The Kresge Foundation Grants (Early Childhood/Hope Starts Here and Health Programs)

The Kresge Foundation Grants (Early Childhood/Hope Starts Here and Health Programs) is sponsored by The Kresge Foundation. The Kresge Foundation supports the healthy development of young children and their preparation for educational success through investments in early childhood development, particularly in Detroit. Their 'Hope Starts Here' initiative, in partnership with the W.

Early Childhood/Hope Starts Here - Kresge Foundation Our Story at 100 Promoting human progress since 1924, expanding equity and opportunity today Our Staff Our work is made possible by a staff of mission-driven professionals Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Central to how we operate and fund, we center DEI in all we do Careers Check for new openings and learn about working at The Kresge Foundation Board of Trustees Leaders who provide governance, expertise and support to our work Press Room Resources and information for commnunications professional American Cities Effective, inclusive community development in U.S. cities Arts & Culture Positioning culture and creativity as drivers of more just communities Detroit Expanding long-term, equitable opportunity in our hometown Education Addressing postsecondary attainment and closing equity gaps Environment Helping cities with equitable climate resilience strategies Health Building equity-focused systems of health to achieve well-being Human Services Increasing social-economic mobility for people with low incomes Social Investment Practice Unlocking capital for community development Strategic Learning, Research & Evaluation Building a culture of learning across the organization and support community learning priorities Initiatives Our time-bound funding programs can bring multiple Kresge teams together to co-create strategies Grants & Social Investments Grants Awarded A database of grants dating back to 2009 Social Investments Made A database of PRIs, guarantees and other investments How to Apply Details on eligibility, FAQs, Fluxx guidance and more For Current Grantees FAQs for partners, communicating about your work and more Early Childhood /Hope Starts Here We are reimagining the city’s neighborhoods by putting essential building blocks in place that will support the healthy development of young children.

We do this in alignment with Hope Starts Here (HSH), an initiative launched in partnership with the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, focused on helping create a Detroit where children are born healthy, well-prepared for kindergarten, and on track for success by third grade and beyond.

Launched jointly in 2016 by Kresge and the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, Hope Starts Here (HSH) engaged more than 18,000 Detroit community members – from parents and childcare providers to business leaders – to create a framework for a coordinated, high-quality early childhood system.

The 10-year framework released in 2017 has six imperatives: Promote the health, development and well-being of all Detroit children. Support parents and caregivers as children’s first teachers and champions. Increase the overall quality of Detroit’s early childhood programs.

Guarantee safe and inspiring learning environments for children. Create tools and resources to better coordinate systems that impact early childhood. Find new ways to fund early childhood and make better use of existing resources.

In November 2019, HSH supporters marked progress at the third anniversary of the framework with the announcement of an implementation director and discussed progress on each of the imperatives. We support projects that advance imperatives laid out in the Hope Starts Here framework. We support grantees working across the six Hope Starts Here imperatives.

The Early Childhood Education Center In November 2019, Kresge and partners broke ground on a new $15 million early childhood education center as part of a cradle-to-career continuum on the Marygrove Conservancy campus in Northwest Detroit.

The center, expected to open in fall 2021 and serve approximately 144 children from birth to age 5, is a prime example of our commitment to both the Early Childhood/Hope Starts Here focus area and the Transformative Project/Marygrove focus area. The Early Childhood Education Center will support families of all income levels, with a focus on those residing in the surrounding Livernois-McNichols neighborhood.

The center will be operated by local early childhood operator Starfish Family Services, in collaboration with the Detroit Public Schools Community District and the University of Michigan School of Education. This center is an example of Kresge’s goal of ensuring that comprehensive neighborhood revitalization is centered on the needs of Detroit’s families and their children.

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