Early Care and Education

Early Care and Education Grant Opportunity

Funding to support improving access to quality child care and education for Jefferson County children 8 years and younger.

Eligibility + Requirements

This grant opportunity provides general operating support to community partners who are advancing work in one or more of the following:

  1. Support the convening of partners and organizations implementing the Jeffco Bright Futures Roadmap.
  2. Support organizations implementing Jeffco Bright Futures Roadmap strategies.
  3. Bring together stakeholders who are advancing policies aligned to our strategic framework with a focus on increasing access and affordability of quality early care and education programs.
  4. Support evidence-based pilot programs to increase the availability of child care options in Jeffco.
  5. Bring together stakeholders to develop a comprehensive Policy Blueprint aligned with the Jeffco Bright Futures Roadmap to support access to quality early care and education programs, support age appropriate social-emotional development, and coordinate systems that provide support to children and families.

Your organization must also meet the following requirements to be eligible for this grant:

  1. Organization Eligibility: Your organization must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, or an organization operating under fiscal sponsorship of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. If your organization is another classification but you believe your organization deserves consideration, please contact us directly.
  2. Geographic Eligibility: Colorado Gives Foundation is focused on helping Jefferson County thrive. As such we only fund organizations who are committed to serving Jefferson County residents and can demonstrate their impact in Jeffco with number of Jeffco residents served, percentage of budget applied to Jeffco or concrete programs that are specific to or focused on Jeffco populations.

Application Due: August 9, 2024, 5 PM MDT

Grant Term: October 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025

Typical Grant Funding Range: $5,000-$25,000 per year

(based on size of the organization and the work performed)

We anticipate the next Early Care and Education grant opportunity will open summer of 2025.

Apply Now

Getting Started + FAQs

A: We launched a new Grantee Portal (also referred to as GranteeView) where applications can be submitted. You can visit ColoradoGivesFoundation.org, hover over the “Everyone” tab and then select “Grantee Portal Login” to get started. You’ll need to register as a Grant Administrator by following these quick steps below:

Step 1: Go to our GranteeView Portal

Step 2: Click on “Register as a Grant Administrator”.  

Step 3: On the “Registration Screen” you will be asked to enter your first and last name and your email address. This information becomes your login ID.  
 
Step 4: You will receive an email to complete registration to the email address you provided and set a password to use for future login access.  

Step 5: Search for your organization’s name to begin the application process. If you don’t see your organization’s name on the list, you will be given the option to add it.   

Step 6: Once you complete these steps, follow the navigation on the screen or use the menu on the left to “View Available Grant Opportunities” or “Apply for a Grant.”  

Access and Download a Step-by-Step guide here.

A: We launched GranteeView to provide you with the best grant experience possible. This portal allows you to:

  • apply for grants
  • manage your grant application status and reporting requirements
  • see real-time transaction activity including grant check issuance

We will continue to enhance GranteeView’s features to elevate your experience.

A: Yes. Organizations can have multiple grant administrators. Grant administrators can see all applications for that specific organization once they are approved as a Grant Administrator. Grant administrators can also view all grantee payment history, apply for grants, and view open grant opportunities.

If your organization has a grant administrator in the future that needs to be removed from your GranteeView account, submit a request.

A: There are multiple ways to view the open grant opportunities with Colorado Gives Foundation.

If you are accessing our website at ColoradoGivesFoundation.org, you can see the open opportunities here. If you are in GranteeView, you can also access the Available Grant Opportunities in the left navigation menu.

A: We have general operating support grant opportunities across our six (6) focus areas currently open in 2024. Applications for these opportunities close at 5 PM MDT on August 9, 2024. Each grant has its own grant terms and timeline.

Future grant opportunities will open in 2025 and 2026. These opportunities are specific to each focus area per the planned schedule below.

Food Security:
Applications Due: August 9, 2024, 5 PM MDT
Current Grant Term: Oct. 1, 2024, to March 30, 2025
Next Open: Spring 2025

Early Care and Education:
Applications Due: August 9, 2024, 5 PM MDT
Current Grant Term: Oct. 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025
Next Open: Summer 2025

Workforce Development:
Applications Due: August 9, 2024, 5 PM MDT
Current Grant Term: Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2025
Next Open: Fall 2025

Housing:
Applications Due: August 9, 2024, 5 PM MDT
Current Grant Term: Oct. 1, 2024, to March 30, 2026
Next Open: Spring 2026

Health:
Applications Due: August 9, 2024, 5 PM MDT
Current Grant Term: Oct. 1, 2024, to June 30, 2026
Next Open: Summer 2026

Convenient Neighborhoods:
Applications Due: August 9, 2024, 5 PM MDT
Current Grant Term: Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2026
Next Open: Fall 2026

A: See the dates outlined in the answer above.


A: Our goal is to provide multi-year grants to support grantees until the next application period opens. Starting in 2025, grants will be staggered throughout the first three quarters of each year and align with our impact and focus areas with two-year grant terms. As such, the grant terms in the 2024 application align to the next anticipated opportunities for each focus area.

A: Yes. Anyone that has been given authority to apply for a grant and agrees to the terms and conditions for an organization may register as a Grant Administrator and apply. If a grant writer wishes to submit applications on behalf of multiple organizations, GranteeView allows the grant writer to request access to each organization. They can then submit applications on behalf of specific organizations using their “single” Login ID for the GranteeView.

A: GranteeView is a new experience for Colorado Gives Foundation and does not hold any previous grant information. However, going forward all applications, reporting and grantee payment history will be stored for easy access, and rest assured the Foundation still has access to your historical information if required.

A: Yes. Once you have selected “Apply for a Grant” in GranteeView and selected the grant opportunity you are applying for, there will be a Preview Application button available on the Application Dashboard. This provides a PDF of the questions you can use to prepare your responses before placing that content into GranteeView. 

A: Here are the steps you can expect during the application process:

Step 1: Once you start your application(s), you can follow the instructions on the Application Dashboard. Once you submit your application(s), the status will show “Application Received”.
 
Step 2: Your application(s) will be reviewed to ensure all preliminary requirements are met: 

• If additional information is needed, the status will be updated to “In Process” and an email will be
sent to the Grant Administrator who submitted the application with further instructions.
• If the application information is complete, the status will be updated to reflect “Preliminary
Review”.

Step 3: Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis and decisions will be made after the application closes on August 9, 2024

Step 4: Final Decisions will be made by Sept. 30, 2024, and the Grant Administrator will be notified by email of the decision. 

A: If approved, the system has already captured your application answers and the performance indicators related to how your organization may use the resources to drive impact. When you submitted your application, you agreed that you were authorized by your agency to approve the terms and conditions of the grant, including the final grant award, if approved.  Your submission serves as both the application and the grant agreement, simplifying the process and capturing an “electronic” acknowledgment. As such, it is imperative that the applicant clicking the “Submit” button has contractual authority to obligate the Organization to these Terms and Conditions.

The grant applications and agreement documents can be found anytime in your “Application Status & History.”

A: An impact area is a broad body of work that is intended to help make good happen so Jeffco communities can thrive. To support nonprofits in advancing their missions, we use grantmaking, impact investing, convening and other tools.

Our funding opportunities focus on three primary impact areas. We developed these impact areas through a combination of active community listening and groundbreaking data and research to find out how to best help all of Jeffco thrive. Each impact area has two more refined focus areas that provide more clarity for our community.

Collective Wellbeing Economic Freedom Vibrant Communities
1. Food Security
2. Housing
1. Early Care and Education
2. Workforce Development
1. Convenient Neighborhoods
2. Health

Collective Wellbeing

  1. Food Security
  2. Housing

Economic Freedom

  1. Early Care and Education
  2. Workforce Development

Vibrant Communities

  1. Convenient Neighborhoods
  2. Health

A: Yes. Colorado Gives Foundation is hosting two office hours for this grant opportunity in July 2024 to help you understand our impact priorities and to learn more about our grant application. Registration required.

Thursday, July 11 | 9:30 – 10:30 AM  | Register Monday, July 15 | 1:00 – 2:00 PM  |  Register

A: For this 2024 funding opportunity, Colorado Gives Foundation has about $4 million available and typical grant amounts vary from $5,000 to $25,000 per year.

A: If you’re having trouble logging in and need help with GranteeView, submit a support request.

A: If you have a question during the application process, or you do not see an opportunity that aligns with your organization’s work, submit a request to connect with our team.

A: In GranteeView, Grant Payment History, you may see payments you’ve been awarded for grants and other payments Colorado Gives Foundation may process, like payments from a Donor Advised Grant Recommendation or a Monthly Distribution for a ColoradoGives.Org Grant Distribution.

Kelly Degering

Grants Manager

Kelly joined Colorado Gives Foundation in May 2014 as the...