SAN DIEGO (CNS) - The San Diego Foundation announced Friday it is making more than $250,000 in grant funding available for nonprofit organizations working to support young children and their families with increased access to childcare.
The 2021 Early Childhood Initiative Responsive Grant is intended to support nonprofit organizations addressing the needs of children through the age of 5 in the San Diego region.
According to "Roadmap for Resilience," a report issued in December by the California Surgeon General, adverse childhood experiences and trauma represent an urgent public health crisis with wide-reaching health and societal impacts.
Grant application criteria is informed by the report, as well as by regional data and local stakeholders, and reflects that ACEs are an important issue impacting children, families and service providers that deliver care in San Diego County.
Funding for the 2021 grant cycle will focus on abuse prevention, mental and behavioral health support and health equity.
To be considered, nonprofits proposing projects "must work to expand child care for low- to moderate-income communities and populations experiencing health inequities or negative social determinants of health," according to a foundation statement.
The San Diego Foundation will accept requests up to $25,000. The deadline to apply is April 23 at 5 p.m.
The San Diego Foundation Early Childhood Initiative is intended to build upon a regional vision supporting both immediate impact initiatives and systems-level change in early education. The initiative was founded on the belief that early childhood care and education is essential to the health, development and future success of San Diego children and the regional economy.
The ECI Responsive Grant is one component of the Early Childhood Initiative's collaborative work with regional partners intended to strengthen families, increase health equity, bolster the regional workforce and support economic growth.
For more information about the Early Childhood Initiative, or to apply for a grant, visit their website.
