HUTCHINSON, Minn. —Southwest Initiative Foundation (SWIF) is offering a third round of early care and education grants to support nonprofits directly serving its southwest Minnesota communities. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. on April 20, 2018. Grants will be awarded in May 2018.
Funding requests of up to $5,000 will be considered, and projects must be completed within 12 months of the grant award date.
Areas of focus for funding are:
- PreK-3rd Grade Alignment – enhancing the continuity and consistency of learning for children birth to grade 3 through trainings and professional development, resource development, strategy implementation, quality staff planning time or building community-wide approaches.
- Social and Emotional Development – building resilient communities through the enhancement of existing or development of new trainings, prevention, education, and programs that continue to have a far-reaching impact.
- Early Care and Education – helping increase access to and availability of high-quality early care and education environments through (including, but not limited to) staff development, curriculum and/or assessment implementation, Parent Aware rating attainment, expansion of number of children in care, etc.
“Southwest Initiative Foundation is committed to supporting early childhood efforts,” said Nancy Fasching, SWIF Community Impact Director. “Our goal is that all children in southwest Minnesota are ready to learn and succeed at their full potential.”
The full RFP is available at swifoundation.org/grants. Questions can be directed to Nancy at (320) 484-9104 or [email protected].
Southwest Initiative Foundation is an independent community foundation supported by individuals, families, businesses, and organizations. Its mission is connecting people, investing in ideas and building communities. Since its founding in 1986, SWIF has contributed more than $75 million through its grant and loan programs. Its business finance programs have helped start or expand more than 700 businesses, which have created or retained more than 8,600 jobs. SWIF has also established 26 community affiliates and more than 100 school, donor-advised and other funds, as well as 16 Early Childhood Initiative coalitions to support young children. SWIF has received 1,730 acres of farmland through our Keep It Growing℠ farmland giving program. In 2016, SWIF launched the Grow Our Own Initiative to align its work and ensure all southwest Minnesota kids have the best start to life. Southwest Initiative Foundation is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To learn more, visit www.swifoundation.org.
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