Grants for Nonprofit Child Care Centers

Hearst Foundations' Mission

The Hearst Foundations identify and fund outstanding nonprofits to ensure that people of all backgrounds in the United States have the opportunity to build healthy, productive and inspiring lives.

Hearst Foundations' Goals

The Foundations seek to achieve their mission by funding approaches that result in:

• Improved health and quality of life
• Access to high quality educational options to promote increased academic achievement
• Arts and sciences serving as a cornerstone of society
• Sustainable employment and productive career paths for adults
• Stabilizing and supporting families

Funding Priorities

The Hearst Foundations support well-established nonprofit organizations that address significant issues within their major areas of interests – culture, education, health and social service – and that primarily serve large demographic and/or geographic constituencies. In each area of funding, the Foundations seek to identify those organizations achieving truly differentiated results relative to other organizations making similar efforts for similar populations. The Foundations also look for evidence of sustainability beyond their support.

Culture

The Hearst Foundations fund cultural institutions that offer meaningful programs in the arts and sciences, prioritizing those which enable engagement by young people and create a lasting and measurable impact. The Foundations also fund select programs nurturing and developing artistic talent.

Types of Support: Program, capital and, on a limited basis, general and endowment support

Education

The Hearst Foundations fund educational institutions demonstrating uncommon success in preparing students to thrive in a global society. The Foundations’ focus is largely on higher education, but they also fund innovative models of early childhood and K-12 education, as well as professional development.

Types of Support: Program, scholarship, capital and, on a limited basis, general and endowment support

Health

The Hearst Foundations assist leading regional hospitals, medical centers and specialized medical institutions providing access to high-quality healthcare for low-income populations. In response to the shortage of healthcare professionals necessary to meet the country’s evolving needs, the Foundations also fund programs designed to enhance skills and increase the number of practitioners and educators across roles in healthcare. Because the Foundations seek to use their funds to create a broad and enduring impact on the nation’s health, support for medical research and the development of young investigators is also considered.

Types of Support: Program, capital and, on a limited basis, endowment support

Social Service

The Hearst Foundations fund direct-service organizations that tackle the roots of chronic poverty by applying effective solutions to the most challenging social and economic problems. The Foundations prioritize supporting programs that have proven successful in facilitating economic independence and in strengthening families. Preference is also given to programs with the potential to scale productive practices in order to reach more people in need.

Types of Support: Program, capital and general support

NOTE: The Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications or letters of inquiry. We prefer to develop projects in collaboration with organizations aligned with our mission and funding priorities. However, if you believe your program or project would be a good fit with the Foundation’s funding priorities, please email a brief one-page description of your program.

About 

The mission of the Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation is to improve the quality of life for families and their communities through support of innovative projects and successful ongoing programs.

We are particularly interested in programs that engage individuals, families, and communities in Jewish life; support excellence and inspiration in arts and culture; and strengthen families and society.

Strengthening Families and Society

The Foundation seeks to create a vibrant and equitable society where children and families flourish, and all people are treated with respect and feel accepted and safe. Specifically, we endeavor to:

• Promote Behavioral Health Support Services, by identifying and addressing the behavioral and mental health needs of pregnant women, mothers with new babies and families with young children. This work is focused on employing strategic systems-building strategies in a variety of settings including, but not limited to:
  • schools, child care centers, health care providers and home visiting programs.
• Create a More Civil Society, by investing in and championing education that promotes equality, deepens understanding of democracy, increases social justice, and teaches people to productively engage in a civil society.
• Combat Antisemitism, by ensuring justice and fair treatment for Jewish communities and foster respect and understanding through education.

Types of Grants Available

Grants are available for general operating and project support, especially for innovative approaches and new initiatives. We are particularly interested in emphasizing long-term impact, encouraging organizational sustainability, and investing in systems-building to strengthen fields. Requests for capital and endowment grants are generally not accepted, but the Trustees may initiate such grants at their discretion.

Do you provide dental care to children whose families cannot afford it?

If yes, apply for an AAPD Foundation grant

Selected applicants can receive one-year grants of up to $20,000, supporting community-based initiatives in the U.S. that provide dental care and ultimately serve as a Dental Home to underserved/limited access children.

Overview

AAPD Foundation: The Foundation of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry is committed to supporting community-based initiatives providing Dental Homes to children whose families cannot afford dental care. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry defines a Dental Home as the ongoing relationship between the dentist and the patient, inclusive of all aspects of oral health care, delivered in a comprehensive, continuously accessible, coordinated, and family-centered way. One way the Foundation supports this goal is through one-year Access to Care Grants in support of care for children up to age 18. Access to Care Grants support community-based initiatives in the U.S. that provide dental care and ultimately serve as a Dental Home to underserved/limited access children.

Use of Funds

Foundation funds may be applied to cover costs such as, but not limited to:

• Child oral health care
• Clinic supplies, instruments and equipment
• Salary
• Education and/or outreach to recruit dentist participation in program activities
• Special health care needs

All expense items must have clear, direct impact on pediatric oral health care and a direct link to the Dental Home.

2021 Focus on Racism and Health

Hillman Innovations in Care Program

The Hillman Innovations in Care (HIC) Program was established in 2014 to advance innovative, nursing-driven models of care that target the health and healthcare needs of groups and communities who have historically struggled against oppression, discrimination and indifference. These populations include Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), the economically disadvantaged, LGBTQ+ people, people experiencing homelessness, low-income rural populations, and others.

This year the HIC program is issuing a special call for submissions that address racism and its impact on health. Racism has been, and remains, the root cause of serious health inequities that unjustly affect communities of color. These disparities include increased risk for diabetes, heart disease, obesity and mental illness; inequitable access to high quality care; inordinately negative outcomes such as infant and maternal mortality rates for Black mothers and babies that are twice as high as those for white populations, and life expectancy that can be as much as ten years shorter than white counterparts living a short drive away. 

The disproportionate harm of the COVID-19 pandemic in Black, Indigenous and other communities of color and police killings as part of a long history of police brutality are other manifestations of structural racism and societal inequities. Addressing and dismantling racism in its myriad forms—structural, interpersonal, and institutional—is a critical and constructive approach to advancing health equity and improving population health.

Goals

The goal of the HIC program is to advance leading-edge, nursing-driven models of care that will improve the health and health care of vulnerable populations, including the economically disadvantaged, racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ people, the homeless, rural populations, and other groups that encounter barriers to accessing health-care services.

We seek bold, creative, patient- and family-centered approaches that challenge conventional strategies, improve health outcomes, lower costs, and enhance patient and family caregiver experience.

Program Priorities

The 2021 HIC program seeks proposals for bold, nursing-driven interventions that:

• Seek to mitigate the effects of racism on health and/or narrow gaps in health equity
• Identify and address sources of racism that affect health
• Challenge conventional strategies for delivering and improving care to populations affected by racism 
• Build trust and credibility in programs or systems of care
• Are informed by anti-racism practices
• Present strong preliminary evidence
• Show potential for broad replicability

The Foundation seeks proposals that address the health care needs of the vulnerable populations in the following areas:

• Maternal and child health
• Care of the older adult
• Chronic illness management

 Types of Proposals

• The adaptation of proven nursing-driven models to new or expanded settings or patient populations. The adaptation should be past the pilot phase and demonstrate significant preliminary evidence.
• The expansion of emerging nursing-driven models with early evidence suggesting a strong likelihood for achieving Triple Aim-like outcomes on a broad scale.

All proposals must address the potential for:

• Improving health, lowering costs, and enhancing patient and caregiver experience
• Scalability
• Sustainability

Grant Awards

The program will award two grants of up to $600,000 each, distributed over a 36-month period.

NOTE: The first deadline is for registration. Registration is required and is a simple two-step process.

About Us

Founded as a nonprofit affiliate of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in 2019, Lever for Change has influenced more than $800 million in grants and provided support to more than 140 organizations to date.

Lever for Change leverages investments in solutions to the world’s biggest problems — from racial and gender equity to climate change. By matching donors with problem solvers — through customized challenges and tailored funding opportunities — Lever for Change accelerates social change. Outstanding teams from these challenges form the Bold Solutions Network, which focuses on elevating organizations and catalyzing further funding.

The Challenge 

Mothers are often considered the anchors of our society, yet women in low-resource countries and communities often lack access to safe, equitable, and quality maternal and infant healthcare. According to the most recent data, over 800 women die each day from preventable complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. For each of those, an additional 20 to 30 women suffer delivery-related injuries, infections, and disabilities. Meanwhile, in 2019, approximately 5.2 million children under the age of five died—the majority from preventable and treatable causes, such as birth asphyxia, pneumonia, congenital anomalies, diarrhea, and malaria. Too often, access to maternal and infant healthcare is determined by location, socio-economic status, and race. Inadequate maternal healthcare can result in undetected, severe complications for both the mother and child—the majority of which are preventable through timely intervention, treatment, and adequate care. 

Improving maternal and infant health outcomes is a global priority under Sustainable Global Development (SDG) 3: to ensure good health and well-being for all. Despite significant progress in the last decade, achieving SDG 3 by 2030 will not be possible if we do not prioritize marginalized communities. It is in this spirit that this Award calls for solutions that are grounded in and led by communities most proximate to the challenges in order to advance equitable maternal and infant health outcomes.

The Solution

The Maternal & Infant Health Award seeks bold solutions that will improve and accelerate equitable maternal and infant health outcomes among marginalized communities across the globe. Organizations from around the world are encouraged to apply. Competitive proposals will offer solutions that are community-led, impactful, durable, and, feasible. As we embark on this journey to improve and accelerate equitable maternal and infant health outcomes, we invite you to share your transformative community-led solutions. 

The Process

We have designed a process that is fair, open, and transparent. Once the application period closes, our team will confirm that each submission meets the requirements and rules before advancing first to Peer-to-Peer review and then to the Evaluation Panel review. Once evaluations are complete, the Maternal & Infant Health Award team will review the top-scoring submissions and may request additional information as needed in order to select up to five Finalists who will move on to the next phase. 

The Finalists will work with an expert team to strengthen, revise, and resubmit their proposals, host site visits, and share their more detailed plan to implement the proposed solution. The $10 million grant will be given to the Maternal & Infant Health Awardee.   

Maternal & Infant Health Award

The Maternal & Infant Health Award is a public competition sponsored by The Patchwork Collective, with support from ICONIQ Impact and managed by Lever for Change. We will award $10 million to one initiative that improves maternal and infant health outcomes in marginalized communities around the world.

The Maternal & Infant Health Award seeks bold solutions that will improve and accelerate equitable maternal and infant health outcomes around the world. The Award will prioritize solutions that are led by and grounded in the communities they serve.

Successful projects will be:

• Community-Led: Actively shifting the balance of power to local communities, empowering proximate leaders, and fostering community ownership.
• Impactful: Addressing root causes and systemic barriers in a manner that significantly alters health outcomes for the communities most impacted by the issue with clear and measurable progress.
• Durable: Creating sustainable sources of power, including financial resources, with which to support itself.
• Feasible: Lead by a team with skills, capacity, and relationships to implement the proposed strategy or with a plan in place to build the requisite skills or strategic partners. 

The most compelling solutions will provide information and examples that affirm the proposed approach. These can include formal or informal studies, observations, and other indicators of change as defined by a team’s community. Additionally, your strategy should outline clear outcomes and offer a realistic plan to monitor progress and measure impact.

The Challenge

Good health is the foundation of a thriving community. Yet not everyone in America is afforded the opportunity to achieve their optimal level of health, due to systems, policies, and practices grounded in racism that create and perpetuate inequities.

BUILD seeks to support communities in their efforts to advance health equity—to ensure that no one is disadvantaged from achieving their full health potential because of social position or other socially determined circumstances.

The Award

With a specific focus on strengthening cross-sector and community-driven partnerships, BUILD awards are designed to support collaborations ready to put Bold, Upstream, Integrated, Local, Data-Driven plans into action. Organizations jointly applying for a BUILD award should have a strong track record of working together; have developed their joint priorities and implementation plans with strong levels of community engagement and leadership; and be primed to advance equitable systems-level changes in their community.

For this fourth cohort, BUILD is looking to support up to 19 innovative community collaboratives that include a: 1) community-based organization, 2) hospital/health system and/or health plan, 3) public health department, and 4) residents, who are all working together in dynamic ways to address upstream challenges and drive sustainable improvements in community health. Inclusion of additional cross-sector partners such as businesses, universities, foundations, and others that are aligned with proposed efforts are encouraged.

Each award will include:

• Up to $300,000 in funding over three years
• A robust array of coaching and support services
• Specialized trainings and capacity building opportunities
• Participation in a national network of peers engaged in similar work
• Opportunity to spotlight your local work on a national level

About The BUILD Health Challenge Awards

The BUILD Health Challenge’s mission is to contribute to the development of a new norm in the U.S.: one that puts multi-sector, community-driven partnerships at the center of health in order to reduce health disparities caused by systemic or social inequity.

With a specific focus on strengthening partnerships between community-based organizations, hospitals and health systems, local health departments, and others, The BUILD Health Challenge awards are designed to support collaborations ready to put Bold, Upstream, Integrated, Local, Data-Driven (see below descriptors) plans into action. Organizations jointly applying for The BUILD Health Challenge award should have a strong track record of working together; have developed their joint priorities and implementation plans with strong levels of community engagement and leadership; and be primed to advance equitable systems-level changes in their community.

This effort is grounded in the following principles and rooted in health equity:

• BOLD: Aspire toward a fundamental shift beyond short-term programmatic work to longer-term influences over policy, regulation, and systems-level change.
• UPSTREAM: Focus on the social, environmental, and economic factors that have the greatest influence on the health of your community and produce more equitable outcomes, rather than on access or care delivery.
• INTEGRATED: Align the practices and perspectives of communities, health systems, and public health under a shared vision, establishing new roles while continuing to draw upon the strengths and diversity of each partner.
• LOCAL: Engage neighborhood residents and community leaders as key voices and thought leaders throughout all stages of planning and implementation, with a particular focus on populations most affected by health disparities and inequities.
• DATA- DRIVEN: Use data from both clinical and community sources as a tool to: disaggregate data to identify inequities and understand areas of highest need, measure meaningful change, facilitate transparency among stakeholders, and generate actionable insights.

What Outcomes Are Expected? 

The BUILD Health Challenge aims to place multi-sector, community-driven partnerships at the center of promoting health equity. To do so requires a concerted effort to shift the systems that affect upstream, social determinants of health. We recognize that this type of change is a long-term proposition and nuanced, and it also requires a laser-like focus on this shift as a specific goal. Competitive projects should articulate how their activities will result in systems changes that will ultimately improve health outcomes.