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Stranahan Foundation Early Childhood Education Professional Development Grant - Spring 2026 Cycle is sponsored by Stranahan Foundation. Supports professional development organizations, early childhood networks, institutions of higher education, and state/local early childhood departments designing and implementing larger-scale models serving 5+ early childhood programs.
Official opportunity description and requirements excerpt:
Strings > [System] Meta Tags, [System] Meta Description OR via Blue for page-specific tags --> Spring 2026 ECE Funding Cycle - Stranahan Foundation Community Stewardship Program Early Childhood Education Program Current Funding Opportunites Community Stewardship Program Early Childhood Education Program Current Funding Opportunites SPRING 2026 EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION FUNDING CYCLE OVERALL EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PROGRAM BLUEPRINT The Stranahan Foundation’s Early Childhood Education grant program aims to improve access to high-quality early care and education for young children, particularly those from low-income families. We do this by investing in the development and retention of a high-quality, thriving early educator workforce. To view our ECE Blueprint, click here . The spring 2026 funding cycle will support nonprofit organizations and projects that align with our Innovation and Proven Professional Development (PD) strategies. These strategies specifically fund professional development organizations, early childhood networks, institutions of higher education, and local and state early childhood departments that are designing and/or implementing larger-scale models (at 5+ early childhood programs). Here is more information about these strategies. To learn more about the qualifications and the types of projects we fund through these strategies, please click here . This call is open to U.S. nonprofit organizations, including fiscally sponsored groups, public school districts, and colleges that provide professional development to five or more early childhood providers or programs. Organizations must also have: A track record of providing professional development for early childhood professionals in centers, family childcare homes, or public-school Pre-K and kindergarten classrooms that results in positive learning outcomes for young children. A demonstrated history of collaborating with families, communities, and early childhood professionals on developing and refining its programs. A commitment to serving providers with student populations that are at least 60% low-income (Stranahan defines low-income as families with incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty level or 50% of the area’s median household income). Eligibility criteria vary depending on what strategy you are seeking to advance. For a high-level overview of the criteria for each strategy, see below. To qualify for the Proven PD strategy, applicants must: Develop or own the model within the proposal. Have a clear, well-defined logic model for the proven program. Have strong third-party evidence of positive results for early childhood professionals and classroom environments, ideally including child learning. This evidence should align with What Works Clearinghouse or ESSA Tier 1 or 2 evidence . Show successful implementation in various early childhood settings or geographic areas. Be proposing the type of project outlined in our Proven PD strategy document. To
Extracted from the official opportunity page/RFP to help you evaluate fit faster.
Strings > [System] Meta Tags, [System] Meta Description OR via Blue for page-specific tags --> Spring 2026 ECE Funding Cycle - Stranahan Foundation Community Stewardship Program Early Childhood Education Program Current Funding Opportunites Community Stewardship Program Early Childhood Education Program Current Funding Opportunites SPRING 2026 EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION FUNDING CYCLE OVERALL EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PROGRAM BLUEPRINT The Stranahan Foundation’s Early Childhood Education grant program aims to improve access to high-quality early care and education for young children, particularly those from low-income families.
We do this by investing in the development and retention of a high-quality, thriving early educator workforce. To view our ECE Blueprint, click here . The spring 2026 funding cycle will support nonprofit organizations and projects that align with our Innovation and Proven Professional Development (PD) strategies.
These strategies specifically fund professional development organizations, early childhood networks, institutions of higher education, and local and state early childhood departments that are designing and/or implementing larger-scale models (at 5+ early childhood programs). Here is more information about these strategies.
To learn more about the qualifications and the types of projects we fund through these strategies, please click here . This call is open to U. S.
nonprofit organizations, including fiscally sponsored groups, public school districts, and colleges that provide professional development to five or more early childhood providers or programs.
Organizations must also have: A track record of providing professional development for early childhood professionals in centers, family childcare homes, or public-school Pre-K and kindergarten classrooms that results in positive learning outcomes for young children. A demonstrated history of collaborating with families, communities, and early childhood professionals on developing and refining its programs.
A commitment to serving providers with student populations that are at least 60% low-income (Stranahan defines low-income as families with incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty level or 50% of the area’s median household income). Eligibility criteria vary depending on what strategy you are seeking to advance. For a high-level overview of the criteria for each strategy, see below.
Based on current listing details, eligibility includes: U. S. Applicants should confirm final requirements in the official notice before submission.
Current published award information indicates $100,000 to $500,000 per grant; Spring cycle offers up to $1.5 million total Always verify allowable costs, matching requirements, and funding caps directly in the sponsor documentation.
The current target date is March 1, 2026. Build your timeline backwards from this date to cover registrations, approvals, attachments, and final submission checks.
PERRYSBURG, OH
Total Assets
$124M
Total Grants
171
Total Giving
$9.5M
Avg Grant
$55K
FFAR Fellows Program (2026-2029 Cohort) is sponsored by Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research. Provides professional development and stipend support for PhD students conducting research in FFAR's priority areas, including sustainable agroecosystems and ranch management. Application snapshot: target deadline February 22, 2026; published funding information $10,000 - $55,000; eligibility guidance PhD students at U.S. or Canadian universities with research matching FFAR priority areas. Use the official notice and source links for final requirements, attachment checklists, allowable costs, and submission instructions before applying.
Farming Community Grant Program is sponsored by Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program. Farming Community Grant Program is sponsored by Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program. Farming Community Grant Program is sponsored by Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program. Official opportunity description and requirements excerpt: Farming Community Grant Program - SARE Northeast NE Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Innovations–Northeast SARE’s Newsletter Farming Community Grant Program Partnership Grant Program Research and Education Grant Program Professional Development Grant Program Graduate Student Research Grant Program Research for Novel Approaches in Sustainable Agriculture Grant Program SARE Outreach Publications Home » Grants » Farming Community Grant Program Farming Community Grant Program The Northeast SARE Farming Community Grant applies social science research and education projects that strengthen farming and food systems at the community level. These projects explore innovative approaches to improving the health and sustainability of agricultural communities in the Northeast. This program supports projects that are grounded in community partnerships and informed by the lived experiences of farmers. It encourages collaboration among farmers, service providers, researchers, and nonprofit organizations to co-create solutions that are responsive to local needs and scalable across the region. Question and Answer Sessions Northeast SARE staff concluded their Q&A sessions on the four large grant programs: Farming Community, Professional Development, Research & Education, and Research for Novel Approaches. Here is a copy of the presentation shared. You can view the session recordings at the links below: We've compiled questions from all rooms into a running FAQ document. This FAQ is a live resource that includes information from the introductory session and each breakout discussion. You can use Ctrl+F to search by keyword and browse tagged topics. For additional questions, please reach out to the Grant Administrator to the program you are interested in applying to, or northeast-large-grant@sare.org if you are still unsure. Please do your best having reviewed the CFP and Appendices in their entirety before reaching out with questions, many things are answered there! Grant Administrators are seeing a high volume of inquiries, so please be patient with a response time as it may take several days. Northeast SARE’s Administrative Council allocated approximately $3,300,000 to fund projects for this cycle of farming community grants. There is no cap on total grant requests, however, requests typically fall between $50,000 and $250,000. Technical Assistance Program Applicants and grantees of the Farming Community Grant Program are eligible for Technical Assistance (TA) provided by Northeast SARE’s Technical Assistance Providers. Request Technical Assistance Farming Community Grant Program Materials The Call for Proposals is now open. A completed budget using this template is part of the application process. Budget Template will auto-download when clicked. A completed Grant Commitment Form is required as part of the application process. Form will auto-download when clicked Rubric for Farming Community Grant Program Proposals Farming Community Grant Application snapshot: target deadline February 23, 2026; published funding information $5,000 - $30,000 (typical); eligibility guidance Community partnerships, agricultural organizations, and nonprofits in Northeast states including New Hampshire. Use the official notice and source links for final requirements, attachment checklists, allowable costs, and submission instructions before applying.
Application snapshot: target deadline March 1, 2026; published funding information $100,000 to $500,000 per grant; Spring cycle offers up to $1.5 million total; eligibility guidance U. S.
Use the official notice and source links for final requirements, attachment checklists, allowable costs, and submission instructions before applying.
To qualify for the Proven PD strategy, applicants must: Develop or own the model within the proposal. Have a clear, well-defined logic model for the proven program. Have strong third-party evidence of positive results for early childhood professionals and classroom environments, ideally including child learning.
This evidence should align with What Works Clearinghouse or ESSA Tier 1 or 2 evidence . Show successful implementation in various early childhood settings or geographic areas. Be proposing the type of project outlined in our Proven PD strategy document.
To qualify for the Innovation strategy, applicants must: Demonstrate with data the existing problem and how the solution is informed by teachers, low-income communities, and the data it intends to affect. It must also have established methods for gathering regular feedback from these stakeholders. Present a clear logic model that they will test during the grant period.
Include an evaluation plan that (a) measures the model’s impact on classroom environments, teacher practices, and ideally, child learning, and (b) helps us understand “what works, for whom, and under what conditions” by the end of the grant period. Plans to expand its reach if the program proves to be successful. Be proposing the type of project outlined in our Innovation strategy document.
This cycle has up to $1. 5 million in funding available to support innovation and proven professional development proposals . We are exclusively interested in projects that address the highest needs identified in our recent engagement with partners and the gaps in our learning portfolios.
Our 2026 priorities include: Affordable and scalable instructional coaching models. Research indicates that one of the most effective ways to improve educational quality is through ongoing, personalized, and collaborative coaching for educators. However, the quality and efficacy of coaching can vary significantly, and intensive coaching can be both costly and time-consuming.
Therefore, we aim to support initiatives that test or expand more affordable and scalable options for high-quality, individualized coaching in ECE classrooms. Leadership development and retention models. Strong, qualified ECE leaders are crucial for retaining high-quality educators, delivering exceptional care, engaging families, and operating effective organizations.
Currently, access to leadership development programs is limited or inconsistent. This cycle, we aim to support models for two key groups: Elementary School Principals : With the growth of publicly funded pre-kindergarten programs, elementary school principals are taking on more responsibility for supporting early childhood educators.
Research shows many feel unprepared to take on this role and face challenges in integrating these educators into K-3+ systems. Stranahan is interested in leadership support and development models that address this gap.
Leaders from under-resourced communities : With increasing funding challenges and rising educator burnout, Stranahan wants to support models that help site-level directors and program leaders from underserved communities navigate these challenges and promote high-quality learning environments.
This includes models that include: Content in three or more key areas, including pedagogy and instruction, administration and operations, personal development, team and interpersonal skills, and policy and community engagement. Formal and informal learning opportunities that are practical and at least six months (preferably more). Network or community-wide substitute or floater teacher pools .
Due to workforce shortages and teacher burnout, the Foundation has recently invested in supporting high-quality substitute and floater teacher pools within specific providers or programs. However, we are eager to explore how this could be implemented on a larger scale through a community or network-based approach.
Successful applicants must demonstrate that substitutes and floaters are or will be trained in high-quality teaching practices beyond basic health and safety and must connect the design of their models to teaching and learning goals. Reinvestment funding for recent Stranahan grantees .
Stranahan has allocated a portion of the funding in this cycle to support recent grantees (2020 or later) who have received funding to pilot innovative professional development models or adapt proven ones. We are especially interested in proposals that aim to: Refine or expand existing models based on insights gained from earlier funded work. Strengthen the evidence base through more rigorous evaluation.
Additional consideration will be given to organizations that best meet our overall program priorities, including being able to demonstrate: An understanding of how race, ethnicity, language, socioeconomic status, and other factors impact access to high-quality early childhood education and career advancement. Leadership reflective of communities most affected by disparities in early childhood outcomes.
Opportunities to pilot or develop a promising early-stage idea. Clear rationale for how time-limited funding will enable the organization to expand and deepen its impact post-grant period. A well-defined evaluation plan that includes at least one standardized assessment related to teacher or classroom outcomes.
Applicants may request funding of up to $500,000 (total) over three years. Key things to note: To qualify for the highest level of funding, your proposal must include multiple collaborators and engagement with local or state departments using a system-based approach focused on one of our priorities. The Foundation plans to award up to five grants in this funding cycle.
Each grant will average about $300,000. Semi-finalists will be asked to submit a detailed project budget in the second phase of the process. Budgets should align with the project's scope, support the proposed activities, and demonstrate how these activities relate to specific spending requests.
We will not consider proposals that include requests for: Ongoing professional development programming and operations. Stranahan-specific support for scholarships or tuition assistance (can be part of a larger project). Significant staff incentives (i.
e. , stipends, gift cards, pay). Projects not exclusively impacting children ages birth to five (including kindergarten).
Projects in which more than 25% of the proposed participants are currently or could be employed by the applicant organization. Projects serving early childhood professionals outside of the United States.
The four-phase application process includes: Pre-screening LOI (model-focused) Full proposal (funding request focused) Supplemental information (organization documents and implementation plan focused) To help you prepare, please click here to view a copy of the requirements for the LOI and Application phases. PLEASE NOTE: We will only review applications containing the required documentation.
Please review the timeline and due dates carefully. We recommend that applicants plan to submit their materials well in advance of each deadline, as we will only accept applications submitted in full through the designated system by the deadline. December 3, 2025 : Preliminary Screening LOIs are due via the online portal by 12:00 p.
m. Eastern. December 17, 2025 : Applicants will be notified if their proposal is advanced to the next round.
January 20, 2026 : Full proposals are due via the online portal by 12:00 p. m. Eastern Time.
February 13, 2026 : Applicants will be notified if their proposal is advanced to the final round. March 10, 2026: Supplemental information due via the online portal by 12:00 p. m.
Eastern. Late March – April 2026: Site Visits (we anticipate holding a combination of virtual or in-person site visits). June 30, 2026: Award notifications.
To start the LOI process, click here . FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: For a list of our most commonly asked questions, please click here .
PROSPECTIVE APPLICANT SUPPORT Prospective applicants are encouraged to take advantage of the following opportunities for proposal support: Question Period from November 5 through November 24: Our team will answer questions about this funding opportunity and the application process via our grants@stranahanfoundation. org email box. Please review the FAQ above before submitting your questions, as we update this document in real time.
Open office hours on November 7 and November 19: We will host two 60-minute virtual office hours blocks during which prospective applicants can drop in to ask questions directly to staff.
See details for these sessions below: Friday, November 7, from 11:30 am -12:30 pm Eastern (register for this session here) Wednesday, November 19, from 3:00 – 4:00 pm Eastern (register for this session here) Please note that our staff are in the Eastern Time Zone and will be unavailable from November 26 to 28. Our staff, the Early Childhood Consultant, and the Early Childhood Committee will review all LOIs and full proposal submissions.
Reviewers will rate and comment on various criteria. For more information on the individual criteria, please review the preliminary screening and application criteria . EVALUATION + REPORTING EXPECTATIONS OF GRANTEES All proposals must have a plan for tracking key outputs, outcomes, and learning throughout a project.
The strongest proposals will include at least some form of each of the following three types of evaluation: Process/Implementation Evaluation: Evaluation activities conducted for the purpose of determining if program activities were implemented as planned. This includes understanding who, what, when, and where, as well as identifying barriers.
These activities generally include attendance and coaching logs, fidelity checklists, and human resource records. Possible metrics would involve: Participation, engagement, and completion rates Implementation fidelity (for coaching and train-the-trainer models) Formative Evaluation: Evaluation activities conducted for the purpose of assessing strengths and areas for improvement.
These activities typically include training, pre- and post-tests, observations, surveys, and focus groups with participants, leaders, or parents. Possible metrics would involve: Participant, management, and parent satisfaction rates Perceived knowledge or skills improvements Outcomes/Impact Evaluation : Evaluation activities that more objectively measure changes in behavior, knowledge, skills, or practices using standardized tools.
These activities could be performed by trained in-house staff or third-party external evaluators. Possible metrics would involve: Changes in classroom or teacher assessment scores (e. g.
, CLASS, ECERS, ELLCO) Changes in child assessment scores (e. g. , ASQ, TS Gold, Brigance) Workforce retention rates Increased instructional coaching ( leadership development programs only ) The evaluation tools and methods you propose should fit the project's context, its development stage, and any existing evaluations that may have informed your approach.
You can choose to include an external evaluator in your proposal, but it is not required unless you are requesting funding for a more rigorous evaluation (e. g. , experimental, quasi-experimental, or randomized controlled trials).
Finalists will be expected to collaborate with their assigned program officer to develop a set of grant metrics for reporting. The Stranahan Foundation typically requires one narrative grant report annually.
However, we may request more frequent reports or regular check-ins if your organization has a short operating history, limited financial resources, a complex organizational structure, or is involved in an experimental or complex project.
2025 Federal Poverty Guidelines Logic Model – Module 1 Video , Institute of Education Sciences YouTube Channel Developing a Logic Model or Theory of Change , The Community Tool Box Logic Model Development Guide , W. K.
Kellogg Foundation A Four-Step Approach to Engage Adult Learners , Mathematica Adult Learning Theory: the 10 Key Principles and best practices , Big THINK IMPACT Measures Tool by the Institute for Child Success ESSA Tiers of Evidence (a framework for determining which programs, practices, strategies, and interventions work in which contexts for which students).
The Stranahan Foundation form 990PF and form 990T is available upon request by contacting mail@stranahanfoundation. org
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