLORE at LightPlace St.

James’s Children’s Center for Building Competency that Lasts a Lifetime and Spans Generations Virginia Down Syndrome Association for Interactions across Abilities Virginia Foundation for Community College Education for College Attainment for Parents of young children Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy for Early Childhood Policy and Advocacy VPM Media Corporation for “The Earliest Years Matter” public awareness campaign “These organizations lead critical efforts to advance childcare access and quality, advocate for early childhood-focused policy change, and empower and equip families to support their children’s early development and education,” says Robins Foundation President & CEO, Chris Chin.

“We are excited to both expand and deepen our investments and partnerships in the early childhood sector with our next grant cycle that will launch in January 2024.

” Robins Foundation’s Final ECCE Grant Cycle for 2023 Opens Robins Foundation Announcements , Featured , Insights Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) , Grantmaking On Monday, July 31, 2023, Robins Foundation will start accepting grant applications from nonprofit organizations focused on early care and education (ECE). This is our second and final ECE grant cycle of the 2023 calendar year.

ECE grants in this cycle will range from $25,000 to $150,000, and will prioritize programs and initiatives that promote exceptional learning environments, positive adult-child interactions, sustainable workforce development, and advocacy efforts. If you are a nonprofit childcare provider and wish to apply for funding of less than $25,000, please apply through our nonprofit Supporting Early Education and Development (SEED) opportunity .

The final deadline to submit your application is Friday, August 25, 2023. Please note that the mandatory pre-application conversation with our program officer, Meg Pienkowski, must be completed by Friday, August 4, 2023. For children to thrive, they need access to early, high-quality care and educational experiences, as well as families that are supported and engaged.

These factors influence children’s brain development, school readiness, and long-term wellbeing, so we fund projects in three focus areas : Provider support & infrastructure for early care and education Parenting support & engagement Early childhood policy & advocacy Eligibility Requirements: Eligible projects and organizations include those that: Primarily support children and their families during prenatal stages through age 5 Serve community members in Richmond City, Chesterfield, Henrico, and/or Petersburg Qualify as 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations Which organizations and projects are not eligible?

Proposals are ineligible for funding if they exclusively focus on: Travel to conferences or other events Budget shortfalls or cash flow issues Religious-based curriculum and/or admissions practices If your nonprofit is currently receiving Robins Foundation support through June 2024, we request that you wait until our first grant cycle in 2024 to apply. Any questions about your eligibility can be directed to grants@robinsfdn. org .

We’re eligible! How do I apply? Please complete these steps in order.

NOTE: If you plan to apply for the same project or initiative Robins Foundation funded in September 2022, you do not need to submit the pre-application questionnaire and can proceed directly to step 2 below. 1. Submit a short pre-application questionnaire.

Once submitted you will be able to schedule a call with our program officer. Deadline August 2, 2023 2. Use this link to schedule a 30-minute phone conversation with our program officer.

July 24 – August 4, 2023 3. Complete a full application in our online grants system. Complete this step only after your pre-application conversation.

Deadline: August 25, 2023 4. Grant decisions and notifications. Early December 2023 If you have any questions, or if you need to remove a contact from your organizational profile, please reach out to us at grants@robinsfdn.

org . We wish you the best of luck with your application. Robins Foundation 2023 ECCE Grant Announcement- Cycle One Robins Foundation Announcements , Featured , Insights Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) , Grantmaking For children to thrive, they require access to high quality early childhood education, care, and experiences.

Early childhood systems and opportunities are crucial for our children’s cognitive development, school readiness, and lifelong wellbeing and happiness. However, challenges like the nation’s childcare crisis put access to these formative experiences at risk. Robins Foundation’s Early Childhood grants aim to support organizations building the infrastructure and programs that will help set our children up for lifelong success.

They also lay the groundwork for the continued growth and success of our region by caring for our future leaders, innovators, and workforce. In keeping with Robins Foundation’s vision of a vibrant Richmond, investing in our region’s young children provides long-lasting and sustainable community impact. To that end, we are pleased to announce the following grantee partners for our first early childhood-focused grant cycle of 2023.

Children’s Museum of Richmon d Communities in Schools of Petersburg Healthy Heart Plus II, Inc. Little Hands Virginia, Inc. Save the Children Federation, Inc. Smart Beginnings Southeast United Way of Greater Richmond Virginia Association for Infant Mental Health Virginia Commonwealth University Foundation Virginia Literacy Foundation Virginia Repertory Theatre Voices for Virginia’s Children Young Men’s Christian Association of Greater Richmond “Whether through professional development, policy and advocacy, family empowerment, or increased access to quality programs, every one of these organizations is providing critical programs and services that help our children build a firm foundation that will last a lifetime,” says Robins Foundation President & CEO, Chris Chin.

“We are proud to invest in these organizations and their efforts to support early childhood education and well-being in our region. ” Robins Foundation 2023 ECCE Grant Announcement Robins Foundation Announcements , Featured , Insights Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) , Grantmaking We’ve got some exciting news! We are now accepting grant applications from nonprofit organizations focused on early care and education.

Our grants will range from $25,000 to $150,000, and we will prioritize programs and initiatives that promote exceptional learning environments, positive adult-child interactions, sustainable workforce development, and advocacy efforts.

If your nonprofit provides early care and education and wishes to apply for funding of less than $25,000, please be on the lookout for an announcement this spring about a streamlined, childcare provider-specific grant opportunity. The final deadline to submit your application is Friday, March 3, 2023 .

For children to thrive, they need access to early, high-quality care and educational experiences, as well as families that are supported and engaged.

These factors influence children’s brain development, school readiness, and long-term wellbeing, so we fund projects in three focus areas : Provider support & infrastructure for early care and education Parenting support & engagement Early childhood policy & advocacy Eligible projects and organizations include those that: Primarily support children and their families during prenatal stages through age 5 Serve community members in Richmond City, Chesterfield, Henrico, and/or Petersburg Qualify as 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations Which organizations and projects are not eligible?

Proposals are ineligible for funding if they exclusively focus on: Travel to conferences or other events Budget shortfalls or cash flow issues Religious-based curriculum and/or admissions practices If your nonprofit received a competitive grant in June 2022, you are eligible to apply again. If you received a competitive grant in September 2022, we request that you wait until our next grant cycle (opening in July) to apply.

Any questions about your eligibility can be directed to grants@robinsfdn. org . We’re eligible!

How do I apply? Please complete these steps in order . NOTE: If you plan to apply for the same project or initiative Robins Foundation funded in June 2022, you do not need to submit the pre-application questionnaire and can proceed directly to step 2 below.

1. Submit a short pre-application questionnaire (linked here). Once submitted you will be able to schedule a call with our program officer.

Deadline: February 8, 2023 2. Use this link to schedule a 30-minute phone conversation with our program officer. January 23-February 10, 2023 3.

Complete a full application in our online grants system (linked here). Complete this step only after your pre-application conversation. 4.

Grant decisions and notifications If you have any questions, or if you need to remove a contact from your organizational profile, please reach out to us at grants@robinsfdn. org. We wish you the best of luck with your application.

Robins Foundation ECE Grant Announcement- Cycle Two Robins Foundation Announcements , Featured , Insights Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) , Grantmaking Investments in Early Childhood Education (ECE) have the power to change the trajectory of individual lives and entire families, as well as deliver significant returns for the community.

Access to high-quality early childhood experiences sets children and their families up for long-term success by: Preparing children for school and lifelong learning Providing support of child development and general well-being Equipping parents to be their children’s best first teachers These investments are all the more important as young children recover from pandemic impacts and the Richmond region contends with a widespread lack of affordable, accessible child care.

To that end, we are pleased to announce the following grantee partners for our second ECE-focused grant cycle which totaled $780,000: City of Richmond Public Library Foundation – $60,000 for RVA Reads in Nontraditional Childcare: Boosting Skills, Engaging Parents and Caregivers Down Syndrome Association of Greater Richmond – $50,000 for Interactions Across Abilities Family Lifeline – $75,000 for Early Childhood Intensive Home Visiting Friends Association for Children – $75,000 for Raising the Bar on Early Childhood Education Greater Richmond SCAN – Stop Child Abuse Now – $50,000 for Circle Preschool Program Henrico Education Foundation – $100,000 for Virginia Early Learning Partners: An Initiative of the Henrico Education Foundation Reach Out and Read – $75,000 for Reach Out and Read- Greater Richmond Initiative Richmond Behavioral Health Foundation – $50,000 for Supporting Children Exposed to Substance Use Richmond Performing Arts Alliance – $20,000 for Baby Artsplay!

™ Urban Baby Beginnings – $75,000 for Richmond Resource Mothers Program VPM Media – $50,000 for VPM Early Childhood Education program “From preschool programs to home visiting to parenting support and education, these organizations work tirelessly to ensure our region’s youngest children get the best start,” shares Robins Foundation President & CEO, Chris Chin. “We’re grateful for their efforts and delighted to support them. ”